EMD GP38-2

South Shore Line GP38-2s idle near the Michigan City shops.

Type and origin
Power type	Diesel-electric
Builder	U.S. - GM, Electro-Motive Division (EMD) Canada - General Motors Diesel (GMD)
Model	GP38-2
Build date	January 1972 – July 1986
Total produced	2,213

Specifications
AAR wheel arr	B-B
Gauge	4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	59 ft 2 in (18.03 m)
Prime mover	EMD 16-645E
Engine type	V16 Two-stroke diesel
Aspiration	Roots-type blower
Alternator	AC alternator,
Traction motors	DC traction motors
Cylinders	16
Transmission	diesel electric
Loco brake	Straight air, Dynamic

Performance figures
Power output	2,000 hp (1.49 MW)
Tractive effort	61,000 lbf (271.34 kN)

Career
Locale	North America, Saudi Arabia
Disposition	Most still in service as of 2015

The EMD GP38-2 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive of the road switcher type built by General Motors, Electro-Motive Division. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP38-2 was an upgraded version of the earlier GP38. Power is provided by an EMD 645E 16-cylinder engine, which generates 2000 horsepower (1.5 MW).^[1] Most built still remain in service in the modern era due to ease of maintenance and exceptional reliability.

Spotting features

The GP38-2 differs externally from the earlier GP38 only in minor details. Its most distinctive identifying feature is the cooling water level sight glass on the right side of the long hood. The battery box covers of the Dash 2s are bolted down instead of hinged. It can be distinguished from the contemporary GP39-2 and GP40-2 in that its Roots blown engine had two exhaust stacks, one on each side of the dynamic brake fan, if equipped, while the turbocharged GP39-2 and GP40-2 has a single stack. The GP39-2 has two radiator fans on the rear of the long hood like the GP38-2, while the GP40-2 has three. It was also available with either a high-short-hood, common on Norfolk Southern units, or a low-short-hood, which is found on most other railroads.

NS #5356 (Low short hood) at NS Botsford Yard. (Ex-Conrail)
NS #5044 (High short hood) at NS Inman Yard. (Ex-Southern)
ONT #1806 at Huntsville, Ontario

BNSF Railway GP38-2 no. 2273 at Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2014.

GP38-2W

Canadian National 4769, an EMD GP38-2W, St Félicien, Québec, Canada

The GP38-2W is a Canadian variant of the GP38-2 and a forerunner of today's wide-nose units. It is easily distinguished by its wide-nose Canadian comfort cab. 51 of these locomotives were produced for Canadian National Railways during 1973–1974.

There are snow-shields above the inertial-filter central air intakes behind the cab; the electrical boxes and equipment blower behind the cab also differ in detail from a standard GP38-2. They are otherwise identical.^[2]

Original buyers

1,799 examples of this locomotive model were built for American railroads and industrial concerns, 257 for Canadian railroads and industrials, 156 for Mexican railroads and industrials, and 1 export unit for the Saudi Government Railways. A total of 31 GP38-2s were built with high-short-hoods containing steam generators for passenger service on Mexican railways. In addition, all 257 of Southern Railway's GP38-2s had Southern's "standard" high-short-hoods.^[3]

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
ARMCO	1	B-84
Atlanta and West Point Rail Road	2	6007–6008	Family Lines paint. To Seaboard System Railroad.
Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay Railway	3	508–510
Belt Railway of Chicago	6	490–495
Boston & Maine Railroad	12	201–212	212 was renumbered 200 as a bicentennial unit.
Burlington Northern Railroad	37	2078–2109, 2150–2154	2150-2154 assigned to Fort Worth & Denver. Most passed on to BNSF Railway.
Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway	2	108–109
Chicago & North Western Railway	35	4600–4634	Ordered by Rock Island. To Union Pacific Railroad.
Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad	10	2000–2009
Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co.	9	100–108
Clinchfield Railroad	7	6000-6006	Family Lines paint. To Seaboard System.
Colorado and Wyoming Railway	2	2001–2002
Conrail	119	8163–8281	All units were renumbered when divided between CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway.
Curtis, Milburn & Eastern Railroad	4	810, 817-819
Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad	8	221–228	228 was renumbered 1776 for the bicentennial. Renumbered GTW 6221-6228 in 1984-85.
Durham and Southern Railway	4	2000–2003	To Seaboard Coast Line Railroad 556-559.
Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway	5	700–704	All to Birmingham and Southern Railroad. 703 re-purchased in the 90s and assigned to Waukegan. To Canadian National 703, but retains its EJ&E paint
Florida East Coast Railway	11	501–511
Georgia Railroad	4	6009-6010, 6051-6052	Family Lines paint. To Seaboard System
Grand Trunk Western Railroad	25	5812–5836
Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad	15	740–754	To Illinois Central Gulf Railroad.
Illinois Central Gulf Railroad	40	9600–9639
Illinois Terminal Railroad	4	2001–2004
Kansas City Southern Railway	12	4000–4011
Lehigh Valley Railroad	12	314–325	To the Delaware & Hudson Railway upon creation of Conrail as 7314-7325. Briefly renumbered to 220-231 during the Guilford ownership of the D&H, upon emergence from Guilford renumbered to 7303-7312.
Long Island Rail Road	28	250–277	261, 268, 270-271 to New York and Atlantic Railway. Delivered in Long Island bicentennial scheme.
Louisville & Nashville Railroad	129	4050–4144, 6011-6044	6011-6044 Family Lines paint. To Seaboard System.
Milwaukee Road	16	350–365	To Soo Line Railroad.
Mississippi Export Railroad	2	65–66
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad	18	304–321	319-321 has D\B To Union Pacific.
Missouri Pacific Railroad	274	858–959, 2111–2237, 2290–2334	To Union Pacific.
Penn Central Transportation	223	7940–8162	To Conrail, same numbers.
Phelps Dodge Corporation	8	1–4, 9, 55, 56, 58
Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad	6	2051–2056
Providence & Worcester Railroad	4	2006–2009
Public Service Co. of Indiana	2	WG1-WG2	Lettered for AMAX Coal.
Rock Island	68	4300–4355, 4368-4379	Acquired by GTW, MP and P&LE upon dissolution of Rock Island.
San Manuel Arizona Railroad	2	16–17
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad	73	500–555, 6045-6050, 6053-6065	6045-6050, 6053-6065 Family Lines paint. To Seaboard System.
Soo Line Railroad	53	790–799, 4410–4452	790–799 renumbered 4400–4409 soon after delivery.
South East Coal Co.	3	3821–3823
Southern Railway	257	5000–5256	High-short-hoods. To Norfolk Southern. All will be rebuilt with a low short hood "Admiral" cab.
Southern Pacific Railroad	45	4800–4844
St. Louis - San Francisco Railway	116	400–478, 663–699	To Burlington Northern Railroad.
Texas Mexican Railway	7	861–867	867 was the last La Grange-built GP38-2 in May '85. All others built at GMDD London, Ont.
Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway	11	2001–2011	All went to Santa Fe then were divided up, with some going to BNSF after merger and others to KCS.
Union Pacific Railroad	60	2000–2059
Ferrocarriles Unidos del Sureste	14	514-521, 528-533
Vermont Railway	2	201–202
Locomotives built by GMD, London, Ontario
Algoma Central Railway	6	200-205
Canadian National Railways	60	5500–5559	23 renumbered to the 200 series when converted to hump mothers in 1978, these plus one additional renumbered to 7500-7526 (not all #'s used) in 1985. Three more, 7528, 7530, 7532 renumbered in 1990. The balance of these units became 4700-4732 in 1988.
Canadian National Railways	51	5560–5610	GP38-2W's. Renumbered 4760-4810 in 1988. 5586 wrecked and retired in 1986.
Canadian Pacific Railway	115	3021–3135	The 3086-3135 were the last GP38-2's built by GMD, between March and July '86.
Devco Railway	13	216–228
Ontario Northland Railway	10	1800–1809
Texas Gulf Sulphur	2	054–055
Export Locomotives built by EMD for Other Railroads
Altos Hornos de Mexico	6	141, 145, 157-158, 167-168
Angelina & Neches River Railway	1	2000
Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacifico	12	900-911	910 & 911 have high-short-hoods containing steam generators.
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México	124	9200-9299, 9400-9414, 9901-9909	9200-9219 & 9901-9909 have high-short-hoods containing steam generators.
Saudi Government Railways	1	2000

In popular culture

The GP38-2 is a player-drivable locomotive in Microsoft Train Simulator. Parts of the EMD GP38-2 are used to form the children's TV series Chuggington character, Dunbar. It is also used in Team Fortress 2 as a train.

Rebuilds

A number of higher horsepower 40 Series locomotives have been rebuilt into the equivalent of a GP38-2, by removal of the turbocharger and the substitution of twin Roots blowers.

CSX and Norfolk Southern have both started replacing cabs on the aging locomotives. NS still calls them GP38-2 while CSX calls them GP38-3.

References

↑ Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter’s Guide. Milwaukee, WI: Kalmbach Publishing Company. ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
↑ Foster, Gerald (1996). A Field Guide to Trains of North America. Houghton Mifflin Field Guides. pp. 74–75. ISBN 0-395-70112-0.
↑ Marre, Louis A. & Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1989). The Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide. Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-89024-088-4. LCCN 88083625. OCLC 19959644.

Sarberenyi, Robert. EMD GP38-2 and GP38-2W Original Owners
The Family Lines Rail System: Condensed List of Locomotives. 1 Feb.1982

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to EMD GP38-2 locomotives.

4-axle general purpose diesel locomotives built by GM-EMD

BL1 BL2 BL20-2 GP7, GP7B GP9, GP9B GP15-1 GP15AC GP15T GP15D GP18 GP20 GP20D GP22ECO GP28 GP30, GP30B GP35 GP38 GP38AC GP38-2/38-2L/38-2W GP38H-3 GP39 GP39DC GP39X GP39-2 GP40 GP40X GP40-2 GP40P GP40P-2 GP40TC GP49 GP50 GP59 GP60, GP60B, GP60M

(See also: List of GM-EMD locomotives)

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