EMD GP38-2
Encyclopedia
An 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 was provided by an EMD 645E 16-cylinder engine, which generated 2000 horsepower (1.5 MW).
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 each side of the dynamic brake
fan if fitted, 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, however 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.
The GP38-2W is a Canadian variant of the GP38-2. It is easily distinguished by its wide-nose Canadian comfort cab
. 51 of these locomotives were produced for Canadian National Railway
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.
railroads and industrial concerns, 257 for Canadian
railroads and industrial, 156 for Mexican
railroads and industrial and one unit for the Saudi Government Railroad. A total of 29 of the GP38-2s were built with high short hood
s containing steam generators
for use on Mexican railroads.
.
Parts of the EMD GP38-2 are used to form the children's TV series Chuggington
character, Dunbar.
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
of the road switcher
Road switcher
A road switcher is a type of railroad locomotive used for delivering or picking up cars outside of a railroad yard. Since the road switcher must work some distance away from a yard, it needs to be able to operate at road speeds, it must also have high-visibility while it is switching, and it must...
type built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. Part of the EMD Dash 2
EMD Dash 2
On January 1, 1972, General Motors' Electro-Motive Division introduced its new Dash 2 line of diesel-electric locomotives. All designations of these new models were those of the former models with "-2" added...
line, the GP38-2 was an upgraded version of the earlier GP38
EMD GP38
An EMD GP38 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1966 and December 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645 16-cylinder engine which generated ....
. Power was provided by an EMD 645E 16-cylinder engine, which generated 2000 horsepower (1.5 MW).
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 glassSight glass
A sight glass or water gauge is a transparent tube through which the operator of a tank or boiler can observe the level of liquid contained within.-Liquid in tanks:...
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
EMD GP39-2
An EMD GP39-2 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1974 and 1984. 239 examples of this locomotive were built for American railroads. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP39-2 was an upgraded GP39...
and GP40-2
EMD GP40-2
An EMD GP40-2 is a 4-axle diesel road switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division as part of its Dash 2 line between April 1972 and December 1986. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder engine which generated 3000 horsepower .- Production :Standard GP40-2 production...
in that its Roots blown
Roots type supercharger
The Roots type supercharger or Roots blower is a positive displacement lobe pump which operates by pumping fluids with a pair of meshing lobes not unlike a set of stretched gears. Fluid is trapped in pockets surrounding the lobes and carried from the intake side to the exhaust...
engine had two exhaust stacks, one each side of the dynamic brake
Dynamic braking
Dynamic braking is the use of the electric traction motors of a railroad vehicle as generators when slowing the Locomotive. It is termed rheostatic if the generated electrical power is dissipated as heat in brake grid resistors, and regenerative if the power is returned to the supply line...
fan if fitted, while the turbocharged
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
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, however 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.
GP38-2W
Canadian comfort cab
The Canadian comfort cab or wide cab is a broad-nosed cab design found on modern diesel locomotives. It occupies the entire width of the locomotive, and typically has an access door on the front of the nose...
. 51 of these locomotives were produced for Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
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.
Original buyers
1,801 examples of this locomotive model were built for AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
railroads and industrial concerns, 257 for Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
railroads and industrial, 156 for Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
railroads and industrial and one unit for the Saudi Government Railroad. A total of 29 of the GP38-2s were built with high short hood
Short hood
The short hood of a hood unit-style diesel locomotive is, as the name implies, the shorter of the two hoods on a locomotive...
s containing steam generators
Steam generator (railroad)
Steam generator is the term used to describe a type of boiler used to produce steam for climate control and potable water heating in railroad passenger cars...
for use on Mexican railroads.
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altos Hornos | |
141, 145, 157-158, 167-168 | |
| Angelina and Neches River Railroad Angelina and Neches River Railroad The Angelina and Neches River Railroad is a short-line railroad headquartered in Lufkin, Texas.ANR operates an line from Dunagan, Texas, to an interchange with Union Pacific Railroad at Lufkin... |
|
2000 | |
| ARMCO Steel | |
B84 | |
| Atlanta and West Point Rail Road Atlanta and West Point Rail Road The Atlanta and West Point Rail Road was a railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia, forming the east portion of the Atlanta-Selma West Point Route. The company was chartered in 1847 as the Atlanta and LaGrange Rail Road and renamed in 1857; construction was begun in 1849-50 and completed in May 1854... |
|
6007–6008 | Family Lines Paint, to Seaboard System |
| Atlanta and Saint Andrews Bay Railroad | |
508–510 | |
| Belt Railway of Chicago Belt Railway of Chicago The Belt Railway of Chicago , headquartered in Chicago, is the largest switching terminal railroad in the United States. It is co-owned by six Class I railroads — BNSF Railway, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Union... |
|
490–495 | |
| Boston and Maine Railroad Boston and Maine Railroad The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century... |
|
201–212 | 212 was renumbered 200 as a Bicentennial unit |
| Burlington Northern Railroad Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996.... |
|
2078–2109, 2150–2154 | 2150-2154 are Fort Worth and Denver. Most passed on to BNSF. |
| Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway The Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway is a short line railroad in the U.S. state of Montana which was founded in 1892. It was financed by the interests behind the Anaconda Copper Mining Company and operated primarily to carry copper ore from the mines at Butte, Montana to the smelters at... |
|
108–109 | |
| Chicago and North Western Railway Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s... |
|
4600–4634 | ordered by Rock Island Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:... to Union Pacific |
| Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad | |
2000–2009 | |
| Chihuahua Pacific | |
900-911 | |
| Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company | |
100–108 | |
| Clinchfield | |
6000-6006, 6045 | Family Lines Paint, to Seaboard System |
| Colorado and Wyoming Railway Colorado and Wyoming Railway Originally founded in 1899, the Colorado and Wyoming Railway is a subsidiary of the Oregon Steel Mills. It hauls coal, ore and steel products on about five miles of track inside Oregon Steel's Rocky Mountain Steel Mills facility in Pueblo, Colorado, and connects to the Union Pacific Railroad and... |
|
2001–2002 | |
| Conrail | |
8163–8281 | all units were renumbered when sold to CSX and Norfolk Southern. |
| Curtis, Milburn and Eastern | |
817–819, 810 | |
| Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad was a railroad that operated between its namesake cities of Detroit, Michigan and Ironton, Ohio via Toledo between 1905 and 1983.-Early history:... |
|
221–228 | 228 was renumbered 1776 for the Bicentennial. Renumbered to GTW 6221-6228 in 1984/85. |
| Durham and Southern Railway Durham and Southern Railway The Durham and Southern Railway operated of railroad from Dunn to Durham, North Carolina, USA. It was originally chartered as the Cape Fear and Northern Railway by Holly Springs resident George Benton Alford in 1892 and construction began in 1898. The name was changed to Durham and Southern in 1906... |
|
2000–2003 | to Seaboard Coast Line 556-559 |
| Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway is a Class II railroad that operates in the suburbs surrounding Chicago. The railroad is a link between Class I railroads in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana... |
|
700–704 | |
| Georgia Railroad | |
6009–6010 | Family Lines Paint, to Seaboard System |
| Florida East Coast Railroad | |
501–511 | |
| Grand Trunk Western Railroad Grand Trunk Western Railroad The Grand Trunk Western Railroad is an important subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway , constituting the majority of CN's Chicago Division .... |
|
5812–5836 | |
| Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Class I railroad in the central United States whose primary routes extended from Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, to St... |
|
740–754 | to Illinois Central Gulf |
| Illinois Central Gulf Railroad | |
9600–9639 | |
| Illinois Terminal Railroad Illinois Terminal Railroad The Illinois Terminal Railroad, known as the Illinois Traction System until 1937, was a heavy duty interurban electric railroad with extensive passenger and freight business in central and southern Illinois from 1896 to 1982... |
|
2001–2004 | |
| Kansas City Southern Railway Kansas City Southern Railway The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states... |
|
4000–4011 | |
| Lehigh Valley Railroad Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal.It was authorized April 21, 1846 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and incorporated September 20, 1847 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad... |
|
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 Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US... |
|
250–277 | 261, 268, 270-271 to New York and Atlantic Railway Delivered in LIRR Bicentennial Scheme |
| Louisville and Nashville Railroad Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business... |
|
4050–4144, 6011-6044 | to Seaboard System, 6011-6044 Family Lines Paint |
| Milwaukee Road | |
350–365 | to Soo Line |
| Mississippi Export Railroad | |
65–66 | |
| Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy".... |
|
304–321 | To Union Pacific |
| Missouri Pacific Railroad Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific... |
|
858–959, 2111–2237, 2290–2334 | To Union Pacific |
| Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México, was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 a major railroad controlled by the government that linked Mexico City to the major cities of Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juárez on the U.S. border... |
|
9200-9299, 9400-9414, 9901-9909 | |
| Penn Central | |
7940–8162 | to Conrail same #'s |
| Phelps Dodge Corporation | |
1–4, 9, 55, 56, 58 | |
| Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio at nearby Haselton, Ohio in the west and Connellsville, ... |
|
2051–2056 | |
| Providence and Worcester Railroad Providence and Worcester Railroad The Providence and Worcester Railroad is a Class II railroad in the United States. The railroad connects from Gardner in central Massachusetts, south through its namesake cities of Worcester and Providence, Rhode Island, and west from Rhode Island through Connecticut and into New York City... |
|
2006–2009 | |
| Public Service of Indiana | |
WG1-WG2 | Lettered for AMAX Coal |
| Rock Island Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:... |
|
4300–4355, 4368-4379 | to GTW, MP and P&LE upon bankruptcy of Rock Island |
| San Manuel Arizona Railroad Company | |
16–17 | |
| Saudi Government Railway | |
2000 | |
| Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a former Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971... |
|
500–555, 6046-6065 | to Seaboard System, 6046-6059 Family Lines paint |
| Soo Line Railroad Soo Line Railroad The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste... |
|
790–799, 4410–4452 | 790–799 renumbered 4400–4409 |
| South East Coal Company | |
3821–3823 | |
| Southern Railway Southern Railway (US) The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894... |
|
5000–5256 | High short hood; to Norfolk Southern Railway Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada... |
| Southern Pacific Railroad Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad.... |
|
4800–4844 | |
| St. Louis-San Francisco Railway St. Louis-San Francisco Railway The St. Louis – San Francisco Railway , also known as the Frisco, was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central U.S. from 1876 to 1980.-History:... |
|
400–478, 663–699 | to Burlington Northern |
| Texas Mexican Railway Texas Mexican Railway The Texas Mexican Railway is a class 1 railroad that operates as a subsidiary of Kansas City Southern Railway in Texas. It is often referred to as the Tex-Mex, or TexMex Railway.... |
|
861–867 | 867 is the last EMD GP38-2 built in 5/85. |
| Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway The Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway is a short-line railroad that operates of track from Mapleton, Illinois, through Peoria across Illinois to Logansport, Indiana, and includes a branch line between Logansport to Winamac, Indiana... |
|
2001–2011 | all went to ATSF Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859... then split off some went to BNSF BNSF Railway The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary... after merger and others went to KCS Kansas City Southern Railway The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states... |
| Union Pacific Railroad Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman.... |
|
2000–2059 | |
| United Southeast Railways | |
514-521, 528-533 | |
| Vermont Railway Vermont Railway The Vermont Railway is a shortline railroad in Vermont and eastern New York, operating much of the former Rutland Railway. It is the main part of the Vermont Rail System, which also owns the Green Mountain Railroad, the Rutland's branch to Bellows Falls... |
|
201–202 | |
| Western Railway of Alabama Western Railway of Alabama The Western Railway of Alabama was created as the Western Railroad of Alabama by the owners of the Montgomery and West Point Railroad in 1860. It was built to further the M&WP's development West from Montgomery, Alabama to Selma, Alabama. When the line was finally constructed in 1870, the M&WP... |
|
6045-6046 | to Seaboard System; Family Lines Paint; 6045 nee CRR & SCL, 6046 nee SCL |
| Locomotives built by GMD, London, Ontario | |||
| Algoma Central | |
200-205 | |
| Canadian National Railway Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad".... |
|
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, 7528/30/32 renumbered in 1990. The balance of these units became 4700-4732 in 1988. |
| Canadian National Railway Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad".... |
|
5560–5610 | GP38-2W, renumbered 4760-4810 in 1988. |
| Canadian Pacific Railway Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001... |
|
3021–3135 | The 3086-3135 were the very last GP38-2 order built by GMD from 3-7/86 |
| Devco Railway Devco Railway The Devco Railway was a Canadian railway. Devco Railway operated as an unincorporated department within the Coal Division of the Cape Breton Development Corporation, also known as DEVCO; as such there is no formally incorporated entity named "Devco Railway"... |
|
216–228 | |
| Ontario Northland Railway Ontario Northland Railway The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario.... |
|
1800–1809 | |
| Texas Gulf Sulphur Company | |
054–055 | |
In popular culture
The GP38-2 is a player-drivable locomotive in Microsoft Train SimulatorMicrosoft Train Simulator
Microsoft Train Simulator is a train simulator for Microsoft Windows, released in July 2001 and developed by UK based Kuju Entertainment, and is available for purchase through Amazon.com.-Gameplay:...
.
Parts of the EMD GP38-2 are used to form the children's TV series Chuggington
Chuggington
Chuggington is an international computer-animated television series for children produced by Ludorum plc and broadcast in 175 territories throughout the world including the BBC children's channel CBeebies...
character, Dunbar.