The
EMD GP40 is a 4-axle diesel-electric
road switcherA 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...
locomotiveA 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...
built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between November 1965 and December 1971. Power is provided by an EMD 645E3 16-
cylinderA cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...
engine which generates 3,000
horsepowerHorsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(2.2 MW).
The GP40 had a longer frame than the similar but less powerful
GP35An EMD GP35 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between July 1963 and December 1965 and by General Motors Diesel between May 1964 and January 1966. Power was provided by an EMD 567D3A 16-cylinder engine which generated .Many railroads traded in Alco and...
, and distinguished from it visually by having three full-sized radiator fans at the rear of the long hood, whereas the GP35 has two large fans and a smaller one in between. The difference in length is distinguished by the GP40 having one more handrail stanchion (ten) along the long hood than the GP35.
1,187 GP40s were built for
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
railroads, 16 were built for
CanadianCanada 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 18 were built for
MexicanThe 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. Various passenger versions were also built.
In 1972, the GP40 was discontinued and replaced by the
GP40-2An 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...
, which has an improved electrical system and a few minor exterior cosmetic changes.
GP22ECO
The
GP22ECOThe EMD GP22ECO is a B-B diesel-electric locomotive rebuilt by Electro-Motive Diesel. It is, along with the SD22ECO, primarily the application of a conversion kit to an existing EMD GP40 or EMD GP38*-type locomotive. This involves replacing the existing prime mover with an EPA Tier-II-compliant...
is an EMD GP40-type locomotive, repowered with an EMD 8-710-ECO engine.
See also