The EMD GP38 is a four-axle

diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...

built by

General Motors Electro-Motive Division Progress Rail Locomotives, doing business as Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), is an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products and diesel engines for the rail industry. The company is owned by Caterpillar through its su ...

between January 1966 and December 1971. The locomotive's

prime mover Prime mover may refer to: Philosophy *Unmoved mover, a concept in Aristotle's writings Engineering * Prime mover (engine), motor, a machine that converts various other forms of energy (chemical, electrical, fluid pressure/flow, etc) into energy ...

was an

EMD 645 The EMD 645 is a family of diesel engines that was designed and manufactured by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. While the 645 series was intended primarily for locomotive, marine and stationary engine use, one 16-cylinder versio ...

16-

cylinder A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an ...

engine that generated . The company built 706 GP38s for North American railroads. In 1972, EMD began making an updated model, the

GP38-2 The EMD GP38-2 is an American four-axle diesel-electric locomotive 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-cyl ...

, as part of its Dash-2 line.

Original orders

Rebuilds

A number of GP38s have been rebuilt into the equivalent of a GP38-2. Conversely, a number of higher horsepower ''40 Series'' locomotives have been rebuilt into the equivalent of a GP38-2 (GP38AC), by the removal of the

turbocharger In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

and the substitution of twin Roots blowers. In 2007,

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...

rebuilt #2911 which is an ex Penn Central GP38 into an experimental zero-emissions Battery-Electric locomotive known as the

Altoona Works BP4 The Altoona Works BP4 is a B-B battery-electric locomotive rebuilt by the Altoona Works of the Norfolk Southern Railway. It was created in 2007 by replacing the diesel prime mover of an EMD GP38 (Norfolk Southern #2911, formerly Conrail #7732) w ...

. The new locomotive was renumbered as NS #999.

Preservation

Conway Scenic Railroad The Conway Scenic Railroad is a heritage railroad in North Conway, New Hampshire, United States, owned by Profile Mountain Holdings Corp. The railroad operates over two historic railway routes: a line from North Conway to Conway that was f ...

252, built as

Maine Central The Maine Central Railroad Company was a U. S. Class I railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. By 1884, Maine Central was the longest railroad in New England. Maine Central had expanded to ...

252, is in Maine Central ‘harvest gold’ paint with Conway Scenic reporting marks, and currently operates on excursions on the former MEC Notch Route. This locomotive suffered a broken crankshaft in August 2020 and has since been repaired. *Conway Scenic Railroad 255, built as Maine Central 255, is in

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 Bellow ...

Red paint with Conway Scenic reporting marks. * TAG Railway 80 is preserved in operational condition at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. *

West Chester Railroad The West Chester Railroad is a privately owned and operated tourist railroad that runs between Market Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania, in Chester County, and the village of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, in Delaware County. It operates on of ...

7706, built as

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania, New York Central and th ...

7706, is preserved and operates on tourist trains on the former PRR line. *

Chessie System Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), the Western Maryland Railway (WM), and Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT). Trains operated under ...

3802, built as Baltimore & Ohio 3802, is preserved at the Baltimore Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland

References

* * * Sarberenyi, Robert.
EMD GP38 and GP38AC Original Owners
'

External links

{{Amtrak rolling stock GP38 GP38 B-B locomotives Diesel-electric locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1966 Freight locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Standard gauge locomotives of Canada Standard gauge locomotives of Mexico Diesel-electric locomotives of Canada Diesel-electric locomotives of Mexico

Original orders

Rebuilds

Preservation

See also

References

External links