An EMD GP38AC is a 4-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 February 1970 and December 1971. It was basically a GP38 with an AR10

alternator An alternator is an electrical generator that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current. For reasons of cost and simplicity, most alternators use a rotating magnetic field with a stationary armature.Gor ...

instead of the GP38's normal generator. 261 examples of this model were built; railroads that purchased this model include CP,

DT&I The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad operated from 1905 to 1983 between its namesake cities of Detroit, Michigan, and Ironton, Ohio, via Toledo. At the end of 1970, it operated 478 miles of road on 762 miles of track; that year it carried ...

, GTW, GM&O, IC, LV, L&N, N&W, SLSF, SOU and Pacific Power and Light. Many were upgraded to full

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 ...

status with the Dash 2 modular electrical cabinet. BNSF 2116 EMD GP38AC

Original Buyers

Preservation

In June 2020

BNSF BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

2127, originally Frisco 650 built in February 1971, was donated to the Galveston Railroad Museum, in Galveston, Texas.

References

* * * Sarberenyi, Robert.
EMD GP38 and GP38AC Original Owners
' GP38AC B-B locomotives Diesel-electric locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1970 Freight locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Standard gauge locomotives of Canada Diesel-electric locomotives of Canada {{diesel-loco-stub