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-cylinder engine, which generates 2,000 horsepower (1.5 MW).
GP38-2W
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 the Canadian National Railway during 1973–1974.
Although a W is commonly suffixed to the name, it is actually an addition by enthusiasts to help specify the presence of a CN-spec comfort cab. No locomotives built using CN's design of comfort cab ever featured a W in their designation, as the presence of the cab did not mechanically alter the locomotive. This is reflected by the lack of the "W" in the model designation on the builders' plates of these units.
Compared to a standard GP38-2, the electrical cabinet air filter box and equipment blower duct behind the cab are different, the end platforms feature anticlimbers and vertical steps, and there are snow shields above the inertial-filter central air intakes behind the cab (added by CN some time after construction). They are otherwise largely the same as a GP38-2.
Original buyers
1,851 examples of this locomotive model were built for American railroads and industrial concerns, 206 for Canadian railroads and industrials, 156 for Mexican railroads and industrials, and 1 export unit for the Saudi Railways Organization. A total of 51 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.
RailroadQuantityRoad numbersNotes Angelina and Neches River Railroad 1 2000 The American Rolling Mill Company 1 B-84 Atlanta and West Point Railroad 2 6007–6008 Family Lines paint. To Seaboard System Railroad. Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railroad 3 508–510 Belt Railway of Chicago 6 490–495 Boston and 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 and North Western Railway 35 4600–4634 Ordered by Rock Island. To Union Pacific Railroad. Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad 10 2000–2009 Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company 9 100–108 Clinchfield Railroad 8 6000–6006, 6045 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 and Eastern Railroad 4 810, 817-819 Detroit, Toledo and 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 and Eastern Railway 5 700–704 All to Birmingham Southern Railroad. 703 re-purchased in the 90s and assigned to Waukegan. 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 and Ohio Railroad 15 740–754 To Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. Illinois Central Gulf Railroad 40 9600–9639 Illinois Terminal Railroad 4 2001–2004 to Norfolk and Western Railroad 4160-4163, then to Norfolk Southern Railroad same numbers. Kansas City Southern Railway 12 4000–4011 Lehigh Valley Railroad 12 314–325 To the Delaware and 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 28 250–277 251 cab unit serves as a simulator at the Railroad Museum of Long Island. 261, 268, 270–271 to New York and Atlantic Railway. Delivered in Long Island bicentennial scheme. Louisville and 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 dynamic brakes To Union Pacific Railroad. Missouri Pacific Railroad 274 858–959, 2111–2237, 2290–2334 To Union Pacific Railroad. Penn Central Transportation Company 223 7940–8162 To Conrail, same numbers. Phelps Dodge 8 1–4, 9, 55, 56, 58 Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad 6 2051–2056 Providence and Worcester Railroad 4 2006–2009 Public Service Company of Indiana 2 WG1-WG2 Lettered for AMAX Coal. Rock Island Line 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 74 500–555, 6046–6050, 6053-6065 6046–6050, 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 Company 3 3821–3823 Southern Railway 257 5000–5256 High-short-hoods. To Norfolk Southern. 23 rebuilt with an Admiral Cab.The Admiral Cab was designed by Norfolk Southern for narrow-nose and low-hood cabs that retains the look of a standard EMD cab, the exceptions being sharper angles, angled center windows, raised numberboard section, under-floor air conditioning, and the nose being made of one inch thick steel instead of the quarter inch steel of the original EMD cab. 50 to be sold at auction on August 18, 2016. 5076 sold to Northwestern Pacific in 2017. 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 Vermont Railway 2 201–202 Locomotives built by GMD, London, Ontario Algoma Central Railway 6 200-205 Canadian National Railway 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. Units 4702 and 4728 rebuilt to GP40-3 and repainted to heritage schemes.51 5560–5610 GP38-2W's. Renumbered 4760–4810 in 1988. 5586 destroyed in the Hinton train collision of 1986. Canadian Pacific Railway 115 3021–3135 The 3086-3135 were the last GP38-2's built by GMD, between March and July 1986. 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 México 6 141, 145, 157–158, 167-168 Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico 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. Ferrocarriles Unidos del Sureste 14 514–521, 528-533 Saudi Railways Organization 1 2000 Totals 2,264
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.
Union Pacific has rebuilt 167 of their GP38-2's into GP38N's at their Jenk's shop. These units received a microprocessor control system to increase adhesion, control options, and extend the life of the locomotive.
Preservation Several GP38-2s operate on tourist railroads and are preserved at railroad museums.
The Colebrookdale Railroad operates a GP38-2, #5128, on its excursion trains. #5128 was built as Southern Railway #5128. It was repainted into the Colebrookdale Railroad's colors in 2025.
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad operates a GP38-2, #2335, on their excursion trains. It was built as St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (Frisco) #664. NdeM #9271 is preserved at the Museo de Ferrocarril Mexicano de Sur in Oaxaca, Mexico. Southern Railway #5000, the first GP38-2 built, operates at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It has been restored to its original paint scheme. #5000 was traded from Progress Rail with Norfolk Southern #5033 in 2017. Southern Railway #5044 operates as TVRM #5044 at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is painted black and lettered for the museum. Southern Railway #5109 operates as TVRM #5109 at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is painted in the museum's black and red scheme with yellow striping. Canadian Pacific #7309 (formerly Lehigh Valley Railroad #322, later Delaware & Hudson #7309) was acquired by the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway in Corinth, New York. It is the very first short hood GP38-2 in preservation. It is planned to be repainted back into its Delaware & Hudson appearance.
See also List of GM-EMD locomotives List of GMD Locomotives Peacekeeper Rail Garrison, one ex-CSX GP38-2 was acquired by the United States Air Force and modified for a proposed rail-based ICBM system.
References
Thompson, David, EMD GP38-2 and GP38-2W Original Owners. The Family Lines Rail System: Condensed List of Locomotives. 1 February 1982.
Notes
External links
US Government test of GP38-2 with biodiesel CN GP38-2 family
pl:EMD GP38