EMD GP38AC
An EMD GP38AC is a 4-axle road switcher diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between February 1970 and December 1971. It was basically a GP38 with an AR10 alternator instead of the GP38's normal generator.
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 LLPX 2210 | |||||||||||||
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261 examples of this model were built; railroads that purchased this model include CP, DT&I, GTW, GM&O, IC, LV, L&N, N&W, SLSF, SOU and Pacific Power and Light.
Many were upgraded to full GP38-2 status with the Dash 2 modular electrical cabinet.
Original Buyers
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CP Rail | 3000-3020 | ||
| Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad | 210-217 | 215 renumbered 209, 216 renumbered 208, 217 renumbered 207; to Grand Trunk Western Railroad 6207-6214 | |
| 215-220 | To Grand Trunk Western Railroad 6215-6220 | ||
| Grand Trunk Western Railroad | 5800-5811 | ||
| Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad | 721-733 | To Illinois Central Gulf Railroad 9540-9552 | |
| Illinois Central Railroad | 9500-9519 | ||
| Lehigh Valley Railroad | 310-313 | To Conrail 7656-7659, and then to Norfolk Southern 2881-2885 | |
| Louisville and Nashville Railroad | 4020-4049 | To Seaboard System Railroad 6241-6270 then to CSX | |
| Norfolk and Western Railway | 4100-4159 | To Norfolk Southern. All have either been retired, scrapped, or rebuilt. | |
| Pacific Power & Light Company | 11 | ||
| Southern Railway | 2823–2878 | To Norfolk Southern. All but 3 have either been retired, scrapped, or rebuilt. | |
| St. Louis – San Francisco Railway | 633-662 | 651 wrecked, remaining to Burlington Northern Railroad 2110-2138 and later to BNSF. Some of them were rebuilt as GP38-3R or GP39-3 | |
Preservation
In June 2020 BNSF 2127, originally Frisco 650 built in February 1971, was donated to the Galveston Railroad Museum, in Galveston, Texas. [1] The unit is currently painted in late BN green, with BNSF patches. GRM, as of now, has no intention to repaint/restore it in the coming years.
References
- Marre, Louis A. & Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1989). The Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide. Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-89024-088-4. LCCN 88083625. OCLC 19959644.
- Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89024-026-7.
- Sarberenyi, Robert. EMD GP38 and GP38AC Original Owners
