An EMD GP40-2 is a 4-axle diesel road switcher

Road switcher

A 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...

 locomotive

Locomotive

A 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 as part of its Dash 2 line

EMD Dash 2

On January 1, 1972, General Motors' Electro-Motive Division introduced its new Dash 2 line of diesel-electric locomotives. All designations of these new models were those of the former models with "-2" added...

 between April 1972 and December 1986. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder

Cylinder (engine)

A 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 generated 3000 horsepower

Horsepower

Horsepower 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).

Production

Standard GP40-2 production totalled 861 units, with 817 built for U.S. railroads, and 44 for Mexican roads. In addition, three GP40P-2s, passenger versions of the GP40-2, were built for Southern Pacific in 1974, and 279 GP40-2L(W) and GP40-2(W) units, equipped with wide-nosed cabs, were built by General Motors Diesel

General Motors Diesel

General Motors Diesel was a Canadian railway diesel locomotive manufacturer.-History:General Motors Diesel, Limited, was created in 1949 as the Canadian subsidiary of the Electro Motive Division of General Motors located in the United States...

 (GMD), for Canadian National and GO Transit

GO Transit

GO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...

 between 1974 and 1976. Of the CN units, 233 were built with a taller and lighter frame to allow for a larger fuel tank. These units were officially classified GP40-2L but are commonly referred to as GP40-2L(W). The balance of CN's fleet, 35 units, and the 11 unit GO Transit fleet, used standard frames and smaller fuel tanks; they are often referred to as GP40-2(W) but are classified as GP40-2. Total production of the GP40-2 and its variations totalled 1,143 units.
Although the GP40-2 was a sales success, it sold fewer units than the earlier GP40

EMD GP40

The EMD GP40 is a 4-axle diesel-electric road switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between November 1965 and December 1971...

 and the contemporary GP38-2

EMD GP38-2

An EMD GP38-2 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive of the road switcher type 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...

 and SD40-2

EMD SD40-2

The EMD SD40-2 is a C-C locomotive produced by EMD from 1972 to 1989.The SD40-2 was first introduced in January 1972 as the mid-range offering in EMD's six-axle "Dash-2" series, competing against the GE U30C and the MLW M630...

 models. The popularity of high-horsepower 4-axle diesels began to decline with the GP40-2, with 6-axle models gaining in popularity for their superior low-speed lugging performance.

Performance

Like the SD40-2, the GP40-2 has a long-standing reputation for reliability, and a large number of GP40-2s are still in service. Changes such as the modular electronics system improved reliability over the GP40. Their high power-per-axle rating, however, meant that they were better suited to high-speed service than low-speed drag freights, where they were prone to wheelslip. With the oldest GP40-2s now well over 30 years old, many (notably GP40-2Ls) have been retired from Class-1 railroads and sold to regional or shortline

ShortLine

Short Line is a brand name for three different Coach USA companies, Hudson Transit Lines, Hudson Transit Corporation, and Chenango Valley Bus Lines that provide local, commuter and intercity bus service in lower New York State, primarily along the Route 17 and Southern Tier corridor.-Service...

 railroads.

Spotting Features

The GP40-2 car body retains the high spartan lines of other EMD locomotives of the same era, with a beveled nose and an angular, slant-roof cab. There are three large radiator fans at the rear of the hood and a single fan in the middle for the dynamic brakes (if equipped). The radiator intakes are smaller than those of the later GP50, and the walkways lack the end "porches" of the 6-axle SD40-2.

The GP40-2 can be distinguished from the earlier GP40 by the oval-shaped water-level sight glass

Sight glass

A sight glass or water gauge is a transparent tube through which the operator of a tank or boiler can observe the level of liquid contained within.-Liquid in tanks:...

 at the right rear of the long hood; bolted (rather than hinged) battery boxes ahead of the cab; lengthened walkway blower duct; and various minor cosmetic differences in the front air intake and rear hood doors. A number of GP40-2s also came with the new Blomberg M-type trucks, with single-clasp brakes, rubber pads replacing the central leaf spring

Leaf spring

Originally called laminated or carriage spring, a leaf spring is a simple form of spring, commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles...

s and a shock

Shock absorber

A shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse, and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.-Nomenclature:...

 strut over each axle.

Phases

A number of minor changes were made to GP40-2s throughout their production run:

• Phase 1: 1972-1976—chickenwire radiator intakes, 81-inch short hood
  Short hood
  The short hood of a hood unit-style diesel locomotive is, as the name implies, the shorter of the two hoods on a locomotive...
  
  , older steps, bolted front battery boxes, bolted cab side panel
• Phase 2a: 1977-early 1979—corrugated radiator intakes, Federal Railroad Administration
  Federal Railroad Administration
  The Federal Railroad Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation. The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966...
  
   (FRA) clean-cab modifications, which necessitated an 88" long low short hood, notched stepwells, new battery box hinges.
• Phase 2b: early 1979-late 1979—welded cab side panel
• Phase 2c: late 1979-1981—EMD "Q-fans" and exhaust silencer.
• Phase 3: 1984-1986—new large blower duct, hinged front battery boxes, straight frame profile

Original Buyers

Owner	Quantity	Numbers	Notes
Atlanta and West Point Rail Road Atlanta and West Point Rail Road The Atlanta and West Point Rail Road was a railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia, forming the east portion of the Atlanta-Selma West Point Route. The company was chartered in 1847 as the Atlanta and LaGrange Rail Road and renamed in 1857; construction was begun in 1849-50 and completed in May 1854...	1	733	to Seaboard System Railroad Seaboard System Railroad The Seaboard System Railroad was a former Class I railroad created by merging the railroads of the Family Lines System. Although sharing common ownership, the railroads of the Family Lines System used different names when conducting business...
Alaska Railroad Alaska Railroad The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad which extends from Seward and Whittier, in the south of the state of Alaska, in the United States, to Fairbanks , and beyond to Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright in the interior of that state...	15	3000–3005, 3007–3015	3000 renumbered to 3006
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...	218	4100–4162, 1977, GM50, 4185–4256, 4287–4311, 4322–4351, 4422–4447	Chessie System paint
Boston and Maine Railroad Boston and Maine Railroad The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...	18	300–317
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...	95	4165–4184, 4267–4281, 4372–4421	Chessie System paint
Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico	29	1008–1036
Conrail	124	3280–3403	To CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...	37	3094–3130
Department of Transportation Department of Transportation The Department of Transportation is the most common name for a government agency in North America devoted to transportation. The largest is the United States Department of Transportation, which oversees interstate travel. All U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and many local agencies also have...	1	003
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad was a railroad that operated between its namesake cities of Detroit, Michigan and Ironton, Ohio via Toledo between 1905 and 1983.-Early history:...	20	406–425	to Grand Trunk Western Railroad Grand Trunk Western Railroad The Grand Trunk Western Railroad is an important subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway , constituting the majority of CN's Chicago Division ....  6406–6425.
Florida East Coast Railway Florida East Coast Railway The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida; in the past, it has been a Class I railroad.Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a project of Standard Oil principal Henry Morrison...	24	411–434	433–434 were last built
Georgia Railroad	2	755–756	to Seaboard System Railroad
Kansas City Southern Railway Kansas City Southern Railway The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...	4	796–799
Louisville and Nashville Railroad Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...	17	6600–6616	Family Lines Paint, to Seaboard System Railroad
Reading Company Reading Company The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...	5	3671–3675
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. It is now a portion of the CSX Transportation system....	7	141–147	to CSX
St. Louis – San Francisco Railway (“Frisco”)	25	750–774	to Burlington Northern 3040–3064
St. Louis Southwestern Railway St. Louis Southwestern Railway The St. Louis Southwestern Railway , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply Cotton Belt, was organized on January 15, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short lines founded in Tyler, Texas, in 1870 that connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern...  (“Cotton Belt”)	56	7248–7273, 7628–7657
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a former Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971...	26	1636–1656. 6617–6621	6617–6621 Family Lines paint; all to Seaboard System Railroad
Ferrocarril Sonora-Baja California Ferrocarril Sonora-Baja California The Ferrocarril Sonora–Baja California is a former railroad line of Mexico that operated from Mexicali, Baja California, to Benjamín Hill, Sonora. It was absorbed into Nacionales de México in 1984.-External links:*...	15	2104–2112, 2309–2314
Southern Pacific Transportation Company	68	7240–7247, 7608–7627, 7658–7677, 7940–7959
Texas, Oklahoma and Eastern Railroad Texas, Oklahoma and Eastern Railroad The Texas, Oklahoma and Eastern Railroad is a Class III short-line railroad headquartered in De Queen, Arkansas.TOE operates a 39.8 mile line in Oklahoma from the Arkansas state line to Valliant, Oklahoma .TOE traffic generally...	3	D15–D16, D20
Western Maryland Railway Western Maryland Railway The Western Maryland Railway was an American Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It was primarily a coal hauling and freight railroad, with a small passenger train operation. The WM became part of the Chessie System in 1973 and ceased operating its lines...	35	4257–4261,4312–4321, 4352–4371	Chessie System paint
Western Pacific Railroad Western Pacific Railroad The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California...	15	3545–3559
Western Railway of Alabama Western Railway of Alabama The Western Railway of Alabama was created as the Western Railroad of Alabama by the owners of the Montgomery and West Point Railroad in 1860. It was built to further the M&WP's development West from Montgomery, Alabama to Selma, Alabama. When the line was finally constructed in 1870, the M&WP...	1	708	to Seaboard System Railroad

Units built by General Motors Diesel, Canada

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Canadian National Railway Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....	268	CN 9400–9667, 9668–9677	CN 9400–9632 are GP40-2L, 9633–9677 are GP40-2W. CN 9668–9677 are former GO Transit units purchased in 1991.
GO Transit GO Transit GO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...	11	GO 700–710	Ten to CN 9668–9677 in 1991. One (703) to Miami Tri-Rail, later sold to Aberdeen, Carolina & Western #703.
Total	279

GP40P-2

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Southern Pacific Transportation Company	3	3197-3199
Total	3

External links

• Sarberenyi, Robert. EMD GP40-2, GP40-2W, and GP40-2LW, GP40P-2 Original Owners
• CN GP40 Family
• GP40-2 order numbers
• EMD GP-40-2 Proto Info: Conrail Cyclopedia