An EMD SD38 is a 6-axle diesel 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 between May 1967 and October 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645

EMD 645

The EMD 645 family of diesel engines was designed and manufactured by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. Intended primarily for locomotive, marine and stationary engine use, one 16-cylinder version powered the 33-19 "Titan" prototype haul truck designed by GM's Terex...

 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 2000 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...

 (1.5 MW). As compared to the EMD 645E3 engine that was turbo-charged and produced 3000HP from the V16 configuration. This locomotive shared the same common frame with the SD39

EMD SD39

An EMD SD39 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between August 1968 and May 1970. 54 examples of this locomotive model were built for American railroads....

, SD40

EMD SD40

The EMD SD40 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1966 and August 1972.-Design:Like its predecessor in EMD's catalog, the SD35, the SD40 is a high-horsepower, six-motor freight locomotive....

 and SD45

EMD SD45

The EMD SD45 is a six-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between December, 1965, and December, 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 twenty-cylinder engine which generated 3,600 HP. This locomotive shared the same common frame with the EMD SD38, EMD SD39, EMD...

. 52 examples of this locomotive model were built for American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 railroads, one was built for Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 railroads, four were exported to a mining firm in Jamaica and seven were exported to a mining firm in Venezuela. The SD38 was succeeded by an upgraded Dash 2

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...

 version called the EMD SD38-2

EMD SD38-2

An EMD SD38-2 is a six-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division from 1972 to 1979. EMD built 83 of these medium road-switchers, which were used in both yard and mainline roles. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the SD38-2 was an upgraded SD38 with modular electronic...

.

External links

• Sarberenyi, Robert. EMD SD38, SD38AC, and SDP38 Original Owners

Original Owners

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad The Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad is a class II railroad that operates in northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio.The railroad's main route runs from the Lake Erie port of Conneaut, Ohio to the Pittsburgh suburb of Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, a distance of 139 miles...	3	861-863
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:...	5	250-254	To Grand Trunk Western 6250-6254; 253 and 254 still in service as Reading and Northern Railroad Nos. 2003 and 2004
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway is a Class II railroad that operates in the suburbs surrounding Chicago. The railroad is a link between Class I railroads in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana...	6	650-655	650 and 654 no longer in service, 651-653, and 655 sold to DMIR in 1992/1993.
Kaiser Bauxite	4	5101-5104	Jamaica
McCloud River Railroad	3	36-38	Still in service by MCR as of December 2005, Builder No. 34880-34882
Orinoco Mining Company	7	1021–1027	Venezuela
Penn Central	35	6925-6959	6941 still in service as Reading and Northern Railroad No. 2000
RFFSA RFFSA The Rede Ferroviária Federal, Sociedade Anônima was the state-owned national railway company of Brazil. It was created in 1957, and dissolved between 1999–2007.-Constituent Railways:...  (Brazil)	45	3601-3645	SD38M - 34 units in service

An M version of SD38 was built for the Brazil Federal Railways (RFFSA

RFFSA

The Rede Ferroviária Federal, Sociedade Anônima was the state-owned national railway company of Brazil. It was created in 1957, and dissolved between 1999–2007.-Constituent Railways:...

- Rede Ferroviária Federal S. A.).

A P version, the SDP38, was built for the Korean National Railways. Forty were made.