An EMD SD38-2 is a six-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 (EMD) 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

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...

 line, the SD38-2 was an upgraded SD38

EMD SD38

An EMD SD38 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between May 1967 and October 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645 16-cylinder engine which generated 2000 horsepower . As compared to the EMD 645E3 engine that was turbo-charged and produced 3000HP from the...

 with modular electronic control systems, HT-C truck

HT-C truck

The HT-C truck was created in 1970 by Electro-Motive Diesel as a component of their range of railway locomotives through to 1994. It was mounted under the experimental EMD SD45X, and applied to a majority of EMD Dash 2, 50 and 60 series six axle units built by EMD...

s, and many other detail improvements. Power was provided by an EMD 16-645E

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 could generate 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...

 (1,500 kilowatts). These units were constructed with either 3200 or 4000 U.S. gallons (12,100 L or 15,100 L) fuel tanks and were available with or without dynamic brakes. It shared the same 64-foot-8-inch (19.71 m) frame as the 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...

 and SD45-2

EMD SD45-2

An EMD SD45-2 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division beginning in 1972. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 20-cylinder engine which generated . Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the SD45-2 was an upgraded SD45.The main spotting difference between an SD45 and an...

, which gives it a length over couplers of 68 feet 10 inches (20.98 m).

Additional specifications

Main generator:	AR10E1-D14 generator-alternator
Traction motors:	6 × D77/78 DC
Standard gearing:	62:15

Original owners

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
BC Hydro BC Hydro The BC Hydro and Power Authority is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia generally known simply as BC Hydro. It is the main electric distributor, serving 1.8 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the Kootenay region, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis...	3	382-384	To Southern Railway of British Columbia Southern Railway of British Columbia The Southern Railway of British Columbia, branded as SRY Rail Link is a Canadian short line railway operating in the southwestern mainland of British Columbia. The main facility is the port at Annacis Island with major import of cars, export of forestry products, and other shipments... , same numbers
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...	13	870-879, 890-892	870, 872, 876, 879 and 890 to Union RR, 50-54 (?/01); to EJ&E 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... , 671-675 (11/01); 873 to LTEX, 873 (stored as of late '06); 877 to EJ&E, 670 (3/01); 891 to EJ&E, 669 (?/81); 892 to DM&IR Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway is a railroad operating in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin that hauls iron ore and later taconite to the Great Lakes ports of Duluth and Two Harbors, Minnesota... , 215 (3/86); 871, 874, 875 all scrapped due to wrecks in the 1980s. 878 remains on B&LE rails as the last SD38-2 on the roster, as of 5-01-07.
Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway The Illinois and Midland Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. state of Illinois, serving Peoria, Springfield and Taylorville. Until 1996, when Genesee & Wyoming Inc. bought it, the company was named the Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway...	6	70-75	To Union Pacific Railroad Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman.... , 2800-2805; to UPY, 800-805
Chicago and North Western Railway Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...	10	6650-6659	To Union Pacific, 2806-2815; to UPY, 806-815
Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway is a railroad operating in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin that hauls iron ore and later taconite to the Great Lakes ports of Duluth and Two Harbors, Minnesota...	5	209-213
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...	13	656-668	All units still active, some upgraded to Dash 3 specs.
Jari Railway	2	10-11	Export, Brazil
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...	5	4500-4504	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... , 4500-4504; to CSX Transportation CSX Transportation CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles... , 2450-2454
McCloud River Railroad	1	39	To Union Pacific, 2824; to UPY, 824 (yard service in Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... )
Northern Alberta Railway	4	401-404	Built by GMDD; to 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".... , 5700-5703; renumbered 1650-1653
Orinoco Mining Company	5	1028-1032	Export, Venezuela
Reserve Mining	9	1237-1245	To GATX, same numbers; to LLPX, 2801-2809; 2802, 2805, 2807 and 2809 to Iowa Interstate Railroad Iowa Interstate Railroad The Iowa Interstate Railroad is a Class II railroad operating in the central United States. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-History:... , 150-155
St. Louis - San Francisco Railway	4	296-299	To Burlington Northern Railroad Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996.... , 6260-6263; to BNSF Railway BNSF Railway The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary... , same numbers
Southern Pacific Railroad Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....	6	2971-2976	To Union Pacific, 2830-2835; to UPY, 830-835
United States Steel	1	1	To Cyprus-Amax, same number
Yankeetown Dock	3	20-22	22 to Cyprus-Amax, same number

External links

• Sarberenyi, Robert. EMD SD38-2 Original Owners