BNSF GP38AC No. 2116.
(terry cantrell, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
EMD GP38AC DIESEL-ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
An EMD GP38AC is a 4-axle 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.
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.
Burlington Northern EMD GP38AC 2110 at Kansas City, Missouri, February 17, 1981. Photographer: George R Cockle.
No sales were made in the west except to the Frisco, which picked up 30 in a single order which was delivered between
February and April, 1971, SLSF 633-661. This unit is ex SLSF 633, the first one. It survived to become BNSF 2110.
(Craig Garver, Public domain, https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalrailartist/50871879232)
Original buyers
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CP Rail | 21 | 3000-3020 | |
| Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad | 8 | 210-217 | 215 renumbered 209, 216 renumbered 208, 217 renumbered 207; to Grand Trunk Western Railroad 6207-6214 |
| Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad | 6 | 215-220 | To Grand Trunk Western Railroad 6215-6220 |
| Grand Trunk Western Railroad | 12 | 5800-5811 | |
| Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad | 13 | 721-733 | To Illinois Central 9540-9552 |
| Illinois Central Railroad | 20 | 9500-9519 | |
| Lehigh Valley Railroad | 4 | 310-313 | To Conrail 7656-7659, and then to Norfolk Southern 2881-2884, Rebuilt into remote control yard slugs in 2007. |
| Louisville and Nashville Railroad | 30 | 4020-4049 | To Seaboard System Railroad 6241-6270 then to CSX |
| Norfolk and Western Railway | 60 | 4100-4159 | To Norfolk Southern |
| Pacific Power & Light Company | 1 | 11 | To Arizona Public Service - Pacificorp Cholla Power Plant |
| Southern Railway | 56 | 2823–2878 | To Norfolk Southern. |
| St. Louis – San Francisco Railway | 30 | 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. |
| Totals | 261 |
BNSF Railway EMD GP38AC No. 2127 at the Galveston Railroad Museum.
(Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
Preservation
In June 2020, BNSF 2127, originally Frisco 650 built in February 1971, was donated to the Galveston Railroad Museum, in Galveston, Texas.
Overview
Type and origin
Power type: Diesel-electric
Builder: General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD)
Model: GP38AC
Build date: February 1970 - December 1971
Total produced: 261
Specifications
Configuration:
• AAR B-B
• UIC Bo'Bo'
Gauge: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Prime mover: EMD 16-645E
Career
Locale: United States
