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1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. NdeM 5406 (27443008661): Roger Puta· Public domain
what is it?
The EMD GA8 is an export diesel locomotive designed by GM-EMD in the late 1950s as a simplified design for use on overseas railways with light rail and sharp curves. At the time of its introduction it was described as an extremely lightweight road locomotive capable of handling passenger or freight trains and switching. The locomotive is notable for its use of freight car trucks that are driven by cardan shafts and two traction motors attached to the underframe.
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 68 years ago, in 1958.
- 597 kW is about 7 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 8 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 9.8 m long: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 1958–1968
- status
- preserved
- number built
- 95
- kind
- Diesel-electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- builders
- Electro-Motive Diesel
- top speed
- 72 km/h
- power
- 597 kW
- gauge
- 1,000 mm metre gauge
- wheel arrangement
- B-B
- length
- 9.8 m
- weight
- 47.2 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q5323417, Wikipedia: EMD GA8 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.