EMD SD38

what is it?

The EMD SD38 is a 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between May 1967 and October 1971. It had an EMD 645 16-cylinder engine generating 2,000 horsepower (1.5 MW), compared to the turbocharged EMD 645E3 V-16 engine that produced 3000 horsepower. Aside from the 3-axle trucks and a longer frame to accommodate them, the SD38 was identical to the GP38; the SD38 had the same frame as the SD39, SD40 and SD45.

who runs it

Penn Central Transportation CompanyBABessemer and Lake Erie RailroadDetroit, Toledo and Ironton RailroadEJElgin, Joliet and Eastern RailwayMRMcCloud Railway

base stats

• power 1.5 MWpower output
• built 53made in total

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 59 years ago, in 1967.
• 🚗1.5 MW is about 18 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.

diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).

spec sheet

built

1967–1971

number built

53

kind

Diesel-electric

traction

diesel

origin

🇺🇸 United States

builders

Electro-Motive Diesel

operators

Penn Central Transportation Company, Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad, Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad, Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway, McCloud Railway

top speed

—

power

1.5 MW

gauge

1,435 mm standard gauge

wheel arrangement

C-C

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.