#4012
EMD SDL39
🇺🇸 United States ·built by Electro-Motive Diesel· from 1969· American diesel-electric locomotive
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. La sorpresa de la semana...: Rafael, de xtrapotrenes· CC BY-SA 2.0
what is it?
The EMD SDL39 is a rare model of 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between March 1969 and November 1972. Power was provided by the EMD 645E3 12-cylinder engine as used in the EMD GP39 which generated 2,300 horsepower (1.7 MW). The unit was built on a short 55-foot-2-inch (16.81 m) frame with C-C export trucks, barely tipping the scales at 250,000 pounds (110,000 kg) and managing a light-footed axle-loading of just 20.8 short tons (18.6 long tons; 18.9 t) per axle.
who runs it
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 57 years ago, in 1969.
- 1.7 MW is about 20 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- 16.8 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 1969–1972
- status
- in service
- number built
- 10
- kind
- Diesel-electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- builders
- Electro-Motive Diesel
- operators
- Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, Soo Line Railroad, Wisconsin Central Ltd., Ferrocarril del Pacífico S.A.
- top speed
- —
- power
- 1.7 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- Co′Co′
- length
- 16.8 m
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q5323477, Wikipedia: EMD SDL39 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.