EMD GP38

Technical Specifics

The EMD GP38 was a four-axle road switcher diesel-electric locomotive produced by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division from January 1966 through December 1971. Positioned within EMD's broad GP series lineup, the GP38 offered railroads a 2,000 horsepower option that occupied a middle ground between the lighter-duty switchers and the more powerful turbocharged road locomotives of the era. A total of 706 units were built for North American railroads during its production run, making it a reasonably successful model that found customers across a wide variety of carriers. The locomotive's market appeal rested significantly on its use of Roots blowers rather than a turbocharger for engine aspiration, which many railroad mechanical departments appreciated for its relative simplicity and reduced maintenance demands compared to turbocharged counterparts. Railroads operating in environments where light-to-medium freight assignments predominated found the GP38 well suited to their needs, and the type served on lines ranging from regional carriers to major Class I railroads throughout the United States and Canada. In 1972, EMD introduced the GP38-2 as part of its updated Dash-2 series, incorporating improved electrical systems and modular components that enhanced reliability and ease of maintenance. The GP38-2 effectively superseded the original model in production, though many GP38s enjoyed long service lives on their original owning railroads and through subsequent sales to short lines and regional carriers. A number of original GP38 units were later rebuilt to a specification equivalent to the GP38-2, extending their operational usefulness well into the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Model Train Manufacturers

Brands that produce EMD GP38 in HO scale

Prototype Reference

Real-world information about this equipment type