EMD GP60

The EMD GP60 represented a significant milestone in diesel-electric locomotive development when it entered production in 1985. Electro-Motive Division positioned the GP60 as its first third-generation locomotive, distinguished from earlier designs by the incorporation of onboard microprocessors that took over functions previously handled by extensive relay and wiring networks. These processors, housed behind cabinet doors at the rear of the cab, monitored and managed engine performance, cooling systems, and control functions, reducing mechanical complexity while improving reliability. The locomotive was rated at 3,800 horsepower and rode on a B-B wheel arrangement, making it a high-powered four-axle option at a time when much of the industry was gravitating toward six-axle power. Southern Pacific became the dominant customer for the GP60 in its standard configuration, ultimately acquiring approximately 195 units over a purchasing window that stretched from late 1987 through early 1994. A substantial portion of SP's order was lettered for its Cotton Belt subsidiary. Other purchasers of the standard cab variant included the Denver and Rio Grande Western, which took delivery of three units built to Southern Pacific specifications in May 1990, and the Texas Mexican Railway. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was the exclusive customer for two specialized variants: the cabless GP60B, of which 23 were constructed, and the GP60M, which featured a North American Safety Cab and was produced in a run of 63 units delivered between May and September 1990. The GP60M units arrived wearing Santa Fe's revived Warbonnet paint scheme and were among the most visually distinctive locomotives of their era. Production of the GP60 concluded in 1994, with a total of 294 standard units built across all variants of the series. The locomotive's relatively limited sales reflected broader industry trends that favored six-axle locomotives for their superior tractive effort on heavy freight assignments, and tightening emissions regulations further constrained the market for new designs of this type. The GP60 holds the distinction of being the last entirely new road switcher model in EMD's Geep lineage, closing out a family of locomotives that had defined American freight railroading since the early 1950s.

The GP60 was powered by a 16-cylinder version of EMD's 710G3 prime mover, a turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine that formed the basis of EMD's locomotive offerings during this period. The locomotive measured 59 feet 9 inches in length and carried a fuel tank with a capacity of approximately 3,700 US gallons. Its frame was shared with the GP59, a lower-horsepower contemporary, which reflected EMD's practice of using common structural components across related models. Traction was delivered through a conventional DC electrical system, distinguishing the GP60 from the AC-traction locomotives that would become increasingly prevalent in the following decade. The defining engineering feature of the GP60 was its microprocessor control architecture, which eliminated a large portion of the relay-based electrical infrastructure found in earlier EMD products. This reduced the number of discrete wiring circuits and relay components substantially and streamlined maintenance requirements. The GP60B variant took advantage of its cabless configuration to relocate the dynamic braking equipment away from the prime mover, placing it further forward in the hood, which represented a packaging departure from the standard model. The GP60M's North American Safety Cab provided improved crew protection and comfort, featuring a full-width nose with a slightly offset headlight to accommodate a front access door, and was a notable early application of this cab style on a B-B platform in North American service.

Models by: Athearn · Fox Valley Models · Walthers