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EMD "SD38" Locomotives

Last revised: January 27, 2024

By: Adam Burns

The SD38 series included the original model and later variants, the SD38AC and SD38-2, as well as the 12-cylinder SD39.  These units were equipped with Electro-Motive's latest 645 prime mover.

What was essentially a C-C version of the builder's popular four-axle GP38, the SD38 was not a big seller due its modest horsepower rating.  By contrast, the SD40 and SD45 - models which offered 3,000 and 3,600 horsepower respectively - sold more than 1,200 examples each.

Most Class 1s had passed on the SD38 and, as Greg McDonnell notes in his book, "Locomotives: The Modern Diesel & Electric Reference," most buyers were ore and coal haulers which utilized the units in heavy drag service.

Photos

Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range SD38AC #207 is seen here in Proctor, Minnesota during May of 1988. Warren Calloway photo.

History

The SD38 was the six-axle variant of EMD's mid-powered locomotive line sporting the builder's then-new model 645 prime mover.   

In his book, "EMD Locomotives," author Brian Solomon notes that in late 1965 EMD advertised nine new models equipped with its latest engine offered in a range of horsepower ratings, sizes, and wheel arrangements.

The SD38 began production in May, 1967, powered by EMD's 16-cylinder, model 645E3 power plant.  Unfortunately, while the company correctly read the mid-powered market in four-axle models - selling more than 3,000 examples of the GP38 series - the industry was largely disinterested in such six-axle designs.

Buyers were largely only those in need of greater footing in drag service.  These included the Bessemer & Lake Erie; Detroit, Toledo & Ironton; McCloud River Railroad; Elgin, Joliet & Eastern; and Penn Central (its 35 was the most by a single customer).  

SD38-2

In 1972, EMD released its "Dash 2" line, which included the SD38-2.  In his book, "Locomotives: The Modern Diesel & Electric Reference," author Greg McDonnell notes EMD listed 40 refinements to the Dash 2 line although nearly all of these were internal, aimed at improving locomotive efficiency and operation.

Dash 2s generally saw higher sales than their standard counterparts.  However, the SD38-2 sold only a disappointing 90 examples to Bessemer & Lake Erie; Yankeetown Dock; Reserve Mining; Penn Central; Southern Pacific; Chicago & Illinois Midland; Chicago & North Western; Frisco; Southern Pacific; Louisville & Nashville; U.S. Steel; and Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range.

The Yankeetown Dock Corporation acquired a few SD38-2's to handle coal tonnage. Here, #20 readies to take empties back to the mines at Yankeetown, Indiana on July 26, 1980. Doug Kroll photo.

The model looked almost identical to the SD40-2 with its long front and aft "porches" which gave the locomotive a length of over 68-feet, three feet longer than the SD38.  Like its GP38 cousin, the SD38 differs from other models by its two large, rear radiator fans instead of three.

Data Sheet and Specifications

Entered Production5/1967 (Bessemer & Lake Erie #861-863)
Years Produced (SD38)5/1967 - 7/1971
Years Produced (SD38-2)11/1972 - 6/1979
Years Produced (SD38AC)6/1971 - 7/1971
Years Produced (SD39)8/1968 - 4/1970
Years Produced (SDL39)3/1969 - 11/1972
Engine645E3
Engine BuilderGM
Horsepower2000
Horsepower (SD39)2300
RPM800
Cylinders16
Cylinders (SD39)12
Length65' 8"
Length (SD39)65' 9"
Length (SDP38, SD38-2)68' 10"
Height (Top Of Rail To Top Of Cab)15' 5 ½"
Width10' 4"
Weight360,000 Lbs
Weight (SDL39)250,000 Lbs
Fuel Capacity3200 Gallons
Fuel Capacity (SDL39)1700 Gallons
Air CompressorGardner-Denver
Air Compressor ModelWBO
Air Brake ManufacturerWestinghouse
Air Brake Schedule26L
TrucksC-C
Truck TypeHT-C
Truck Wheelbase13' 7"
Wheel Size40"
Traction MotorsD77 (6), GM
Primary GeneratorD32, GM
Primary Generator (SD38-2)AR10, GM
Auxiliary GeneratorDelco (A8102)
Steam Generator (SDP38)Vapor-Clarkson (model AR4125)
AlternatorD14
MU (Multiple-Unit)Yes
Dynamic BrakesYes
Gear Ratio59:15
Tractive Effort (Starting)90,000 Lbs at 25%
Tractive Effort (Starting)82,800 Lbs at 25% (SDL39)
Tractive Effort (Continuous)82,100 Lbs at 6.6 mph
Tractive Effort (Continuous)82,100 Lbs at 8 mph
Top Speed95 mph

Production Roster

SD38

Total Built = 108

Owner Road Number(s) Serial Number(s) Order Number Completion Date
Bessemer & Lake Erie 861-863 33053-33055 7986 5/1967
Detroit, Toledo & Ironton 250-252 34863-34865 7161 7/1969-8/1969
McCloud River 36-38 34880-34882 7167 5/1969
Elgin, Joliet & Eastern 650-654 36141-36145 7243 1/1970-2/1970
Elgin, Joliet & Eastern 655 36163 7243 2/1970
Penn Central 6925-6959 36406-36440 7264 5/1970
Detroit, Toledo & Ironton 253-254 36872-36873 7330 7/1971

Export

Owner Road Number(s) Serial Number(s) Order Number(s) Completion Date
Kaiser Bauxite (Jamaica) 5101 31609 710498 6/1966
Central Railway of Brazil 3601-3645 32183-32227 710636-710680 2/1967-4/1967
Kaiser Bauxite (Jamaica) 5102 32859 710769 2/1967
Orinoco Mining Company (Venezuela) 1021-1023 32964-32966 710832-710834 4/1967
Orinoco Mining Company (Venezuela) 1024-1027 36830-36833 711667-711670 8/1970
Kaiser Bauxite (Jamaica) 5103 37077 711818 6/1971
Kaiser Bauxite (Jamaica) 5104 38479 712147 8/1971

SD38-2

Total Built = 90

Owner Road Number(s) Serial Number(s) Completion Date
Yankeetown Dock Corporation 20-21 5795-1, 5795-2 11/1972
Bessemer & Lake Erie 870-878 72677-1 thru 72677-9 3/1973-5/1973
Southern Pacific 2971-2976 72681-1 thru 72681-6 4/1973
Elgin, Joliet & Eastern 656-659 73654-1 thru 73654-4 1/1974
Chicago & Illinois Midland 70-75 74605-1/6 5/1974
Bessemer & Lake Erie 879 74612-1 2/1974
McCloud River Railroad 39 74623-1 8/1974
Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 209-213 74649-1 thru 74649-5 3/1975
Bessemer & Lake Erie 890-891 74677-1/2 4/1975
Louisville & Nashville 4500-4504 74679-1 thru 74679-5 1/1975
Elgin, Joliet & Eastern 660-664 75602-1 thru 75602-5 1/1975
Chicago & North Western 6650-6659 75618-1 thru 75618-10 1/1975
Elgin, Joliet & Eastern 665-668 756067-1 thru 756067-4 11/1975
Bessemer & Lake Erie 892 756069-1 3/1976
U.S. Steel (Cumberland Mine) 1 756078-1 12/1975
Yankeetown Dock Corporation 22 776049-1 12/1978
Reserve Mining Company 1237-1245 786142-1 thru 786142-9 10/1978
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco) 296-297 786187-1, 786187-2 6/1979
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco) 298-299 786199-1, 786199-2 6/1979

Export

Owner Road Number(s) Serial Number(s) Order Number Completion Date
B.C. Hydro & Power Authority (Canada) 382-383 71606-1, 71606-2 C348 (GMDD) 12/1972
B.C. Hydro & Power Authority (Canada) 384 74614-1 C367 (GMDD) 8/1974
Orinoco Mining Company (Venezuela) 1028-1029 713290-713291 713290-713291 10/1974
Orinoco Mining Company (Venezuela) 1030-1032 748031-1 thru 748031-3 748031 6/1976
Jari Railway (Brazil) 10-11 778022-1, 778022-2 778022 6/1978

SD38AC

Total Built = 15

Owner Road Number(s) Serial Number(s) Order Number Completion Date
Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 201-208 37069-37076 06/71 (5767)
Bessemer & Lake Erie 864-869 37703-37708 07/71 (7327)
B.C. Hydro & Power Authority (Canada) 381 37816 C340 (GMDD) 10/1971

SD39

Total Built = 54

Owner Road Number(s) Quantity Date Built
Southern Pacific 5300-5317 33998-34015 7110 8/1968-10/1968
Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern 40-41 34127-34128 7119 10/1968
Illinois Terminal 2301-2306 34883-34888 7168 5/1969-6/1969
Santa Fe 4000-4011 35020-35031 7176 5/1969
Santa Fe 4012-4019 35032-35039 7178 6/1969
Southern Pacific 5318-5325 35815-35822 7219 4/1970

SDL39

Total Built = 10

Owner Road Numbers Serial Numbers Order Number Completion Date
Milwaukee Road 581-585 34272-34276 7135 3/1969
Milwaukee Road 586-590 7345-1 thru 7345-5 72648 11/1972

Export Variants

SDP38

Total Built = 40

Owner Road Numbers Serial Numbers Order Numbers Completion Date
Korean National Railroad 6351-6390 32914-32953 710792-710831 5/1967-7/1967

SD38-2TC

Total Built = 8

Owner Road Numbers Serial Numbers Order Number Completion Date
Orinoco Mining Company (Venezuela) 1041-1048 928793-1 thru 928793-8 928793 6/1994

SDL38

Total Built = 6

Owner Road Numbers Serial Numbers Order Number Completion Date
Saudi Government Railway 2030-2035 20148061-1 thru 20148061-6 20148061 7/2016-8/2016

SDL38-2

Total Built = 6

Owner Road Numbers Serial Numbers Order Number Completion Date
Saudi Government Railway 2004-2009 778050-1 thru 778050-6 778050 8/1978

McCloud River Railroad SD38 #37 switches customers at Cayton, California on May 11, 2006. This was one of the three the road purchased in 1969. The historic short line has since closed. Drew Jacksich photo.

SD38AC

The SD38AC was all but identical to the original except for its AR10 alternator in place of the standard model D32 generator.  As horsepower ratings increased, the size of DC generators likewise increased.

With space inside an engine hood limited, the use of a more efficient alternator solved this problem.  Just 15 of these units were sold; six to the B&LE, eight to the Missabe, and one to BC Hydro & Hydro Power Authority.

SD39/SDL39

The SD39/SDL39 was part of the SD38 catalog by way of its turbocharged, 12-cylinder 645E3 prime mover.  The more fuel efficient model could produce an additional 300 horsepower. 

As Louis Marre notes in his book, "Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years," most railroads avoided mid-powered, turbocharged models due to their increased maintenance.  The SD39 can be easily distinguished by its single, rectangular turbocharger stack directly behind the central air intake.  Ultimately, only 54 were sold.

The SDL39 was a special variant requested by the Milwaukee Road.  The "L" denoted "lightweight," as its shorter frame and fuel tank made the locomotive ideal to handle the light rail, rickety bridges, and generally poorly maintained secondary branch lines found throughout the railroad's Midwestern network.  Just 10 were built between 1969-1972.

Sources

  • Foster, Gerald. A Field Guide To Trains. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1996.
  • Marre, Louis A. Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years, A Guide To Diesels Built Before 1972.  Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing Company, 1995.
  • Pinkepank, Jerry A. Diesel Spotter's Guide.  Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing Company, 1967.
  • Schafer, Mike. Vintage Diesel Locomotives. Osceola: MBI Publishing, 1998.
  • Solomon, Brian.  EMD Locomotives.  Minneapolis: MBI Publishing Company, 2006.
  • Solomon, Brian.  GE and EMD Locomotives:  The Illustrated History.  Minneapolis:  Voyageur Press, 2014.

SteamLocomotive.com

Wes Barris's SteamLocomotive.com is simply the best web resource on the study of steam locomotives. 

It is difficult to truly articulate just how much material can be found at this website. 

It is quite staggering and a must visit!