
Locomotive Phases - EMD (NS) GP38-3
From 2004 to 2007, Norfolk Southern rebuilt 37 former Southern Railway GP50 units into GP38-3's. The 3500-hp, 16-cylinder turbocharged 645F engine was derated to a 2000-hp Roots-blown 645E, which resulted in the removal of the middle radiator fan, the installation of a paper air filter box, and the replacement of the exhaust silencer with two exhaust stacks. Aside from these modifications, the original long hood of the GP50 was retained largely as-is. While mechanically similar to a standard GP38-2, the units retained the Super Series wheel slip control of the GP50.
The original high short hood was replaced with an 81" low short hood - the same length as the high hood but shorter than the 88" low hood used on other GP50's as built. The original EMD handbrake was replaced with a Graham-White 393 series handbrake, and an all-new cab and sub-base were installed. The cab was built to the general design and dimensions of the EMD standard cab, with a flat panel under the headlight (as on earlier EMD-built units) and a welded rectangular side panel (as on late Dash-2 and later units). The sub-base and battery box doors, the notch for the handbrake and a few other minor details differed from the EMD-built version. During the cab conversion, the units were changed from long hood forward to short hood forward operation.
Phases
Over the course of the rebuilds, the series underwent a number of minor variations.
Number | Phase | Fans | Air filter box | Exhaust stacks | Sunshade | Dynamic brakes | LSL (1) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5801 | 1 | Q-type | Straight sides | Sliding | Roof panel at front | Yes | |
5802 | 2 | Angled top | Spaced farther apart | No roof panel | |||
5803 | |||||||
5804 | |||||||
5805 | |||||||
5806 | |||||||
5807 | |||||||
5808 | |||||||
5809 | |||||||
5810 | |||||||
5811 | |||||||
5812 | |||||||
5813 | |||||||
5814 | |||||||
5815 | 3 | Fixed | |||||
5816 | |||||||
5817 | |||||||
5818 | |||||||
5819 | |||||||
5820 | 4 | Short | Angled housing extended forward on conductor's side | ||||
5821 | Tall | ||||||
5822 | Short/tall | ||||||
5823 | Short | ||||||
5824 | Q-type | ||||||
5825 | |||||||
5826 | |||||||
5827 | |||||||
5828 | |||||||
5829 | |||||||
5830 | 5 | No | |||||
5831 | |||||||
5832 | |||||||
5833 | |||||||
5834 | |||||||
5835 | |||||||
5836 | |||||||
5837 |
Notes
- LSL: Locomotive speed limiter, identifiable externally by the light mounted below the walkway on both sides behind the cab.
Other Details
- Six units (5809, 5810, 5814, 5818, 5822 and 5835) were rebuilt from the last order of GP50's (NS 7073-7092) and had different end handrails from the rest.
- Most had trucks with Timken wheel bearings in matching housings. Some used Timken bearings installed in Hyatt bearing housings with the end caps removed. A couple (such as 5821 and 5822) used one truck with each type.
- Almost all units had Airchime K5LAR24 horns, with the majority facing the rear of the long hood. A few had Nathan P5's. The horn location varied slightly among units, with later units tending to have the horn slightly farther forward.
References
Graham-White. (2004). SafeSet LPBs. Retrieved April 2016 from http://www.grahamwhite.com/main/category.php?C1=15
Myers. (2011). Juniata Diesel Conversions - GP50 to GP38-3 for Norfolk Southern. Retrieved March 2017 from http://www.altoonaworks.info/rebuilds/ns_gp38-3.html