The EMD GP39-2 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1974 and 1984. 239 examples of this locomotive were built for American railroads. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP39-2 was an upgraded GP39. The power for this locomotive was provided by a turbocharged 12-cylinder 12-645E3 diesel engine, which could produce 2,300 horsepower (1,720 kW).

EMD GP39-2
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel–electric
BuilderGeneral Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD)
ModelGP39-2
Build date1974–1984
Total produced239
Specifications
Configuration:
 • AARB-B
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length59 ft 2 in (18.03 m)
Prime moverEMD 12-645E3
Engine typeV12 diesel
Cylinders12
Performance figures
Power output2,300 hp (1,720 kW)
Career
LocaleUnited States
BNSF 2958 at Mormon Yard in Stockton, California

Unlike the original GP39, which sold only 23 examples as railroads preferred the reliable un-turbocharged GP38, the GP39-2 was reasonably successful, ascribed to its better fuel economy relative to the GP38-2 which became of more interest in the 1970s energy crisis, and to its better performance at altitude.[1]

Original owners

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The GP39-2 sold to five railroads and two industrial operators:[2]

Railroad Quantity Road numbers Notes
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 106 3600–3705 Remainder to BNSF; 3600-3616 sold to Willamette & Pacific Railroad in 1993 as 2301-2317. Now later Portland & Western Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad 40 2700–2739 All to BNSF
Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation 32 1-3, 705–711, 779–799, 905 705-711 and 779-799 were built with raised cab roofs and extra windows for improved visibility in the Bingham open pit copper mine. Kennecott #3 was built for the Ray Mines Division of Kennecott Copper Corporation
Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad 20 360–379 371 to UP as 2370, then to NEGS, then to WAMX as 3927, operating with AA
Phelps Dodge Corporation 1 33
Reading Company 20 3401–3420 To Delaware and Hudson Railway, and then to CSX[citation needed]
Delaware and Hudson Railway 20 7601-7620 To Boston and Maine, to UP and then to Webb Asset Management
Total 259

Rebuilds

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Union Pacific has rebuilt 7 of their GP39-2's into GP39N's at their Jenk's shop. These units received a microprocessor control system to increase adhesion, control options, and extend the life of the locomotive.[3][4]

Preservation

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Only one GP39-2 is preserved as of 2019:

References

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  1. ^ Foster, Gerald (1996). A Field Guide to Trains of North America. Houghton Mifflin Field Guides. ISBN 0-395-70112-0.
  2. ^ "EMD GP39-2 Order Numbers". The UNofficial EMD Homepage. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  3. ^ Craig, R. "Union Pacific Motive Power". The Diesel Shop. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  4. ^ "Union Pacific Locomotive Roster". Up.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  5. ^ Laepple, Wayne (2019-10-10). "Former Reading locomotive arrives at Reading Co. museum NEWSWIRE". Trains. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  6. ^ "GP39-2 News Release". Reading Company Technical & Historical Society. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
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