EMD SD40
The EMD SD40 is a 6-axle road switcher diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1966 and August 1972.
Design
Like its predecessor in EMD's catalog, the SD35, the SD40 is a high-horsepower, six-axle freight locomotive.In 1966, EMD updated its locomotive catalog with entirely new models, all powered by the new 645 diesel engine. These included six-axle models SD38, SD40, SDP40 and SD45. All shared standardized components, including the frame, cab, generator, trucks, traction motors, and air brakes. The primary difference was the power output: SD38 = from a non-turbocharged V16, SD40 = from a turbocharged V16, and SD45 = from a turbocharged V20.
Original Owners
856 examples of this locomotive model were built for American railroads, 330 were built for Canadian railroads, 72 were built for Mexican railroads, 6 were built for the Guinea-Boke Project, and 4 SD40Ms riding on gauge trucks were exported to Brazil.Built by EMD at McCook, Illinois
| Built | Serial | Phase | Railroad | Road numbers | Quantity | Notes |
| 6/66 | 31766 | Ia2 | ASAB | 506 | 1 | No d/b |
| 3/66-5/66 | 32036-32055 | ATSF | 1700–1719 | 20 | ||
| 10/71-11/71 | 5801-1 - 5801-25 | IIc | BN | 6300-6324 | 25 | |
| 5/67 | 33161-33173 | Ic | B&O | 7482-7494 | 13 | Drop grabs on nose, 7482-7490 to CNJ |
| 4/69 | 34775-34778 | IIb_ | B&O | 7497-7500 | 4 | |
| 8/66-9/66 | 32092-32100 | Ia2 | CGW | 401-409 | 9 | |
| 1/66-2/66 | 31263-31282 | Ia1 | CNW | 867-886 | 20 | No d/b, 867 first SD40 built |
| 4/66 | 31760-31765 | Ia2 | CNW | 887-892 | 6 | No d/b |
| 9/66 | 32314 | Ia2 | CNW | 893 | 1 | No d/b |
| 2/67 | 32686-32688 | Ib2 | CNW | 894-896 | 3 | No d/b |
| 7/66-8/66 | 31929-31948 | Ia2 | C&O | 7450-7469 | 20 | |
| 5/67 | 33154-33160 | Ic | C&O | 7475-7481 | 7 | Drop grabs on nose |
| 4/69 | 34779-34784 | IIb_ | C&O | 7501-7506 | 6 | |
| 6/70 | 36696-36705 | IIb2 | C&O | 7507-7516 | 10 | |
| 7/70 | 36746-36755 | IIb2 | C&O | 7517-7526 | 10 | |
| 3/71 | 37204-37213 | IIc | C&O | 7527-7536 | 10 | |
| 10/67 | 33516-33519 | IIa2 | C&S | 875-878 | 4 | To Burlington Northern Same numbers. |
| 4/68 | 33918-33926 | IIb1 | C&S | 879-887 | 9 | To Burlington Northern Same numbers. 879 to BNSF. |
| 9/66 | 32141-32148 | Ia2 | CRR | 3000-3007 | 8 | |
| 9/68 | 34177 | IIb_ | CRR | 3008 | 1 | |
| 9/68 | 34742-34747 | IIb_ | CRR | 3009-3014 | 6 | |
| 6/71 | 37417-37422 | IIc | CRR | 3015-3020 | 6 | |
| 6/71 | 37538-37541 | IIc | CRR | 3021-3024 | 4 | |
| 4/70 | 36124-36129 | IIb2 | DE | 001-006 | 6 | Numbers out of sequence |
| 7/72 | 5817-1 - 5817-2 | III | DE | 013-014 | 2 | |
| 7/72 | 5818-1 - 5818-3 | III | DE | 015-017 | 3 | |
| 6/66 | 31799 | Ia2 | GM | 10 | 1 | No d/b |
| 2/66 | 31007-31018 | Ia1 | GM&O | 901-912 | 12 | |
| 9/66 | 32161-32169 | Ia2 | GM&O | 913-921 | 9 | |
| 8/69 | 35184-35195 | IIb_ | GTW | 5900-5911 | 12 | No d/b |
| 1/70 | 35831-35839 | IIb2 | GTW | 5912-5920 | 9 | |
| 9/70 | 36887-36895 | IIb2 | GTW | 5921-5929 | 9 | No d/b |
| 12/67 | 33244-33249 | IIa2 | IC | 6000-6005 | 6 | No d/b |
| 8/69 | 34939-34951 | IIb_ | IC | 6006-6018 | 13 | SD40A: frame, fuel tank |
| 1/70 | 35685-35689 | IIb2 | IC | 6019-6023 | 5 | SD40A: frame, fuel tank |
| 10/66-11/66 | 32101-32114 | Ib1 | KCS | 600-613 | 14 | Some equipped with Locotrol |
| 8/68 | 33958-33965 | IIb_ | KCS | 614-621 | 8 | Some equipped with Locotrol |
| 6/70 | 35493-35498 | IIb2 | KCS | 622-627 | 6 | Some equipped with Locotrol, numbers out of sequence |
| 3/71 | 35840-35847 | IIc | KCS | 628-635 | 8 | Some equipped with Locotrol |
| 3/71 | 38363 | IIc | KCS | 636 | 1 | |
| 6/66-9/66 | 32088-32091 | Ia2 | L&N | 1225–1228 | 4 | |
| 4/69 | 34758-34762 | IIb_ | L&N | 1229–1233 | 5 | |
| 4/70 | 35948-35952 | IIb2 | L&N | 1234–1238 | 5 | |
| 8/70-9/70 | 36809-36818 | IIb2 | L&N | 1239–1248 | 10 | |
| 5/71 | 38203-38212 | IIc | L&N | 1249–1258 | 10 | |
| 1/68-2/68 | 33771-33784 | IIb1 | MP | 720-733 | 14 | No d/b |
| 2/69 | 34504-34523 | IIb_ | MP | 734-753 | 20 | No d/b |
| 1/70 | 35725-35740 | IIb2 | MP | 754-769 | 16 | No d/b |
| 3/71-4/71 | 37543-37562 | IIc | MP | 770-789 | 20 | No d/b |
| 3/67-4/67 | 32968-32987 | Ib2 | MP | 700-719 | 20 | No d/b |
| 5/66-6/66 | 31899-31928 | Ia2 | NW | 1580–1609 | 30 | High short hood |
| 5/71 | 35605-35619 | IIc | NW | 1610–1624 | 15 | High short hood |
| 12/70-1/71 | 36896-36926 | IIb2 | PC | 6240-6270 | 31 | |
| 1/71-2/71 | 36997-37010 | IIb2 | PC | 6271-6284 | 14 | |
| 2/66-3/66 | 31285-31349 | Ia12,Ia2 | PRR | 6040-6104 | 65 | |
| 4/69-5/69 | 34889-34898 | IIb_ | SOO | 736-745 | 10 | No d/b |
| 3/70 | 36099-36102 | IIb2 | SOO | 746-749 | 4 | No d/b |
| 5/71 | 37425-37431 | IIc | SOO | 750-756 | 7 | No d/b |
| 4/71 | 37355-37370 | IIc | SOU | 3170-3185 | 16 | High short hood |
| 12/71-1/72 | 7375-1 - 7375-15 | III | SOU | 3186-3200 | 15 | High short hood |
| 1/66-5/66 | 31491-31569 | Ia1,Ia2 | SP | 8400-8478 | 79 | Numbers out of sequence |
| 4/68-6/68 | 33671-33680 | IIb_ | SP | 8479-8488 | 10 | |
| 10/66-12/66 | 32400-32434 | Ib1 | UP | 3048-3082 | 35 | |
| 4/66 | 31414-31438 | Ia2 | UP | 3000-3024 | 25 | |
| 4/66 | 31575-31589 | Ia2 | UP | 3025-3039 | 15 | |
| 8/71-9/71 | 37639-37653 | IIc | UP | 3083-3097 | 15 | |
| 9/71-10/71 | 37904-37928 | IIc | UP | 3098-3122 | 25 | |
| 8/66 | 32134-32138 | Ia2 | WM | 7470-7474 | 5 | |
| 11/68 | 34104-34105 | IIb_ | WM | 7495-7496 | 2 | |
| 7/69 | 34967-34971 | IIb_ | WM | 7445-7449 | 5 |
Built by GMD at London, Ontario
| Built | Serial | Phase | Railroad | Road numbers | Quantity | Notes |
| 10/71 | A2561-A2563 | AC | 180-182 | 3 | ||
| 9/67 | A2246-A2253 | CN | 5000-5007 | 8 | ||
| 10/67-12/68 | A2260-A2327 | CN | 5008-5075 | 68 | No d/b | |
| 2/69-11/69 | A2335-A2369 | CN | 5076-5110 | 35 | No d/b | |
| 11/69-12/69 | A2370-A2391 | CN | 5111-5132 | 22 | ||
| 12/69-4/71 | A2392-A2434 | CN | 5133-5175 | 43 | No d/b | |
| 4/71-11/71 | A2493-A2542 | CN | 5176-5225 | 50 | No d/b | |
| 11/71-12/71 | A2588-A2602 | CN | 5226-5240 | 15 | No d/b | |
| 7/66 | A2133-A2164 | Ia2 | CP | 5500-5531 | 32 | Nose brakewheel |
| 12/66 | A2177-A2209 | CP | 5532-5564 | 33 | ||
| 7/68 | A2328-A2333 | QNSL | 200-205 | 6 | ||
| 6/71 | A2543-A2557 | QNSL | 206-220 | 15 |
Mexican SD40's Built by EMD at McCook, Illinois or GMD at London, Ontario
| Built | Serial | Phase | Railroad | Road numbers | Quantity | Notes |
| 4/67 | 32228-32231 | RFFSA | 3701-3704 | 4 | Brazil, Broad gauge | |
| 5/68 | 33385-33403 | NdeM | 8503-8521 | 19 | ||
| 3/68 | 33895-33897 | NdeM | 8500-8502 | 3 | ||
| 12/71 | 38893-38932 | III | NdeM | 8536-8575 | 40 | |
| 8/72 | 37894-37899 | BOKE | 101-106 | 6 | Companie de Bauxite du Guinea | |
| 1/72 | A2603-A2612 | NdeM | 8576-8585 | 10 | Low-nose headlight, bell between number boards |
Phases are as listed by Robert Sarberenyi.
Derivatives and Experimental
The very first test bed SD40, EMD 434, constructed on an SD35 frame in July 1964 was in active service until retired by Canadian National Railway in March 2009 and donated to the Monticello Railway Museum in July 2009, albeit having been upgraded to an "SD40-2R", as Illinois Central 6071.18 customized SD40s were built for the Illinois Central Railroad as model SD40A, using the longer SDP45 frame, which allowed for a larger 5,000 gallon fuel tank.
Versions of the SD40 modified for the Australian loading gauge were sold to WAGR and Victorian Railways as their L and C classes respectively.
The SD40 was succeeded by an upgraded Dash 2 version called the SD40-2.
SD40 Rebuilds
After having been succeeded by the more modern SD40-2, a large number of SD40 have been upgraded with more modern equipment. The main difference between rebuilt SD40 and genuine SD40-2 is that the latter use a longer frame and has longer front and rear porches, while the rebuilt SD40 have a shorter frameA common product of rebuilding SD40s, and sometimes SD40-2s, is an SD40-3. The major addition denotes that the rebuilt unit or units as an SD40-3 is the addition of a micro-processor, and sometimes other modern components. The usual reasons for installing a micro-processor are improved traction control, and better fuel economy. Also, electronic control over braking systems. This may include some SD39, SD45 and SD45-2 rebuilt to SD40-2 standards.
The SD40R is a rebuilt of all the Southern Pacific's SD40 between 1980 and 1981.
30 SD40 units have been rebuilt as SD40M-2 by Morrison Knudsen for Southern Pacific, alongside 97 SD45s and 6 SDP45s.
The SD40-2XR designates 15 SD40 and a SDP40 rebuilt to Dash-2 standards for Montana Rail Link.
The SD40E is an SD50 rebuilt by the Norfolk Southern Railway and derated to 3000 HP.
SD40-Series Production Timeline
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:30
Period = from:01/01/1966 till:01/01/1990
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5
Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
PlotData=
width:20 textcolor:black shift: anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:powderblue from:01/01/1966 till:08/31/1972 text:SD40
bar:2 color:powderblue from:06/01/1966 till:05/31/1970 text:SDP40
bar:3 color:powderblue from:01/01/1969 till:01/01/1970 text:SD40A
bar:4 color:powderblue from:01/01/1972 till:10/31/1989 text:SD40-2
bar:5 color:powderblue from:06/01/1973 till:08/31/1974 text:SDP40F
bar:6 color:powderblue from:04/01/1974 till:07/31/1980 text:SD40T-2
bar:7 color:powderblue from:05/01/1975 till:12/31/1980 text:SD40-2W
bar:8 color:powderblue from:04/01/1978 till:05/30/1978 text:SD40-2S
bar:8 color:powderblue from:11/01/1980 till:11/30/1980
bar:9 color:powderblue from:06/01/1979 till:07/01/1979 text:SD40X
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/1966
TextData =
fontsize:L
textcolor:black
pos: # tabs:
text:"SD40-Series Production Timeline"
Preservation
- 5008 is preserved at the Walt Disney Hometown Museum in Marceline, Missouri.
Ex-Canadian National SD40 #5232 has been purchased by The Vintage Locomotive Society on January 10, 2015, from Cando and the Central Manitoba Railway. It is being used for revenue service by Prairie Rail Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Society. The unit has been repainted completely black, with Prairie Rail Solutions lettering and logos. It is VLSX 5232.
Illinois Central SD40-2R #6071, the first SD40 built, is preserved at the Monticello Railway Museum in Monticello, Illinois. It was originally EMD demonstrator #434. It was sold to the Gulf Mobile & Ohio and it became GM&O #950. The GM&O was later merged into the Illinois Central Railroad and became Illinois Central Gulf #6071, then later rebuilt into an SD40-2R for the IC. It was donated March 11, 2009. The engine is fully functional, however it needs new traction motors if it were to operate again.
Chesapeake and Ohio 7534 has been donated by CSX Transportation to the C&O Historical Society in Clifton Forge, Virginia. This engine is well known in the railroad enthusiast community as it ran on CSX right up to the late-2000s still wearing some of it original C&O paint and lettering, and was the very last SD40 on CSX's roster. The engine was meant to used on the Buckingham Branch Railroad, which also operates out of Clifton Forge, however the unit spends quite a bit of time at the Historical Society's museum.
In mid December, 2014, it was revealed that Norfolk Southern had set aside two SD40 units, that were retired in 2007, for preservation:
- NS SD40 #1580, built as Norfolk and Western #1580, the first SD40 of the N&W. It is currently being stored at the Juniata Shops in Altoona.
- NS SD40 #3170, built as Southern #3170, the first SD40 of the Southern. It was restored to operating condition at the Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and then sent to the NS Paint shops at the Debutts Yard in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where it made its public debut February 27, 2015. It operated on the NS Piedmont Division. On May 18, 2016, it was donated to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum by Norfolk Southern.