EMD E8.html



EMD E8

Rock Island E8 #652, operated by Midland Railway of Baldwin City, Kansas.
Power type	Diesel-electric
Builder	General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD)
Model	E8
Build date	August 1949 – January 1954
Total production	449 A units, 46 B units
AAR wheel arr.	A1A-A1A
Gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm)
Engine type	Two-stroke diesel
Cylinders	V12
Power output	2,250 hp (1,680 kW)
Disposition	most scrapped, several preserved

CNW 505, a former Union Pacific E9B rebuilt with a “Crandall Cab” by the CNW shops.

Inside Cab view. The Engineer / Operator position of an E8 Locomotive

The EMD E8 was a 2,250-horsepower (1,680 kW), A1A-A1A passenger train locomotive manufactured by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of La Grange, Illinois. The cab version, or E8A, was manufactured from August, 1949 to December, 1953, and 449 were produced – 446 for U.S., and 3 for Canada. The booster version, or E8B, was manufactured from December, 1949 to January, 1954, and 46 were produced – all for the U.S. The 2,250 hp was achieved by putting two 1,125 hp, 12 cylinder, model 567B engines in the engine compartment. Each engine drove its own generator to power the traction motors. The E8 was the ninth model in a long line of passenger diesels of similar design known as EMD E-units.

The noses of the E8 cab units had the appearance of a bulldog's snout when viewed from the side. Therefore, the E7, E8, and E9 units (as well as their four axle cousins, the F-unit series) have been nicknamed “bulldog nose” units. Earlier E-unit locomotives had a more slanted nose and were nicknamed “shovel nose” units or “slant nose” units. After passenger trains were canceled on the Erie Lackawanna in 1970, the E8s were re-geared for freight and were very reliable for the EL. These units were on freight trains until the early years of Consolidated Railroad Corporation, or CONRAIL.

It is estimated that 58 E8s have survived into preservation.¹ A notable example is the former NYC 4085, preserved at the New York Central Railroad Museum, which has the distinction of having being the lead locomotive on the final eastbound 20th Century Limited.² Another surviving E8 is operated by the Midland Railway, in Baldwin City, Kansas. Privately owned, this unit is ex-Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad E8A #652. It is used for special events. There is also NYC 4096. It is just restored from scrap in the past and is on display.

This locomotive also appeared in Chris Sawyer's Locomotion, introduced in 1956 and obsolete by 1980.

Original owners

References

• Marre, Louis A. (1982). Rock Island Diesel Locomotives - 1930-1980. Railfax, Inc. ISBN 0-942192-00-1.
• Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI, EMD-124. ISBN 0-89024-026-4. 
• Reich, Sy (1973). Diesel Locomotive Rosters – The Railroad Magazine Series. Wayner Publications. No Library of Congress or ISBN.

Specific

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

EMD E8 locomotives

External links

• Midland Railway roster
• Andrew Toppan's list
• CPR Diesel Locomotive Roster