EMD E8

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EMD E8
Rock Island E8 #652, Formerly operated by Midland Railway of Baldwin City, Kansas.
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) Model E8 Build date August 1949 – January 1954 Total produced 450 A units, 46 B units
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR A1A-A1A Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Trucks EMD Blomberg A-1-A passenger Wheel diameter 36 in (914 mm) Minimum curve 21° (274.37 ft or 83.63 m radius) Length 70 ft 3 in (21.41 m) Width 10 ft 7+1⁄2 in (3.24 m) Height 14 ft 7 in (4.45 m) Loco weight A unit: 315,000 lb (142,882 kg), B unit: 290,000 lb (131,542 kg) Prime mover (2) EMD 12-567B Engine type V12 Two-stroke diesel Aspiration Roots blower Displacement 6,804 cu in (111.50 L) each Generator (2) EMD D-15-A Traction motors (4) GM D-27-B Cylinders (2) 12
Performance figures Maximum speed 85–117 mph (137–188 km/h) depending on gearing Power output 2,250 hp (1,678 kW) total Tractive effort 56,500 lbf (251,000 N) starting, 31,000 lbf (140,000 N) continuous
Career Locale United States Disposition About 58 preserved, remainder scrapped

The EMD E8 is a 2,250-horsepower (1,678 kW), A1A-A1A passenger-train locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of La Grange, Illinois. A total of 450 cab versions, or E8As, were built from August 1949 to January 1954, 447 for the U.S. and 3 for Canada. 46 E8Bs were built from December 1949 to January 1954, all for the U.S. The 2,250 hp came from two 12 cylinder model 567B engines, each driving a generator to power the two traction motors on one truck. The E8 was the ninth model in the line of passenger diesels of similar design known as EMD E-units. Starting in September 1953, a total of 21 E8As were built which used either the 567BC or 567C engines.^[1]

In profile the front of the nose of E7, E8, and E9 units is less slanted than earlier EMD units, so E7/8/9s (and their four axle cousins, the F-unit series) have been nicknamed "bulldog nose" units. Earlier E-unit locomotives were nicknamed "slant nose" units. After passenger trains were canceled on the Erie Lackawanna in 1970 (excluding their commuter service, which the State of New Jersey subsidized starting in the late 1960s), 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 ("Conrail"). Amtrak used 148 E8As, 3 E8AMs, and 5 E8Bs, these all being retired between 1975 and 1985.^[2][3]

Units noted with the designation E8m were rebuilt using components from earlier EMC/EMD locomotives. Externally the units look just like E8s. The difference in horsepower produced in these E8m units is because the older generators are reused.