EMD developed the GP38 as a simpler and less expensive alternative to the turbocharged GP40, expecting it to appeal to smaller roads that didn’t need the extra speed and power of a turbocharged engine. Externally similar to the GP40, the GP38 was rated at 2,000 horsepower from their normally aspirated 645 prime movers.
Maine Central
The Bangor & Aroostook purchased a pair of GP38s in March 1966, some of the very first built. The MEC looked on with much interest, acknowledging that their F3s were near the end of their usefulness. That summer, a test using BAR 81 and 82 was arranged and from June 11 to 22, the pair ran just over 2000 miles on the MEC covering Vanceboro to St. Johnsbury and the Calais and Rumford Branches. Judged a success, the road’s largest diesel order ever was placed for 12 dynamic brake-equipped GP38s in August. Arriving in November and December 1966, the units introduced the yellow and green colours to locomotives and drew a mark in time separating the “post-B&M, post passenger MEC… Delivered via St. Johnsbury by Canadian Pacific.
| No. | Type | Built | Serial | Liveries | Notes | Photographs | Modelling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 251 | GP38 | Nov 1966 | 32660 | Harvest Gold | RR Pictures Archive | ||
| 252 | GP38 | Nov 1966 | 32661 | Harvest Gold | RR Pictures Archive | ||
| 253 | GP38 | Nov 1966 | 32662 | Harvest Gold | RR Pictures Archive | ||
| 254 | GP38 | Nov 1966 | 32663 | Harvest Gold | RR Pictures Archive | ||
| 255 | GP38 | Nov 1966 | 32664 | Harvest Gold | To HELM Financial; to CLP 203 | RR Pictures Archive | |
| 256 | GP38 | Nov 1966 | 32665 | Harvest Gold | RR Pictures Archive | ||
| 257 | GP38 | Nov 1966 | 32666 | Harvest Gold | To CDOT 257; to Locomotive Leasing Partners in 1998; rebuilt 13th May 1998 by VMV to GP38-2 as UP 2382; to UP 882 on 20 Jul 2001; to GMTX 2101 on 22 Jun 2006; to CCGX 4205 in Oct 2016. | RR Pictures Archive | |
| 258 | GP38 | Nov 1966 | 32667 | Harvest Gold | RR Pictures Archive | ||
| 259 | GP38 | Nov 1966 | 32668 | Harvest Gold | RR Pictures Archive | ||
| 260 | GP38 | Nov 1966 | 32669 | Harvest Gold | Fire damage Jul 1985; retired Jul 1990, scrapped. | RR Pictures Archive | |
| 261 | GP38 | Nov 1966 | 32670 | Harvest Gold | To BM 261; scrapped. | RR Pictures Archive | |
| 262 | GP38 | Nov 1966 | 32671 | Harvest Gold | RR Pictures Archive | ||
| 263 | GP38 | Sep 1967 | 33280 | Harvest Gold | To HLCX 263; to HLCX 3617; to YVRR 3617; to CALA 3617; to SSRX 3617. | RR Pictures Archive |
Temp…
| Livery | Manufacturer | Standard | DCC | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest Gold / Green “Circle Herald” | Atlas | 48926 | 48988 | May 2007 |
| Harvest Gold / Green | Atlas | 48920 | 48984 | April 2005 |
| Harvest Gold / Green “Circle Herald” | Atlas | 48927 | 48989 | May 2007 |
| Harvest Gold / Green | Atlas | 48921 | 48985 | April 2005 |
| Harvest Gold / Green | Atlas | 48908 | 48976 | March 2002 |
| Harvest Gold / Green | Atlas | 48909 | 48977 | March 2002 |
| Harvest Gold / Green | Atlas | 48910 | – | March 2002 |
| Harvest Gold / Green | Atlas | 48910 | – | April 2005 |
| Harvest Gold / Green “Circle Herald” | Atlas | 48928 | – | May 2007 |
Conway Scenic
| No. | Type | Built | Serial | Liveries | Notes | Photographs | Modelling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 252 | GP38 | RR Pictures Archive |
Modelling
- Atlas EMD GP38
- Highball Graphics LN-232 Conway Scenic Yellowbird GP38 & GP35
- Spookshow Atlas EMD GP38
More Information
- Melvin, George F. Maine Central in Color Volume 3. Morning Sun Books Inc., 2008, pp.12,32.
- Robertson, E. B. Maine Central Diesel Locomotives. Edwin B. Robertson, 1978, pp. 12-17.