Locomotive engines?

[Sparky782]

EMD GP38-2 vs GP50 vs SD40-2. What are the specs on these engines and which one is better?

Thanks David Godwin

[rogertra]

Google is your friend and can supply the answer regarding specs.

As for which is better?  That's subjective as they were all designed with different objectives and jobs in mind.

[jward]

looking over the parts diagrams, it appears the gp38-2, gp40 and gp50 all use the same drive and should run about the same. the sd40-2 uses a similar drive as well.

the big difference with the sd40-2 is it's larger size. the 4 extra wheels will mean it will pull more, but the added length will mean that you'll want to use it on 22" radius curves or larger. the gp models will work well on 18" radius.

it should be noted here that of the 4 locomotives listed, the gp38-2, gp40 and sd40-2 are pretty accurate models of the real ones. the gp50, however, is way off in its details. it more closely resembles the high hood gp40s built for N&W in the 1960s than anything else.

on the real railroads, the gp38-2 and sd40-2 were the standard locomotives of the 1970s, and sold by the thousands. in its day, the gp38-2 was the go anywhere do anything locomotive, while the sd40-2 ruled the mainline trains. the gp50 was a refinement of the gp40-2, with added horsepower and a radar based wheelslip system that allowed it to pull almost as much as an sd40-2. however, it was introduced just as the country went into a recession. that and the design flaws that became apparent after a couple of years meant few railroads bought gp50s.