GE Dash 8-40BW

Last updated
GE Dash 8-40BW
GE Dash 8-40BW BNSF 566.jpg
A BNSF Dash 8-40BW
Type and origin
Power type Diesel-electric
Builder GE Transportation
ModelDash 8-40BW
Build date1988; 1990-1992
Total produced84
Specifications
Configuration:
   AAR B-B
Gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Wheel diameter40 in (1.016 m)
Wheelbase 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m)
Length66 ft 4 in (20.22 m)
Width10 ft 1.5 in (3.09 m)
Height15 ft 4.5 in (4.69 m)
Loco weight280,000 lb (127,006 kg)
Prime mover GE FDL
Performance figures
Maximum speed70 mph (113 km/h)
Power output4,000 hp (3,000 kW)
Tractive effort 68,000 lb (30,844 kg)
Career
OperatorsSee tables
Class B40-8W
Localewestern United States
Dispositionone preserved (#537)

The Dash 8-40BW, or B40-8W, is a four-axle diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. It is part of the GE Dash 8 Series of freight locomotives.

Contents

The locomotive model designation is interpreted as follows: B (B type truck arrangement, 2 axles per truck) 40 (4000  horsepower) -8 (the generation when it was designed, in this case meaning the late 1980s) W (Widecab).

ATSF was the only railroad to order the B40-8W, and a B unit (cabless booster unit) was almost made with it, but because the price would have been the same for B40-8Ws with cabs or without, they decided to order units with cabs only. [ citation needed ]

All of ATSF's B40-8Ws were passed on to BNSF Railway, with some later sold to other railroads.

Disposition

While originally built for high-speed intermodal service, by the mid-2000s the B40-8Ws had been bumped to local service.

In mid-2010, BNSF put 15 B40-8Ws up for sale. These units were on long-term lease and were returned to their lessor. Four units have been sold to the Providence and Worcester Railroad in Massachusetts. [1] [2] The PW sold one of their B40-8Ws to the Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad.[ citation needed ] The rest of BNSF's B40-8W fleet is, as of 2019, undergoing rebuild and refreshment at GE as preparation for their new role as local freight units. [3]

Original owners

RailroadQuantityRoad numbersNotes
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 83500-582576 destroyed in Cajon pass in 1994, 537 preserved
General Electric 1809wide cab prototype and testbed, rebuilt from B39-8E #808

Current owners

RailroadQuantityFormer ATSF/BNSF NumbersNotes
BNSF Railway 60Ex-Santa Fe; no's 500-559. [3] Unit 537 donated in 2023. Units 560-575, 577-582 sold
Providence and Worcester Railroad 3Ex-BNSF 561, 562 and 582
Nashville and Eastern Railroad 4Ex-BNSF 568, 573, 574 and 579To RJ Corman
Arkansas - Oklahoma Railroad 3Ex-BNSF 567, 578, and 581
Great Western Railway of Saskatchewan 2Ex-BNSF 575 and 563

Preservation

On June 14, 2023, BNSF donated unit #537 to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America in Silvis, Illinois. It is the first of the type to be preserved. [4] Plans call for the locomotive to be eventually repainted back to its ATSF Warbonnet colors.

See also

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References

  1. "All Time P&W Roster". Providence & Worcester Railfan Club & Museum. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  2. DelliCarpini, Steve (October 11, 2016). "Providence & Worcester". The Diesel Shop. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Burlington Northern Santa Fe Diesel Power". The Diesel Shop.
  4. "BNSF donates locomotive to Railroading Heritage of Midwest America". Trains Magazine. 28 June 2023.