B&O EMD GP40s

Trains Magazine Locomotives
1

While looking up information on the C&O Carferry Badger, I noticed that the B&O GP40 4005 was pushing cars in Ludington, WI.

Then I looked up more information about the B&O GP40 4005 and it was noted that it was maintained in Toledo, Ohio.

This would mean that the B&O GP40 spend most of the 1970’s on the former C&O lines in Michigan and Ohio.

Were all the B&O GP40’s assigned to a regular route or did they freely roam the system.

The B&O GP40 4005 was never repainted in the Chessie or CSXT scheme from the photos I found. How did the GP40 escape repainting during that 15 to 20 year time period?

Andrew

2

I’ve never lived in Chessie System territory, but judging from pictures taken before the CSX consolidation, Chessie System seems to have been slow to repaint their predessor railroad locos. With the GP40 (and later GP40-2) being a favorite locomotive of the Chessie affiliated railroads it’s possible that the locomotives were for system wide use.

3

The GP40’s and GP40-2’s were indeed system locomotives. I can recall seeing lash-ups including them sublettered for C&O, B&O and WM on either former B&O or C&O trackage.

4

In the Green Frog Video “RAILS CHICAGO” there is a shot of a mixed consist of Chessie System Diesel Units that with units lettered for both C&O and B&O. Chicago must have gotten a bit of everything from B&O, C&O, WM during the Chessie System years.

At The Train Barn I was expecting the store to receive a Mike’s Train House O Scale model of a Chessie System GP40 sublettered for C&O, yet the one that arrived was sublettered for B&O. I will go ahead and buy it sometime in the coming year since the B&O and C&O GP40’s could be seen anywhere there is a Chessie System train.

Andrew

5

Many of the old B&O GP40s were acquired by MK in the late 80s / early 90s and were rebuilt into GP40-2s for Southern Pacific (and by extension, SSW numbered 7274-7299 and 7100-7137). 4004 had the serial/frame number 38484 and was built in 1971. After doing some research, I located this unit. It now belongs to Locomotive Leasing Partners (joint venture of EMD & GATX).

http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=14642

B&O S/N 38485, unit 4005,

http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=16798

In it’s current incarnation, it is a CDOT GP40PH-2.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=60886

6

It is great to know that CSX had reassigned the B&O 4004 to MOW service before sending it away. It just proves that these GP40’s are still dependable with the proper maintenance.

The Bright Orange paint is so solid that is had no bleed-through of the old B&O scheme like on some of the “Bright Future” repaints.

Andrew

7

All Chessie locos bought new were assigned to one of the subsidiaries, but roamed the system. They even assigned new GP40-2s to the WM even after most of it had been abandoned.

8

A couple of ex-B&O GP40s have migrated to the WSOR,

GP38
 3801 4/2000 1971 ex-CSXT 6626, nee B&O 4051 (GP40)
GP38 3802 4/2000 1971
 ex-CSXT 6608, nee B&O 4033 (GP40)

deturboed along the way. Here is one before and after paint.

9

Those are great photos.

10

In central Indiana, GP40s and 40-2’s were pretty much everywhere on both former C&O and B&O lines. They were, by far, the most seen loco in the mid-late 70’s around here.

ConRail had mostly 38-2’s assigned locally, and N&W ran high hood 38’s and 38-2’s.