Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. (EMD) is owned by Progress Rail Services Corporation, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc. The company designs, manufactures, and sells diesel based power engines under the EMD brand name. Please visit our link for a short list of locomotives for sale.

Company Background

EMD has been in the business of manufacturing locomotives in the rail industry since the 1920s. An entrepreneur, Harold L. Hamilton, formed the original company in 1922 under the name of Electromotive Engineering Company. In 1930, GM (General Motors) purchased the company renaming it to Electro Motive Corporation. GM merged this company with another acquired company Winton Engine Co. in 1941 to form Electro-Motive Division (EMD).

In 2005, GM sold EMD to Berkshire Partners LLC. and Greenbriar Equity Group LLC. Then, in 2010, the company was purchased by Progress Rail Services Corporation, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc.

Types of EMD SD Locomotives

Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC) and its successors GM EMD and EMD produced the EMD SD (Special Duty) line of locomotives. In the following, we will look at the different types of EMD SD locomotives that have been in production since decades.

1. SD7

EMD SD7 locomotive have been in production from 1952 to 1953. A total of 188 SD7s were produced during that period. A 1500 hp engine (1.1 MW) powers the SD7 locomotive. The prime mover of the locomotive is EMD 16-567B.

2. SD9

EMD SD9 has been in production from  1954 to 1959. Around 515 S9 locomotives were produced during that time. The locomotive is powered by a 1,750 hp (1.7 MW) engine.

3.      EMD SD35

EMD SD35 was in production from 1964 to 1965 during which the company produced around 35 vehicles. The locomotive was powered by a 2,500 hp engine rated at 1.9MW.

4.      EMD SD38

EMD SD 38 was produced from 1967 to 1971. The company produced around 53 vehicles during that period. The engine of the locomotive was rated at 2,000 hp or 1.5 kW.

5.      EMD SD38AC

EMD SDAC was produced in 1971 only when around 15 vehicles were produced. It is powered by a 2,000 hp engine rated at 1,500 kW.

6.      EMD SD38-2

EMD SD38-2 was in production from 1972 to 1979. Around 83 vehicles were produced during this period. The locomotive was powered by a 2,000 hp (1.5 kW) engine.

7.      EMD SD39

EMD SD39 was in production from 1968 to 1970. The engine of SD39 was rated at 2,300 hp or 1.7 MW. The company produced just around 54 SD39 vehicles.

8.      EMD SD40

The EMD SD40 was produced from 1966 to 1972. Around 1,268 vehicles were produced during this period. The locomotive was powered by 3,000 hp engine.

9.      EMD SD40T-2

EMD SD40T-2 was produced from 1974 to 1980. The company produced around 312 locomotives. Engine of SD40T-2 is rated at 3,000 hp or 2.2 MW.

10. EMD SD40-2

EMD SD40-2 was in production from 1972-1989. The locomotive is powered by a 3,000 hp engine rated at 2.2 mw. This was one of the most produced locomotives of the company with total production amounting to 3982 locomotives.

11. EMD SD45T-2

EMD SD45T-2 was produced from 1972 to 1975. A total of 247 vehicles were produced. The locomotives is powered by a 3,600 hp engine rated at 2.7 MW.

12. EMD SD50

EMD SD50 was produced from 1984 to 1985. Its engine is rated at 3,500 – 3,600 hp or 2.6 MW. The company had produced around 421 locomotives.

13. EMD SD60

EDM SD60 was mass produced from 1984 to 1991. The engine of the locomotive is powered by a 3,800 hp engine (2.8MW). The company had manufactured a total of 537 SD60 .

14. EMD SD70

EMD SD70 is powered by a 4,000 hp engine rated at 3.2 MW. The locomotive was produced from 1993-1999 during which around 122 locomotives were produced.

15. EMD SD90MAC

EMD SD90MAC has been in production from 1995 to 2005. A total of about 400 S90Macs were produced during that time. The locomotive is powered by a 6,000 hp (4.5 MW) engine. Prime mover of the engine is EMD 16-265H.