EMD GT26 Series

EMD GT26 Series

Korean National Railroad EMD GT26CW-2 #7516 awaits its next orders at the Cheolam Station (Yeongdong Line)

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Various licencees from Electro-Motive Division (see models below). Model GT26 Build date October 1967 - (Unknown) 2009 Total produced 1,298

Specifications AAR wheel arr. C - C UIC class Co'-Co' Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) or 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) or 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) Driver dia. 40 in (1,016 mm) Wheelbase 41 ft 0 in (12,497 mm) between truck centers; 11 ft 11 in (3,632 mm) between axles in each truck. Length 64 ft 0 in (19,507 mm) over the coupler pulling faces. Width 9 ft 3 in (2,819 mm)) over the grabirons. Height 12 ft 5.65 in (3,801 mm) Loco weight 105.51 t (103.84 long tons; 116.30 short tons) Fuel capacity 1,700–3,200 US gal (6,435–12,113 l; 1,416–2,665 imp gal) Prime mover 16-645E, 16-645E3B, 16-645E3C & 16-645F3 (2 Stroke V Engine design) Aspiration Turbocharged Cylinders V16

Performance figures Maximum speed 77–93 mph (124–150 km/h) Power output 3,000–3,300 hp (2,240–2,460 kW)

Career Nicknames "Karavela" (Yugoslavia) "특대 :( The Great big)" (South Korea) Locale Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Iran, Israel, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Yugoslavia and Zimbabwe.

"Karavela" (Yugoslavia)

The EMD GT26 Locomotive Series made their debut in 1967 after the rise in popularity of the American EMD SD40. Designed to meet most First World, Second World and Third World countries, the GT26 Series were now equipped with a turbocharged high horsepower EMD 645 Series engine as well as six axle HT-C trucks to provide better traction effort at slow speeds. Based on customer input, the GT26 Series would be defined by various designations that suit the customer's railway operations.

The standard suffix after the GT26 designation was the use of six-axle trucks (C); following the C designation, the customer had the option to purchase specific traction motors to fit Narrow Gauge (U) or Broad Gauge (W) rails. It was also around the mid 1970s that customers began to purchase EMD Dash 2 electronics to simplify maintenance.

The GT26 designation can freely apply to the designs of any EMD export model or a licensee of EMD as long as the electrical and mechanical gear were left unaltered.

With the introduction of the EMD 645 Series engine now replacing the EMD 567 Series engine in 1967, the locomotive model designation number changed by adding 10 to a similar predecessor model (example: the G12 - 567 engined, now became the G22 - 645 engined). To meet customer demands for a high-horsepower model, EMD created the G16: A longer, six-axle version of the EMD G12 equipped with Flexicoil Type-C trucks and a larger engine with increased horsepower. A turbocharged variation also was available, designating the model as EMD GT16

However, as the EMD 645 Series engine was now in production, the G16 now became the GT26 equipped with a turbocharger. EMD applied the six axle (C) designation to further separate the model from any four-axle models similarly produced.

Several models were introduced:

The EMD GT26CW first appeared in 1967. Unlike its turbocharged predecessor the GT16, the GT26CW was identified with a W suffix which indicated that this model had traction motors that could fit the locomotive's axles from Indian gauge to Irish Gauge rails; thus Wide would be the understood term for the traction motors.