GE C39-8
Encyclopedia
The GE C39-8 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive
built by GE Transportation Systems
between 1984 and 1987. 161 examples of this locomotive were built for two North American railroads: Conrail and Norfolk Southern Railway
.
7FDL-16 diesel engine driving a GE GMC187A2 main alternator
. The power generated by the main alternator drove 6 GE 752AG traction motors, each with a gear ratio of 83:20 and connected to 40 inches (1,016 mm) wheels which allowed the C39-8 a maximum speed of 70 mph (110 km/h).
Depending on customer options, the C39-8 carried between 3900 to 4500 US gallons (14,763L to 17,034L) of diesel fuel, 360 to 400 US gal (1,362 to 1,514 L) of lubricating oil, and 380 to 420 gallons (1,438 to 1,589 L) of coolant. Like most North American diesel locomotives, the C39-8 uses normal water for cooling.
The C39-8 has a maximum tractive effort of 108600 lbf (483,076.9 N) at 10.8 mi/h.
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
built by GE Transportation Systems
GE Transportation Systems
GE Transportation, formerly known as GE Rail, is a division of General Electric. The organization manufactures equipment for the railroad, marine, mining, drilling and energy generation industries. It is based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Locomotives are assembled at the Erie plant, while engine...
between 1984 and 1987. 161 examples of this locomotive were built for two North American railroads: Conrail and Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
.
Technical
The C39-8 is powered by a 3900 hp V16V16 engine
A V16 engine is a V engine with 16 cylinders. Engines of this number of cylinders are uncommon in automotive use.A V16 engine is perfectly balanced regardless of the V angle without requiring counter-rotating balancing shafts which are necessary to balance Straight-4 and odd number of cylinder...
7FDL-16 diesel engine driving a GE GMC187A2 main alternator
Alternator
An alternator is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current.Most alternators use a rotating magnetic field but linear alternators are occasionally used...
. The power generated by the main alternator drove 6 GE 752AG traction motors, each with a gear ratio of 83:20 and connected to 40 inches (1,016 mm) wheels which allowed the C39-8 a maximum speed of 70 mph (110 km/h).
Depending on customer options, the C39-8 carried between 3900 to 4500 US gallons (14,763L to 17,034L) of diesel fuel, 360 to 400 US gal (1,362 to 1,514 L) of lubricating oil, and 380 to 420 gallons (1,438 to 1,589 L) of coolant. Like most North American diesel locomotives, the C39-8 uses normal water for cooling.
The C39-8 has a maximum tractive effort of 108600 lbf (483,076.9 N) at 10.8 mi/h.
Original owners
| GE C39-8 owners | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
| Norfolk Southern | 114 | 8550-8663 | 8550,8551 former GE demonstrators set up for short hood forward operation, 8552-8663 set up for long hood forward operation, all units have been retired. |
| Norfolk Southern | 25 | 8664-8688 | "C39-8E (Enhanced) built in carbody similar to GE C40-8. All have been retired. |
| Conrail | 22 | 6000-6021 | After the Conrail split in 1999, 13 units went to Norfolk Southern to become NS 8200-8212 and are no longer in service, 9 units went to CSX to become CSXT 7480-7488 and have since been retired. |