General Electric C39-8e Locomotive

Okay, probably one of my most favorite things to mention. Now, the OG Dash 8 was no picnic. It was tedious until the C39-8s were revised to fix the problems they had when they were made. But there were a small amount of enhanced C39-8s which were unlike the originals.

"The "Enhanced" moniker was used to differentiate the pre-production Dash 8s (which it dubbed "Classics") from the cataloged variants. The latter featured both internal and external improvements following the exhaustive road tests of the prototypes.

Interestingly, many of the production C39-8s carried the appearance of their prototype counterparts, in contrast to the other Dash 8 models that already featured these improvements." - American Rails website

C39-8 Data Sheet
Entered Production 1/1984 (Norfolk Southern/GE #8550-8551)
Years Produced 1/1984 - 6/1987
GE Class C39-8, C39-8E
Engine 7FDL16 (16 cylinder)
Engine Builder General Electric
Horsepower 3900
RPM 1050
Length 70' 8"
Height (Top Of Rail To Top Of Cab) 15' 4 1/2"
Width 8' 10"
Weight 389,000 - 420,000 Lbs
Fuel Capacity 4,600 Gallons
Air Compressor 3CDC (Westinghouse)
Air Brake Schedule 26L (Westinghouse)
Trucks C-C
Truck Type FB3
Truck Wheelbase 13' 7"
Wheel Size 40"
Traction Motors 752 (6), GE
Traction Alternator GMG187, GE
Auxiliary Generator GY27, GE
MU (Multiple-Unit) Yes
Dynamic Brakes Yes
Gear Ratio 83:20
Tractive Effort/Starting 106,790 Lbs
Tractive Effort/Continuous 92,750 Lbs at 10.9 mph
Top Speed 70 mph


C39-8 Production Roster
Owner Road Number Serial Number Order Number Completion Date Quantity
Conrail 6000-6021 45327-45348 1366 6/1986-8/1986 22
Norfolk Southern 8550-8551 43149-43150 1311-1312 1/1984 2
Norfolk Southern 8552-8563 44481-44492 1319 10/1984-11/1984 12
Norfolk Southern 8564-8588 44884-44908 1861 4/1985-8/1985 25
Norfolk Southern 8589-8613 44909-44933 1862 4/1985-8/1985 25
Norfolk Southern 8614-8638 45302-45326 1863 5/1986-6/1986 25
Norfolk Southern 8639-8663 45349-45373 1864 8/1986-10/1986 25
C39-8E Production Roster
Owner Road Number Serial Number Order Number Completion Date Quantity
Norfolk Southern 8664-8688 45384-45408 1870 3/1987-6/1987 25