Railroad Trains for the Soul: GE DASH 8's
Fresh from the Erie factory were the General Electric C39-8 diesels with their black Norfolk Southern paint gleaming in the sunshine. The C39-8 was one of the four early production models from the GE DASH 8 line, including the C32-8, B32-8, and B39-8. They were available with the 3,200-hp (12-cylinder) or 3,900-hp (16-cylinder) rating and with the four-axle (B) or six-axle (C) wheel arrangement.
All these original DASH 8 models were named "Classics" due to the rounded cab roof that was lower than the dynamic braking "hump" behind it. However, when GE introduced the 4,000-hp DASH 8-40C (C40-8) and DASH 8-40B (B40-8) models, later production units were built with an improved cab design that matches the same height as the hump, and thus were called "Enhanced". The following list shows all the "Classics" and their purchasers.
B32-8: Burlington Northern
B39-8: Santa Fe
C32-8: Conrail
C39-8: Conrail and Norfolk Southern
It is interesting to note that the four-axle units were built for the western railroads while the six-axle units were built for the eastern railroads. Although the "Classic" DASH 8 diesels were relatively obscure, they helped GE to maximize the horsepower output as well as to enhance the technology and increase reliability on subsequent locomotives.
Facebook photo credit: Mark J Labrozzi
Here's another photo of the Norfolk Southern C39-8 diesels. Normally, most diesels have the cab, or short hood, as the front portion of the locomotive. NS, however, requested the C39-8 units with the long hood configured as the front instead of the rear. This was done to maximize crew safety in case of a collision with another train. In fact, a small letter F can be seen near the steps at either the cab or the radiator section of the locomotive, indicating which end is actually the front by default. Additionally, I would like to share the GE DASH 8 brochure for you to learn the technical information about this successful locomotive product line.
Facebook photo credit: Mark J Labrozzi
