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GE Dash 8-40BW

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GE Dash 8-40BW
A BNSF Dash 8-40BW
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder GE Transportation Model Dash 8-40BW Build date 1988; 1990-1992 Total produced 84
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Wheel diameter 40 in (1.016 m) Wheelbase 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) Length 66 ft 4 in (20.22 m) Width 10 ft 1.5 in (3.09 m) Height 15 ft 4.5 in (4.69 m) Loco weight 280,000 lb (127,006 kg) Prime mover GE FDL
Performance figures Maximum speed 70 mph (113 km/h) Power output 4,000 hp (3,000 kW) Tractive effort 68,000 lb (30,844 kg)
Career Operators See tables Class B40-8W Locale western United States Disposition one preserved (#537)

The Dash 8-40BW, or B40-8W, is a four-axle diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. It is part of the GE Dash 8 Series of freight locomotives.

The locomotive model designation is interpreted as follows: B (B type truck arrangement, 2 axles per truck) 40 (4000 horsepower) -8 (the generation when it was designed, in this case meaning the late 1980s) W (Widecab).

ATSF was the only railroad to order the B40-8W, and a B unit (cabless booster unit) was almost made with it, but because the price would have been the same for B40-8Ws with cabs or without, they decided to order units with cabs only. ^{[citation needed]}

All of ATSF's B40-8Ws were passed on to BNSF Railway, with some later sold to other railroads.

Disposition[edit]

While originally built for high-speed intermodal service, by the mid-2000s the B40-8Ws had been bumped to local service.

In mid-2010, BNSF put 15 B40-8Ws up for sale. These units were on long-term lease and were returned to their lessor. Four units have been sold to the Providence and Worcester Railroad in Massachusetts.^[1][2] The PW sold one of their B40-8Ws to the Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad.^{[citation needed]} The rest of BNSF's B40-8W fleet is, as of 2019, undergoing rebuild and refreshment at GE as preparation for their new role as local freight units.^[3]

Original owners[edit]

Current owners[edit]

Preservation[edit]

On June 14, 2023, BNSF donated unit #537 to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America in Silvis, Illinois. It is the first of the type to be preserved.^[4] Plans call for the locomotive to be eventually repainted back to its ATSF Warbonnet colors.

See also[edit]

• List of GE locomotives

References[edit]

• McDonnell, Greg (2008). Locomotives: The Modern Diesel and Electric Reference. Erin, Ontario: Boston Mills Press. ISBN 978-1550464931.
• Solomon, Brian (2003). GE Locomotives: 110 Years of General Electric Motive Power. St. Paul, MN, USA: MBI Publishing. ISBN 9780760313619.
• Solomon, Brian (2010). Modern Locomotives: High Horsepower Diesels 1966–2000. New York: Crestline. ISBN 978-0785826811.

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