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Jan 3, 2003
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In many respects, EMD's SD-40 is nearly identical to its improved successor, the SD-40-2. Both use a turbocharged, 16-cylinder 16-645E3 prime mover that produces 3,000hp. Both produce nearly the same tractive effort and speed. Even their outward appearance, except for the Dash 2 sight glass opening, are nearly identical and share many of the stock parts found on the SD-45, such as the frame and 4,000 gallon fuel tank. As mentioned on the SD-40-2 page, EMD made these choices in order to save on production costs while producing a superior product.By the time Conrail was created in 1976, production on the SD-40 had been replaced with the upgraded Dash 2 series. As a result, Conrail inherited its entire SD-40 fleet from the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Penn Central. The CNJ units came from the Baltimore & Ohio, whereas the PC units came from the Penn Central. This is all detailed below.
PRR SD-40's: The oldest group of Conrail's SD-40's originally came from the PRR, which took delivery of 65 SD-40's (PRR 6040-6104) between February and March 1966. Like other PRR diesels at the time, the PRR SD-40's arrived painted in Brunswick Green with PRR Keystones. The Pennsy primarily used these locomotives in heavy haul service across their mountainous Pennsylvania lines between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.
In 1968 the Pennsylvania merged with the New York Central to form the Penn Central. Since the NYC never purchased any six-axle EMD locomotives, PC retained the PRR numbering series for the SD-40's (PC 6040-6104). Former PRR 6072, however, gained a bit of fame on merger day February 1, 1968, when it was displayed in Philadelphia during the ceremonies as the first locomotive to be painted in the new PC scheme, though some might claim this to be a dubious honor. The remaining former-PRR SD-40's were eventually painted in standard PC colors, except for 6070, 6093, and 6095, which received the rare red "P" and white "C" logo. Like the PRR before it, PC primarily used their SD-40's on the mountain lines across PA, assigning the units to Enola for maintenance.
CNJ SD-40's: The second oldest series of SD-40's on the Conrail roster came from the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ 3061-3068). The history of these units is typical of northeastern railroading during the 1960s and 1970s, when many of the smaller railroads were owned by larger roads. During the late 1960s, the Baltimore and Ohio had a major stake in the CNJ, which had been failing badly for years. Because the CNJ could not afford to buy its own locomotives, B&O "donated" nine slightly-used SD-40's to them in December 1967. The units arrived on CNJ property still in the traditional B&O blue scheme, but CNJ painted over the B&O markings with the "Miss Liberty" logo and renumbered the units as CNJ 3061-3069. All the units remained in this blue scheme until April 1976, except for CNJ 3067, which was repainted in 1972 into CNJ's red "Coast Guard" scheme. (Eventually, the 3067 became CR 6291, first getting a CR stencil job then a full blue repaint.) Though CNJ received nine units from B&0, only eight survived. On September 10, 1975, less than seven months before Conrail, CNJ 3069 derailed while on Erie Lackawanna rails. CNJ deemed the locomotive beyond repair and removed it from the roster. That left only CNJ 3061-3068 to be passed onto Conrail.
PC SD-40's: Conrail's newest SD-40's came from the Penn Central proper, which took delivery of 45 units beginning in December 1970 and ending in January 1971 (PC 6240-6284). Like the PRR before it, PC primarily used these locomotives on the Harrisburg to Pittsburgh run, assigning this series to Harrisburg for maintenance. In 1976, PC 6240-6284 were passed onto Conrail.
SD-40-2R Rebuilds: In 1993, Conrail rebuilt 40 SD-40's to "Dash 2" specifications. Of the 40, 30 came from Conrail predecessors, whereas the other 10 came from PAC Rail Leasing, which had purchased them from the Kansas City Southern. More information on these units, such as the rebuild program, photos, and detailed roster, can be found in the SD-40-2R section.
Dispositions: By 1994 all the Conrail SD-40's had either been retired or rebuilt into SD-40-2R's. Check the roster page for dates retired and dispositions.
Further Reading: In addition to the excellent articles listed below, I suggest getting Gerard E. Bernet's A Colorful Look at Conrail's SD-40 and SD-40-2's (1996 RAE Publishing). This is by far my favorite Conrail book, and I thank my wife for getting it for me for Christmas 1996. Though most of the photos are of the scenic variety, the info presented is top-notch. I was also delighted with the mix of locomotives in original predecessor schemes, early paint-outs, and blue, as well as later shots. Get this book!
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