EMD GP49

The EMD GP49 is a four-axle diesel-electric road locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. It was marketed as one of four models in the 50 series introduced in 1979, alongside the GP50, the SD50 and the SD49, and only nine GP49s were ever built, all of them for or from two railroads. The Alaska Railroad ordered nine new units, four in September 1983 and five in May 1985, and six GP39X locomotives built in November 1980 for the Southern Railway were upgraded to GP49s soon afterwards. A 12-cylinder EMD 645F3B engine supplies 2,800 horsepower for traction, and the locomotive is known for slow acceleration because its wheel slip control reads a radar unit under the front pilot. Later owners include Ferronor and TRANSAP in Chile, Columbia Rail in Washington state and Tri-Rail in Florida, which rebuilt its six ex-Southern units as GP49H-3 passenger locomotives.