EMD 40 Diesel Locomotive

Prototype Information

The EMD Model 40 came out in 1940 as one of the smallest locomotives EMD ever built. Electro-Motive designed it for tight industrial tracks, military bases, and short lines that needed dependable switching power where larger locomotives couldn’t fit.

Instead of a single prime mover, the Model 40 used two Detroit Diesel 6-71 inline-six engines. Each engine produced 150 horsepower, and together they drove a single generator for 300 horsepower. The compact B-B design and short frame gave it sharp handling in cramped yards and plant trackage.

EMD only built eleven of these locomotives between 1940 and 1943. Most went to steel mills, power plants, and the U.S. military during World War II. While production numbers stayed low, the Model 40 proved EMD could engineer a practical, small-scale switcher that filled a niche no other builder had quite matched.