EMD NW2

Electro-Motive Division (EMD)
Company type	Division of General Motors
Industry	Locomotive manufacturing
Founded	1922 in La Grange, Illinois, United States
Headquarters	La Grange, Illinois (until 1948), Cleveland, Ohio (from 1948), United States
Products	Diesel-electric locomotives

The EMD NW2 is a switcher locomotive featuring a B-B configuration, built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD) located in La Grange, Illinois. Manufactured between February 1939 and December 1949, a total of 1,145 NW2 units were produced: 1,121 destined for American railroads and 24 for Canadian operators. In late 1948, production was relocated to EMD's Plant #3 in Cleveland, Ohio. These locomotives were equipped with a 12-cylinder model 567 prime mover, which was subsequently updated to the 567A version. Additionally, EMD constructed three TR cow–calf paired sets before World War II, followed by 72 TR2 cow–calf pairs and two TR3 cow–calf–calf configurations after the war.

Identification

Distinctive characteristics of the NW2 include two centrally positioned exhaust stacks on the hood, a radiator grille that is half the full height, the lack of a front platform sand box, and the absence of small louvers near the upper front corners of the hood. This model succeeded earlier locomotives such as the NC series and NW1. The designation "N" signifies nine hundred horsepower output, while "W" refers to the welded frame construction; previous models identified with "C" featured cast frames.

NW2

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Appalachicola Northern Railroad	4	701–704	Transferred in 1970 to Clinchfield Railroad as #357-360; withdrawn from service by 1980; some units later exchanged or sold to other firms
Arkansas and Louisiana Missouri Railway	1	10
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway	15	2353–2367	Subsequently renumbered to 2403–2417
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad	6	601, 603, 605, 611, 613, 615	Certain units renumbered and reassigned to Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad	49	400–408, 550–589	Later reclassified within the 9500 numbering range
Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad	3	409–411	Renumbered under B&O system
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad	4	800–803	Numbers updated at a later date
Boston and Maine Railroad	14	1200–1213
Canadian National Railways	20	7936–7945, 7956–7965
Central of Georgia Railway	2	20, 25	Renumbered subsequently
Central Railroad of New Jersey	2	1060–1061
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway	41	1850–1856, 5200–5213, 5060–5079
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad	6	119–124
Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad	2	250–251
Chicago Great Western Railway	17	16–31, 42
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad	46	9203–9248
Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway (“Monon”)	7	DS-1, DS-2, DS-3, 14–17
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (“Milwaukee Road”)	8	1647–1654
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad	10	765–774
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway	1	70
Colorado and Southern Railway	4	150–153
Conemaugh and Black Lick Railroad	3	100–102
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad	5	461–465
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad	1	7000
Detroit Terminal Railroad	11	104–112,114–115
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad	7	910–916
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway	40	403–407,409–443
Electro-Motive Division (demonstrator)	1	889
Erie Railroad	27	401–427

TR (cow–calf)

Railroad	A unit road numbers	B unit road numbers	Remarks
Illinois Central Railroad	9203A-9205A	9203B–9205B	later renumbered as 1026AB-1027AB, 1075, 1235
Total	3	3

TR2 (cow–calf)

Railroad	A unit road numbers	B unit road numbers	Remarks
Electro-Motive Division (demonstrator)	912A	912B	transferred to CB&Q as 9400AB, rebuilt into NW2 models, subsequently Burlington Northern 546-547
Belt Railway of Chicago	500A-501A	500B-501B	renumbered to 500, 510, 501, and 511
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad	9401A-9413A	9401B–9413B	converted to NW2 units, later became Burlington Northern 548-573
Chicago and North Western Railway	2000A-2001A	2000B-2001B	reclassified as 1009 and 1010; B units modified into BU-4 and BU-5 slugs
Chicago Great Western Railroad	58A-66A	58B–66B	moved to Chicago & North Western with several renumberings
Illinois Central Railroad	9206A-9208A	9206B–9208B	assigned new numbers 1028AB-1030AB
Milwaukee Road	2000A	2000B	renumbered as 696AB
Southern Railway	2400A-2404A	2400B–2404B	renumbered to pairs between 2400/2450 and 2404/2454
Total	36	36

TR3 (cow–calf–calf)

Railroad	Number of A units	Number of B units	Remarks
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway	6500A-6501A	6500B,C, 6501B,C	underwent multiple renumberings; units circulated among Chesapeake & Ohio, Chicago South Shore and South Bend, and Baltimore & Ohio railroads
Total	2	4

Preservation

Although most NW2 locomotives have been retired, a number continue to operate in revenue service across North America. Significant preserved units include:

Canadian National #7944 displayed at the Alberta Railway Museum, Edmonton, Alberta
Milwaukee Road #1648 housed at the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad, Boone, Iowa
Milwaukee Road #1649 preserved at the Monticello Railway Museum, Monticello, Illinois
Southern Pacific #1423 exhibited at the Niles Canyon Railway, Sunol, California

References

Kristopans, Andre. EMC/EMD 201A and 567 Switchers. Utah Rails.
Kristopans, Andre. GM Export Models. Utah Rails.
Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Books.
Solomon, Brian (2000). The American Diesel Locomotive. MBI Publishing Company.