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| EMD GT22 | |
|---|---|
| Name | EMD GT22 |
| Powertype | Diesel-electric |
| Builder | Electro-Motive Division |
| Buildmodel | GT22 |
| Builddate | 1960s–1980s |
| Primemover | EMD 645 series |
| Cylinders | V12 / V16 variants |
| Poweroutput | 2,250–2,700 hp |
| Operator | Multiple international railways |
EMD GT22 is a diesel-electric locomotive series designed by the Electro-Motive Division for international markets, combining EMD 645 prime movers with turbocharging and adaptable axle arrangements for meter-gauge and broad-gauge railways. The GT22 platform served railways across Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe, influencing procurement by national railways and regional operators and interacting with locomotive builders such as General Motors Diesel, ASEA, and Henschel. Its export success involved collaboration with national workshops, industrial ministries, and state-owned railways during Cold War and post-colonial infrastructure programs.
The GT22 emerged from EMD design evolution following models like the EMD G12, EMD G16, EMD G18, and EMD G22 as part of a lineage that includes international export variants supplied to South African Railways, Indian Railways, Brazilian Railways, and Turkish State Railways. Early development dialogue involved engineering exchanges with General Motors Diesel, Cleveland Graphite Bronze Company, and international consultants linked to projects such as the Trans-Amazonian Railway and the Cape Gauge modernization efforts. Design priorities reflected requirements set by ministries including the Ministry of Railways (India), the Ministry of Transport (Brazil), and state-owned entities like Ferrocarriles Argentinos and Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado in Uruguay, emphasizing axle load, braking systems compliant with standards from International Union of Railways delegations, and compatibility with workshops modeled after the Çankırı Railway Workshop and Tebrau Works.
The GT22 incorporated turbocharged EMD 645 engines, modular electrical systems derived from exports to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México and Ceylon Government Railway, and bogie designs influenced by Co'Co' arrangements used by South African Class 34-000 and Brazilian RFFSA fleets. Collaboration with firms such as Henschel, Beyer Peacock, and English Electric informed traction motor cooling, while regulatory interaction with agencies like the International Labour Organization and regional transport authorities shaped crew cab ergonomics and safety fittings.
The GT22 family typically used the EMD 645 medium-speed two-stroke diesel engine in V12 and V16 configurations, producing between about 2,250 and 2,700 horsepower depending on gearing and turbocharger variants similar to those on EMD 16-645E3 units. Traction systems employed direct current traction motors comparable to EMD D77 and D78 series, controlled by electrical cabinets using components with lineage from General Electric export controls and standards seen on GE U20C and Alco RSD-4 derivatives.
The locomotives used Co'Co' or A1A-A1A wheel arrangements depending on axle load requirements for networks like Indian Railways broad gauge and Kenya Railways metre gauge. Braking systems incorporated vacuum or air brakes aligned with fleets such as FERROVIAS and SAR practice, and train heating or head-end power options matched configurations used by CP and PKP in export markets. Cooling, fuel capacity, and electrical alternator packages were adapted per customer, drawing on manufacturing experience from Electroputere Craiova, Asea Brown Boveri, and Ganz for hot-climate and tropical environments.
The GT22 spawned multiple submodels tailored to customer needs: high-altitude variants for lines like the Bolivian Andean Railway and PeruRail; lightweight axle-load versions for colonial-era colonial railways in East Africa and Southeast Asia; and passenger-oriented units with head-end power for operators such as South African Railways and Turkish State Railways. Some units featured microprocessor-based control retrofits similar to upgrades in Renfe and Ferrovie dello Stato projects, while others were rebuilt with bogies from Mavag and traction motors from Škoda under industrial cooperation agreements.
Particularly notable submodels paralleled conversions carried out by Banbury Works and national workshops that created variants with dynamic braking, multiple-unit control compatible with Siemens systems, and emissions modifications in response to regulations influenced by agencies like the United States Environmental Protection Agency where applicable to export contracts.
Production was handled by Electro-Motive Division and licensees including General Motors Diesel in Canada, Electroputere in Romania, and local assembly in countries such as Argentina and Brazil via partnerships with Fiat Ferroviaria and Materfer. Export markets spanned South America (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru), Africa (South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Kenya), Asia (Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India), and limited sales to operators in Europe and Oceania where gauge and regulatory compatibility permitted substitution for units from Montreal Locomotive Works and Alco.
Contracts often involved national procurement offices, export credit arrangements backed by institutions like the Export-Import Bank of the United States and collaboration with ministries such as the Ministry of Railways (Pakistan) and Ministerio de Transporte (Argentina). Local content requirements led to assembly joint ventures with firms like Astarsa, TKA, and SENASA.
GT22 units entered service on diverse routes, from heavy freight corridors such as the Trans-Amazonian Railway corridors and Iron ore haulage in Brazil to mixed-traffic duties on the Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line and commuter services around Istanbul. They participated in major network upgrades and were operated by entities including Ferrocarriles Argentinos, Indian Railways, SAR, PKP, Trenes Argentinos and national freight operators connected to ports like Port of Santos and Durban Harbour.
Over time, units underwent mid-life overhauls at workshops like PeruRail Machu Picchu maintenance depots and Salt River Works, and some were repowered or rebuilt in programs resembling those by MotivePower and Alstom for other fleets. Incidents and accidents involving GT22s prompted investigations by national safety boards akin to Romanian Accident Investigation Board and procedural changes in operating rules similar to reforms in Indian Railways.
Several GT22 examples remain preserved in railway museums and heritage fleets: static displays managed by institutions such as the National Railway Museum (Argentina), operational heritage operators like Outeniqua Transport Museum and private preservation groups linked to Rail Heritage WA and Friends of the Railway Museum. Surviving units also feature in tourist services on lines such as PeruRail and on charter operations organized by societies similar to The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland and Heritage Railway Association affiliates. Some preserved examples underwent cosmetic and mechanical restoration at workshops like Museo Ferroviario and community projects supported by local governments and cultural ministries.
Category:Diesel-electric locomotives