The model railroad industry has featured fantasy-painted locomotives for years. These are locomotive models painted for railroads that never actually owned them. Think Canadian National GP60Ms, Burlington Northern ES44ACs or Monon SD70ACes — designs the railroad either never purchased (Canadiana National), or for which the railroad wasn’t in existence at the time the locomotives were sold (Burlington Northern and Monon). Some railroad heritage programs around North America have done well adapting former railroad paint schemes to modern equipment, as with Norfolk Southern’s heritage fleet, giving us a glimpse of what could have been if these railroads lasted into the present.
Let’s take a look at a handful of locomotive models that were actually considered by railroads, but ultimately never purchased. Our look back will cover EMD products from roughly the end of the 40-series line to the 7- series models. These locomotive models can range from designs never built to models offered to a railroad but never purchased.
SW1500
Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay
Gulf, Mobile & Ohio
GP38-2
Erie Lackawanna
Detroit, Toledo & Ironton
GP40-2
Rock Island
GP50
Louisville & Nashville (Family Lines)
Kansas City Southern
GP50T (never built)
Denver & Rio Grande Western
SD38-2
Milwaukee Road
SD40-2
Utah Railway
SD40B-2 (cabless, never built)
Union Pacific
SD40X
Burlington Northern
SD50
Illinois Central
SD60M
CSX
SD70MAC
Ferromex
SD80MAC
Chicago & North Western
