The B40-8W, also known as the Dash 8-40BW, is a four-axle diesel locomotive that was manufactured by GE Transportation specifically for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) during the late 1980s and early 1990s. This locomotive belongs to the GE Dash 8 Series of freight locomotives.
The locomotive's model name is decoded as follows: B (indicating a B-type truck arrangement with 2 axles per truck), 40 (representing 4000 horsepower), -8 (signifying the generation it was designed in, here denoting the late 1980s), and W (indicating a Widecab).
Interestingly, the ATSF was the exclusive railroad to place orders for the B40-8W. There was almost consideration for a B unit (a cabless booster unit), but it was ultimately decided to order units with cabs, as the price was the same for both configurations.
Subsequently, all of the B40-8Ws originally owned by ATSF were transferred to the BNSF Railway, and some were later sold to other railroads.
In terms of their use, the B40-8Ws were initially built for high-speed intermodal service. However, by the mid-2000s, they had been reassigned to local service roles.
Around mid-2010, BNSF decided to sell 15 B40-8Ws that had been on long-term lease and were returned to their lessor. Out of these, four units were purchased by the Providence and Worcester Railroad in Massachusetts, and one of them was subsequently sold to the Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad. The remaining BNSF B40-8W fleet was undergoing refurbishment and refreshment at GE's facilities in preparation for their new roles as local freight units, as of 2019.
Ownership of these locomotives has changed hands over the years. Here's a breakdown of the original and current owners:
Original Owners[]
ATSF: 83 units, numbered from 500 to 582 (with 576 being destroyed in Cajon Pass in 1994, and 537 preserved).
General Electric: 1 unit, number 809, which was a wide cab prototype and testbed, rebuilt from B39-8E #808.
Current Owners[]
The only unit produced for General Electric Originally built as an GE B36-7 numbered 606.
BNSF Railway: 60 units (Ex-Santa Fe; numbers 500-559), with unit 537 being donated in 2023. Units 560-575 and 577-582 were sold.
Providence and Worcester Railroad: 3 units (Ex-BNSF 561, 562, and 582).
Nashville and Eastern Railroad: 4 units (Ex-BNSF 568, 573, 574, and 579) with plans to transfer them to RJ Corman.
Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad: 3 units (Ex-BNSF 567, 578, and 581).
Great Western Railway of Saskatchewan: 2 units (Ex-BNSF 575 and 563).
Moreover, on June 14, 2023, BNSF donated unit #537 to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America in Silvis, Illinois, marking the first preservation of this locomotive type.
