Train Tuesday 09/02/25: Athearn Genesis EMD GP39 2 Diesel Locomotive

In the decade between 1974 and 1984, EMD produced the GP39-2 for seven North American railroads. The basic design followed most four axle road diesel switchers for the time. Borrowing improvements from the GP38-2 and GP40-2 designs, this mid-horsepower road switcher utilized a turbocharged 12-cylinder EMD 645E3 diesel engine for it’s prime mover. With four fewer cylinders, the smaller engine provided a distinctive long hood on the phase II and phase III bodies, where the clean room/engine compartment doors were set back from the cab further than predecessor locomotives.

Sensitivity to fuel economy in the 1970’s justified the GP39-2 in the locomotive market. It also laid the ground work for EMD to start exploring locomotive designs that utilize engines with larger piston displacement yet possess fewer cylinders. This approach has become the foundation to modern locomotive technology.

The newly updated Athearn Genesis GP39-2 has been upgraded with new lighting features such as lit number boards and classification lights on the Delaware and Hudson units. Also for the first time is all new tooling to replicate the 1986 era Santa Fe GP39-2u and includes the Santa Fe phase 1 GP39-2u body with corrugated grilles, illuminated “Swing out” style number boards, newly tooled exhaust stack, “switcher” style walkway steps and rear-mounted fuel tank.

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