Locomotives | Seaboard Coast Line Railroad

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Locomotive Roster

Below is a diesel locomotive roster for the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad, organized by manufacturer and then by model. This roster includes the number of units the B&O owned for each model. There are numerous websites, books, and archived reference materials that include the details of each locomotive.

To display a complete diesel roster for the Seaboard Coast Line (SCL), it is necessary to combine the rosters of its predecessors, the Seaboard Air Line (SAL) and Atlantic Coast Line (ACL), with the new units the SCL acquired after their 1967 merger. The following list represents the comprehensive SCL diesel roster over two decades.

Photo: SCL GP40 on the Raleigh NC turntable in 1970, Warren Calloway, Donald J. Hensley Jr. Collection

Electro-Motive Division (EMD)

• E4A: 14 locomotives. These were streamlined, sloped-nose passenger units built exclusively for the SAL.
• E4B: 5 locomotives. Cabless booster units for the E4A locomotives.
• E6A: 25 locomotives. An evolution of the E4, many from both SAL and ACL.
• E6B: 5 locomotives. Booster units for the E6A locomotives.
• E7A: 47 locomotives. A very common passenger locomotive on both the SAL and ACL, featuring the “bulldog nose”.
• E7B: 13 locomotives. Cabless booster units for the E7A locomotives.
• E8A: 24 locomotives. A more powerful variant of the E-series.
• E8B: 2 locomotives. Cabless booster units for the E8A locomotives.
• E9A: 1 locomotive. The final and most powerful E-unit built by EMD.
• FTA: 52 locomotives. Early F-unit freight locomotives for both predecessor’s growing freight businesses.
• FTB: 52 locomotives. Cabless booster units for the FTA locomotives.
• F2A: 12 locomotives. A transitional freight-hauling model between the FT and F3.
• F2B: 12 locomotives. Cabless booster units for the F2A locomotives.
• F3A: 22 locomotives. A reliable, standardized freight cab unit.
• F3B: 12 locomotives. Cabless booster units for the F3A locomotives.
• F7A: 100 locomotives. A standard workhorse on many railroads for both freight and passenger service.
• F7B: 27 locomotives. Cabless booster units for the F7A locomotives.
• FP7: 44 locomotives. Passenger locomotives, essentially extended F7As to provide more water capacity for steam generators.
• GP7: 252 locomotives. The “Geep” road switcher was used widely for both road freight and local service.
• GP9: 36 locomotives. A successor to the GP7 and another common road switcher on the SAL.
• GP16: 149 locomotives. These were rebuilds of older GP7, GP9, and GP18 units, a successful cost-saving project by the SCL.
• SW1: 3 locomotives. An early, compact, and reliable yard switcher.
• SW7: 15 locomotives. A more powerful switcher for heavier yard duties.
• SW8: 10 locomotives. A standardized switcher model.
• SW9: 26 locomotives. A common and reliable switcher model.
• SW900: 5 locomotives. A smaller, but robust, switcher.
• SW1200: 6 locomotives. A modernized switcher for improved efficiency.
• SW1500: 15 locomotives. A powerful switcher capable of some road freight duties, with many ordered for the merged SCL.
• SD7: 2 locomotives. An early EMD six-axle locomotive for heavy hauling.
• SD9: 4 locomotives. An upgrade from the SD7 with a more reliable engine.
• SD35: 35 locomotives. A higher-horsepower, six-axle freight unit.
• SD45: 46 locomotives. High-horsepower units used for fast freight service.
• SD45-2: 15 locomotives. An upgraded SD45 with improved internal electronics.
• GP30: 9 locomotives. Versatile road switchers with a distinctive high-profile cab.
• GP35: 6 locomotives. A follow-up to the GP30, also inherited by the SCL.
• SDP35: 1 locomotive. A passenger version of the SD35 with a steam generator.
• GP38-2: 79 locomotives. Acquired after the merger, these were reliable, mid-powered road switchers.
• GP40: 31 locomotives. Used for priority through freights.
• GP40-2: 78 locomotives. An updated version of the GP40 with more reliable modular electronics.
• SD40-2: 116 locomotives. The most numerous single locomotive type for the SCL, valued for its reliability and tractive effort. 

American Locomotive Company (ALCO)

• S-2: 18 locomotives. Older switcher units inherited from predecessors.
• S-4: 21 locomotives. An upgraded and more successful ALCO switcher model.
• RS-2: 29 locomotives. An early and successful ALCO road switcher design.
• RS-3: 66 locomotives. This versatile road switcher was common on many railroads.
• RS-11: 15 locomotives. A medium-horsepower road switcher inherited from the ACL.
• C420: 27 locomotives. Versatile four-axle road switchers.
• C628: 18 locomotives. Powerful six-axle freight units inherited from the ACL.
• RSC-3: 19 locomotives. Six-axle road switchers with unpowered center axles, designed for lighter trackage.
• RSC-4: 4 locomotives. Another road switcher with C-C trucks.
• RSC-5: 3 locomotives. A final variant of ALCO’s C-C road switchers for SAL.
• FA-1: 3 locomotives. ALCO’s cab unit competitor to EMD’s F-units.
• FB-1: 3 locomotives. Cabless booster units for the FA-1 locomotives. 

General Electric (GE)

• U25B: 12 locomotives. Part of GE’s first “U-boat” generation.
• U30B: 12 locomotives. A more powerful successor to the U25B.
• U33B: 38 locomotives. High-horsepower units used for expedited freight service.
• U36B: 108 locomotives. A large order of GE’s most powerful four-axle U-boat.
• U18B: 15 locomotives. A smaller, less-powerful unit, mainly used on branch lines.
• B23-7: 73 locomotives. Reliable units ordered in the late 1970s and 1980s.
• BQ23-7: 10 locomotives. A unique variant with a larger cab for the train crew, designed to help phase out cabooses.
• C30-7: 105 locomotives. Six-axle freight units purchased in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
• U36C: 4 locomotives. Inherited from the ACL, these were six-axle U-boats.
• 44-ton: 2 locomotives. Small industrial switchers.
• 70-ton: 2 locomotives. Early switchers.
• B36-7: 2 locomotives. Delivered just before the merger, representing GE’s late-model technology. 

Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW)

• VO-1000: 4 locomotives. Switchers inherited from the ACL, later re-engined.
• DS-4-4-1000: 35 locomotives. A large fleet of Baldwin switchers for yard work.
• S-12: 55 locomotives. A powerful, modern Baldwin switcher.
• AS-416: 2 locomotives. Road switchers inherited from the ACL.
• AS-616: 63 locomotives. Powerful road switchers, the SAL was a large customer.
• RS-12: 4 locomotives. A later Baldwin road switcher.
• DRS-6-4-1500: 3 locomotives. Baldwin’s distinctive “Babyface” road switchers.
• DR-12-8-3000 (“Centipede”): 14 locomotives. These unusual, large, and powerful units were used for passenger service. 

Fairbanks-Morse (FM)

• H16-44: 15 locomotives. Hood-unit road switchers.
• C-Liner: 4 locomotives. Cab unit passenger locomotives that competed with EMD and ALCO.
• Train Master: 2 locomotives. These were Fairbanks-Morse’s large and powerful road switchers. 

Back to Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Overview Page

Bibliography and Additional Reading on the Atlantic and Seaboard Lines

• Personal Maps & Memorabilia: Documents, maps, timetables, and track charts
• Newspaper Articles: Newspapers.com
• Magazines/Online: ‘Trains‘, ‘Classic Trains‘
• Books:
  • Calloway, Warren L. Atlantic Coast Line: The Diesel Years. Halifax: Withers Publishing, 2008.
  • Calloway, Warren L., and Paul K. Withers. Seaboard Motive Power. Halifax: Withers Publishing, 1988.
  • Carleton, Paul. Locomotives of the Seaboard System: Railroad of the South. Dunnellon: D. Carleton Railbooks, 1987.
  • Faulk, Paul. Atlantic Coast Line Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment. Scotch Plains: Morning Sun Books, 2003.
  • Goff, Ernest R., and Larry Goolsby. CSX Diesel Locomotives in Color. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 2000.
  • Goolsby, Larry. Atlantic Coast Line Passenger Service: The Postwar Years. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 1999.
  • Goolsby, Larry. Seaboard Air Line Passenger Service: The Streamlined Era. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 2011.
  • Griffin, William E., Jr. Atlantic Coast Line: The Standard Railroad of the South. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 2001.
  • Griffin, William E., Jr. Seaboard Air Line Railway: The Route of Courteous Service. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 1999.
  • Griffin, William E., Jr. Seaboard Coast Line & Family Lines Railroad 1967–1986. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 2004.
  • Griffin, William E., Jr. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad: All Lines North of Raleigh. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 2007.
  • Johnson, Robert Wayne. Through the Heart of the South: The Seaboard Air Line Railroad Story. San Jose: Boston Mills Press, 1995.
  • Nuckles, Douglas B. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 1995.
  • Prince, Richard E. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad: Steam Locomotives, Ships, and History. Green River, WY: R.E. Prince, 1966 (Reprinted by Indiana University Press, 2000).
  • Prince, Richard E. Seaboard Air Line Railway: Steam Boats, Locomotives, and History. Green River, WY: R.E. Prince, 1969 (Reprinted by Indiana University Press, 2000).
  • Solomon, Brian. CSX. St. Paul: MBI Publishing Company, 2005.
  • Stout, Greg. Seaboard Coast Line Through Passenger Service in Color. Scotch Plains: Morning Sun Books, 2019.
• Websites:
  • Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
  • TheDieselShop.us
  • SteamLocomotive.com
  • Wikipedia.org