EMC E3

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American diesel-passenger locomotive

title: "EMC E3" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["diesel–electric-locomotives-of-the-united-states", "a1a-a1a-locomotives", "electro-motive-division-locomotives", "passenger-locomotives", "railway-locomotives-introduced-in-1939", "locomotives-with-cabless-variants", "standard-gauge-locomotives-of-the-united-states", "streamlined-diesel-locomotives", "chicago-and-north-western-railway-locomotives"] description: "American diesel-passenger locomotive" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMC_E3" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American diesel-passenger locomotive ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox locomotive"]

Field	Value
name	EMC E3
powertype	Diesel-electric
image	Atlantic Coast Line 501.jpg
caption	ACL #501 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. On the down left is lettering The Champion.
builder	Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC)
buildmodel	E3
builddate	September 1938 – June 1940
totalproduction	17 A units, 2 B units
aarwheels	A1A-A1A
gauge
trucks	EMC Blomberg A-1-A passenger
wheeldiameter	36 in
minimumcurve	21° (274.37 ft radius)
wheelbase	57 ft
length	70 ft over coupler pulling faces
width	10 ft
height	15 ft
locoweight	308400 lb
fuelcap	1200 USgal
primemover	(2) EMC 12-567C
rpmrange	800 max
enginetype	(2) V12 Two-stroke diesel
aspiration	Roots blower
displacement	6804 cuin each
generator	(2) EMC D-4
tractionmotors	(4) EMC D-7
cylindercount	(2) 12
poweroutput	2000 hp total
maxspeed	116 mph
tractiveeffort	Starting: 56500 lbf @25%
Continuous: 31000 lbf @11 mph
preservedunits	Atlantic Coast Line 501 preserved at the North Carolina Transportation Museum
disposition	One preserved, remainder scrapped
::

The EMC E3 is a 2,000 hp, A1A-A1A diesel-electric passenger locomotive that was manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation of La Grange, Illinois as part of the E Series of EMC/EMD diesel passenger locomotives. The EMC demonstrator #822 was released from La Grange for test on September 12, 1938. The cab version, or E3A, was manufactured from September 1938 to June 1940, and 17 were produced. The booster version, or E3B, was manufactured in March 1939 and September 1939, and 2 were produced. The 2,000 hp was achieved by putting two 1,000 hp, 12-cylinder, model 567 engines in the engine compartment. Each engine drove its own electrical generator to power the traction motors. The E3 was the fourth model in a long line of passenger diesels of similar design known as EMD E-units.

Compared with passenger locomotives made later by EMD, the noses of the E3, E4, E5, and E6 cab units had pronounced slants when viewed from the side. Therefore, these four models have been nicknamed "slant nose" units. Later E models had the more vertical "bulldog nose" of the F series. E3 demonstrator 822 was built with a nose identical to earlier EA and E1A units, but later locomotives in the series featured an elevated headlamp mounted in a nacelle, distinct from the flush profile mounting of the earlier units. 822 was modified in a similar fashion prior to delivery to the Kansas City Southern Railway.

Engine and powertrain

The E3 introduced a 12-cylinder version of the 567 series Diesel engine, with two being used for a total of 2,000 hp at 800 rpm. Earlier E-units had used two Winton 201A prime movers, but that engine was ill-suited to railroad use and was unreliable. The 567, which was specifically designed for railroad motive power applications, is a mechanically aspirated, two-stroke 45-degree V-type with 567 cuin displacement per cylinder, and remained in production until 1966. Two direct current generators, one per engine, provide power to four traction motors, two on each truck, in an A1A-A1A arrangement. This truck design was used on all E-units and on MP 7100, CB&Q 9908, and Rock Island AB6 power cars. EMC/EMD has built all of its major components since 1939.

Original owners

A units

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Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Electro-Motive Corporation (demonstrator)	1	822	to Kansas City Southern Railway #1
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad	2	500, 501	500 was wrecked in Fleming, GA in 1953 and rebuilt by EMD as an E8A. 501 was wrecked before delivery and rebuilt by EMC as an E6A. The 501 is preserved at the NCTM.
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway	1	11
Chicago and North Western Railway	4	5001A, 5001B,
5002A, 5002B	Initially used in A-A back-to-back pairs on the Twin Cities 400.
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad	2	625, 626
Florida East Coast Railroad	2	1001, 1002
Kansas City Southern Railway	2	2, 3
Missouri Pacific Railroad	2	7000, 7001	Built with two sets of double round portholes on each side.
Union Pacific Railroad	1	LA-5	Built with two sets of triple round portholes, similar to the UP EMC E2; later modified and renumbered.
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B units

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Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway	1	11A
Union Pacific Railroad	1	LA-6	matched with A-unit (see notes for UP LA-5)
::

Surviving example

The only remaining E3 is ex-Atlantic Coast Line Railroad E3A #501. It was formerly owned by the late Glen Monhart, and operated on excursions in Wisconsin. Later, it was owned by the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation Rail Division, and was on long-term loan to the North Carolina Transportation Museum, in Spencer, North Carolina. In January 2013, NCDOT transferred ownership of the engine to the NC Department of Cultural Resources, Spencer Shops parent organization. It is stored in operating condition, and is run occasionally.

References

Bibliography

References

Pinkpank 1973, pp. 13, 26, 90, 101, 106, 118, 121, 122.
Ross 2003, pp. 261, 273.

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