EMD Builder Plates
Compiled by Don Strack
This page was last updated on September 29, 2007.
Below are the approximate dates for the changes in style of EMD's builder plates, as applied to railroad locomotives.
| Date | Plate Type | Remarks |
| 1938-1939 | First use of cast bronze plate | EMC began using the cast bronze plate on its E3 units (the EAs, E1s, and E2s did not have builder plates). UP units would include the E3s, the E6s, and NW2s 1000-1026. |
| February 1942 | Last use of cast bronze plate | As seen on Florida East Coast E6A 1004 (EMC 1567, 2-14-42). |
| January 1942 | First use of stainless steel rectangular plate | As seen on Chicago & Eastern Illinois SW1 97 (EMC 1378, 1-14-42) and on Atlantic Coast Line E6A 516 (EMC 1554, 1-22-42). (CE&I 97 data courtesy of Eric Hirsimaki.) UP units would include NW2s 1027-1035 in May to July 1942, NW2s 1036-1075 in May 1946 to June 1947, the E7s in August 1946, and the first eight 1400-series F3s (four F3As and four F3Bs) in May 1947. Some collectors also refer to the stainless steel rectangular plate as the "DP plate", for its "Diesel Power" wording. |
| July 1947 | Last use of stainless steel rectangular plate | As seen on Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis NW2 558 (EMD 5026, 7-16-47) |
| August 1947 | First use of oval plate | As seen on Southern Railway TR2 2404 (EMD 5002, 8-47). UP units would include NW2s 1076-1095 in March to September 1948, and all remaining F3s. |
| Jan 1965 to Aug 1967 | Aluminum oval plate | One source states that he had photographic proof that EMD used aluminum oval "hotdog" plates on some SP SW1500's, with the oldest being in January 1965 and the newest being in August 1967. |
| late 1964 -1967 | Aluminum rectangular plate | The aluminum plates were only for a short time in late 1964-67 (EMD and the railroads soon learned what battery acid does to aluminum). There were both aluminum and stainless steel in 1967. Some orders during this time frame may have been stainless steel per a customer request. (Ken Ardinger, April 5, 2002) |
| 1966 | First use of later stainless steel rectangle plate | With the introduction of its line of 645-powered engines. UP units would be the SD40s, 3000-3082, including the SD40X demonstrator units. |
| 1978 | Model first used on builder plates | In about 1978, EMD began applying the model to its builder plates, replacing the previous usage of the wheel type, i.e., 0-6-6-0 for an SD40-2. |
| 1988 | First use of modern GMLG plate | Coinciding with EMD's move of locomotive production from La Grange to London in January 1988. |
Notes:
1. UP F3A 1402A had a rectangle plate as delivered in May 1947, see "Union Pacific Official Color Photography, Book II" (Morning Sun, 1999), page 28.
2. Photographic research by Ken Ardinger, as posted to the LocoNotes email group on August 9, 2001, revealed the following:
|
EMD Number |
Plate Date |
Road Number |
Notes | |
| 1593 | 12/6/41 | SAL 3015 | cast brass | |
| 1594 | 12/11/41 | SAL 3016 | cast brass | |
| 1466 | 12/19/41 | SOU 6051 | cast brass | |
| first | 1554 | 1/22/42 | ACL 516 | stainless steel rectangle |
| 1475 | 1/27/42 | Republic Steel 904 | stainless steel rectangle | |
| 1597 | 2/4/42 | Monon 50 | stainless steel rectangle | |
| last | 1567 | 2/14/42 | FEC 1004 | cast brass |
| 1568 | 2/21/42 | FEC 1005 | stainless steel rectangle | |
| 1596 | 3/42 | SAL 1407 | stainless steel rectangle | |
| 5144 | 6/47 | ASAB 1501 | stainless steel rectangle, then oval after 1/55 rebuild | |
| 5145 | 6/11/47 | WM 51 | stainless steel rectangle | |
| 5146 | 6/11/47 | WM 52 | stainless steel rectangle | |
| 4055 | 7/47 | CNJ 59 | stainless steel rectangle | |
| last | 5026 | 7/16/47 | TRRA 558 | stainless steel rectangle |
| 4046 | 7/16/47 | CNJ 50 | stainless steel rectangle | |
| first | 5002 | 8/47 | SOU 2404 | oval |
| 5003 | 8/47 | SOU 2404B | oval | |
| 5022 | 9/20/47 | TRRA 505 | oval | |
| 5176 | 10/15/47 | BAR 600 | oval | |
| 5177 | 10/16/47 | BAR 601 | oval | |
| 5178 | 5/7/48 | BAR 602 | oval |
