Most scrapped, many preserved, some still in service
The EMD G12 is a class of export locomotive built by GM-EMD, and its Canadian affiliate General Motors Diesel. In addition, Australian licensee Clyde Engineering built ten locomotives for New Zealand in 1957, five for Hong Kong, 23 for Queensland, fourteen for Western Australia and seven for BHP. Australian licensee Commonwealth Engineering also built 42 for Queensland Rail in 1964–1966. Many examples were built in the 1950-1960s for railroads around the world.
They are powered by EMD 12-567C prime movers rated at 1,250 hp (930 kW); some have been rebuilt with EMD 645 engines. The A1A-A1A and C-C versions had a lower axle loading than the B-B version.
1 General Motors Diesel demonstrator 7707 (to Sweden as Statens Järnvägar T42 in service between 1956 and 1983[1] preserved by the Swedish State Railroad Museum and is still in running order.[2])
97 Egyptian Railways 3701–3797.[3] During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured 3712, 3715, 3766 and 3795, which were appropriated to Israel Railways stock.
Israel
23 Israel Railways 104–126,[4] some since rebuilt with 12-645E engines. After the 1967 Six-Day War, four captured Egyptian G12s were renumbered 127–130.[5]
52–55 were retired in June 2004 (however 55 did see limited shunting use for a short while) and re-sold to Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia in October 2005, arriving that December and reentering service in late 2006-early 2007 as TL152–TL155. Before being loaded on the ship to Australia, the locomotives had their nameplates removed and KCR logos painted over.
TL152 (originally 52 Lady Maurine) sold to K&AB Rail c. 2014, to SCT 2020, now used as shunter at the Wimmera Intermodal Freight Terminal at Dooen.
TL153 (originally 53 H.P. Winslow) sold to the Dalby Machinery Centre in Dalby, west of Toowoomba in Queensland, as a static exhibit. On display at the entrance to the centre.
TL154 (originally 54 R. Baker) owned by ALARC, stored at Tailem Bend. No longer operable due to copper thieves, used as source of spare parts for TL155.
TL155 (originally 55 R.D. Walker) owned by ALARC. Restored in 2020, hired out to SCT.
The names of the locomotives were originally painted on the valance underneath the long hood catwalks, however they were replaced with cast nameplates in the late 1980s. All locomotives apart from 51 lost their names when sold to CFCLA.
51 and 52 were built with Clyde's stock buffers-and-chain couplers, as well as the numberboard/headlight fixture flush with the top of the hoods. These were replaced with automatic couplers sometime after arrival in Hong Kong. 53 to 55 were built with slightly-lowered numberboard fixtures.
In 1996, the locomotives were heavily modified, with large air conditioning units mounted to the cab, diesel generators installed in the No. 2 end to power them (which involved slightly lengthening the long end hood under the numberboards) and full-length handrails. These modifications were retained on 51 at preservation (minus the air conditioner), to illustrate the changes the locomotives had went through during service in Hong Kong. Further modifications made to the locomotives in CFCLA service included installation of reinforced side windows, slightly widening the steps on the front left and rear right sides of the units and adding an extra rung to the modified steps. The original Hong Kong air conditioners had been removed when retired from KCR service, but new, smaller ones were fitted by CFCLA. The locomotives had the stock EMD exhaust pipes replaced with larger twin exhausts in the 1950s after arrival in Hong Kong, which were replaced with box-like exhaust silencers in the 1980s.
As delivered, the locomotives wore a green livery, with a silver upper section and the numbers painted on the cabsides and ends. In the 1980s, this was changed to a grey livery, with the cabside numbers relocated to the hood sides and replaced with a KCR logo, but retaining the silver upper section. In 1996, 54 was painted in a blue livery with green valances. 52, 53 and 55 would soon after be repainted in a red livery with blue valances, which all other operating KCR diesels were soon repainted into. 51 did not receive this livery, and in 2003 was repainted into a rough approximation of its original livery based on the 1980s livery.
5 Dutch State Mines SM 151-155 (Built in 1956-1959 under license as Henschel G12 in Germany). In 1970 sold to the Nederlandse Spoorwegen as series NS 2901–2905. In 1975 sold to Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha in Spain.
South Korea
25 Korean National Railways 4001–4015(From 4011 to 4015, the gear ratio was changed to change the speed to reach 153 km/h (95 mph), and the numbers were revised to 4301 to 4305), 4101–4110
2 Sri Lanka RailwaysClass M2C 626–627 (Before 2010 it used only for upcountry between Rathmalana, Colombo- Kandy, Badulla.)
Sweden
1 locomotive bought by SJ in 1956, named at first T5, later T42. It was built by GM for sales demo in Europe, and SJ bought it afterwards. Now placed at the Swedish Railway Museum.
KORAIL 4102 is the only preserved G12 in Korea, plinthed in front of Daejeon MPD [ko], alongside a single SD9 5025. Both engines worked for the construction of KTX's Gyeongbu section as departmental vehicles upon the retirement of KORAIL.
KCRC EMD G12, No.55 (R. D. Walker), at Tai Po Market Station, Hong Kong, June 2000.
Estrada de Ferro Vitória a Minas (EFVM) 531, a G12 built by EMD (serial number 21936 of 1956) photographed at Aimorés station, Aimorés, MG, Brasil, March 2008.