G12 / G8

The G-12 and G-8 are general-service, low-cost locomotives that General Motors produced from 1955 to 1970. The basic points of the original project aimed at producing a versatile, simple, economical locomotive, adaptable to various gauges and suitable for diverse applications — both for branch-line service and main-line trains.

They were built in B-B or A1A-A1A versions, with or without dynamic brake, and sold to a great many countries, such as Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Nigeria, Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, etc. Until recently, they were the most popular locomotives in Brazil, and are still in use across every region of the country. The main difference between the G-12 and G-8 is the number of cylinders and the diesel engine power: V-12 with 1,245 HP and V-8 with 950 HP, respectively.