The EMD GT26 Locomotive Series made their debut in 1967 after the rise in popularity of the American EMD SD40. Designed to meet most First World, Second World and Third World countries, the GT26 Series were now equipped with a turbocharged high horsepower EMD 645 Series engine as well as six axle HT-C trucks to provide better traction effort at slow speeds. Based on customer input, the GT26 Series would be defined by various designations that suit the customer's railway operations. The standard suffix after the GT26 designation was the use of six-axle trucks (C); following the C designation, the customer had the option to purchase specific traction motors to fit Narrow Gauge (U) or Broad Gauge (W) rails. It was also around the mid 1970s that customers began to purchase EMD Dash 2 electronics to simplify maintenance. The GT26 designation can freely apply to the designs of any EMD export model or a licensee of EMD as long as the electrical and mechanical gear were left unaltered. Overview With the introduction of the EMD 645 Series engine now replacing the EMD 567 Series engine in 1967, the locomotive model designation number changed by adding 10 to a similar predecessor model (example: the G12 - 567 engined, now became the G22 - 645 engined). To meet customer demands for a high-horsepower model, EMD created the G16: A longer, six-axle version of the EMD G12 equipped with Flexicoil Type-C trucks and a larger engine with increased horsepower. A turbocharged variation also was available, designating the model as EMD GT16 However, as the EMD 645 Series engine was now in production, the G16 now became the GT26 equipped with a turbocharger. EMD applied the six axle (C) designation to further separate the model from any four-axle models similarly produced. Several models were introduced: GT26CW GT26CWP GT26CW-2 GT26CW-2A GT26CW-2B GT26HCW-2 GT26MC GT26CU-2 GT26CU-MP GT36CU-MP GT36CW GT36HCW GT26CW/CWP The EMD GT26CW first appeared in 1967. Unlike its turbocharged predecessor the GT16, the GT26CW was identified with a W suffix which indicated that this model had traction motors that could fit the locomotive's axles from Indian gauge to Irish Gauge rails; thus Wide would be the understood term for the traction motors. Production spanned from October 1967 to October 1988. GT26CW-2/-2A/-2B Beginning on January 1, 1972, export customers now had the option to purchase EMD Dash 2 electronics on new orders of locomotives. Customers who