Can This Rusted EJ&E SD38-2 Run Again? Gary Steel Mill Rescue

Deep in a forgotten corner of the Gary, Indiana steel district, EJ&E No. 661 has been sitting silent for over a decade. Rust has eaten the orange paint, birds have nested in the radiator, and nobody has turned the key in years. Then a crew from Rider Auto shows up with one question: can we bring it back? Follow the full story, from the first flashlight in the cab, to a heavy-haul convoy through the night, to the teardown, the engine rebuild, the paint, and the moment the 16-cylinder diesel finally fires again. 🚂 ABOUT THE LOCOMOTIVE The EMD SD38-2 is a six-axle road-switcher built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division from 1972 to 1979, with 90 units produced. It uses a naturally aspirated 16-cylinder EMD 645 engine rated at 2,000 horsepower, and it is built on the same heavy underframe as the famous SD40-2. The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway, or EJ&E, was a belt line arcing around Chicago from Waukegan to Gary. For most of its life it served as a quiet industrial bypass connecting nearly every railroad it met, and it was long tied to the steel mills of northwest Indiana. The railroad's orange locomotive scheme became one of its most recognizable looks. ⚠️ IMPORTANT: FICTIONAL STORY AND AI DISCLOSURE This video is a fictional story. The characters (including Walt), the company Rider Auto, the specific locomotive "No. 661" in this story, and all events shown are made up. The visuals were created with AI-assisted tools and are not real footage. The historical facts about the SD38-2 and the EJ&E railroad are real and based on public sources. 🔔 If you enjoy locomotive restoration, heavy machinery, and industrial history, subscribe and turn on notifications for the next build. 💬 QUESTION FOR YOU Which locomotive should we bring back next? Tell us in the comments! #locomotive #restoration #SD38 #EMD #EJE #railroad #trains #dieselengine #industrialhistory #fictionalstory #AIgenerated Tags: EJ&E SD38-2, EMD SD38-2, locomotive restoration, rusted locomotive, abandoned locomotive, diesel locomotive, Gary Indiana steel mill, EJ&E railroad, Elgin Joliet and Eastern, EMD 645 engine, train restoration, railroad history, industrial history, first fire, heavy haul, AI generated story