Korail class 7000 and Electro-Motive Division FT36HCW-2

In anticipation of the 1988 Olympics, Korail ordered 15 FT36HCW-2 diesel locomotives from EMD to bring its Saemaul-Ho trains to semi high speed. These were basically standard locomotives with one cab, but in this case they were streamlined and got a gear ratio that allowed a top speed of 170 km/h (106 mph). The original engine was a 3,500 hp EMD 16-645F3B that also provided head-end power to the train. Soon there were complaints that the engine had to run at high RPM settings all the time to supply the train, what led to the introduction of generator cars. The HEP functionality of the locomotives was not used anymore and the engines were replaced with more efficient, 3,000 hp 16-645E4. All 5 locomotives were retired in 2011 and 2012.