The G26 and GL26 are a family of six-axle diesel locomotives with an output of 2,000 or 2,200 hp designed for lines outside of the US with a low axle load limit. They are being powered by the 16-645E prime mover and had a service weight between 215,000 and 260,000 pounds (97.5 to 118 tonnes). The customer could chose from metre, cape and standard gauge. They were not only built directly by EMD, but also by GMD, their Canadian subdivision, by Clyde Engineering in Australia, by Đuro Đaković in Yugoslavia and by Tülomsaş in Turkey.

The Yugoslav Railways had 85 built from 1972 in their own country which were designated class 664. Later 20 came to the Slovenian Railways still as class 664, 60 came to the Croatian Railways as class 2062 and five came to Serbia. In Australia, most locomotives built there went to Queensland Railways in multiple batches from 1970 to 1984. The Turkish TCDD received 86 between 1985 and 1989. The last locomotives built went to the Indonesian KAI in 2008. Other countries which had received locomotives of this family were Brazil, Iran, Israel, South Korea, Morocco, Hong Kong, Tunisia and Egypt.