The SD26 is an EMD SD24 diesel locomotive that was rebuilt by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway between January 1973 and January 1978. In an effort to spare the cost of purchasing new motive power, the Santa Fe elected to expand on the success of its CF7 and other capital rebuild programs and extend the life of its fleet of 80 aging SD24s by rebuilding them at its San Bernardino, California Shops.
The rebuilt locomotives saw service throughout much of the Santa Fe system. One unit the 4625 was wrecked in August 1974 shortly after rebuild. Another 44 units were retired by Santa Fe in 1985 and replaced with state-of-the-art equipment, while a year later the remaining 35 units were sold to Guilford Rail System (now Pan Am Railways). As of 2012, all SD26s have been scrapped.