EMD GP9
An EMD GP9 equipped with dynamic brakes on the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Staunton, VA. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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An EMD GP9 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division in the United States, and General Motors Diesel in Canada between January, 1954, and August, 1963. US production ended in December, 1959, while an additional thirteen units were built in Canada, including the last two in August, 1963. Power was provided by an EMD 567C sixteen-cylinder engine which generated 1,750 horsepower (1.30 MW).[1] This locomotive type was offered both with and without control cabs; locomotives built without control cabs were called GP9B locomotives. All GP9B locomotives were built in the United States between February, 1954, and December, 1959.
Production
A total of 3,441 units of this locomotive model were built for American railroads, with an additional 646 for Canadian railroads and 10 for Mexican railroads. 5 units were built for a railroad in Brazil, 4 units were built for a railroad in Peru and 6 units were built for a railroad in Venezuela. Of the GP9B, 165 examples were built for American railroads.
Rebuilds
There were 40 GP9M units built that are included in the 3,441 units built for United States railroads. A GP9M was built with parts from another older EMD locomotive, either an F unit or a damaged GP7. The use of parts from these older locomotives caused the GP9Ms to have a lower power rating than a GP9. This would be either 1,350 horsepower (1.01 MW) if the donor locomotive was an FT/F2 or 1,500 horsepower (1.12 MW) from F3/F7/GP7 locomotives.
Many rebuilt GP9s remain in service today with shortline railroads and industrial operators. Some remain in rebuilt form on some major Class I railroads, as switcher locomotives. Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway still have many in their fleets in 2012 as switcher locomotives.
Several GP9s were rebuilt with a 1,500 horsepower (1.12 MW) CAT 3512 and re-classified as GP15C.
Original buyers
GP9 locomotives built by Electro-Motive Division, USA
Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
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Electro-Motive Division (demonstrator) | | | to Western Maryland 33 |
Araraquara Railway, Brazil | | | 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) |
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | | | |
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad | | | 6513, 6554 now Greenville & Western 3751, 3752 |
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad | | | |
Belt Railway of Chicago | | | 471 is a GP9M |
Boston and Maine Railroad | | | Remaining units to Guilford Rail System. The last 3 GP9s are on Pan Am Railways. |
Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway | | | |
Central of Georgia Railway | | | |
Central Railroad of New Jersey | | | GP9M |
Central Vermont Railway | | | |
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | | | |
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad | | | 221, 229 are GP9Ms |
Chicago and North Western Railway | | | |
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad | | | |
Chicago Great Western | | | GP9M |
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (“Milwaukee Road”) | | | 2368–2443 renumbered 200–279 (not in sequence). |
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad | | | |
Clinchfield Railroad | | | |
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad | | | |
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad | | | |
Erie Railroad | | | |
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México | | | |
Florida East Coast Railway | | | |
Georgia Railroad | | | |
Grand Trunk Railway | | | |
Grand Trunk Western Railroad | | | |
Great Northern Railway | | | 900's are 1,350 hp (1,010 kW) GP9M. 733, 734 are 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) GP9Ms |
Illinois Central Railroad | | | |
Kansas City Southern Railway | | | 162 is a GP9M |
Lehigh Valley Railroad | | | |
Louisville and Nashville Railroad | | | 437, 511, 513 are GP9Ms |
Meridian and Bigbee Railroad | | | |
Midland Valley Railroad | | | GP9M |
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway | | | 600's are 1,350 hp (1,010 kW) GP9M |
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (“Soo Line”) | | | 400's freight; 550's passenger. |
Soo Line (Wisconsin Central Railroad) | | | 2400s freight; 2550s passenger. |
Mississippi Export Railroad | | | |
Missouri Pacific Railroad | | | |
New York Central Railroad | | | |
New York Central (Cleveland Union Terminal) | | | |
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (“Nickel Plate Road”) | | | |
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad | | | |
Norfolk and Western Railway | | | |
Northern Pacific Railway | | | |
Pennsylvania Railroad | | | |
Phelps Dodge Corporation (Morenci Mine) | | | |
Phelps Dodge Corporation (New Cornelia Branch Mine) | | | |
Seaboard Air Line Railroad | | | 1798, 1801 are GP9Ms |
Southern Railway | | | |
Southern Railway (Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway | | | |
Southern Railway (Georgia Southern and Florida Railway) | | | |
Southern Railway (Live Oak, Perry and Gulf Railroad) | | | |
Southern Railway (New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad) | | | |
Southern Pacific Company | | | 5872 - 5891 built with low-short-hoods. |
Southern Pacific (Texas and New Orleans Railroad) | | | |
Southern Peru Copper Corporation | | | |
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway | | | 150-153 had steam boilers; to BN 1975-1980 |
St. Louis Southwestern Railway (“Cotton Belt”) | | | |
Texas and Pacific Railway | | | |
Texas Mexican Railway | | | |
Union Pacific Railroad | | | |
Venezuelan National Railways | | | |
Wabash Railroad | | | |
Western Maryland Railway | | | All custom fitted with low short hood at Hagerstown shops. EMD demo 7257 became WM 33. |
Western Pacific Railroad | | | |
Western Railway of Alabama | | | |
Winston-Salem Southbound Railway | | | 2 to Norfolk and Western Railway, 2 to Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. |
Total | 3466 |
GP9 locomotives built by General Motors Diesel, Canada
Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
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Algoma Central Railway | | | Last GP9's built |
Canadian National Railways | | 4147–4156, 4228–4353, 4476–4538, 4560–4609, 4588–4601:2 |
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Canadian Pacific Railway | | 8825-8839 |
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Quebec Cartier Mining | | | Built with low-short-hoods. |
Midland Railway Company of Manitoba | | | to Burlington Northern Manitoba Limited 2, then BNSF 1685 |
New York Central Railroad | | | |
Northern Alberta Railways | | | |
Ontario Northland Railway | | | |
Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway | | | |
Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway | | | |
Total | 646 |
GP9B locomotives built by Electro-Motive Division, USA
Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Pennsylvania Railroad | | | |
Union Pacific Railroad | | | |
Total | 165 |
Preservation
Several GP9 locomotives have been preserved at various railroad museums and as "park engines." The Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola, California rosters three of these units: Western Pacific Railroad 725 and 731, as well as Southern Pacific Railroad 2873, still painted in the Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad merger scheme. SP 2873 is a popular locomotive in the museum's Run a Locomotive program. There is also one on display at the Horseshoe Curve, Pennsylvania Railroad No. 7048. No. 7048 replaced K4s Pacific #1361 which in 1986 was removed from the site and rebuilt to haul excursion trains.
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CN GP9 leads a train up Yellowhead Pass.
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An MBTA GP9 locomotive making a non-revenue move into South Station in Boston, Massachusetts.
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A modified EMD GP9 of the Seminole Gulf Railway, Fort Myers, Florida.
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This CN rebuilt GP9 GTW 4621 is sitting in front of Cytec Industries in Kalamazoo,MI.
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This GTW rebuilt GP9 4619 is heading south on the Kalamazoo spur in Kalamazoo, MI.
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An example of a BN GP28M rebuild
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Former BNSF 1685 high hood GP9 sitting in the Prairie Dog Central Yard. This was the last GP9 on the BNSF roster.
Current operators
The Northwestern Pacific Railroad rosters an ex-Burlington Northern GP9, now in the NWP's "Bloody Nose" paint scheme, for mainly switching and MOW operations in Northern California. The Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad operates a former N&W GP9, now numbered 626. Its home yard is the Bradford, PA yard. The California Western Railroad, better known as the "Skunk Train," has three GP9s in their fleet.
In the mid 1980s to early 1990s Guilford Rail System (now Pan Am Railways) started painting and renumbering their GP9 fleet into the Guilford Transportation scheme with the Springfield Terminal name on the side. Pan Am Railways still rosters 6 of the 50 GP9s that are left, the rest either having been scrapped or sold. The last 6 GP9s still rostered on PAR are 51, 52, 62, 71, 72, and 77. The 77 was painted into the Boston and Maine maroon and gold "Minuteman" scheme for Pan Am's heritage fleet, and the 52 was painted in the Maine Central green scheme.
The Hartwell Railroad operates former Chicago and North Western GP9 4556, née Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific 1315.
The Vintage Locomotive Society currently operates two GP9 locomotives: No. 4138 was built by General Motors Diesel (GMD) in November 1958 for the Grand Trunk Western (which eventually became part of Canadian National Railway). It was donated by CN to the Society in August 2002. 4138 is used on the Prairie Dog Central Railway in regular service and in some charter service. It acts as backup power should steam locomotive No. 3 be unavailable.[2] No. 1685 was built by General Motors Diesel (GMD) in March 1957 for the Midland Railway Company of Manitoba as locomotive No. 2 (which became Burlington Northern Manitoba Limited No. 2, then BNSF No. 1685). It was donated to the Society by BNSF in July 2010. 1685 is used on the Prairie Dog Central Railway in regular service and in some charter service. It also acts as backup power should steam locomotive No. 3 or 4138 be unavailable.[3]
Other operators include:
- Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway
- Central Montana Rail (ex. Great Northern, still operate high nose, long-hood forward)
- Montana Rail Link
- Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway - ex-Bangor and Aroostook Railroad and ex-Canadian Pacific Railway
- Adrian & Blissfield Railroad
- Leadville, Colorado and Southern Railroad
- Ontario Northland Railway
- The Grafton & Upton Railroad (MA)
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to EMD GP9 locomotives. |
References
- ↑ The History of EMD Diesel Engines.
- ↑ http://www.pdcrailway.com/History/4138.htm
- ↑ http://www.pdcrailway.com/History/1685.htm
- "The History of EMD Diesel Engines". Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. Retrieved December 14, 2005.
- Dorin, Patrick C. (1972). Chicago and North Western Power. Superior Publishing. pp. 108–110. ISBN 0-87564-715-4.
- Kristopans, Andre http://community-1.webtv.net/ajkristopans/ROADSWITCHERS567/page2.html
- Kristopans, Andre J. http://community-2.webtv.net/ajkristopans/ANDRESGMLOCOMOTIVE/page2.html has the export GP9s toward the bottom of the page.
- Kristopans, Andre J. http://community-2.webtv.net/ajkristopans/GENERALMOTORSDIESEL/ has the Canadian GP9 serial numbers.
- Pinkpank, Jerry A (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter’s Guide. Kalmbach Books. pp. 12, 26, 52–56. ISBN 0-89024-026-4. LCCN 66-22894.
- Extra 2200 South, Issue no.48, Sep-Oct 1974
- Extra 2200 South, Issue no.49, Nov-Dec 1974
External links
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