EMD GP9

An EMD GP9 is a four-axle road switcher diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division produced between 1954 and 1959 and it is powered by a sixteen-cylinder engine which generated 1,750 horsepower (1.30 MW).[1] The GP9 succeeded the GP7.[1] The lettering "GP" stands for "general purpose".[2] This locomotive type was offered both with and without control cabs; locomotives built without control cabs were called GP9B locomotives.

EMD GP9
An EMD GP9 equipped with dynamic brakes on the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Staunton, VA.
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderGeneral Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD)
General Motors Diesel (GMD)
Build dateJanuary 1954 August 1963
Total produced4,112 (and 165 B units)
Specifications
Configuration:
  AARB-B
Gauge4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) (Brazil)
TrucksEMD Blomberg B (Flexicoil on some CN units)
Wheel diameter40 in (1.016 m)
Minimum curve21° (273 ft (83.21 m) radius)
Wheelbase40 ft (12.19 m)
Length56 ft 2 in (17.12 m)
Width10 ft 3 12 in (3.14 m)
Height15 ft 12 in (4.58 m)
Loco weight259,500 lb (117,700 kg)
Fuel capacity1,100 US gal (4,200 l; 920 imp gal)
Prime moverEMD 567C
RPM range835 max
Engine typeV16 Two-stroke diesel
AspirationRoots-type supercharger
Displacement9,072 cu in (148.66 L)
GeneratorEMD D-12-B
Traction motors(4) EMD D-37-B
Cylinders16
Cylinder size8 12 in × 10 in (216 mm × 254 mm)
Performance figures
Maximum speed65 mph (105 km/h)
Power output1,750 hp (1.30 MW)
Tractive effort64,750 lbf (288.0 kN)
Career
LocaleNorth America, South America


Production

Approximately 3,436 units were built between 1954 and 1959.[1]

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 although most Class 1 roads stopped using these locomotives by the 1980s. Canadian National still has many GP9RM locomotives in operation, as of 2016. Canadian Pacific had many GP9u locomotives in operation; however, they were all retired in 2015.

Several GP9s were rebuilt with a 1,500 horsepower (1.12 MW) CAT 3512 and re-classified as GP15C.

Illinois Central Railroad rebuilt some of its GP9s with their front (short) hood reduced in height for improved crew visibility. The IC designated these rebuilt locomotives GP10.

Original buyers

GP9 locomotives built by Electro-Motive Division, USA

RailroadQuantity ImageRoad numbersNotes
Electro-Motive Division (demonstrator)
1
7257
to Western Maryland 33
Araraquara Railway, Brazil
5
1001–1005
5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
52
700–751
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
194
675–696, 747–752, 3413–3425, 6447–6598, 6498:2
6513, 6554 now Greenville & Western 3751, 3752
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad
5
76–80
Belt Railway of Chicago
3
471, 480, 481
471 is a GP9M
Boston and Maine Railroad
50
1700–1749
Remaining units to Guilford Rail System. The last 3 GP9s are on Pan Am Railways.
Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway
4
104–107
Central of Georgia Railway
11
160–170
Central Railroad of New Jersey
2
1531, 1532
GP9M
Central Vermont Railway
18
4547–4557, 4923–4929
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
363
5901–6263
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
8
221, 229, 233–238
221, 229 are GP9Ms
Chicago and North Western Railway
59
1711–1720, 1725–1773
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
20
270-289
Chicago Great Western
1
120
GP9M
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road")
128
280–331, 2368–2443
2368–2443 renumbered 200–279 (not in sequence).
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
21
Clinchfield Railroad
2
917, 918
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
24
5901–5904, 5911–5914, 5921–5924, 5931–5934, 5941–5944, 5951–5954
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
13
980–992
Erie Railroad
6
1260–1265
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México
10
6602, 7101–7107, 7101:2, 7102:2
Florida East Coast Railway
26
651–676
Georgia Railroad
3
1040–1042
Grand Trunk Railway
16
4442–4450, 4558-4559, 4902–4906
Grand Trunk Railway has since rebuilt the 4900s into GP9Rs and renumbered them into the 4600s with chopped noses. Some of the 4600s have since sold, majority still reside with the CN either in CN paint or GT paint.
Grand Trunk Western Railroad
51
1751-1767, 4134–4139, 4539–4546, 4907–4922, 4930–4933
Great Northern Railway
95
656–734, 900–915
900's are 1,350 hp (1,010 kW) GP9M. 733, 734 are 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) GP9Ms
Illinois Central Railroad
348
9000–9257, 9300–9389
Kansas City Southern Railway
4
162–165
162 is a GP9M
Lehigh Valley Railroad
2
300, 301
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
32
437, 441–459, 511, 513, 515–522, 553–554
437, 511, 513 are GP9Ms
Meridian and Bigbee Railroad
1
102
Midland Valley Railroad
2
152, 153
GP9M
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
23
600–608, 700–713
600's are 1,350 hp (1,010 kW) GP9M
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad ("Soo Line")
24
400–414, 550–558
400's freight; 550's passenger.
Soo Line (Wisconsin Central Railroad)
21
2400–2413, 2550–2556
2400s freight; 2550s passenger.
Mississippi Export Railroad
1
60
Missouri Pacific Railroad
40
4332–4371
New York Central Railroad
160
5904–6028, 6041–6075
New York Central (Cleveland Union Terminal)
4
5900–5903
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad ("Nickel Plate Road")
107
448–534, 800–814, 448:2, 482:2, 496:2, 497:2, 503:2
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
30
1200–1229
Norfolk and Western Railway
306
10–13, 506–521, 620–699, 714–914, 813:2, 817:2, 799:2, 800:2, 805:2
Northern Pacific Railway
176
200–375
To Burlington Northern. Some have been rebuilt to GP28 standards and are called GP28Ms.
Pennsylvania Railroad
270
7000–7269
Phelps Dodge Corporation (Morenci Mine)
14
30–43
Phelps Dodge Corporation (New Cornelia Branch Mine)
3
21–23
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
58
1798, 1801, 1900–1929, 1954–1979
1798, 1801 are GP9Ms
Southern Railway
2
2500, 2501
Southern Railway (Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway
5
6245–6249
Southern Railway (Georgia Southern and Florida Railway)
2
8214, 8215
Southern Railway (Live Oak, Perry and Gulf Railroad)
2
302, 303
Southern Railway (New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad)
2
6898, 6899
Southern Pacific Company
255
5600–5719, 5730–5844, 5872–5891
5872 - 5891 built with low-short-hoods.
Southern Pacific (Texas and New Orleans Railroad)
73
240–249, 280–283, 400–458
Southern Peru Copper Corporation
4
20–23
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
6
150–155
150-153 had steam boilers; to BN 1975-1980
St. Louis Southwestern Railway ("Cotton Belt")
12
820–831
Texas and Pacific Railway
14
1131–1144
Texas Mexican Railway
1
853
Union Pacific Railroad
219
130–248, 250–349
Venezuelan National Railways
6
001–006
Wabash Railroad
12
484-495
Western Maryland Railway
20
25–32, 34-45
All custom fitted with low short hood at Hagerstown shops. EMD demo 7257 became WM 33.
Western Pacific Railroad
8
725–732
Western Railway of Alabama
2
530, 531
Winston-Salem Southbound Railway
4
1501–1504
2 to Norfolk and Western Railway, 2 to Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.
Total3466

GP9 locomotives built by General Motors Diesel, Canada

RailroadQuantityRoad numbersNotes
Algoma Central Railway
2
171–172
Last GP9's built; 172 to Essex Terminal 102 in 1986 and chop-nosed, now on OSR.
Canadian National Railways
349
1724–1750, 2000–2024, 4100–4133, 4147–4156, 4228–4353, 4476–4538, 4560–4609, 4588–4601:2
Canadian Pacific Railway
200
8483–8546, 8611–8708, 8801–8823, 8825-8839
8501-8529 are equipped with steam generators.
Quebec Cartier Mining
9
1–9
Built with low-short-hoods.

Renumbered to 51-59

59 to Essex Terminal 108 in 1989.

Midland Railway Company of Manitoba
1
2
to Burlington Northern Manitoba Limited 2, then BNSF 1685
New York Central Railroad
12
6029–6040
Northern Alberta Railways
10
201–210
Ontario Northland Railway
6
1600–1605
Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway
54
124–177
Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway
3
401–403
Total646

GP9B locomotives built by Electro-Motive Division, USA

BNSF #1700, a GP9 "B" unit.
RailroadQuantityRoad numbersNotes
Pennsylvania Railroad
40
7175B–7204B, 7230B–7239B
Union Pacific Railroad
125
130B–204B, 300B–349B
Total165

Preservation

At least 23 GP9 locomotives have been preserved at various railroad museums, as "park engines", and as excursion engines according to The Diesel Shop:

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. The Santa Maria Valley Railroad operates a former Milwaukee Road GP9 numbered 1801.

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.[3] 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). BNSF donated it to the society in July 2010. Prairie Dog Central Railway operates the 1685 for both regular service and in some charter service as well as a backup when the steam locomotive No. 3 or 4138 isn't available.[4]

CN still has a strong fleet of GP9 locomotives in service, designated as GP9RM, which were rebuilt in the 1980s. They use the following number series: 4000s, 4100s, 7000s, and 7200s.

Other operators of GP9s and their variants/rebuilds include:

See also

References

  1. Foster, Gerald L. (1996). "EMD GP9". A field guide to trains of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 28. ISBN 0395701120. OCLC 33242919.
  2. Schafer, Mike. (1996-11-08). Classic American railroads. Osceola, WI. p. 103. ISBN 0760302391. OCLC 35033722.
  3. http://www.pdcrailway.com/History/4138.htm
  4. "Diesel Locomotive No. 1685". Prairie Dog Central Railway. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015.
  • "The History of EMD Diesel Engines". Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2005.
  • Dorin, Patrick C. (1972). Chicago and North Western Power. Burbank, California: Superior Publishing. pp. 108–110. ISBN 0-87564-715-4.
  • 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
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