I am new to model railroading and am wondering if someone knows of a good book that would show the differences between the different engines? For instance, what differences are there in the appearance of a GP-9 and a GP-38? Or any of the other different names that the engines seem to have (C-Liner, Alco, GP-40, and the many others.) I found a website that had a bunch of different engines but looking back and forth between the pages was very confusing and I just can’t seem to get a handle on what makes an Alco an Alco, for instance.
Can anyone offer any suggestions to help me with this problem?
Most locomotives have distinct differences, though some very subtle. Some differences may not be noticed from the ground, as the hoods may be similar, the number of fans, and placements may be different, as well as dynamic brake housings. I have found the easiest way to familiarize myself with locomotives, is by visiting www.railpictures.net and looking up particular models, and studying them.
Also, for early units, try “Diesel Locomotives: the First 50 Years” by Kalmbach. Gives excellent spotting distinctions, as well as # of each built, and for some smaller productions, buyer breakdowns on productions. Also gives horsepower ratings, engine and truck design specifics, etc. Overall, a great reference for learning about which is which for early diesels (cuts off around 1972).
I must admit, I don’t have a reference for later units.
When I just started railfanning, I purchased this book at a local railroad hobby shop. I was lost, but now I am found. Great book that is easy to understand.
I tried to find listings for the Kalmbach books but did not see many on the trains.com site. The First 50 Years is not listed for example and did not come up in my Amazon search.
And yes, the local hobby shop would also be a good place to get books like these.
[#ditto] I have this one and it is probably the most used book in my RR library. It is a small reference type book that fits in the glove box of my auto. However, it does not have the modern locomotives in it. My copy only goes to 1991.
Other than the obvious of the company that built the thing [}:)], as far as looks go… For hood units one can usually tell an Alco RS from an EMD GP by looking at the hight of the cab compared to the height of the hoods. An Alco hood is a bit shorter than the cab. An EMD long hood is the same height as the cab. I say long hood because EMD also has very low hoods on some units that the engineer can actually look out over the whole thing. Early Alco RS units also generally had hoods that were more rounded both on the top and on the ends than EMD GP units. Later RS units were more square and had knotches on each corner for the number boards. Early EMD units also had four small exhaust stacks while Alcos only had one big one. The trucks are also pretty good indicators - but often trucks would be reused from an old unit on a new. I believe it was GM&O that had a fleet of GP30s on Alco trucks.
An Alco switcher’s (designated as S1 through S4) has a hood that is just straight. An EMD switcher (designated as NW1 SW1 - Sw1500 ) generally have a hood that has an angle section downward toward the cab.
I almost always have to go back to the books to identify the Fairbanks-Morris and Baldwin hood units. … Is the C-liner a Baldwin or FM ??? I can never remember - where’s my book.