I have an n scale Atlas Trainmaster GP9TT that’s modeled after the “torpedo tube” version of the GP9, but I don’t really like the looks of it so I came up with another idea. The idea actually came from one of last years MR issues, October '08 issue I do believe, that had an article in it about kitbashing an Atlas SD7 into an SD10 for Milwaukee Road. Was this done to GP7/9’s too? I have a picture of a GTW that was rebuilt in '92 with a short hood, but as far as I can tell it was just called a GP9R and not “rebadged” if you will, as a GP10. If I do this what cab should I use? The article I talked about used a standard SD50/60/70 cab, but the prototype photo I have doesn’t show the cab roof as angles, it was curved like a normal GP9 cab. Does anyone even make these parts in n scale?
The era is planned right around 1980, my other two engines will be Atlas C420’s, but I thought I would see if I could do something with the engine I have and spend a few Jackson instead of get a new one and spend a few Benjamins. I also plan on adding a Mars light to the GP9 if I rebuild it as was done in a recent MR article. I will also have to convert the Geep to DCC.
The Milw started their rebuilding project with GP9 class engines in the 200 series. The did the following:
Chop the nose - (several variations)
Replace the 567C/generator with a 645 and new generator.(2000 hp)
Blank the D/B’s if so equipped.
Re-wire/upgrade the electrical system
26L brake system
Renumber them in the upper 900 series(999 on down).
These rebuilt engines were classed as 'GP20’s by the Milwaukee. A follow on project was the ‘SD10’ program which started with old SD7 engines:
Remanufactured 567BC engine(1850 hp)
Chop Nose(pretty clean job)
Re-wired
26L brake system
Relocation of air resevoirs
The were renumbered from the low 500 series to a new series starting at #550 on up. Many railroads had ‘upgrade’ programs for older GP7/9’s in the late 60’s/early 70’s and the variations were legion!
The GP10 was an Illinois Central/Illinois Central Gulf product of the Paducah shops with a 567C diesel engine uprated to 1,850hp. The Milwaukee Road’s GP9 rebuilds were called “GP20s” because they used 645E engines for a rating of 2,000hp, but without the turbocharger of the true EMD GP20. Eighteen were rebuilt at the West Milwaukee Shops in 1969 and 1979, and another 36 in 1972 and '73, according to Pinkepank and Marre’s Diesel Spotters Guide Update of 1979. The Milwaukee “GP20s” were given GP20 badge plates.
I believe Hocking Valley Scenic Railway (Nelsonville, OH) uses a GP10 to pull their excursion train. I don’t know what the original herald was on it, though.
The cab windows are replaced pretty often. They simply bought new ones, and built up the front wall to hold them. The early MILW GP20s had the number boards in the short nose. Later on, they figured they could rebuild the prime mover themselves a lot cheaper than buying a new one from EMD, which left more money to put the number boards up on the cab.
D/B are dynamic brakes. On a GP9, they are the large bulge in the middle of the long hood. Your GP9TT doesn’t have them, resulting in a smooth roofline.
Aaaaaaah, ok yeah mine doesn’t have dynamic brakes and I wouldn’t want them. I think D/B made the early GP’s ugly. Basically the engine would be modeled as if my shortline bought the Geep as a regular 9er and then rebuilt it.
How much of the fuel/water tank should I lop off to make it standard GP9?
How much should I chop down the nose? Down the the bottom of the black painted portion?
Could I just then fill in the open area created by the chopped nose with some thin (like .010) styrene and simply cut holes out for the front windows? I like the look of the number boards on the cab but for simplicity’s sake I think I would leave the number boards on the new short hood. I’m also debating whether to leave the very nice looking GP9 ‘plate’ on the sides, I like how it looks so much. The number bourds would also have to be changed someone, Atlas must have just put a small template over the clear plastic and then sprayed a little black paint on it. I may try to just scrap that paint off. I need to buy a hobby knife come payday sheesh.
Could just leave it alone. Looks cooler than a normal GP9. A shortline probably wouldn’t have the money to get the chopnose done, just make it run decent. The 3 tanks below would hold more fuel than a normal GP9.
As built, the fuel tank was in the center, and two water tanks around the outside. Just put a steam-engine style bell up top.[;)]
If you could round up a GP20 low-nose cab, that might be the easiest. Check that SD10 article for the amount (section) to take out of the nose.
The GTW GP9R was a bit more comprehensive of a job. The new cab is 12-14 inches longer than a normal one, and the nose was shortened by the same amount, all for aesthetics. The cab and short nose were all-new, from Paducah. The main reservoirs were notched into the side sills, and a 2600 gallon tank fabricated to fit.
Man all that stuff was in Horicon??? I wish I knew this when I lived back home! Horicon was like a 40 minute drive only. Heck me and my buddies used to go down there all the time. Used to go through the marsh preserve thing and drive like cons with 3 strikes running from the cops to hit them big butt speed bumps to toss each other around the mini van. Yes, yes, I will admit to that one being my idea.
But anywho the reason I wanted to convert it is because I didn’t really know what I was buying when I bought the little engine. I recognized as a GP9, it was DC which is what I was after at the time, and it was only 70 bucks. I didn’t even know the TT existed untill I bought the model. Now it’s more or less trying to do something with it so it gets used and not just a waste of money. I don’t mind the look of a tall short hood GP9, but I do not like the look with the air tanks on top. And with the exception of a very few first gen diesels I’m not a big fan of the tall short hood, I prefer the look of a short short hood. The basic idea was my shortline took over some trackage that served a few towns and also happened to include a small service facility. They needed some cheap power so they bought used equipment, including 1 or 2 Alco C420’s, repainted them in their own paint scheme, which is a knock off of the GT orange and blue. They needed one more engine so they bought an old GP9, basically saving a still usable engine from being scrapped, did a few things to it to make it real good, and chopped the nose for safety. I may not chop the nose but I would still want it to match a normal GP9. But you did help me out a bit there. I always thought the tanks were made side by side, like compartments of a semi tanker. I didn’t realize it was backwards and the water tanks surrounded the fuel tanks. The one GP9TT you show looks different than mine though. The Atlas Trainmaster version I have has the horns mounted to the short hood and a pair of vent thingys, I presume for a stea
The ILSX 1382 now switches cars at a grain elevator. The steam gen and vents on the roof were removed at some point, but all the plumbing for the main reservoirs probably won’t be cost-effective to relocate.
GP9s could be dual-service engines, and maybe your shortline has some steam-heated business/passenger cars that would need the GP9TT to work. If not, it should have some cars to entertain the shippers, and try to drum up more business.
HEP is electrical, and can be self-contained generators under the cars, but they try to plug the cars into a HEP-equipped engine, or shore power when parked.
Horns and bells were placed in different spots. The horn on the short hood is probably the normal EMD mounting.
As for the painting, you could patch out the old/existing lettering, and put your roads’ stuff on. Later on they could be repainted into the roads’ scheme as time and money permit.
Funny thing, that was my original idea. I first planned on getting different road names and just patching my shortline name on them. It would be a big money saver for me since I would be buying undecorated models, which would have to be pre-ordered from my LTS and then either have them paint them or learn how to do it myself and then go out and buy everything.
Most passenger cars used steam heat. Easy to tap some from the steam engine pulling the train. When diesels started pulling trains, they had to come up with some sort of steam generation to heat the cars they had on hand. HEP didn’t become commonplace until Amtrak finally got the funding to convert the older cars, and get enough newer ones. So it would be entirely plausible to have a business car or three for the suits, that would need the steam gen of the GP9TT.
A GP9 could handle 20 or more cars, depending on the hills and curves.
Usually an elevator has a Trackmobile or Shuttlewagon to move cars around for spotting.
One elevator has a loadout right on the main track, and the train crew does the moving while spotting, moving 10-15 feet at a time, to fill each bay of the covered hopper. I’m sure the elevator pays extra for this, train crews aren’t cheap. They usually feed the train crew though. [tup]
Doesn’t look like it has been used in quite some time. The rail wheels are 90 degrees to the rubber wheels. I have seen a similar one in use, at a malt house.
I know I’m coming a little late to this conversation but I’ll chime in anyway. Less than a block from my house is a high short hood from former TP&W GP7 1608. In the 90’s when I was little I remember the Oregon Eastern doing the conversion on a side track using their Burro crane. They just built a new front to the cab with two small windows I think. The cab is still the curved roof though it could be off another locomotive because the numberboards have a matching curve at the top. The hood that was put on looks like it could be off a GP20, it has the slight slope that I have seen on that model. The other three GP7’s on the line are all Santa Fe rebuilds with airconditioning so angled cabs. Looking at them you can see how they just extended the walls of the cab to the height that they wanted. The short hoods on these units look like they just cut them off and lowered the top of the hood down, minus the numberboards which are on the cabs, since they are flat. 1608 also has a very small fuel tank, just in the center. The outer sections were either water tanks that were removed or it was ordered with the little tank.
On this page the first pic shows 1608 from the front rebuilt and if you go to the bottom of the page there is a link on the roster section showing prerebuild.
