Question for GP Buffs.

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

Hi guys.

I’ve completed painting and installing decoders in my GN Diesel fleet and hope someone might be able to help me. In the pictures I am including are 4 Diesels. The back one is an SD7 of course and the front, I believe is a GP 35 but the two middle ones were made up of chassis and shells from different sources. The two middle locos I believe to be a GP38 (second from front) the next one a GP40-2. Can anyone verify this from the models?
As always I appreciate any help. [bow]

Lee
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/themes/trc/utility/[IMGhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii34/Yankeeflyer/IMG_0819.jpg[/IMG]:550:0]

http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/themes/trc/utility/[IMGhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii34/Yankeeflyer/IMG_0818.jpg[/IMG]:550:0]

And the Diesel roster

http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/themes/trc/utility/[IMGhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii34/Yankeeflyer/IMG_0815B.jpg[/IMG]:550:0]

2

Not being a GN expert, I’ll hazard an educated guess. From bottom to top in the center photo, GP30 (the skyline casing is the tell), GP35 (small cooling fan flanked by two big ones), GP40 (three large cooling fans) and either an SD7 or SD9.

I take it the builder isn’t available for questioning.

3

The “GP40” appears to have a small oval sight glass opening just below the forward fan, which is a spotting feature of the GP40-2. These were built from 1972 to 1986 and neither the GN nor the BN are listed as GP40-2 owners at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_GP40-2

Learning diesel esoterica is either a lot of fun or a nasty swamp, depending on your point of view.

They all look like nicely done engines.

4

For me the easiest ways to identify geeps is to look at the roofs.

GP35’s with dynamic brakes have a single 48-inch fan in the middle of the DB blister and 3 fans at the rear, one 48, one 36 and another 48 inch fan (the middle is the small 36 inch fan).

GP40’s with dynamic brakes have a single 48-inch fan in the middle of the DB blister and 3 fans at the rear, all three are 48 inch fans

GP38’s have only two fans on the rear roof, two 48-inchers.

5

As is becoming apparent, from front to back there’s a GP30, GP35, GP40-2, and SD7. GN didn’t have any GP40-2’s, but BN did (3040-3064).

Ed

6

Thanks to All three of you.

It looks as though we have a consensus.
As for the GP40-2 my GN purchasing agent was able to get a pre-production unit for my freelance road. [:-^] [swg] I’m not sticking to any exact year, my layout is not time sensitive. Although I’m trying to build different consists that look close enough for different time periods.I have three passenger trains that would be in a time frame that could be forty years apart. Pulled by a 4-4-0, 2-6-0 and a 4-8-2.
My thinking is, my heavy weight Empire Builder coaches could be pulled by the 4-8-2?

You all have fun.

Lee

7

Top to bottom:

SD7 (as mentioned)

GP40 or GP40-2; the three 48" radiator fans are a dead giveaway. Prototype is turbocharged 645 V-16 series prime mover worth 3000 hp. 40 started production in 1966 or 1967 (can’t remember) and -2 production started 1972.

GP35; look for the two larger 48" outer fans and single 36" center fan for radiator. Prototype uses turbocharged 567D-3 (later series than GP30) V16 rated at 2500 hp. Reliablility was questionable for these engines, truly pushing the limits of power of the 567 design. Built during mid 60’s, 1963-1965 as I remember off hand.

GP30; same radiator fan configuration as the 35. The cab is different, basically square with the upper corners radiused, and he side blisters which extend to the cab wall, and roof the of the long hood is taller and therefore extends over the cab roof. The cabs back wall over the walkways is also slanted so the cab wall is a shorter distance than the cab wall-to-cab wall at the center of the cab. The prototype used a turbocharged 567D-3 rated at 2250 hp. Producted from 1961-1963, although I have also seen 1962-1964 stated). Production was relatively short but there were A LOT of these sold. Quite a few RR’s bought 30’s to power their new high speed intermodal TOFC (Trailer On Flat Car) trains.

Both the GP30 and GP35 were precursers to the second generation Geep body design.

I will mention I know most about the GP30 as it is one of my favorite locomotives, steam or diesel, right along side Alco RS1/2/3’s, EMD F-units, 2-8-4 Berkshires, 2-6-0 Moguls, and 2-10-4 Santa Fe’s.

Also, a search

8

I typo-ed. “Santa Fe” type steamers were 2-10-2’s, not the mentioned 2-10-4’s (“Texas” type).

9

You could do this the easy way of course…the engines have GN road numbers on them, get a book on the GN or go to a website like Great Northern Empire and look up the engine by it’s roster number, then you’ll know for sure what the engine is without having to guess.

Remember when setting the decoder CV’s that on the GN’s high nose engines (like your SD-7 on top) that the long hood was the front. So in your pictures in the original post, the top engines is facing left, the other three are facing to the right !!

[:O]

10

Honestly this doesn’t really matter. Any diesel engine, let me rephrase that, any hood-type diesel as in roadswitchers and switchers, can be going in any direction with either end facing forward. It may just be a lot easier running “short hood” (cab) forward on a switcher than a 60’ long SD7. Now imagine the poor soles running Southern and Norfolk & Western SD40’s ‘correctly’, the opposite end of your engine is some 50 feet or so away from your seat!

You really have to put yourself into place when thinking of locomotives. Even a little GE 44T critter is too long to fit inside my average sized 2-bd apartment, and them things are tiny! An old Plymouth MDT is even tinnier, and its about the size of my car! The 4-axle version of your ‘7’ is only slightly longer than usual semi-trailer (53’)., and your typical 50’-52’ Hi-cube box car is just about big enough (inside) to make a nice little lake cottage. Need a camper? Go get an old caboose, fully equipped with a kitchen/dinning area a living area a toilet (model an RV and convert to toilet/shower even) and upper level bunk area in the copula. An old 40’ gondola would make a very nice above ground pool, being some 40’ long and 9’ wide or so and 3-4 feet deep. Get a tank car and an old 2-bay covered hopper and you have a place to hold your cherry soda and lollipops and even with built in dispensers!

I think I need to go now.

[quote user=“wjstix”]

You could do this the easy way of course…the engines have GN road numbers on them, get a book on the GN or go to a website like Great Northern Empire and look up the engine by it’s roster number, then you’ll know for sure what the engine is without having to guess.

Remember when setting the decoder CV’s that on the GN’s high nose engines (like your SD-7 on top) that the long hood was the front. So in your pictures in the original post, the top engines is facing left, the other three are

11

Yes I realize they could be run in either direction, but they still have a front and a back. Railroads are required to put an “F” on the front of the engine to designate that that end is the front, and railroads order their locomotives to have the controls set up so the engineer is facing the front of the engine. It also matters for switching, as telling an engineer to “move forward” during a switching manoever means to move the engine forwards in relation to the engine’s front.

In the case of Great Northern, all high-nose GPs and SDs were set up to operate “long hood forward”.