hello everyone, i was just wondering… i’ve got 5 SD7’S , and 2 of them have the same road numbers. i was thinking about trying to find a replacement body of another eastern line to change it out. my question is … does anyone know if a life like proto 2000 sd7 chassis will fit any other types of body’s, GP’S, etc? if not, does anyone have an e-mail address for a site that sells replacement body’s? thanks for all your help![:)]
steve
An SD7 shell will fit on an SD9 chassis–but that’s the only fit available. Athearn and Rail Power Products also made SD7/9 bodies.
Why don’t you just change the numbers?
A little paint and a decal seems a lot cheaper and easier.
RMax
ok guys, thanks for your comments. i think i will just re paint and decal it. can anyone offer some other roads that used the SD7’s? if so, please let me know.
thanks!
The PRR had two specially made for use on the Madison Indiana line that had a grade in excess of 5% down to the Ohio river. The grade was so steep that in steam days the engines were run with the front up the hill in both directions to keep water on the crown sheet. They were specially and heavily ballasted and became PC and Conrail engines before being sold. They did not have mu capability and were only used togheter one time to the best of anyones knowledge when a large power plant vessel was taken down the hill. SD9s were used individually on the PRR for transfer work only.
The colorful black and orange Bessemer & Lake Erie rostered plenty of either SD-7’s or SD-9’s, I’m not sure which. The George Elwood Fallen Flags site should have plenty of good pictures for reference. www.rr-fallenflags.org. MicroScale and Champ both produce decals. I believe RMC did an article some years back on building one. SD -7/9’s were extremely rare in the North East.
Sincerely, Jack.
Steve;
Central of Georgia, which became Southern, and the unit is at VMT in Roanoke.
Some SD7’s had dynamic brakes, some did not…
The chassis is also suitable (with minor modification) for SD9, SD18, SD24, SD28 and SD35 from EMD and the IC SD20-2 & Chessie SD20.
Does anyone have any info on SP SD9s? I’ve got one of the Athearn models of it and was wondering what the SP used their SD9s for? Were they used on specific trains (like the PRR’s) or were they used in lash-ups with other locos on normal freights? What other locos would they typically have run with? Any info would be very helpful!
Espee typcially used thier SD7 and SD9 in yards and on light branches, but they could show up anywhere.
Thanks for the advice. That’s pretty much what I was using mine for - vaguely considering trying to find an Athearn FM Trainmaster in SP to run it with - would be a very powerful pairing! I just wish Athearn had different numbers on their powered and dummy locos…
Athearn periodically changes the numbers on thier locomotives, but there is no indication anywhere except on the locomotive…
The SP TM’s spent most of thier careers in commuter service, with occassional local freight on weekends. The TM’s were the first diesel locomotives that could maintain the commuter schedule set by SP’s MT 4-8-2 and GS 4-8-4 steam locomotives. When SP passenger service diminished, they tried EMD SDP45 from thier long distance fleet. The EMD could not keep up with the FM where the stations were only a few miles apart, even with the 50% hp advantage. The FM’s were eventually replaced by F40’s…
SP’s SD7 were used on locals and in switching. They were nicknamed “Cadillacs” because they rode so well. They remained in service until the 1990’s. SP’s first SD7 (also the first SD7) is now at the Illinois Railway Museum; it has the same number as the first GP7, C&NW 1518.
1990s? Those were long-lived locos! Mine sometimes runs with a U33C (dummy), as my layout depicts a fictional museum line this isn’t too unbelieveable. The SD9 was the first loco I bought in HO scale - it’s superb for switching work as it will crawl at slow speeds.
maybe someone already said this, but CBQ had some they used on mainline as well as branchline service. The good thing is they had two different paint schemes - Black and Chinese red - both look nice.