So, I finally have go a nice lil fleet of UP locomotives for my Southern Cascade and Sound (SC&S)… just bought a nice P2K GP7 with DCC & Sound and wow… I am addicted to QSI sound! Anyway, here is my question:
Did Union Pacific usually run with the long ends forward of most “assymetric” diesels? I know they ran usually with the GP7 long end as the front. Did they do it with the SD7/9 (I have a nice lil BLI one)? The RS2 and RSC2?
Also, did they mix up motive power a lot on UP? Would one typically have seen an RSC2 and GP7 double heading on a short run? I would love to build a B unit for GP, but these parts can be harder to find to make…
Most pictures of Union Pacific EMD GP/SD locomotives have the ‘short’ hood designated as the ‘front’. The Union Pacific GP7’s were delivered with the ‘long’ hood as the ‘front’. the SD7 engines were delivered with the ‘short’ hood as the front. Some of the GP7’s may have been ‘dual control’ and were later were modified. Some had ‘gyralites’ on both ends, some just the ‘front’. Check out pictures and see where the ‘F’ is on the frame. Your picture of Union Pacific 139B shows the ‘F’ at the ‘short’ hood end. Note that EMD delivered units with the ‘short’ hood as the front, unless the customer ordered it with the ‘long’ hood as the front(GN, for example). Alco road switchers(Like the RS2/RSC2) were normally delivered with the ‘long’ hood as the default ‘front’ unless the customer specified the ‘short’ hood as the front. Some roads like the MILW took delivery of RS1 and RSC2 engines with the ‘long’ hood forward, then changed their mind with later RS3/RSD5 orders that were delivered with the ‘short’ hood as the front of the engine. A key indicator is where the ‘F’ is on the frame.
Multiple unit operation of road switchers depends on several factors:
Did the unit have MU cables installed(another extra cost ‘option’)?
Were the MU cables ‘compatible’ between different models?
Were their ‘operational’ issues of mixing/matching various models(even if they had MU cables)? There could be gear ratio or ‘loading’ differences between models.
In the early years of diesel operation, many times engines were purchased to replace steam for specific assignments. This kept engines on certain jobs. As railroads consolidated the ‘pool’ of diesel engines, standard MU ca
[#ditto] Up was/is also prone to mixing up motive power in a train. There are numerous pics of Turbines and Challengers mixed with GP’s, and during the mergers you could see a whole “rainbow” on one train!![8D]
Hi Brian, Nothing written in stone here, but growing up in Southern Calif in the 1950’s, I saw quite a bit of UP action. Most of the EMD SD locomotives operated with the short hood as the front. UP needed considerable power to get it’s trains over Cajon Pass, and would not hesitate to mix locomotives from EMD/ALCO, and the GE turbines. GP 7-B units were pretty common as well. As I recall the GP-7 units would normally operate long hood forward on the UP. Hope this helps a little.
I spent some time in SoCal (Pomona) in the early to mid 60’s. UP ran its GP9’s with the short hood as the front and also had GP9B’s. I don’t have Kratville’s UP motive power book handy, but I don’t recall that there were GP7B’s. By the time I graduated from high school, most freights were handled by low-nose SD24’s.
While UP is rightfully noted for its various factory-built hood type boosters (GP9B, GP30B, SD24B, DD35B, C855B), ATSF had the only factory-built GP7B’s, ATSF 2788A-2792A.
UP was kind of funny - everything since about 1953-54 has been set up as short hood being “forward”, but the earlier hood units were set up as having the long hood designated as “forward”. These include the RS2, RSC2, AS616, GP7 and SD7. The GP9 and after were short hood “forward”. UP used “CB&Q type” light packages on their GP7 and SD7 types and these were mounted at both ends. Notice that the few GP7 and SD7s with UP’s big snowplows had them on the long hood end. Vintage photos show the “F” on the frame as being on the long-hood end.
As far as MU - in the 1950’s it seems uncommon to MU AlCOs and EMDs very often. I was told it had to do with control circuitry differences in each brand. Most of the AlCO RS and RSCs on the UP were assigned to branches that only needed single units anyways.
GP9B - HiTech made a plastic GP9B conversion cab. I used one to build my GP9B from P2K parts.
Seeing your location as Tacoma, I suspect you are trying to capture UP operations in the PNW. If so, you should be looking at photos from your subject area for “best” guidance. At least early-on (up to mid-50’s, say), UP tended to assign locos to specific territories. Thus, our Southern California cousins saw FA’s while the PNW saw F-3’s. Photos I have seen from the early 50’s show GP-7’s on the OSL and OWRN in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. I recall seeing the big pilot plow (as high as the walkway) on the long hood of GP-7’s. The RSC-2’s certainly were in the PNW, with service on the Wallace Branch confirmed in photos (and long hood forward…).
Other respondents have noted the shift by '53-54 to short hood forward. This affected the GP-9’s as delivered (all with short hood forward). Also previously noted was that UP’s initial GP-B units were GP-9B’s, with the High-Tech Detalis kit being a good way to achieve one in HO.
Gary Binder hit the nail on the head in his response above.
BTW, those F-3’s passed through the shops in the late 50’s to become F-9M’s, with all sorts of interesting grills and grab irons and mixed fan shrouds.
Beaver is quite right about certain locomotives being assigned to districts. These varied with time. The Northwest District had the RS2s, many RSC2s, the GP7s and F-units. The Alcos went to the Eastern District about 1953-54. The Southcentral District originally had the FM “Erie Builts” - which later went to the PNW, the FAs (which went to the Eastern District circa 1953-54), the PAs (also went east circa 1954). The western area had more EMD switchers than AlCOs, the Eastern District was the opposite. The few Baldwin switchers mostly stayed east. The SD7s were mostly in the Utah and Wyomong area for most of their careers (many went to heavy hump switcher service in the 60s and 70s). The AS616s served in branch service on occasion but spent most of their service lives as heavy hump switchers in Pocatello, Ogden and North Platte. The Eastern District saw the last regular mainline steam (not counting excursions) and tended to inherit older diesel power. Omaha shops became the AlCO specialists after the mid 1950s. The Salt Lake City Shop was primarily EMD focused.
Regarding the use of the big “thumbnail” snowplows - check photos for which units had them. Overland once made a beautiful brass part but it’s hard to get. It was easier to get the old HR casting - it’s meant for an F-unit but can be adapted to hood units. It’s some work but adds a unique touch to your early UP roadswitchers.
Wow, thanks for all the great info, everyone! Yikes…what a dearth of knowledge you all shared. Great discussion and VERY helpful to me… I model 1947-1953, so it looks like long hood forward!!! Again, thanks!