my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

California's Railroad to the U.S. 1861 - 1996

EMD GP9's

of the

Southern Pacific

Cotton Belt

and

Texas and New Orleans

Southern Pacific started to receive EMD GP9's in May of 1954 with the delivery of 14 passenger equipped units, delivered not to SP, but to subsidiary Texas and New Orleans (TNO).

TNO then received eleven freight units in June of 1954, #400-410, and continued to receive batches until finally #449-458 in 2-3/59.

In the meantime, SP ordered four passenger GP9's #5600-5603 in 6/54, and four more #5622-5625 in 4/55.

Freight GP9's started coming to SP with #5604-5621 during 1-3/55, and continued to #5872 - 5891 in 8-9/59.

Meantime Cotton Belt (SSW) received one order #820 - 825 delivered 10/57, and a followup order of #826 - 831 delivered 2/59.

In 1965 all surviving GP9's were renumbered into the 3400-3727 series.

Starting in 1970, the SP GP9's entered various rebuilding programs, emerging as rebuilt GP9E's and GP9R's while the SSW rebuilds began in 1974.

Some were renumbered and reclassified as heavy yard switchers.

While some GP9's were never rebuilt.

In the 1965 renumbering, all SP/SSW/TNO GP9's were renumbered into one system, in roughly the order they were delivered in. SP freight units starting at 3441 through to 3727, with the TNO and SSW GP9's added in where appropriate. Many received new numbers while still in Black Widow paint.

Totals:

• 340 GP9's delivered.
  • 320 high nose
  • 20 low nose

• 22 passenger units
  • 8 passenger units to SP
  • 14 passenger units to T&NO

• 318 freight units
  • 247 freight units to SP
  • 12 freight units to SSW
  • 59 freight units to T&NO

• 23 units wrecked prior to rebuilding programs

• 293 units rebuilt
  • 11 passenger units
  • 261 as SP GP9E's
  • 10 as SSW GP9E's
  • 11 as GP9R's

• 32 units reclassified to switcher status
  • 16 GP9's reclassified to switcher status
  • 12 GP9E's reclassified to switcher status
  • 4 GP9R's reclassified to switcher status

• 24 units never rebuilt
  • 16 switcher GP9's
  • 8 freight GP9's

Modeling References:

• Railroad Model Craftsman, May 1966, - Plans
• Railroad Model Craftsman June 1972, St. Louis-Southwestern by Jim Boyd.
• Railroad Model Craftsman, March 1990, Page 84 - GP9E superdetail from Front Range shell.
• Railroad Model Craftsman, March, 1995, Page 54 - Front Range/PPW superdetail plus:
  • Good sidebar by Joe Strapac on early SP GP9 history.
• Model Railroading, February 1987, Page 43 - Diesel Detail Close-up, GP9 Phase III details.
• Mainline Modeler May 1983 page 50 - EMD GP9 Phase I details, plans and photo's.
• Mainline Modeler April 1984 page 44 - EMD GP9 Phase II details, plans, photo's and rosters.
• Mainline Modeler August 1984 page 74 - EMD GP9 Phase III details, plans and photo's.
• Prototype Modeler February 1979 pages 6 to 10 - History of SP commute service GP9's
• Prototype Modeler February 1979 pages 11 to 23 - Modeling SP commute service GP9's

Black Widow References:

• RailModel Journal July 1997 page 10 - Detail-EMD GP9 as SP 5713, proto photo of 5713 in Black Widow plus list of relevant detail parts.
• RailModel Journal July 1997 page 13 - Detailing an N Scale LL GP18 as an SP GP9.
• Railroad Model Craftsman, Mar, '95, Page 54 - Front Range/PPW superdetail plus:
  • Good sidebar by Joe Strapac on early SP GP9 history.
• Railmodel Journal, June 1990, Page 18 - Diesels, Detail by Detail, model Black Widow Geep photo's.
• Railmodel Journal, June 1990, Page 20 - Diesels, Detail by Detail, Black Widow Geep photo's. Phase II.
• Model Railroader, October 1983 Page 156. - MR Clinic, good Black Widow Geep info.

Prototype References:

• Railroad Model Craftsman June 1972, St. Louis-Southwestern by Jim Boyd.
• Cotton Belt Locomotives by Joe Strapac pages 202 and 203, history, photo's etc...
• 1973 SP Motive Power Annual by Joe Strapac, pages 23-28 - GP9 history and photo's.
• 1987/88 SP Motive Power Pictorial by Joe.W.Shine, Page 93. - Photo's
• SP into the 90's Joe.W.Shine, - Page 167. - Photo's.
• SP Historic Diesels Vol.8 - GP9 Locomotives - by Joe Strapac.

also the Searchable Magazine/Book Database
has many more photo references... type in gp9.

Modeling choices at the moment are:

• For Z Scale:
  • Micro-Trains

• For N Scale:
  • Arnold once made a GP7/9
  • Atlas have released a GP9 in Black Widow paint.
  • Atlas have released a Passenger GP9 aka "Torpedo Boat"
  • LifeLike made a GP18 that could be backdated,
    • and have released an N Scale GP9U

• For HO Scale:
  • Athearn unit has a GP7 and a 'fatso', ( but if your not fussy, it's a proven unit), that could be modified.
  • Front Range GP9's are still available from various suppliers. Trains Unlimited with Athearn compatible chassis, and Proto-Power West are two that I know of.
  • E & C Shops have released their Phase II and III GP9's - see January Model Railroader page 170.
  • A LifeLike GP18 can be backdated to a GP9 - parts from Detail Assoc. and Train Station Products are available.
  • LifeLike has released a Southern Pacific GP9 in in Blood Nose paint,
    and now announced a Cotton Belt unit in Black Widow.
  • Atlas has released their GP7, it could be reworked to a GP9.

• For S Scale:
  • American Flyer
  • American Models perhaps a GP9

• For O Scale:
  • Atlas 'O' markets an Intermountain GP9
  • Red Caboose made a GP9, and available in Black Widow.
  • Lionel in 1996 and 1998 made a GP9 in Black Widow paint.

• For G Scale:
  • USA Trains

Lionel information kindly supplied by Britt Johnson