my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

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

Cotton Belt GP40

delivered as GP40's 7600-7607 in 1966

8 units delivered

If your into nitpicky type details, I have a breakdown of the GP40 family and their relevant features. Click here if your brave.

The Cotton Belt actually ordered another lot of GP35's #782 - 789 in mid 1965 for delivery in early 1966. But instead, received the new model EMD GP40's.

Six F7A's and two F7B's were used as trade-ins, the GP40's being delivered between January and March 1966, numbered 7600 - 7607 and classed EF430C-1, as well these units came with snowplows instead of footboards.

The Cotton Belt GP40's weren't a total success, perhaps being the first of a new model, and 750hp per axle being a bit slippery for the usual heavy SP train and SP's track profiles, these units often found themselves being placed in storage.

The GP40's were used system-wide on run-through trains, as evidenced by the photos above, also they spent a lot of time on the Penn Central, and some were leased to the Rio Grande.

In 1982 these units were rebuilt to GP40-2 standards, modified to act as slug mothers and reclassed as SSW GP40R's

References:

• Model Railroad Craftsman Nov. '66 Page 37 - GP40 Plans, even has a photo of SSW 7600 as delivered.
• Cotton Belt Locomotives by Joe Strapac, Chapter 16. - pages 212 - 213, history and photo's.
• SP 1987/88 Motive Power Pictorial by Joe.W.Shine, Page 100.- Photo's.
• SP.....into the '90's by Joe.W.Shine, Page 174. - Also has some photo's of these units.
• SP 1995 Motive Power Annual by Bill Shippen - Four Ways West Publications.
• Southern Pacific Rails - a motive power finale by Peter Limas - has images and data.