EMD GP9

EMD GP9
An EMD GP9 equipped with dynamic brakes on the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in Staunton, VA.
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) General Motors Diesel (GMD) Build date January 1954 – August 1963 Total produced 4,112 (and 165 B units)
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) (Brazil) Trucks EMD Blomberg B (Flexicoil on some CN units) Wheel diameter 40 in (1.016 m) Minimum curve 21° (273 ft (83.21 m) radius) Wheelbase 40 ft (12.19 m) Length 56 ft 2 in (17.12 m) Width 10 ft 3+1⁄2 in (3.14 m) Height 15 ft 1⁄2 in (4.58 m) Loco weight 259,500 lb (117,700 kg) Fuel capacity 1,100 US gal (4,200 L; 920 imp gal) Prime mover EMD 567C RPM range 835 max Engine type V16 Two-stroke diesel Aspiration Roots-type supercharger Displacement 9,072 cu in (148.66 L) Generator EMD D-12-B Traction motors (4) EMD D-37-B Cylinders 16 Cylinder size 8+1⁄2 in × 10 in (216 mm × 254 mm)
Performance figures Maximum speed 65 mph (105 km/h) Power output 1,750 hp (1.30 MW) Tractive effort 64,750 lbf (288.0 kN)
Career Locale North America, South America

An EMD GP9 is a four-axle road switcher diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division produced between 1954 and 1959 and it is powered by a sixteen-cylinder engine which generated 1,750 horsepower (1.30 MW). The GP9 succeeded the GP7. The lettering "GP" stands for "general purpose". This locomotive type was offered both with and without control cabs; locomotives built without control cabs were called GP9B locomotives.

Production

Approximately 3,436 units were built between 1954 and 1959.

This GP9R leads A String Of Boxcars South

Rebuilds

Two GP15Cs with the Red River Valley and Western Railroad.

There were 40 GP9M units built that are included in the 3,441 units built for United States railroads. A GP9M was built with parts from another older EMD locomotive, either an F unit or a damaged GP7. The use of parts from these older locomotives caused the GP9Ms to have a lower power rating than a GP9. This would be either 1,350 horsepower (1.01 MW) if the donor locomotive was an FT/F2 or 1,500 horsepower (1.12 MW) from F3/F7/GP7 locomotives.

Many rebuilt GP9s remain in service today with shortline railroads and industrial operators. Some remain in rebuilt form on some major Class I railroads, as switcher locomotives although most Class 1 roads stopped using these locomotives by the 1980s. Canadian National still has many GP9RM locomotives in operation, as of 2016. Canadian Pacific had many GP9u locomotives in operation; however, they were all retired in 2015.

Several GP9s were rebuilt with a 1,500 horsepower (1.12 MW) CAT 3512 and re-classified as GP15C.

Illinois Central Railroad rebuilt some of its GP9s with their front (short) hood reduced in height for improved crew visibility. The IC designated these rebuilt locomotives GP10.

Original buyers

GP9 locomotives built by Electro-Motive Division, USA

Railroad	Quantity	Image	Road numbers	Notes
Electro-Motive Division (demonstrator)	1		7257	to Western Maryland 33
Araraquara Railway, Brazil	5		1001–1005	5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway	52		700–751
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad	194		675–696, 747–752, 3413–3425, 6447–6598, 6498:2	6513, 6554 now Greenville & Western 3751, 3752
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad	5		76–80
Belt Railway of Chicago	3		471, 480, 481	471 is a GP9M
Boston and Maine Railroad	50		1700–1749	Remaining units to Guilford Rail System. The last 3 GP9s are on Pan Am Railways.
Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway	4		104–107
Central of Georgia Railway	11		160–170
Central Railroad of New Jersey	2		1531, 1532	GP9M
Central Vermont Railway	18		4547–4557, 4923–4929
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway	363		5901–6263
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad	8		221, 229, 233–238	221, 229 are GP9Ms
Chicago and North Western Railway	59		1711–1720, 1725–1773
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad	20		270-289
Chicago Great Western	1		120	GP9M
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road")	128		280–331, 2368–2443	2368–2443 renumbered 200–279 (not in sequence).
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad	21
Clinchfield Railroad	2		917, 918
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad	24		5901–5904, 5911–5914, 5921–5924, 5931–5934, 5941–5944, 5951–5954
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad	13		980–992
Erie Railroad	6		1260–1265
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México	10		6602, 7101–7107, 7101:2, 7102:2
Florida East Coast Railway	26		651–676
Georgia Railroad	3		1040–1042
Grand Trunk Railway	16		4442–4450, 4558-4559, 4902–4906	Grand Trunk Railway has since rebuilt the 4900s into GP9Rs and renumbered them into the 4600s with chopped noses. Some of the 4600s have since sold, majority still reside with the CN either in CN paint or GT paint.
Grand Trunk Western Railroad	51		1751-1767, 4134–4139, 4539–4546, 4907–4922, 4930–4933
Great Northern Railway	95		656–734, 900–915	900's are 1,350 hp (1,010 kW) GP9M. 733, 734 are 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) GP9Ms
Illinois Central Railroad	348		9000–9257, 9300–9389
Kansas City Southern Railway	4		162–165	162 is a GP9M
Lehigh Valley Railroad	2		300, 301
Louisville and Nashville Railroad	32		437, 441–459, 511, 513, 515–522, 553–554	437, 511, 513 are GP9Ms
Meridian and Bigbee Railroad	1		102
Midland Valley Railroad	2		152, 153	GP9M
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway	23		600–608, 700–713	600's are 1,350 hp (1,010 kW) GP9M
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad ("Soo Line")	24		400–414, 550–558	400's freight; 550's passenger.
Soo Line (Wisconsin Central Railroad)	21		2400–2413, 2550–2556	2400s freight; 2550s passenger.
Mississippi Export Railroad	1		60
Missouri Pacific Railroad	40		4332–4371
New York Central Railroad	160		5904–6028, 6041–6075
New York Central (Cleveland Union Terminal)	4		5900–5903
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad ("Nickel Plate Road")	107		448–534, 800–814, 448:2, 482:2, 496:2, 497:2, 503:2
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad	30		1200–1229
Norfolk and Western Railway	306		10–13, 506–521, 620–699, 714–914, 813:2, 817:2, 799:2, 800:2, 805:2
Northern Pacific Railway	176		200–375	To Burlington Northern. Some have been rebuilt to GP28 standards and are called GP28Ms.
Pennsylvania Railroad	270		7000–7269
Phelps Dodge Corporation (Morenci Mine)	14		30–43
Phelps Dodge Corporation (New Cornelia Branch Mine)	3		21–23
Seaboard Air Line Railroad	58		1798, 1801, 1900–1929, 1954–1979	1798, 1801 are GP9Ms
Southern Railway	2		2500, 2501
Southern Railway (Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway	5		6245–6249
Southern Railway (Georgia Southern and Florida Railway)	2		8214, 8215
Southern Railway (Live Oak, Perry and Gulf Railroad)	2		302, 303
Southern Railway (New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad)	2		6898, 6899
Southern Pacific Company	255		5600–5719, 5730–5844, 5872–5891	5872 - 5891 built with low-short-hoods.
Southern Pacific (Texas and New Orleans Railroad)	73		240–249, 280–283, 400–458
Southern Peru Copper Corporation	4		20–23
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway	6		150–155	150-153 had steam boilers; to BN 1975-1980
St. Louis Southwestern Railway ("Cotton Belt")	12		820–831
Texas and Pacific Railway	14		1131–1144
Texas Mexican Railway	1		853
Union Pacific Railroad	219		130–248, 250–349
Venezuelan National Railways	6		001–006
Wabash Railroad	12		484-495
Western Maryland Railway	20		25–32, 34-45	All custom fitted with low short hood at Hagerstown shops. EMD demo 7257 became WM 33.
Western Pacific Railroad	8		725–732
Western Railway of Alabama	2		530, 531
Winston-Salem Southbound Railway	4		1501–1504	2 to Norfolk and Western Railway, 2 to Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.
Total	3466

GP9 locomotives built by General Motors Diesel, Canada

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Algoma Central Railway	2	171–172	Last GP9's built; 172 to Essex Terminal 102 in 1986 and chop-nosed, now on OSR.
Canadian National Railways	349	1724–1750, 2000–2024, 4100–4133, 4147–4156, 4228–4353, 4476–4538, 4560–4609, 4588–4601:2
Canadian Pacific Railway	200	8483–8546, 8611–8708, 8801–8823, 8825-8839	8501-8529 are equipped with steam generators.
Quebec Cartier Mining	9	1–9	Built with low-short-hoods. Renumbered to 51-59 59 to Essex Terminal 108 in 1989.
Midland Railway Company of Manitoba	1	2	to Burlington Northern Manitoba Limited 2, then BNSF 1685
New York Central Railroad	12	6029–6040
Northern Alberta Railways	10	201–210
Ontario Northland Railway	6	1600–1605
Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway	54	124–177
Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway	3	401–403
Total	646

GP9B locomotives built by Electro-Motive Division, USA

BNSF #1700, a GP9 "B" unit.

Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Pennsylvania Railroad	40	7175B–7204B, 7230B–7239B
Union Pacific Railroad	125	130B–204B, 300B–349B
Total	165

Preservation

At least 23 GP9 locomotives have been preserved at various railroad museums, as "park engines", and as excursion engines according to The Diesel Shop:

• Boston and Maine 1732 is preserved and on display at the Railroad Museum of New England.
• Burlington Northern 1875 and 1956 are stored in a yard in Anaheim, CA. 1875 is ex NP 252, and 1956 is ex CB&Q 271.
• BNSF Railway 1685, built as Midland Railway 2, is currently powering excursions at the Prairie Dog Central Railway.
• B&O 6499 is at the West Chester Railroad in West Chester, PA.
• B&O 6607, originally numbered 3414, is at the B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore, MD.
• Conrail 7332, originally New York Central 5932, is stored in a yard in St Paul, MN. It was owned by Gopher State Railway Museum, now by Vintage Locomotives Inc.
• Nickel Plate 514 is at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA.
• Grand Trunk 4428 and 4433 are owned by GLLX leasing in Michigan, and are basically preserved units.
• Indiana Transportation Museum 200, originally Union Pacific 200, is at the Indiana Transportation Museum in Noblesville, IN.
• MBTA 902, originally Grand Trunk 4915, is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum.
• Nickel Plate 532 is at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, VA.
• Norfolk & Western 620 is at the North Carolina Transportation Museum.
• Pan Am Railways GP9s at the Heber Valley Railroad (HVRX) in Heber City, UT.
• Pennsylvania Railroad 7000 is at the United RR Historical Society’s heritage railroad, the Cape May Seashore Lines. It is currently operating in excursion service.
• Pennsylvania Railroad 7006 is on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
• Pennsylvania Railroad 7048 is owned by the Railroaders' Memorial Museum and is on display at Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, PA.
• Prairie Dog Central Railway 4138, built as a Central Vermont locomotive, is in operational condition and is currently powering excursions.
• South Branch Valley Railroad 6600 is former B&O 747 in SBVR colors.
• South Branch Valley Railroad 6604, originally B&O 751, is now restored to original passenger service livery.
• Southern Pacific 2873, originally Texas and New Orleans 443, is at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, CA.
• Southern Pacific 3194, a GP9R rebuild built as Texas and New Orleans 281, is at the Golden Gate RR Museum, CA.
• Southern Pacific 5623 is owned by Howard Wise and Errol Ohman. It is operational at the Niles Canyon Railway.
• Southern Pacific 3709 is undergoing restoration at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo, CA.
• Southern Pacific 3873, originally Cotton Belt 830, is preserved in operational condition at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo, CA.
• Union Pacific 296 is in use at the Heber Valley Railroad (HVRX) in Heber City, UT.
• Western Pacific 725 and 731 are at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, CA.
• Western Pacific 727 is on display in Elko, NV.
• Illinois Central 8733, a GP11 rebuild built as IC 9386, is at the Monticello Railway Museum in Monticello, IL.

• 
  CN GP9 leads a train up Yellowhead Pass.
• 
  An MBTA GP9 locomotive making a non-revenue move into South Station in Boston, Massachusetts. This locomotive was retired by the MBTA in 2004 and is now on static display at the Illinois Railway Museum as of September 2014.
• 
  A modified EMD GP9 of the Seminole Gulf Railway, Fort Myers, Florida.
• 
  This GTW rebuilt GP9 (GTW 4621) in CN paint is sitting in front of Cytec Industries in Kalamazoo, MI.
• 
  This GTW rebuilt GP9 4619 is heading south on the Kalamazoo spur in Kalamazoo, MI.
• 
  An example of a BN GP28M rebuild
• 
  Former BNSF 1685 high hood GP9 sitting in the Prairie Dog Central Yard. This was the last GP9 on the BNSF roster.
• 
  Prairie Dog Central 4138, a preserved high hood GP9, pulling a freight into CP's Weston Shops in Winnipeg.
• 
  Ex AMT 1311 (ex CN 4307, GMD 1959) donated to the Canadian Rail Museum in 2011
• 
  ILSX 1391, a rebuilt EMD GP10 (ex C&O 6092, ICG 7998, PAL 8315, works in Grafton, North Dakota on the Dakota Northern Railroad.

Current operators

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad rosters an ex-Burlington Northern GP9, now in the NWP's "Bloody Nose" paint scheme, for mainly switching and MOW operations in Northern California. The Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad operates a former N&W GP9, now numbered 626. Its home yard is the Bradford, PA yard. The California Western Railroad, better known as the "Skunk Train," has three GP9s in their fleet. The Santa Maria Valley Railroad operates a former Milwaukee Road GP9 numbered 1801.

In the mid 1980s to early 1990s Guilford Rail System (now Pan Am Railways) started painting and renumbering their GP9 fleet into the Guilford Transportation scheme with the Springfield Terminal name on the side. Pan Am Railways still rosters 6 of the 50 GP9s that are left, the rest either having been scrapped or sold. The last 6 GP9s still rostered on PAR are 51, 52, 62, 71, 72, and 77. The 77 was painted into the Boston and Maine maroon and gold "Minuteman" scheme for Pan Am's heritage fleet, and the 52 was painted in the Maine Central green scheme.

The Hartwell Railroad operates former Chicago and North Western GP9 4556, née Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific 1315.

The Vintage Locomotive Society currently operates two GP9 locomotives: No. 4138 was built by General Motors Diesel (GMD) in November 1958 for the Grand Trunk Western (which eventually became part of Canadian National Railway). It was donated by CN to the Society in August 2002. 4138 is used on the Prairie Dog Central Railway in regular service and in some charter service. It acts as backup power should steam locomotive No. 3 be unavailable. No. 1685 was built by General Motors Diesel (GMD) in March 1957 for the Midland Railway Company of Manitoba as locomotive No. 2 (which became Burlington Northern Manitoba Limited No. 2, then BNSF No. 1685). BNSF donated it to the society in July 2010. Prairie Dog Central Railway operates the 1685 for both regular service and in some charter service as well as a backup when the steam locomotive No. 3 or 4138 isn't available.

CN still has a strong fleet of GP9 locomotives in service, designated as GP9RM, which were rebuilt in the 1980s. They use the following number series: 4000s, 4100s, 7000s, and 7200s.

Other operators of GP9s and their variants/rebuilds include:

• Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway
• Central Montana Rail (ex. Great Northern, still operate high nose, long-hood forward)
• Dakota Northern Railroad
• Montana Rail Link
• Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway - ex-Bangor and Aroostook Railroad and ex-Canadian Pacific Railway
• Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad
• Adrian & Blissfield Railroad
• Leadville, Colorado and Southern Railroad
• Ontario Northland Railway
• Grafton & Upton Railroad
• New Hope & Ivyland Railroad
• Essex Terminal Railway (ETL)
• Aspen Crossing Railway (ex-Canadian Pacific Railway 1624)
• Finger Lakes Railway (1701, 1703 both units see little use and reports have both locomotives listed as being up for sale.)
• Naugatuck Railroad in Connecticut operates former N&W 686, and has N&W 859 as well
• YorkRail uses most GP9s for shunting activities.

See also

• List of GM-EMD locomotives
• List of GMD Locomotives

References

• "The History of EMD Diesel Engines". Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2005.
• Dorin, Patrick C. (1972). Chicago and North Western Power. Burbank, California: Superior Publishing. pp. 108–110. ISBN 0-87564-715-4.
• Pinkpank, Jerry A (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Books. pp. 12, 26, 52–56. ISBN 0-89024-026-4. LCCN 66-22894.
• Extra 2200 South, Issue no.48, Sep-Oct 1974
• Extra 2200 South, Issue no.49, Nov-Dec 1974