GN FEATURES:
- Winterization hatch with horn mounted on top
- Long hood-forward operation
- ”Nail” style antenna
- GN style fuel tank skirts
In 1967, Great Northern introduced a new paint scheme, consisting of blue, white, and dark grey-green. Known as the Big Sky Blue scheme, it took its name from an unofficial nickname for the state of Montana. Several of GN’s GP9 locos received the treatment as depicted here.
In 1970, GN was merged with the other Hill roads to form Burlington northern; however, the Big Sky Blue painted units survived for some time after with a simple BN patch.
ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:
#682- Snowplows on both ends
- non-dynamic
- bell mounted center of long hood
#683- Snowplows on both ends
- non-dynamic
- bell mounted center of long hood
#688- Dynamic brakes
- bell mounted on long hood
#690- Dynamic brakes
- bell mounted on long hood
GP9 SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:
- Full cab interior
- Wire grab irons
- Coupler cut levers
- See-through cab windows
- Flexible rubber trainline hose
- Flexible rubber MU hoses
- Drop steps unless noted
- “Nub” style walkway tread
- Lift rings
- Sander lines
- Windshield wipers
- MU stands
- See-through cab windows
- Bell placement & type per prototype
- Etched metal radiator intake grilles and fan grilles
- Air tanks mounted below sill unless noted
- Blomberg-B trucks with appropriate bearing caps
- Speed recorder unless noted
- Body-mounted McHenry® operating scale knuckle couplers
- DCC-ready features Quick Plug™ plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector
- Fine-scale Celcon handrails for scale appearance
- Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, breather pipes, and retention tanks
- Genesis driveline with 5-pole skew wound motor, precision machined flywheels, and multi-link drivetrain
- All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth & quiet operation
- All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
- Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
- Bidirectional constant LED lighting so headlight brightness remains constant
- Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power
- Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more
- Accurately-painted and –printed paint schemes
- Fully-assembled and ready-to-run
- Packaging securely holds model for safe storage
- Minimum radius: 18” — Recommended radius: 22”
PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION
In 1949, EMD introduced the GP7. The basic design followed most diesel switchers with the addition of a short hood instead of an end-cab. The hoods were also full height to better accommodate the diesel engine and mechanical and electrical components.
In 1954 EMD upgraded the GP7 to become the 1,750 horsepower GP9. Externally, the first GP9s were virtually unchanged from the last GP7s. Later versions would include different louver arrangements and the last ones would come without the frame skirting. The GP9 was available with all of the fuel tank, steam generator, and dynamic brake options as the GP7, including “torpedo tube” air tanks mounted on the roof.
Many railroads chose to rebuild their GP7s and GP9s for continued service. Often times, it was cheaper to do this rather than purchasing brand-new locomotives.
Product Specs