Southern Pacific 2873

Southern Pacific 2873
Southern Pacific 2873 at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum
Type and origin References: Power type Diesel-electric Builder General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) Order number 5515 Serial number 22897 Model GP9 EMD GP9R Build date December 1956 Rebuild date February 1977
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Trucks EMD Blomberg B 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 16-567C RPM range 835 max Engine type V16 Two-stroke diesel Aspiration Roots blower 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 Operators Texas and New Orleans Railroad Southern Pacific Transportation Company Western Pacific Railroad Museum Numbers T&NO #443 SP #3798 SP #3565 SP 2873 Disposition Operational at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum

Southern Pacific 2873 is an EMD GP9R diesel locomotive that was originally built by General-Motors Electro-Motive Division originally for the Texas and New Orleans Railroad as an EMD GP9 in December 1956.

History

Revenue service

Southern Pacific 2873 was manufactured in December 1956 and had started its life on the Texas and New Orleans Railroad as T&NO GP9 #443. When the Texas and New Orleans Railroad had became part of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1961, T&NO #443 was renumbered by the Southern Pacific as Southern Pacific GP9 #3565 and then renumbered to #3798.

Then in February 1977, the locomotive was rebuilt under the General Rehabilitation and Improvement Program (G.R.I.P.) rebuild program into an EMD GP9R and renumbered as #2873.

SP GP9R #2873 was repainted sometime in late 1985 or early 1986 making it one of the first 4-axle diesel locomotives to be repainted in the SPSF "Kodachrome" livery of the failed merger between Southern Pacific and Santa Fe, and was one of nine EMD GP9 locomotives to receive the livery, with the other eight being #3370, #3735, #3739, #3775, #3778, #3784, #3792 and #3846.

Retirement and preservation

SP GP9R #2873 was retired from active service on the Southern Pacific Transportation Company and it was donated to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum (WPRM) in 1992 after WPRM employees had found the locomotive in a scrapyard at Richmond, California. The FRRS had purchased the unit and it is currently being used as a yard switcher at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum, specifically in Caboose Train Service, and is considered to be a popular locomotive in the WPRM's "Run A Locomotive" program where our visitors are invited to operate the 2873 under the guidance of a qualified instructor.

As of today, #2873 is currently operational at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum (WPRM) and currently remains as the only surviving EMD GP9 locomotive to have the SPSF "Kodachrome" livery. #2873 also still remains a part of the Western Pacific Railroad Museum's collection even to this day.

Further reading

• Strapac, Joseph A. (1974). Southern Pacific Motive Power Annual 1973. Chatham Publishing. Search this book on

External links

• Pictures of SP 2873

This article "Southern Pacific 2873" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Southern Pacific 2873. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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