Southern Pacific GP9E and GP9R

EMD GP9E and GP9R
Southern Pacific GP9E #3765 is heading back toward Fremont after a run to Radum, outside Pleasanton in August 1985.
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) Model GP9 GP9E GP9R Total produced 340 (Southern Pacific) 60 (Cotton Belt) Rebuild date April 1970 – March 1979 Number rebuilt 283 (Southern Pacific) 10 (Cotton Belt)
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 Southern Pacific Transportation Company St. Louis Southwestern Railway ("Cotton Belt Route") Locale North America Preserved See here Disposition Six preserved, remainder scrapped

The EMD GP9E and GP9R are rebuilds from EMD GP9 diesel locomotives that were built by General-Motors Electro-Motive Division for the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (also known as the "Cotton Belt Route") and the Southern Pacific Transportation Company.

History

Beginning in 1970 with SP GP9 #3424, all of the pre-existing EMD GP9 diesel locomotives that were on the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (also known as the "Cotton Belt Route") and Southern Pacific's roster were rebuilt into GP9E's and GP9R's with the number series beginning at #3300.

Because of the internal differences of the three 'Phases', different 'rebuild' schemes were required, which meant that they were placed into different number series. As well some got Farr air filter boxes behind the cab of the units.

As the rebuilds had came and went, alongside the un-rebuilt units, no numbers were reused from the Southern Pacific's 1965 renumbering scheme.

The Southern Pacific Transportation Company began rebuilding their units in 1970, while the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (also known as the "Cotton Belt Route") began rebuilding their units in 1974.

SP's Paint scheme variants

SP GP9R #3792 in the Southern Pacific's "Kodachrome" livery.

Nine of Southern Pacific's GP9E/GP9R locomotives were painted into the Southern Pacific's "Kodachrome" livery of the Failed merger between Southern Pacific and Santa Fe, these units were GP9E/R locomotives #2873, #3370, #3735, #3739, #3775, #3778, #3784, #3792 and #3846.

Preservation

Out of all the 283 units that were rebuilt, six EMD GP9R locomotives have survived into preservation:

Southern Pacific GP9R #3194 at the Golden Gate Railroad Museum (GGRM)

• Southern Pacific GP9R #2873 (formerly Texas and New Orleans GP9 #443, SP #3798 and SP #3565) is currently preserved at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum (WPRM), it was donated to the WPRM in 1992 and currently still resides there to this day.
• Southern Pacific GP9R #3189 (formerly, SP #5623 and #3005) is now operational at the Niles Canyon Railway (NCRy) as Southern Pacific GP9 #5623.
• Southern Pacific GP9R #3194 (formerly Texas and New Orleans GP9 #281, SP #5895 and #3001) which had worked on the SP's Peninsula Commute from 1960/61 to 1985 before being retired in 1998 and donated to Golden Gate Railroad Museum (GGRM) that same year in 1998. It still serves there to this day.
• Southern Pacific GP9R #3709 (formerly SP GP9 #5873) is at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association in Campo, California.
• Southern Pacific GP9R #3769 (formerly SP GP9 #5733 and #3574) is currently on static display at the Utah State Railroad Museum in Ogden, Utah.
• Southern Pacific GP9R #3873 (formerly SSW GP9 #3873, SSW 3651, SSW 830) is currently at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association in Campo, California.

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  Southern Pacific #5623 at the Niles Canyon Railway in 2006.

• 

  Southern Pacific GP9R #2873 at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum (WPRM) in the Southern Pacific's "Kodachrome" livery.

• 

  Southern Pacific GP9R #3194 at the Golden Gate Railroad Museum (GGRM)

See also

• EMD GP9

Bibliography

• Solomon, Brian (2000). American Diesel Locomotives. Voyageur Press. ISBN 9781610606059. Search this book on
• Strapac, Joseph A. (1974). Southern Pacific Motive Power Annual 1973. Chatham Publishing. Search this book on

Further reading

• Strapac, Joseph A. (2000). Southern Pacific Historic Diesels Volume 7 - GP9 Locomotives (1st ed.). Shade Tree Books. ISBN 9780930742218. Search this book on

External links

• Southern Pacific GP9E Information Page
• List of EMD GP9R locomotives
• List of EMD GP9E locomotives

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