Rock Island

During the late 1970’s, Rock Island rebuilt a large batch of their locomotives to help extend their lives. The main spotting features of these so-called “GP7R”s were the new addition of roof mounted engine access doors and a new coat of blue/white paint. Many of these ended up finding homes on other railroads after the Rock Island went bankrupt in 1980. GP7R #4506 was recently restored back into the original Rock Island colors and operates at a museum in IL.

 

 

ROCK FEATURES:

• NEW! Non-Dynamic with roof access hatches

• Early Pyle headlights

• Early “pipe” style handrails

• Firecracker antenna

• Nathan P-5 horn

 

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

• #4506 Late small louver battery box doors, standard EMD fuel tank, optional Whip antenna for current version in poly bag

• #4523 Late small louver battery box doors, rebuilt Rock Island style fuel tank

• #4540 Early large louver battery box doors, rebuilt Rock Island style fuel tank

 

 

PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO:

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.

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. Some railroads adopted a GP7R designation to indicate a rebuilt unit.

The EMD GP18 began production in late 1959 and was based on the builder’s extraordinarily successful GP9, although the latter model was still in production at the time. The GP18 is considered the last of the builder’s “first generation” models. Similar in appearance to the GP7 and GP9, the GP18 was slightly more powerful and came with the option of a low or high short cab hood, something that had only been upon special request with EMD’s first two road switcher models. It used the final version of General Motors first locomotive prime mover, the 16-cylinder model 567D1 which could produce 1,800 horsepower, the most powerful in the series up to that time. At just over 56 feet in length the GP18 was the same length as its predecessor models and was visually very similar, with the exception of new radiator grills which were also used on the GP20.

While thousands of GP7s and GP9s were produced just a few hundred GP18s were ultimately built for a little more than two dozen railroads. Today, several GP18s remain in operation on numerous shortlines and industrial operations around the country.

 

GP7/GP18 SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Coupler cut levers

• Drop steps unless noted

• “Nub” style walkway tread

• Lift rings

• Windshield wipers

• Flexible Trainline and MU hoses

• MU stands

• Windshield wipers

• Wire grab irons

• Sander lines

• NEW! Roof access hatches on non-dynamic units per prototype

• Bell placement & type per prototype

• Blomberg-B trucks with appropriate bearing caps

• Speed recorder unless noted

• See-through cab windows and full cab interior

• Fine-scale Celcon handrails for scale appearance

• Etched metal radiator intake grilles and fan grilles

• Air tanks mounted below sill unless noted

• Body-mounted McHenry scale knuckle couplers - Kadee compatible

• DCC-ready features Quick Plug plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector

• Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more

• Accurately-painted and –printed paint schemes

• 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

• Packaging securely holds model for safe storage

• Minimum radius: 18” — Recommended radius: 22”

 

SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE

• Onboard DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound

• Dual cube speakers for optimal sound quality

• Sound units operate in both DC and DCC

• Full DCC functions available when operated in DCC mode

• Engine, horn, and bell sounds work in DC

• All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode

• Precision slow speed control

• Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights

• Many functions can be altered via Configuration Value (CV) changes

• CV chart included in the box

 

Order Due Date: January 26, 2024

Anticipated Delivery Date: June 2025

Looking for more Athearn GP-7 Diesel Locomotives? Click here!

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