Louisville & Nashville

L&N merged with the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis in 1957 and their small GP7L fleet became part of the L&N, although they called them GP7N’s. They would serve the L&N for many years, lasting until the late 1970s & early 1980s.

 

LN FEATURES:

• New AAR type A switcher trucks§
• Newly tooled L&N shop built “twinkie” spark arrestors (not shown)
• Newly tooled radiator exhaust pipe (not shown)
• Newly tooled radiator vent pipe (not shown)
• Pyle National Gyralight on front end - Oscillates in DCC mode only
• Non-dynamic brake hatch
• 2-exhaust stacks with new spark arrestors
• Road number specific horns
• 1200-gallon fuel tank

 

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

• #490 5-chime forward facing horn, solid yellow nose
• #492 Foward & reverse horns, firecracker antenna
• #494 Foward & reverse horns, firecracker antenna

 

Alaska Railroad

The Alaska Railroad’s GP7L’s came from the US Army in the early 1960’s as part of part of the company’s process to update their motive power.

 

ARR FEATURES:

• Newly tooled AAR type B switcher trucks§
• Newly tooled 800-gallon fuel tank
• Newly tooled Alaska Railroad style winterization hatch (not shown)
• Non-dynamic brake hatch
• 2 exhaust stacks
• Firecracker antenna

 

Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis

The NC&STL GP7L’s were delivered from EMD in early 1950. They were delivered with the AAR type A switcher trucks and did not come with MU capability.

 

NCSL FEATURES:

• Newly tooled AAR type A switcher trucks§
• Newly tooled 800-gallon fuel tank
• Pyle National Gyralight on front end - Oscillates in DCC mode only
• Whip antenna

 

The trucks are all new with helical-cut gearing, intricate side-frame details, and redesigned gear tower providing more accurate see-through appearance and traction motor and frame details.

 

 

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 or GP7u designation to indicate a rebuilt unit.

 

GP7 SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Coupler cut levers
• Drop steps unless noted
• “Nub” style walkway tread
• Lift rings
• Windshield wipers
• Trainline and MU hoses
• MU stands
• Windshield wiper
• Wire grab irons
• Sander lines
• Roof access hatches on non-dynamic units per prototype
• Bell placement & type per prototype
• Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, breather pipes, and retention tanks
• Blomberg-B trucks with appropriate bearing caps
• AAR Type-A trucks with Helical cut gears and traction motor detail
• AAR Type-B tucks with helical cut gears and traction motor details
• Speed recorder unless noted or shown elsewhere
• 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
• LED Lighting for realistic appearance
• Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power
• Packaging securely holds for the model for safe storage
• Minimum radius: 18”

 

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

 

PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE

• Duplicated look and feel of “In Service” equipment
• Faded base colors matched to the prototype
• Perfect starting point for adding grime and rust

 

 

Order Due Date: February 28, 2025

Anticipated Delivery Date: October 2026

 

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

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