By the mid 50s, increasing pressure from long-haul trucks, declining passenger revenues and mounting costs forced western railroads to find new ways to improve service. Faced with expensive overhauls of early cab and hood unit diesels, many began looking at new equipment as well as ways to improve existing motive power. In 1955 Union Pacific equipped several GP9s with turbochargers as an experiment. Their success inspired EMD to create its own turbocharger for the 567 prime mover, leading to the introduction of the six-axle SD24 in 1958. Further experiments in 1959 created a four-axle version, dubbed the GP20. Western Pacific was impressed by the new model's ability to deliver maximum horsepower at various altitudes and ordered the first six. Great Northern followed suite shortly after, ordering 36 units. As designed and built, the long hood was actually the front of these engines - they would be the only high-hood examples built - and a short, high hood was installed behind the cab. Early in their careers, the new units were typically assigned priority freights. The 1960s were a period of change; both WP and GN adopted simpler paint schemes, and the arrival of newer power bumped them into secondary service. Most of the high-hood units were still in service as WP merged with UP, while GN became part of Burlington Northern. Many were repainted and renumbered for their new owners, and spent their last years in local and yard service. Following their retirement, a few went to work for shortline operators. Western Pacific #2001, the very first GP20, was donated by UP to the Feather River Rail Society in 1985, where it has been restored to its as-built appearance.

This high, short hood version of the classic GP20 is a great addition to your roster and features:

* Protoype Specific Details
* Retooled Handrails & Other Parts for More Accurate Detail
* Over 135 Factory-Applied Parts
* Consumer-Applied Parts Pack Included
* Heavy Diecast Chassis
* 5-Pole Motor with Skew Wound Armature
* Precisely Meshed Worm Gear & Spur Teeth for Silent Running
* LED Directional Headlights
* Magnetic Knuckle Couplers