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.

Santa Fe began a program in its Cleburne, TX shops to rebuild GP7s. The program was started in 1972. The high short hoods were chopped down, dynamic brakes deactivated (if present) and in some cases new cabs were installed. The prime movers were upgraded with new components. The upgraded geeps gave long service and many lasted through the BNSF merger.

 

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

• 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

 

Central Kansas Railway

Central Kansas Railway (CKRY) was a short line railroad of approximately 900 miles of trackage, consisting of former Santa Fe trackage in Kansas and northern Oklahoma. During the year 2000, it merged with a sister company, the Kansas Southwest Railway which operated four Missouri Pacific branch lines. Owned by OmniTRAX, much of the CKRY traffic was from harvested wheat. Watco purchased all of the CKRY lines in 2001.

These units traveled well beyond Central Kansas. In 2006 and beyond CKRY #701 was frequently photographed working on the Northern Ohio & Western, a remnant of a former PRR line from Mansfield to Toledo, OH. CKRY #903 was often photographed in the Chicago area in 2000 and beyond, serving the Chicago Rail Link, along with other OmniTRAX units.

 

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

• #701 Ex-ATSF GP7 #2652 / GP7u #2179. Cab-mounted headlight, large firecracker antenna and ground plane, roof-mounted air tanks.

• #903 Ex-ATSF GP7 #2772 / GP7u #2084. Nose-mounted headlight, large Sinclair antenna and ground plane, spark arrestors, Western Cullen beacon (effect in DCC only).

 

 

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