EMD GP9
An EMD GP9 is a four-axle road switcher diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division produced between 1954 and 1959 and it is powered by a sixteen-cylinder engine which generated. The GP9 succeeded the GP7. The lettering "GP" stands for "general purpose". This locomotive type was offered both with and without control cabs; locomotives built without control cabs were called GP9B locomotives.
Production
Approximately 3,436 units were built between 1954 and 1959Rebuilds
There were 40 GP9M units built that are included in the 3,441 units built for United States railroads. A GP9M was built with parts from another older EMD locomotive, either an F unit or a damaged GP7. The use of parts from these older locomotives caused the GP9Ms to have a lower power rating than a GP9. This would be either if the donor locomotive was an FT/F2 or from F3/F7/GP7 locomotives.Many rebuilt GP9s remain in service today with shortline railroads and industrial operators. Some remain in rebuilt form on some major Class I railroads, as switcher locomotives although most Class 1 roads stopped using these locomotives by the 1980s. Canadian National still has many GP9RM locomotives in operation, as of 2016. Canadian Pacific had many GP9u locomotives in operation; however, they were all retired in 2015.
Several GP9s were rebuilt with a CAT 3512 and re-classified as GP15C.
Illinois Central Railroad rebuilt some of its GP9s with their front hood reduced in height for improved crew visibility. The IC designated these rebuilt locomotives GP10.
Original buyers
GP9 locomotives built by Electro-Motive Division, USA
GP9 locomotives built by General Motors Diesel, Canada
GP9B locomotives built by Electro-Motive Division, USA
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | |||
| Union Pacific Railroad | |||
| Total | 165 |
Preservation
At least 23 GP9 locomotives have been preserved at various railroad museums, as "park engines", and as excursion engines according to The Diesel Shop:- Boston and Maine 1732 is preserved and on display at the Railroad Museum of New England.
- Burlington Northern 1875 and 1956 are stored in a yard in Anaheim, CA. 1875 is ex NP 252, and 1956 is ex CB&Q 271.
- BNSF Railway 1685, built as Midland Railway 2, is currently powering excursions at the Prairie Dog Central Railway.
- Carrizo Gorge Rwy 3878, a low nose unit originally built as Southern Pacific 5878 is on the Carrizo Gorge Rwy at Campo, CA.
- Carrizo Gorge Rwy 4324, a GP9R rebuild built as Chicago and North Western 1716, is on the Carrizo Gorge Rwy at Campo, CA.
- B&O 6499 is at the West Chester Railroad in West Chester, PA.
- B&O 6607, originally numbered 3414, is at the B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore, MD.
- Conrail 7332, originally New York Central 5932, is stored in a yard in St Paul, MN. It was owned by Gopher State Railway Museum, now by Vintage Locomotives Inc.
- Nickel Plate 514 is at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA.
- Grand Trunk 4428 and 4433 are owned by GLLX leasing in Michigan, and are basically preserved units.
- Indiana Transportation Museum 200, originally Union Pacific 200, is at the Indiana Transportation Museum in Noblesville, IN.
- MBTA 902, originally Grand Trunk 4915, is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum.
- Nickel Plate 532 is at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, VA.
- Norfolk & Western 620 is at the North Carolina Transportation Museum.
- Pan Am Railways GP9s at the Heber Valley Railroad in Heber City, UT.
- Pennsylvania Railroad 7000 is at the United RR Historical Society’s heritage railroad, the Cape May Seashore Lines. It is currently operating in excursion service.
- Pennsylvania Railroad 7006 is on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
- Pennsylvania Railroad 7048 is owned by the Railroaders' Memorial Museum and is on display at Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, PA.
- Prairie Dog Central Railway 4138, built as a Central Vermont locomotive, is in operational condition and is currently powering excursions.
- South Branch Valley Railroad 6600 is former B&O 747 in SBVR colors.
- South Branch Valley Railroad 6604, originally B&O 751, is now restored to original passenger service livery.
- Southern Pacific 2873, originally Texas and New Orleans 443, is at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, CA.
- Southern Pacific 3194, a GP9R rebuild built as Texas and New Orleans 281, is at the Golden Gate RR Museum, CA.
- Southern Pacific 5623 is owned by Howard Wise and Errol Ohman. It is operational at the Niles Canyon Railway.
- Southern Pacific 3873, originally Cotton Belt 830, is at the San Diego Rwy Museum, in CA.
- Union Pacific 296 is in use at the Heber Valley Railroad in Heber City, UT.
- Western Pacific 725 and 731 are at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, CA.
- Western Pacific 727 is on display in Elko, NV.
- Illinois Central 8733, a GP11 rebuild built as IC 9386, is at the Monticello Railway Museum in Monticello, IL.
Current operators
The Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad operates a former N&W GP9, now numbered 626. Its home yard is the Bradford, PA yard.
The California Western Railroad, better known as the "Skunk Train," has three GP9s in their fleet.
The Santa Maria Valley Railroad operates a former Milwaukee Road GP9 numbered 1801.
In the mid 1980s to early 1990s Guilford Rail System started painting and renumbering their GP9 fleet into the Guilford Transportation scheme with the Springfield Terminal name on the side. Pan Am Railways still rosters 6 of the 50 GP9s that are left, the rest either having been scrapped or sold. The last 6 GP9s still rostered on PAR are 51, 52, 62, 71, 72, and 77. The 77 was painted into the Boston and Maine maroon and gold "Minuteman" scheme for Pan Am's heritage fleet, and the 52 was painted in the Maine Central green scheme.
The Hartwell Railroad operates former Chicago and North Western GP9 4556, née Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific 1315.
The Vintage Locomotive Society currently operates two GP9 locomotives:
No. 4138 was built by General Motors Diesel in November 1958 for the Grand Trunk Western. It was donated by CN to the Society in August 2002. 4138 is used on the Prairie Dog Central Railway in regular service and in some charter service. It acts as backup power should steam locomotive No. 3 be unavailable.
No. 1685 was built by General Motors Diesel in March 1957 for the Midland Railway Company of Manitoba as locomotive No. 2. BNSF donated it to the society in July 2010. Prairie Dog Central Railway operates the 1685 for both regular service and in some charter service as well as a backup when the steam locomotive No. 3 or 4138 isn't available.
CN still has a strong fleet of GP9 locomotives in service, designated as GP9RM, which were rebuilt in the 1980s. They use the following number series: 4000s, 4100s, 7000s, and 7200s.
Other operators of GP9s and their variants/rebuilds include:
- Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway
- Central Montana Rail
- Dakota Northern Railroad
- Montana Rail Link
- Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway - ex-Bangor and Aroostook Railroad and ex-Canadian Pacific Railway
- Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad
- Adrian & Blissfield Railroad
- Leadville, Colorado and Southern Railroad
- Ontario Northland Railway
- Grafton & Upton Railroad
- New Hope & Ivyland Railroad
- Essex Terminal Railway
- Aspen Crossing Railway
- Finger Lakes Railway
- Naugatuck Railroad in Connecticut operates former N&W 686, and has N&W 859 as well.