Gp9 Slugs

The General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP7 series was built for both freight and passenger use (primarily the former), and would find immense success, even eclipsing its predecessor models to become one of the most success diesel locomotive designs ever built. The 'covered wagons' (slang for the E and F series) would signal the beginning of the end for steam and in just twenty years following the first EA model produced in the mid 1930s, steam would all but disappear from main line railroading (the introduction of GP7 was, perhaps, the final nail in the proverbial coffin for steam).

A year before the GP7's introduction, EMD had unveiled the BL2 model that was intended to be its grand entrance into the road switcher market and compete with Baldwin, Fairbanks Morse, and the American Locomotive Company (Alco) in particular, which had been manufacturing the model for nearly a decade.

GP9 slug,converted by AMF Technotransport from GP9 4466 in 1994 second use of this number as a slug usually operates with GP9 72xx series mother: 281:1: GY-00a, 1978: HBU-4 hump booster unit (slug) renumbered to 521 in 1990: 281:2 Photo: GY-00g: 1993: GP9 slug,converted by AMF Technotransport from GP9 4470 usually operates with GP9 72xx series. Aug 18, 2016 An NS freight heads west at Riverton Junction, AL, near Margerum. In just over a mile the train will be in Mississippi.The locomotives are NS 7559, NS 2773.

However, the BL2 still lacked essential design characteristics dooming its success. EMD learned from this mistake and sales exploded with the GP7, which quickly surpassed its competition. The locomotive was so reliable and well built that many remain in service with shortlines today. As mentioned, EMD's entrance into the road switcher market began with the BL2 design of 1948. The company was frustrated that it was not only far behind the other builders in releasing a similar model but also that Alco, at the time, controlled the road switcher market with its 'Road Switcher', RS, series. Up until that time the company was offering railroads two different models, the RS1 and RS2 (along a few variants) that had sold an astonishing 1,200 examples in just eight years. While only moderately powered the RS1 and RS2 offered unparalleled flexibility for train crews with its thin long hood and wide cab.

• CN 500-522 (501, 508, 519: Sold to NBSR / 508: To NBSR 2008, 509 and 522: Retired): CN 260-282 (Re# 500-522).
• Canadian National GP9 and attached slug switch in Edmonton Yard, near the Diesel Depot.

Other Popular GP Models

The GP9, Another Phenomenal Road-Switcher
The Modestly Successful GP18
The GP30, Offering A Timeless Look
The GP35, Finding Continued, Second-Generation Success
The GP38 Series, EMD Hits The Mark Again
The Successful GP40 Series

This, in turn, allowed for walkways down the length of the locomotive, and even to the front where a short hood was located. Additionally, with a semi-streamlined carbody and that short, lead hood Alco's road switchers were ideal for limited passenger service as well. While both Baldwin and FM offered similar designs like the DRS-4-4-1500 and H15-44, none were as successful as Alco's early lines. As such, EMD took inspiration from this as well as the failures of its BL2. Spearheading the redesign was once again, EMD's chief engineer Richard 'Dick' Dilworth who was instrumental in the development of the phenomenally successful FT of 1939. Realizing that they already had a reliable and practical locomotive on their hands and simply needed to offer railroads a carbody that was functional Dilworth stripped down the BL2 and started from scratch.

He replaced the full length hood with a narrower design and off-set the cab, allowing for a short lead hood. The locomotive was not quite as beveled as the road switchers offered by Alco, Baldwin, and FM. However, it carried its own stylish appearance with flush lines and tapering at each end. The roof line was likewise clean where it was flush with the cab, unlike in Alco's and Baldwin's models but similar to FM's. Dubbed the 'General Purpose' series or Geep for short to reflect the locomotive's duties as a road switcher the first was named the GP7 and cataloged in October, 1949. The number '7' was chosen as both the E7 and F7 cab units, as well as the switcher model SW7 were all in production at that time.

The GP7 carried all of the features that made EMD so highly regarded with its ease of maintenance and nice design features. The locomotive had an added incentive in that along with being able to handle practically any type of freight service with its 1,500 horsepower rating, the GP7's overall carbody design was also attractive enough to be used in many types of passenger service, which is fascinating in the sense that the the model really offered no type of streamlining. It was thanks to EMD's styling department headed then by John Markestein, who along with Dilworth helped create the now-classic look of the GP7. Through 1954 the model sold an astounding 2,700+ units and is widely credited with completing main line dieselization, relegating most remaining steam locomotives to branch line, yard and short line work (an exception would be the Norfolk & Western, which held out on scrapping its steam fleet until the late 1950s).

As mentioned above the GP7 carried a horsepower rating of 1,500, which again was not uncommon with among the models being offered by Alco, Baldwin, and FM. It used EMD's standard prime mover of the time, 16-cylinder model 567B and featured components built almost entirely by General Motors, which was standard for virtually all of its models. These included things like the main generator (model D12), traction motors (model D27B), and alternator (model D14). However, just like with the other manufactures it outsourced air brakes to Westinghouse with the compressor provided by Gardner-Denver. With a tractive effort of 65,000 pounds starting and 40,000 pounds continuous these ratings could not quite match Fairbanks Morse or Baldwin but their models did not offer the reliability of EMD.

EMD manufactured four demonstrators; #100, #200, #300, and #525 to tour the country in an elegant blue and silver livery. For railroads, it was just what they were hoping for; practicality for use by train crews with the EMD reliability that they expected. As such, sales quickly took off. It should be noted that there was one request for GP7Bs from the Santa Fe who purchased five in the early spring of 1953, numbered 2788A-2792A. Also, the model was most commonly built with the high hood but some railroads requested a lowered version in the later standard cab design, which included front windshields (GP7s would also be rebuilt with shortened hoods). Still commonly found today on several regionals and shortlines the GP7 is the classic image of the road switcher with its high, short hood and cab set off to one end leaving for a long hood trailing.

EMD GP7 Production Roster

Not surprisingly, with the railroad's love for the locomotive it was given a nickname that is now synonymous with the GP series; using the model's initials, 'GP,' the locomotives became affectionately known as Geeps (pronounced 'Jeeps'). The GP7 was, however, only the beginning of the series and later four-axle, as well as six-axle models would follow. Because of the GP7s lightweight but strong pulling power it was purchased by not only Class Is but also smaller lines. Additionally, with EMD's Canadian division, General Motors Diesel of Ontario established in 1949 the company also sold 112 examples to the Algoma Central & Hudson Bay, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, Chesapeake & Ohio (for its southern Ontario lines), Quebec North Shore & Labrador, Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo, and Wabash.

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Slugs, sometimes given other names such as mates or drones, are a type of unit employed by railroads to increase adhesion and tractive effort for motive power. Technically speaking, a slug is not a locomotive since it does not carry a prime mover on-board and thus cannot operate on its own without a 'Mother' unit. The concept first began appearing within the industry during the 1940s, mostly for yard service. However, that changed in the 1970s when railroads began retiring first-generation locomotives and giving them a second-life as de-powered slugs in general road service (this isn't always the case, however, as some can be purchased new). Today, most such units operate only on Class I lines and they have grown in popularity over the last 40 years, particularly at CSX Transportation which currently rosters more than 100 examples.

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If you are interested in catching CSX's slug fleet in action, keep in mind these locomotives are listed in the 2200-2387 series. However, not all of these units are sequential; typical of aging power nearing the end of its service life, many have been sold over the years. All slugs are mated to a GP40-2 'Mother.'

The history of slugs dates back further than one might think, and it certainly is not a relatively new concept. As early as 1915 General Electric was manufacturing what it termed 'tractors,' an unpowered single-truck type of slug that was used by the electrically operated Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway in yard service. However, the true slug was developed by the New York Central just after World War II. The NYC wanted to offer its diesel switchers increased tractive effort in yard service; so it came up with the idea of taking old boxcab electrics, cutting them down to traction motors only, and 'mothering' them to diesels. While these early versions could only receive power via one end, the idea worked quite well and gave the switchers much more tractive effort at slow speeds. The name 'slug' is a general term thought to derive from the fact that the units (originally) were slow and pulled by a locomotive.

Other Odd/Unique Designs

B Units

C&NW's Crandall Cabs
DD35/A
DDA40X, 'Centennial'
Draper Taper
Krauss-Maffei ML-4000
MK5000C
Rock Island's AB6
Tunnel Motors

After the NYC began its slug program other roads followed; by 1955 the Canadian Pacific, Elgin Joliet & Eastern, Illinois Central, Indiana Harbor Belt (an NYC subsidiary), New Haven, Rio Grande, Southern, and Western Maryland (its BL2s #81 and #82 became celebrities to railfans in Hagerstown, Maryland working the yard with slugs #138T and #139T, which were rebuilt Baldwin VO1000 switchers). Most of these units were also cut-down from worn out or unreliable first-generation diesels; mostly Alcos, Baldwins, and Fairbanks Morse models that turned out to be not as reliable as Electro-Motive's products. During this time slugs were primarily used in yard service only and sometimes had added ballasting (usually concrete) to increase their tractive effort potential. However, that changed in 1970 when the Chicago & North Western became frustrated with constant wheel slippage problems with its Alco C425s and Electro-Motive GP35s when operating at slow speeds.

Along the company's secondary branch lines in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin rail weight and bridges were too light to allow heavy six-axle locomotives to serve these regions, limiting only four-axle units which did not offer the same tractive efforts as their larger brethren. To remedy this problem the C&NW stuck a slug between two mother units in an effort to spread out the weight and tractive effort (more wheels on the rails increases adhesion). The idea worked and the railroad began regularly using slugs in general road service. Additionally, after other lines saw the C&NW's success they followed the concept creating today's common road slug. A year later in 1971 General Electric, which had only been offering diesels since the U25B debuted in 1959, began marketing the concept itself in what was known as the MATE or Motors for Added Tractive Effort.

With the GE's version the builder actually advanced the slug idea by offering a unit that could operate at higher speeds in road service as well as provide fuel-transfer capabilities to the mother. A few years later in 1973 locomotive builder Morris-Kudsen began marketing its version known as the Tractive Effort Booster Unit or TEBU. For the most part, however, railroads found it most economical to simply build their own slugs and some like the Santa Fe even gave them their own name, the Drone. It should be noted that a slug is neither a cabless booster unit (which has a power plant but no cab controls) nor a cow-calf setup (which is basically the designation for a diesel switcher and its cabless, B unit). Interestingly, the latter became popular during the 1940s and 1950s but railroads slowly lost interest as the slug concept came into practice.

Download halo reach pc unblocked. Most slugs were built as, or rebuilt into, four-axle designs. However, some roads like the Norfolk & Western took Fairbanks Morse's powerful six-axle Train Masters and cut them down into slugs for yard service between Roanoke and Bluefield (one of these units still survives and there have been grand ambitions to rebuild it into a working Train Master). Over the years railroads have gradually improved upon the slug concept. Today, many include common locomotive features such as dynamic brakes, cabs (and controls), and fuel tanks; essentially the entire locomotive carbody and many of its components aside from the prime mover. Of all the major Class I systems, CSX has taken this concept the furthest; rebuilding old GP30s and GP35s into road slugs. The units, completely repainted, can fool someone who is not aware into believing the railroad still operates, for instance, classic GP30s. For more reading about the slug please click here.

Gp9 Slugs Reviews

Since they still retain full cab controls the units will even run on the head-end, which can be particularly confusing. According to Trains.com, CSX currently rosters more than 130 road slugs, which is said to be the largest such fleet currently in service. Finally, if you would like to understand the slug concept, and its history entirely, I would strongly recommend finding a copy of 'On The Road: Traction Motors Without Prime Movers' by Norman E. Anderson from the July, 1984 issue of Trains. This article not only aided greatly in providing much of the historical information presented here but it also goes into great detail of how slugs operate, their advantages, and how railroads have employed them in service over the years.

Gp9 Slugs Ammo

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