Burlington Northern

The Burlington Northern Railroad came into existence in March 1970 when the ICC gave the ok for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Great Northern, Northern Pacific and the Spokane, Portland & Seattle railroad’s to formally merge and form one company. One result of the merger was the creation of a large group of GP7’s on the roster with different features. The two ex-Northern Pacific GP7’s offered in this Genesis release came with roof top air tanks in order to equip them with larger fuel tanks to extend their operating range.

 

BN FEATURES:

• Roof-mounted “Torpedo Tube” air tanks

• Cab-mounted Beacon (Functions in DCC)

• Roof-mounted steam era bell

• Winterization Hatch

• Fire-cracker antenna

 

 

Erie Lackawanna

In 1960, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad merged with the Erie Railroad to form Erie-Lackawanna. The Erie had owned a sizeable number of EMD GP7s, which were all less than 10 years old at the time of the merger and still giving good service. Rather than spend precious money to repaint these units immediately, the EL decided to retain the Erie paint scheme, but omitted the “wings” on the ends of the units and added their own logos. The units continued in this guise until the mid-to-late 1960s when most were repainted in the grey-and-maroon EL scheme.

 

EL FEATURES:

• Re-Lettered Erie units; post 1960

• Dynamic or non-dynamic, depending on road number

• Two single-chime horns

• “Canvas” sunshades

• Long-hood-forward operation

• Curved spark arrestors

 

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

• #1207 Dynamic brakes

• #1214 Dynamic brakes

• #1221 Non-dynamic brakes

 

 

Amtrak

In the late 1970’s Amtrak acquired a fleet of second-hand GP7’s which were painted in a bright orange color for use in maintenance-of-way service (MOW). These highly visible units were quickly and unofficially named “Pumpkins” by the railfan community. They were frequently spotted hauling Amtrak ballast cars, flat cars equipped with special racks to carry rail, or gondolas that were used to gather scrap steel and wooden ties that accumulated on the right-of-way. Aside from MOW use, these units were used to couple Amtrak express Roadrailers to soon-to- arrive passenger trains. Pumpkins could also be found in service on non-Amtrak rails. For example, Amtrak “Pumpkins” were involved in the rebuilding of the Doylestown branch for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA), and the Atlantic City line for New Jersey Transit. This bright paint scheme with unique details such as cab mounted strobes and end mounted emergency beacons will surely be an “attention grabber” on your layout.

 

AMTK FEATURES:

• NEW! Non-Dynamic with roof access hatches

• 1700-gallon fuel tank

• Partial skirting above fuel tank

• Front and rear flashing emergency beacon (in DCC mode only)

• Flashing xenon strobes (in DCC mode only)

• Wheel bearings per prototype

 

 

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 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

• NEW! 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

• 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

 

Order Due Date: December 29, 2023

Anticipated Delivery Date: May 2025

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

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