Santa Fe

As a long time and loyal EMD customer, Santa Fe was one of the largest purchasers of the GP39-2 model. Using the 12-cylinder 645 power plant and a turbocharger, the GP39-2 produced 2300 hp compared to the GP40-2 at 3000 hp using the 16-cylinder version. Originally purchased for hot shot freight trains, they quickly became favorite power for locals and road switchers.

 

ATSF FEATURES:

• Early phase 1 body

• Rear mounted fuel tank

• Large front anticlimber

• Stratolite cab beacon (Effect in DCC)

• Switcher style walkway steps

• Leslie 3-chime horn

• Small EMD front plow

 

BNSF Railway

In 1981, BN ordered 40 late versions of the GP39-2’s from EMD. BNSF inherited both BN and Santa Fe active motive power after the merger of 1995. Many of the BN painted units lasted quite a while in their original paint. By the late 2010’s, BNSF started to repaint their ex-BN fleet of GP39-2’s into their current corporate colors. A few were retrofitted for remote service. They can be seen operating in yards and local service.

 

BNSF FEATURES:

• Phase 2 body with corrugated grilles and Q fans

• Ex-BN

• Large exhaust stack

• Front and rear ditch lights

• Road number specific details

• Removed class lights

• Nose electronic brakes

• Electronic bell

 

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

• #2727 Low nose front headlight, strobe beacon (Effect in DCC), modeler applied remote antenna equipment in poly bag

• #2732 Cab headlight

• #2735 Cab headlight, “skate” style cab antennas

 

Union Pacific

During the late 1990’s, UP was looking for reliable 4-axle road switchers to add to their fleet. They picked up a batch of ex-D&H 7601 class GP39-2’s keeping the D&H spotting features with added front ditch lights. They would eventually be sold off by the mid 2010’s for further use.

 

UP FEATURES:

• Newly tooled D&H style walkway and fuel tank!

• Ex-D&H • Early phase 1 body

• Front tall ditch lights

• Small EMD front plow

• Nathan 5-chime horn

• Large Sinclair antenna

 

 

PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO:

In the decade between 1974 and 1984, EMD produced the GP39-2 for seven North American railroads. The basic design followed most four axle road diesel switchers for the time. Borrowing improvements from the GP38-2 and GP40-2 designs, this mid-horsepower road switcher utilized a turbocharged 12-cylinder EMD 645E3 diesel engine for it’s prime mover. With four fewer cylinders, the smaller engine provided a distinctive long hood on the phase II and phase III bodies, where the clean room/engine compartment doors were set back from the cab further than predecessor locomotives.

Sensitivity to fuel economy in the 1970’s justified the GP39-2 in the locomotive market. It also laid the ground work for EMD to start exploring locomotive designs that utilize engines with larger piston displacement yet posess fewer cylinders. This approach has become the foundation to modern locomotive technology.

 

GP39-2 SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Coupler cut levers

• Drop steps unless noted

• “Nub” style walkway tread

• Lift rings

• Walkway tread

• Trainline and MU hoses

• MU stands

• Windshield wipers

• Wire grab irons

• Sanding lines

• Lit number boards

• Lit class lights, if equipped

• Lit signal lights and/or beacons, if equipped

• Bell placement & type per prototype

• Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, and breather pipes

• Blomberg-B or Blomberg-M 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 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

 

Delaware and Hudson

Delaware and Hudson purchased 20 new GP39-2’s from EMD in 1976. Unlike the ex-Reading/D&H 7400 class GP39-2’s, some details were updated. The D&H 7601-7620 class featured unique and redesigned stepwells with “switcher” style steps, the fuel tank was pushed back to the rearward position, and the fuel fillers/sight gauges were repositioned. After their lease expired, some were picked up by Union Pacific with class lights still installed and added front ditch lights.

 

DH FEATURES:

• Newly tooled D&H style walkway and fuel tank!

• Early phase 1 body

• Small EMD front plow

• Leslie 3-chime horn

• Large Sinclair antenna

 

Order Due Date: September 27, 2024

Anticipated Delivery Date: February 2026

 

 

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