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 4 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 1970s 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.

Introduced in 1974 as an update to the GP39, this second generation EMD diesel was more successful than the first. It offered better fuel economy and better performance at higher altitudes than the GP38-2's. Even though it had a 12 cylinder prime mover, it's turbocharging gave it 2300 horsepower compared to 2000 horsepower of the 16 cylinder prime mover in the GP38-2. Still, with only 239 made, it was only a moderate success in comparison to it's stablemate, the GP38-2 with production ending in 1984.

Features:

• Fully-assembled and ready-to-run
  
• DCC-ready features Quick Plug plug-and-play technology with both 8- and 9-pin connector
  
• Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more
  
• Accurately painted and printed paint schemes
  
• Coupler cut levers
  
• MU hoses
  
• Trainline hose
  
• See through cab windows
  
• Full cab interior
  
• Walkway tread
  
• Fine-scale Celcon handrails for scale appearance
  
• Windshield wipers
  
• Lift rings
  
• Wire grab irons
  
• Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, & breather pipes
  
• Sander lines
  
• McHenry scale knuckle couplers - Kadee compatible
  
• 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 Code 55, 70, 75, 80, 83, and 100 rail
  
• Incandescent bulbs for realistic appearance
  
• Heavy die cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power

DCC w/Sound Features:

• Onboard DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami sound
• 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
• Excellent slow speed control
• Operating lighting functions with F5 and/or F6 (Flashing ditch lights, beacon, etc)
• 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

Primed For Grime Features:

• Duplicated look and feel of “In Service” equipment; “Tattered and Torn” just like the real thing
• Faded base colors matched to the prototype
• Patches applied and shaped per road number matching each corresponding side to the prototype
• Perfect starting point for adding grime and rust

Road Number Specific Features:

The Burlington Northern bought GP39-2s in 1981, and these engines proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the last remaining F-units on the system. The phase IIb units were similar to the Santa Fe engines above; the most obvious difference being the addition of Q fans and exhaust silencers. Other BN-specified options included large all-weather windows, latched battery box doors, and MU hose retainers on the rear pilots. In 1989, BN began repainting engines in the new “White Face” scheme. An American flag was also applied to some units at this time-the railroad’s way of showing support for the troops involved in Desert Storm.

• White face scheme
  
• Phase IIb GP39-2
  
• 88” nose, corrugated grills, Q fans, small exhaust silencer
  
• Walkway with late step wells, front blunt anticlimber, rear drop step
  
• Intake grilles with top and bottom ribs
  
• Welded cab side panels with armrests
  
• Early hinged BN battery box doors w/ single louver
  
• Leslie RS3L air horn offset on cab right
  
• Large and small firecracker antennas on cab
  
• 88” nose with ratchet brake
  
• Pilot mounted MU receptacles
  
• Front EMD low plow, Rear MU hose catch tray
  
• Blomberg-M trucks
  
• 3600 gal fuel tank with alternate fuel gauge location
• Era: 1989-1996