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

 

PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE

• Duplicated look and feel of “In Service” equipment

• Faded base colors matched to the prototype

• Perfect starting point for adding grime and rust

 

 

Delaware & Hudson

The D&H received all 20 of the Reading’s GP39-2’s when Conrail was formed in 1976. They continued to operate in patched green and yellow paint for several years, but many were subsequently repainted into D&H’s attractive solid blue and yellow scheme. When mixed in with other EMD and ALCO models, they added a splash of variety to passing trains. We are offering 3 different versions of the blue scheme to add to your fleet!

 

D&H FEATURES:

• Phase 1 body with chicken wire grilles

• Illuminated number boards and class lights

• Blomberg B trucks with Hyatt bearings

• Leslie 3-chime horn

• Large Sinclair antenna

• Small EMD front plow

• Cab roof rain gutters

 

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

• #7404 Solid blue repaint with silver trucks and yellow plow

• #7405 Blue repaint with solid yellow nose and plow

• #7419 Blue repaint with striped yellow ends and yellow plow

 

 

Looking for more Athearn EMD GP-39 Diesel Locomotives? Click here!

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