Description
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.
ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES: • #1207 Dynamic brakes • #1214 Dynamic brakes • #1221 Non-dynamic brakes
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
GP7 SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:
- Coupler cut levers
- Trainline and MU hoses
- Drop steps unless noted
- MU stands
- “Nub” style walkway tread
- Windshield wiper
- Lift rings
- Wire grab irons
- Windshield wipers
- 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”
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.
