Successor to the 1,500 hp GP7, the 1,750 hp four-axle GP9 was one of EMD’s best-selling first-generation diesels with more than 4,000 produced from 1954 to 1963. Canadian National rostered 349 GP9s with some rebuilt versions serving into the 1990s.
Our review samples are detailed and decorated for CN nos. 4409 and 4422 as they appeared from 1955 into the 1960s. Both locomotives are correctly set up to run long-hood forward.
In addition to well-defined molded details, like louvers and engine-access doors, the model is loaded with separate roadnumber-specific detail, including bell placement and exhaust stacks, as shown on the next page.
The CN paint scheme matches prototype photos, including lettering and herald placement. There’s sharp color separation between all the striping.
The model features the same reliable Genesis mechanism, shown below, as the earlier release. On our DCC sample, the decoder board is mounted above the dual-flywheel equipped motor.
Even though the locomotive doesn’t include a CurrentKeeper capacitor circuit, its all-wheel drive kept the headlights, motor, and sound steady.
After a quick setup, the decoder uses back-electromotive force to automatically set the engine rpm sound to the correct notch per the load. For example, when going up a grade, the engine sounds notch up. When going downgrade, the engine rpm level decreases.
In addition to the printed manual included with the model, an extensive, user-friendly guide is also available as a free download at soundtraxx.com.
Prototype-specific details and Tsunami2 sound makes these Geeps standout models of first generation diesel power.
Facts & features
Price: $299.98 (DCC sound), $209.98
(DC no sound)
Manufacturer
Athearn Trains
1600 Forbes Way, Suite 120
Long Beach, CA 90810
athearn.com
Era: 1954 to present, (1955 through 1960s as detailed and decorated)
Road names (multiple road numbers): Canadian National, Seaboard Air Line, Southern Pacific “black widow,”
Union Pacific
New paint schemes announced: Canadian Pacific, Central Vermont, Grand Trunk Western, Great Northern, Southern Pacific (scarlet and gray in SP, Texas & New Orleans, and Commute versions)
Features:
- All-wheel drive and electrical pickup
- 21-pin DCC socket (DC version)
- Correct scale 40″- diameter metal wheels in gauge
- Die-cast metal frame
- Five-pole skew-wound motor with dual brass flywheels
- Light-emitting diode (LED) headlights
- McHenry plastic scale knuckle couplers mounted at correct height
- Minimum radius: 18″
- SoundTraxx Tsunami2 dual-mode decoder (DCC version)
- Weight: 11.3 ounces
