Story and Photos by Harry K. Wong
These days it is a common sight to see older 3,000hp locomotives bumped from the main lines and relegated to switching cars in the yards and powering low-speed locals. Turn the clock back to the 1960s, and you’ll find these 3,000hp units were the epitome of the “horsepower race” as manufacturers developed new high-horsepower four-axle units for handling short and fast expedited freight trains.
Reaching and exceeding the design and reliability limits of its 567-series prime mover and electrical gear of its 35-line locomotives in the early 1960s at 2,500hp, the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors responded with an all-new line of locomotives based on a new 645-series prime mover in 1966. Topping its line of four-axle freight locomotives was the EMD GP40, featuring a 3,000hp 16-cylinder turbocharged 645-series prime mover. Between 1966 and 1971, EMD produced more than 1,100 GP40 locomotives for 28 American railroads, two Mexican roads, and Canada. The GP40-2 took the place of the GP40 when EMD released its “Dash-2” product series in January 1972.
Now available from ScaleTrains are all-new EMD GP40 locomotives as part of its premium-level “Rivet Counter” line in a multitude of production phases with an extensive array of road-specific details corresponding to each paint scheme and era.
The long list of details begins with separately applied, finely scaled metal grab irons at the ends of the short and long hoods. Atop the roof is the inertial filter hatch, followed by the “turbo” exhaust hatch and cooling fans. The dynamic brake fan and radiator fans feature photo-etched see-through grilles with fan motor detail and blades at the proper clearance directly underneath. The etched lift rings atop the hood differ in diameter per EMD specifications.
A look at the rear of the Denver & Rio Grande Western model from ScaleTrains.
The walkways feature scale-sized tread plate. The handrails are molded in a slippery engineering plastic with a realistic cross section and are straight. Under the sill is a maze of traction motor cable conduits, piping for air and sand lines, air filters, fuel fillers, fuel gauges, drain pipes, and more. On and around the pilots are see-through etched metal steps, flexible m.u. hoses, fine scale coupler cut levers and snowplows or m.u. hose catch trays where applicable.
Each truck sideframe features separately applied brake cylinders, air lines, speed recorder details and a brake chain where appropriate. Flexible rubber-like sanding lines drop down from the side sills around each truck — an improvement over the stiffer POM plastic lines in prior releases.
The cab features clear window “glass” with sliding side window sashes, etched metal windshield wipers, and illuminated number boards. A full cab interior includes a control stand, electrical cabinet, and seats. While thin in profile, the outer windshield wipers lack the double-arm design present on the prototype. All other details are rendered beautifully in fine-scale relief.
A close-up of the cab of the Western Pacific unit from ScaleTrains.
Our first subject for this review is Western Pacific 3537, one of a group of eighteen GP40s (3527-3544) finished in Perlman Green and delivered between August and September 1971. Rostering a total of 44 units delivered beginning in 1966, the GP40 constituted the largest group of any single model on the WP. With its prototype constructed only three months before the end of “straight” GP40 production, ScaleTrains’ rendition in this inaugural run features all the visual characteristics of WP’s “late-production” units, including a dynamic brake section with an extended front taper similar to those later fitted to Dash-2 engines, and never offered on a ready-to-run HO GP40 until now. Road-specific details include a nose-mounted dual-beam Gyralite, tall “Western”-style snowplow, a Motorola ASP-16 “firecracker” radio antenna atop the cab, and a Nathan M5R24 air horn.
To commemorate the United States’ 200th birthday in 1976, WP repainted and renumbered two GP40s from this group to become Bicentennial engines 1776 and 1976. Compared to numerous well-lit prototype photos and personal recollections of experts, the red and blue colors appear a bit dark when viewed in person. That said, the Perlman Green and orange on the as-delivered version of WP GP40s in this production is spot-on. All lettering and paint on the models examined were crisply applied without any other issues.
