I bought a GP8 from the T Gauge website. While doing research about the GP8, I noticed photos didn't match up with the T gauge locomotive. I did notice though that photos of the GP7 do match up with the T gauge locomotive. I don't pretend to know much about locomotives. Is the GP8 that T Gauge is selling actually a GP7? If so, I'm not really concerned, I'm just a bit confused.
Early IC rebuilds hardly changed the appearance at all. I guess it's supposed to be one of those. Why wouldn't they just call it a GP7? Does GM charge royalties for using old EMD trademarks? Don't think the IC trademarked anything...
Honestly, I don't know what the deal is. I think the GP7 is interesting in its own right though. It's weird, at least to me, that there's no view for the crew over the cowl. If you're in the left hand seat you have almost no view to the right front. I wonder if the folks who make the T Gauge stuff will ever come out with a more modern locomotive? Steam engines would be cool too, though I'm not a big steam fan.
The view was similar to steam engines, especially when they ran long end first, as was common. It was the mixed power era. Passenger cars required steam for climate control, and the second tall hood provided room for an optional boiler. They figured it out eventually.
I'd read about the boiler when I was doing my research last night, but there was no mention on where it was or what it was for. Thanks for the extra knowledge. I plan to use the GP7 (8) for my freight on a layout I'm planning on building. Would it be prototypical to run long hood forward on runs, or was that more for when doing switching operations or short runs?
Depends on when and who. A few railroads like the Santa Fe set their early roadswitchers up to run short hood forward just about from the start in the 1940s. Most other roads followed suit by 1960. But, yeah, working the end of the branch line beyond the last wye, even the steamers they replaced ran backwards half the time. That two way visibility was and is the big selling point. Also makes it easier to check the train on curves.
FYI - the high short hood and low short hood doesn't necessarily distinguish between a GP7 and GP8. There are both high hood and low hood examples of both, as well as several other GPs. I don't think the GP7 was available from GM with a short hood, but many were rebuilt with one.
I read about the GP7 rebuilds being converted. I admit though that I know very little about either locomotive.
The early Geeps were almost all built with high short hoods, especially the GP7. It wasn't until the late 1950s that low hoods barely began catching on. It was the transition era and engineers didn't mind having half their field of view blocked off, be it a steam loco boiler or a short or long hood. A lot of railroads ran long hood forward, for protection in case of collision at grade crossings (which happen a lot more than one thinks!). Some railroads chopped the short hoods down themselves. Rebuilds mostly were chop-nosed jobs, though some retained their original configuration. Individual unit histories are needed to see if and when the short hoods were lowered.
There was also a GP-18. Maybe the model manufacturer inadvertently dropped the "1"? EMD built 390 of them. The distinguishing exterior feature between a GP-7 or GP-9 and the GP-18 is the design of the radiator grille on the side of the carbody and it's a minimal difference.
All GP7s and most GP9s have four 36" radiator fans, grouped in pairs. Late GP9s and all GP18s have two 48" fans, each replacing two 36" ones. The GP18 has a metal slatted grid covering the radiators, while the GP7 and GP9 have "chicken wire".
Are you sure it's not a G8? A lot of TT gauge is European and the G8 was an EMD export model that was common in Europe and S America. EMD G8 - Wikipedia
The G8 was one of the locos used in Newfoundland, A1A-A1A trucks on 3'6" gauge tracks: This poor baby was resting at Exporail when this photo was taken in July of 2009. There's a passing resemblance to the contemporary Geeps. But there's no way to confuse them! CN also had some standard gauge G8s for light rail out west. The model number was based on the number of cylinders of the 567 diesel engine. There was also the G12 and G16. Dynamic brakes, if any, would be quite visible on the sides of the short hood.
