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44-410: The GP7 was the first EMD road locomotive to use a hood unit design instead of a car-body design. This proved to be more efficient than the car body design as the hood unit cost less to build, was cheaper and easier to maintain, and had much better front and rear visibility for switching. Power was provided by an EMD 567B 16- cylinder engine which generated 1,500 horsepower (1,119 kW). The GP7

88-775: A frame made from flat, formed and rolled structural steel members and steel forgings welded into a single structure (a "weldment"), a basic design which is still being employed today. In heavy service, the GP7’s frame would bow and sag over time. This defect was corrected in later models. The GP7 proved very popular, and EMD was barely able to meet demand, even after opening a second assembly plant at Cleveland, Ohio . Later, locomotives in EMD's GP-series came to be nicknamed ‘Geeps’. Many GP7s both high and short-hood can still be found in service today on shortline railroads and industrial operators. Although most Class 1 roads stopped using these locomotives by

132-466: A low nose. Lately it has become common to make the short hood not only lower but also full-width, creating a wider nose which is usually referred to as a North American Safety Cab or Canadian comfort cab . The visibility and access advantages mean that the hood unit is overwhelmingly the most popular style of locomotive in North America, as well as many other regions. Although the crew cabin

176-626: A rebuilt "Paducah Geep" was designated a GP8 or GP10 depending on the power output of the rebuilt engine, not necessarily what it was rebuilt from). In 1960 the Alaska Railroad purchased a dozen GP7Ls from the US Army and rebuilt eleven of them in 1965 with low short hoods for better visual clearance. One of the ten remaining Alaska GP7s was rebuilt by Morrison-Knudsen in 1976. The other nine units were rebuilt at Paducah Shops in 1976-1977. Canadian Pacific Railway rebuilt their GP7 fleet in

220-527: A reputation for aggressively discontinuing passenger trains after the mid-1960s. When the National Railroad Passenger Corporation ( Amtrak ) assumed passenger train operations on May 1, 1971, the only Missouri Pacific route included as part of Amtrak's basic system was its main line from St. Louis to Kansas City. This route is now served by Amtrak's Missouri River Runner (named for the fact that it runs mostly parallel to

264-706: A six-axle ( C-C ) SD (Special Duty) locomotive, the SD7 . The GP7 was replaced by the GP9 model in GM-EMD's GP sequence. ALCO , Fairbanks-Morse , and Baldwin had all introduced road switchers before EMD, whose first attempt at the road-switcher, the BL2 was unsuccessful in the market, selling only 58 units in the 14 months it was in production. Its replacement, the GP7, swapped the truss-framed stressed car body for an un-stressed body on

308-419: Is a body style for diesel and electric locomotives where the body is less than full-width for most of its length and walkways are on the outside. In contrast, a cab unit has a full-width carbody for the length of the locomotive and walkways inside. A hood unit has sufficient visibility to be operated in both directions from a single cab . Also, the locomotive frame is the main load-bearing member, allowing

352-403: Is centered on some hood units (particularly in the case of dual, relatively small prime movers ), in most cases the cab is closer to one end of the locomotive than the other (in the case of a single, relatively large prime mover), breaking the locomotive up into long hood and short hood sections. It is generally preferred to run a hood unit short hood forward so that the cab is closer to

396-613: Is not used in Germany but many switcher locomotives and a few freight locomotives of the hood unit type are in service: Almost all Turkish locomotives have this design. Cab units recently imported and produced under licence. Locomotives of the hood unit type in Czech are: Locomotives of the hood unit type in China are: Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad ( reporting mark MP ), commonly abbreviated as MoPac ,

440-672: The Missouri River ). On March 13, 1974, Amtrak restored passenger train service over segments of Missouri Pacific- Texas and Pacific 's original Texas Eagle route between St. Louis, Little Rock, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Laredo with the Inter-American . This train was renamed the Texas Eagle in 1981, resurrecting the name of the famous MoPac train. The Amtrak version runs over former MoPac and T&P trackage for much of its route. On July 30, 2005, UP unveiled

484-799: The Scenic Limited operated through the Royal Gorge over the tracks of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad . From Salt Lake City to San Francisco , the Scenic Limited operated over the Western Pacific Railroad. A second premier train, the Sunshine Special began operating on December 5, 1915, between St. Louis and San Antonio via Little Rock and Austin . Another named train, the Rainbow Special ,

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528-506: The U.S.-Mexico border in Laredo, Texas , and southeast along the Gulf seaports of Louisiana and Texas . MoPac operated a fleet of more than 1,500 diesel locomotives , almost all purchased within the previous 10 years. Under the leadership of Downing B. Jenks, who became president and chief executive in 1961, the company became a pioneer in the early days of computer-guided rail technology. It

572-903: The Union Pacific Railroad , agreed to buy the Missouri Pacific Railroad on January 8, 1980. Lawsuits filed by competing railroads delayed approval of the merger until September 13, 1982. After the Supreme Court denied a trial to the Southern Pacific , the merger took effect on December 22, 1982. However, due to outstanding bonds of the Missouri Pacific, its full merger into the Union Pacific Railroad did not become official until January 1, 1997. On July 4, 1851, ground

616-409: The engineer ’s control stand installed for either the long hood, or the short hood designated as the front. Two control stands for either direction running was also an option, but one end would still be designated as the front for maintenance purposes. The GP7 was also available with or without dynamic brakes , and a steam generator installed in the short hood was also an option. In the latter case,

660-452: The 1,600-US-gallon (6,100 L; 1,300 imp gal) fuel tank was divided, with half for diesel fuel, and half for boiler water. One option available for locomotives without dynamic brakes, was to remove the two 22.5 in × 102 in (570 mm × 2,590 mm) air reservoir tanks from under the frame, and replace them with four 12 in × 150.25 in (305 mm × 3,816 mm) tanks that were installed on

704-545: The 1980s some remain in rebuilt form on some major Class I railroads , as switcher locomotives. The "GP" designation stood for "general purpose", while the "7" had no meaning other than matching the EMD F7 cab unit then in production. The GP7, GP9 and GP18 locomotives share a similar car-body that evolved over time. Most GP7s had three sets of ventilation grills under the cab (where the GP9 only had one), and two pair of grills at

748-512: The C&;O and Wabash who owned and operated over trackage in Canada (specifically the southern Ontario area). There are five GP7s on A J Kristopan's EMD Serial number page that reused previous serial numbers: B&O 6405 (preserved), CRI&P 1308 (2nd), L&N 501 (2nd) and 502 (2nd), and SLSF 615 (2nd). These rebuilt units were rebuilt as new on new frames. Another rebuild by GMD is that CN 4824

792-514: The L&;N portion. By that same definition, MP operated 10,431 route-miles at the end of 1929, after A&G, SAS and Sugar Land had come under NOT&M; NO&LC operated 60 and DK&S (not subsidiary until 1931) operated 6. At the end of 1960, MP operated 9,362 route-miles, NO&LC and DK&S were the same, and M-I operated 172 miles. "T&P" includes its subsidiary roads (A&S, D&PS, T-NM etc.); operated route-miles totaled 2,259 at

836-866: The Pacific Railroad, Missouri Pacific at one time advertised itself as being "The First Railroad West of the Mississippi". Other predecessors included the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway (SLIMS), Texas and Pacific Railway (TP), Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (C&EI), St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway (SLBM), Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway (KO&G), Midland Valley Railroad (MV), San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad (SAU&G), Gulf Coast Lines (GC), International-Great Northern Railroad (IGN), Kansas, Nebraska & Dakota Railroad, New Orleans, Texas and Mexico Railway (NOTM), Missouri-Illinois Railroad (MI), as well as

880-773: The company after it declared bankruptcy in 1915. The line was merged with the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway (SLIMS) and reorganized as the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1917. Missouri Pacific later acquired or gained a controlling interest in other lines in Texas, including the Gulf Coast Lines , International-Great Northern Railroad , and the Texas and Pacific Railway . The railroad's first heavy repair shops were built in Sedalia, Missouri in 1872. In 1905 several smaller shop sites were consolidated at Sedalia when

924-460: The crew in case of a collision. The low long hood was retained, though its increased length made visibility over it useless. Later, EMD introduced the GP7 , which had a similar layout, though both hoods were as high as the cab roof. The high long hood became standard for virtually all hood unit locomotives thereafter. The long hood of a locomotive is usually about as tall as the cab roof in order to fit

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968-433: The crew in the event of a collision and to give better visibility of trackside signs and objects. Other locomotives were set up with dual control stands so that they could operate in both directions, making it unnecessary to turn the locomotive around at the end of a run. Some cabless hood units were also built. The long hood ran the whole length of those locomotives. In North America, all locomotives are required to have

1012-507: The early 1980's as GP7u units for yard service, including a chopped short hood, new numberboards and front cab windows, and upgrading the 567B prime movers with 645 power assemblies and to "BC" engine block specs (some upgraded with 567C engine blocks out of retired F-units). Numerous GP7s have been preserved on tourist lines and in museums. Holders include: Hood unit A hood unit , in North American railroad terminology ,

1056-583: The end of 1929 (after C≠, PVS and TSL had become subsidiaries) and 2,033 at the end of 1960. In the early years of the 20th century, most Missouri Pacific and St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern passenger trains were designated by number only, with little emphasis on premier name trains. This changed in May, 1915, with the inauguration of the Scenic Limited between St. Louis, Kansas City, and San Francisco . Between Pueblo, Colorado and Salt Lake City ,

1100-498: The end of the long hood (where only the pair nearest the end was retained on the GP9). However, some late GP7s were built with car-bodies that were identical to early GP9s. Early GP7s had a solid skirt above the fuel tank, while late GP7s and early GP9s had access holes in the skirt (see photo of Illinois Terminal 1605, top left). Many railroads later removed most of the skirt to improve access and inspection. Locomotives could be built with

1144-685: The first such train inaugurated in 1940. These routes included the Missouri River Eagle (St. Louis-Kansas City-Omaha), the Delta Eagle ( Memphis, Tennessee - Tallulah, Louisiana ), the Colorado Eagle (St. Louis-Pueblo- Denver ), the Texas Eagle (St. Louis to Texas ), and the Valley Eagle ( Houston - Corpus Christi - Brownsville, Texas ). Other notable MoPac trains operated included: Missouri Pacific gained

1188-534: The front, but there is enough visibility in the other direction that they can run long hood forward at regular speeds. Some railroad companies (notably, the Norfolk & Western and the Southern ) ordered locomotives with cabs facing long hood forward so that the short hood is actually the rear of the locomotives, but that practice has become increasingly rare. This was usually done to offer greater protection to

1232-473: The hood to be non-structural and easily opened or even removed for maintenance. The hood unit evolved from the switcher locomotive. A switcher's long hood is normally low enough that the crew can see over it, and there typically is no short hood. Alco introduced the road switcher concept with the RS-1 , which was an enlarged switcher with a short hood ahead of the cab. This was added to provide protection for

1276-436: The large prime mover and its related subsystems. Originally the short hood of the locomotive was the same height, which is referred to as a high-nose or, confusingly, high short hood. Starting in the mid to late 1950s, the height of the short hood was reduced to increase visibility, creating a low-nose or low short hood locomotive. Some locomotives that were originally built with a high nose were later modified to have

1320-560: The letter F printed on the side sill at the end which is normally operated as its front. The term "hood unit" is not used in the UK but a few locomotives of the hood unit type are in service. Some of these locomotives may also be classified as cab forwards when running in reverse. Withdrawn hood unit types include: The term "hood unit" is not used in France but a few locomotives of the hood unit type are or were in service: The term "hood unit"

1364-609: The old shops were closed and moved to a new site along Marshall Avenue. The MoPac began using the Baring Cross Shops of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway in North Little Rock , Arkansas in 1882. A fire in 1900 caused them to be rebuilt on a larger scale that would ultimately become the primary MoPac shop site (now known as the Downing B. Jenks Shops). Minor locomotive repairs were carried out at

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1408-495: The roof of the locomotive, above the prime mover. These "torpedo tubes" as they were nicknamed, enabled the fuel and water tanks to be increased to 1,100 US gallons (4,200 L; 920 imp gal) each, although some railroads opted for roof-mounted air tanks and 2,200-US-gallon (8,300 L; 1,800 imp gal) fuel tanks on their freight ‘Geeps’. GP7 locomotives were built at GMD's London Ontario plant for domestic Canadian railway purchasers, and for some US railroads like

1452-573: The small Central Branch Railway (an early predecessor of MP in Kansas and south-central Nebraska), and joint ventures such as the Alton and Southern Railroad (AS). Missouri Pacific was under the control of New York financier Jay Gould from 1879 until his death in 1892. Gould developed a system extending through Colorado , Nebraska , Arkansas , Texas , and Louisiana . His son George Gould inherited control upon his father's death, but lost control of

1496-523: The southwest. When new streamlined trains were delivered, the Scenic Limited and Rainbow Special names faded, but the Sunshine Special had sufficient name recognition to co-exist along with the new streamliners into the late 1950s. In the streamliner era, the Missouri Pacific's premier passenger trains were collectively known as the Eagles . A variety of Eagle trains were operated, with

1540-737: The standard EMD 2-stack exhaust with a 4-stack "liberated" exhaust, raising their power output to 1,600 horsepower (1.19 MW). Illinois Central Railroad rebuilt most of its GP7s with 567BC engines, 4-stack exhausts, paper air-intake filters, 26-L brakes (their original 6-BL brakes made them operationally incompatible with locomotives fitted with 24-RL brakes). All but the first locomotive rebuilt had their front (short) hood reduced in height for improved crew visibility. The IC designated these rebuilt locomotives GP8 . The IC acquired many second-hand units through Precision National Corporation (PNC), and then started offering their GP8/GP10 rebuilding services to other railroads through their Paducah Shops (note,

1584-469: The terminals in St. Louis and Kansas City . MoPac declared bankruptcy again in 1933, during the Great Depression , and entered into trusteeship . The company was reorganized and the trusteeship ended in 1956. By the 1980s, the system owned 11,469 miles (18,458 km) of rail line over 11 states bounded by Chicago to the east, Pueblo, Colorado , in the west, north to Omaha , south to

1628-655: Was a major hauler of coal, grain, ore, autos, dry goods and shipping containers . At the time of its mega-merger in 1982, the MoPac owned more and newer locomotives and operated more track than partner Union Pacific Railroad . On December 22, 1982, the Missouri Pacific was purchased by the Union Pacific Corporation and combined with the Western Pacific Railroad and Union Pacific Railroad to form one large railroad system. The new entity

1672-707: Was broken at St. Louis on the Pacific Railroad , the predecessor of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The first section of track was completed in 1852; in 1865, it was the first railroad in Kansas City , after construction was interrupted by the American Civil War . In 1872, the Pacific Railroad was reorganized as the Missouri Pacific Railway by new investors after a railroad debt crisis. Because of corporate ties extending back to

1716-614: Was called Pacific Rail Systems; though part of the Union Pacific Corporation, all three railroads maintained their own corporate and commercial identity. On December 1, 1989, the Missouri Kansas Texas and the Galveston, Houston & Henderson were merged into the Missouri Pacific after having been acquired by the Union Pacific Corporation in 1988. By 1994, all motive power of the Missouri Pacific

1760-543: Was offered both with and without control cabs, and those built without control cabs were called a GP7B. Five GP7B's were built between March and April 1953. Of the 2,734 GP7's built, 2,620 were for American railroads (including 5 GP7B units built for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ), 112 were built for Canadian railroads, and 2 were built for Mexican railroads. This was the first model in EMD's GP (General Purpose ) series of locomotives. Concurrently, EMD offered

1804-534: Was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River . MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad operated 9,041 miles of road and 13,318 miles of track, not including DK&S , NO&LC , T&P , and its subsidiaries C&EI and Missouri-Illinois . Union Pacific Corporation , the parent company of

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1848-527: Was placed in service in July 1921 between Kansas City and Little Rock. The Sunshine Special soon eclipsed the other trains in travel volume, becoming the signature train of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. An advertising slogan in 1933 proclaimed: " It's 70-degrees in the Sunshine when it's 100-degrees in the shade ," referring to the fact that the Sunshine Special was one of the first air-conditioned trains in

1892-610: Was rebuilt as a GP7 with parts from an F3A in October 1958. Over 100 GP7s and four of the GP7Bs were built with 567BC or 567C engines starting in March 1953 through May 1954. These are noted on the roster above. Many railroads rebuilt their GP7s with low short hoods; some railroads went further in their rebuilding than others. Missouri Pacific Railroad upgraded their GP7s with 567BC engines (a B-block upgraded to C-block specs) and replaced

1936-640: Was repainted and on January 1, 1997, the Missouri Pacific was officially merged into the Union Pacific Railroad by the Union Pacific Corporation. UP continued to use the MoPac headquarters building at 210 N. 13th St. in downtown St. Louis for its customer service center until February 15, 2005. The former MoPac building has undergone rehab as apartments and is now known as Park Pacific. In this table, "MP" includes New Orleans Texas & Mexico and all its subsidiary railroads (Beaumont Sour Lake & Western, I-GN, StLB&M, etc.) that officially merged into MP in 1956. Ton-miles for C&EI in 1970 presumably don't include

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