EMD FP9

The EMD FP9 is an American 1,750 horsepower (1,300 kW), B-B dual-service passenger and freight-hauling diesel locomotive that was produced between February 1954 and December 1959 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division, and General Motors Diesel. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant, except for Canadian orders, which were assembled by Canadian subsidiary GMD at London, Ontario. The FP9 was essentially EMD's F9 locomotive extended by four feet to give greater steam generator and water capacity for hauling passenger trains. A total of 90 cab-equipped lead A units were built; unlike the freight series, no cabless booster B units were sold. Regular F9B units were sometimes used with FP9 A units, since they, lacking cabs, had more room for water and steam generators. The FP9 and its predecessor, the FP7, were offshoots of GM-EMD's highly successful F-unit series of cab unit diesel locomotives.^[1]

EMD FP9
RLGN 1400 (originally CN 6539) in 2003
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) General Motors Diesel (GMD, Canada) Model FP9 Build date February 1954 – December 1959 Total produced 90
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR B-B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Trucks Blomberg B Wheel diameter 40 in (1,016 mm) Minimum curve 23° (250.79 ft or 76.44 m radius) Wheelbase 43 ft (13.11 m) Length 55 ft 2+1⁄4 in (16.82 m) Width 10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) Height 15 ft (4.57 m) Loco weight 260,000 lb (120,000 kg) Fuel capacity 1,200 US gal (4,500 L; 1,000 imp gal) Prime mover EMD 567C RPM range 800 Engine type V16 Two-stroke diesel Aspiration Roots-type supercharger Displacement 9,072 cu in (148.66 L) Generator EMD D-12 Traction motors (4) EMD D-37 Cylinders 16 Cylinder size 8+1⁄2 in × 10 in (216 mm × 254 mm)
Performance figures Maximum speed 65–105 mph (105–169 km/h) Power output 1,750 horsepower (1,300 kW)
Career Locale North America, Saudi Arabia

Original buyers

Locomotives built by EMD at La Grange, Illinois

Railroad	Quantity FP9	Quantity F9B (where ordered with FP9)	Road numbers FP9	Road numbers F9B	Notes
Chicago & North Western Railway	4	4	4051A–4054A	4051B–4054B	Built from trade-in FTs and rated at 1500 hp. "Diesel Spotters' Guide" counts these as FP7
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México	25	–	7010–7034	–
Saudi Government Railways	7	—	1502–1508	—
Totals	36	4

Locomotives built by GMD at London, Ontario

Railroad	Quantity FP9	Quantity F9B (where ordered with FP9)	Road numbers FP9	Road numbers F9B	Notes
Canadian National Railways	43	38	6500–6542	6600–6637	Model FP9ARM, 15 units were rebuilt in the 1980s with EMD 645C power up to 1800 HP.
Canadian Pacific Railway	11	8	1405–1415	1900–1907
Totals	54	46

See also

•  Trains portal

• VIA FP9ARM
• List of GM-EMD locomotives
• List of GMD Locomotives

References

1. Foster, Gerald L. (1996). A field guide to trains of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 98. ISBN 0-395-70112-0.

Bibliography

• Dorin, Patrick C. (1972). Chicago and North Western Power. Burbank, California: Superior Publishing. p. 126. ISBN 0-87564-715-4.
• Lamb, J. Parker (2007). Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive. Railroads Past and Present. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34863-0.
• Marre, Louis A. (1995). Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years: A Guide to Diesels Built Before 1972. Railroad Reference Series. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89024-258-2.
• Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89024-026-7.
• Schafer, Mike (1998). Vintage Diesel Locomotives. Enthusiast Color Series. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7603-0507-2.
• Solomon, Brian (2000). The American Diesel Locomotive. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-7603-0666-6.
• Solomon, Brian (2005). EMD F-Unit Locomotives. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press. ISBN 978-1-58007-192-5.
• Solomon, Brian (2006). EMD Locomotives. St. Paul, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-2396-0.
• Solomon, Brian (2010). Vintage Diesel Power. Minneapolis, Minnesota: MBI Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7603-3795-0.
• Solomon, Brian (2011). Electro-Motive E-Units and F-Units: The Illustrated History of North America's Favorite Locomotives. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-4007-3.
• Solomon, Brian (2012). North American Locomotives: A Railroad-by-Railroad Photohistory. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-4370-8.
• Wilson, Jeff (1999). F Units: The Diesels That Did It. Golden Years of Railroading. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89024-374-9.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to EMD FP9 locomotives.

• Trainweb.com (2004) EMD F9A, F9B, FP9, FL9 Order Numbers, retrieved on January 4, 2004.
• EMD FP9 Data Sheet