Nostalgia & History > SP GP9 and SD9 Black Widows on the road today and Sunday

Former Southern Pacific torpedo boat GP-9 #5623 and SD-9 #5472, both in black widow paint scheme, are shown today at Sunol, CA on the Niles Canyon Railway in the attached photos.  The mued units were out for a test run in advance of their planned operation this coming Sunday, August 30 when they will make three eastbound trips pulling trains between Niles and Sunol.  Westbound, they will operate as light engines.  A pair of EMD 567 diesel powered locomotives operating in multi-unit configuration is certainly a pleasant sight, one you can see and hear on Sunday. 

Hard to believe both these locomotives are about 60 years old.  #5623 came to SP in April 1955.  Equipped for passenger service, it ran for many years on the San Francisco Peninsula in commute service. Placing the air tanks on the roof allowed for a larger fuel tank under the frame and resulted in the "torpedo boat" nickname.  EMD delivered the #5472 in April 1956.  Early in its career, #5472 spent time working out of Bakersfield as a helper over Tehachapi. 

 

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They look great, hats off to the folks who make them run - and look good doing it!

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

I would have liked to see the SD-9 with the 'Ash Can' Mars light on it.

Malcolm
New Zealand.

MMD Wrote:
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> I would have liked to see the SD-9 with the 'Ash
> Can' Mars light on it.

The 5472 never had one of those lights.  Only SP 5340 through 5371 were received with them.  We went to great lengths to accurately equip the 5472 with the correct Mars warning lights and headlight frames.

Howard

Just curious what power will be handling the westbound trains?
Rob

Does the boat still have duel controls ? Used to be if you wanted the speedo to work, long end forward, you had to turn on the class or number lights on that stand.

Nudge

Westbound will be SP NW-2 #1423 in the tiger stripe paint scheme used by SP on switchers.  Gerry

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Beautiful restorations!

Just out of curiosity, are there any plans to install an Espee-style snowplow on the SD9?

Or maybe the 5472 never had one?  Dunno.

Cheers,

-- Greg

spnudge Wrote:
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> Does the boat still have duel controls ? Used to
> be if you wanted the speedo to work, long end
> forward, you had to turn on the class or number
> lights on that stand.
>
Dual controls were removed during the 1977 GRIP rebuild.  I've never heard that about the speedo before, interesting.

Howard

E25 Wrote:
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> Beautiful restorations!
>
> Just out of curiosity, are there any plans to
> install an Espee-style snowplow on the SD9?
>
> Or maybe the 5472 never had one?  Dunno.
>
The last group of SD9's bought (5464-5493) were not equipped with pilot plows.  In fact, they had foot boards for a period of years.

Howard 

Didn't SP replace the 567 power packs with 645 power packs (cylinder assemblies) when they became available? I bet they sound really great anyway!

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

Great looking locomotives, need to show these pics to my dad since he loved that paint scheme!

mojaveflyer Wrote:
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> Didn't SP replace the 567 power packs with 645
> power packs (cylinder assemblies) when they became
> available? I bet they sound really great anyway!

Neither engine has 645 assemblies now.  The 5623 did have 645 assemblies as evidenced by the red painted hand hold covers but, they were changed out for 567 assemblies at Roseville on 5/38/82.

I don't have the computer records for the 5472 but having had a few heads off, I know that it has 567 assemblies.

Howard

Howard,

The short ends had a regular cable driven Barco like most of the SP power back then and the Vapor-Clarkston was in the short hood.  The control stand  on the firemans side was a rubber stamp of the other one except a small speedo about  4 to 6 inches around was mounted on the right side of the stand. There was a 1/2" sealed flex that went from it to the insides of the stand. My guess is that the SP added it and it was electric. To power it why not graab the juice from a breaker that would be on when running long hood forward. There was always one on the Del Monte, #126-141. 

You would leave the City on #126 with 2 of them on the point, back to back.. The silver sides were behind the second unit, and subs behind them. We would get to San Jose, take our grips back to the second unit and set it up for running long end forward. The car knockers would uncouple the steam line and hostlers would take the lead engine to the house. By then the rear commutes would be cut off and we had 1 stove and 3 cars. We would make the air test and highball. You made your running test before Luther Jct. so both rules were covered.

At Monterey we would back the train into the pass, west of the depot, run the power around and tie everything down for the next morning. When we got ready the next morning, the Roundhouse crew from Wat. Jct had been there. They had the engine running and the steam generator going so the cars were warm. We would back out of the pass to the depot and have our #141 numbers up. Then off to the City.

One trip stands out where we had a PV behind the power on #126 one night. With it coupled to the short end of the motor, it was party city all the way down. Nice view.

Nudge

sp5623 Wrote:
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> mojaveflyer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Didn't SP replace the 567 power packs with 645
> > power packs (cylinder assemblies) when they
> became
> > available? I bet they sound really great
> anyway!
>
> Neither engine has 645 assemblies now.  The 5623
> did have 645 assemblies as evidenced by the red
> painted hand hold covers but, they were changed
> out for 567 assemblies at Roseville on 5/38/82.

For what it's worth, when the 567 series engines are repowered with 645 power assemblies, the camshaft counter weights must also be changed. It is also important to change the roots blower drive gears in the rear gear train.

> I don't have the computer records for the 5472 but
> having had a few heads off, I know that it has 567
> assemblies.
>
> Howard

WOW!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Nudge, great story.  I always love to hear about the Del Monte days.

Howard