Nostalgia & History > WP Wednesday . . .

.   .   .   in a repost, 38 years ago, one of WP's GP9's *corrected* was working in yard service switching on the west end of WP's Stockton, CA yard.
JB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/19 13:28 by 3rdswitch.

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Very Nice,  thansk for digging this out of your files for us!!.

Pat

the gp20`s where in the 2000`s thats a gp9

stevenlsilva Wrote:
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> the gp20`s where in the 2000`s thats a gp9

Yep, that's a GP9.  GP20's were numbered 2000 - 2009.

Damn, made me do the math.  1981 photo?   I'd love to see the road names of the racks that geep is pulling!

Cheers, Jim

SPDRGWfan Wrote:
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> Damn, made me do the math.  1981 photo?   I'd
> love to see the road names of the racks that geep
> is pulling!
>
> Cheers, Jim

First one is N&W, second is Santa Fe.

PHall Wrote:
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> stevenlsilva Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > the gp20`s where in the 2000`s thats a gp9
>
> Yep, that's a GP9.  GP20's were numbered 2000 -
> 2009.

Wronggggggg. WP GP20s were numbered 2001 to 2010. But thanks for playing. lol

Some trivia: by the time of this photo, WP 732 was set up as long-hood forward and no longer dual control stand, as originally delivered. It had been in an accident in the 1970s, which damaged the right side of the cab. Instead of repairing/replacing the control stand on that side, they just removed it. At least, that's my understanding of how it happened. 

Also, note the later GP35-style fan over the dynamics. I'm not aware if any other WP GP7s or GP9s had one of those.

This story of this motor has fascinated me, ever since I saw a photo of it with the "F" on the long hood.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/19 18:56 by saewald.

Great photo and info on the oddball 732.

WP 732 was the last WP GP9 to be scrapped, giving up parts after being wrecked on the Iowa Interstate until the remains were cut up in late 1989. 

Of the 6 GP9s that survived to the UP merger (WP 730 was wrecked in September 1963 and WP 726 was wrecked in May 1970), four (725, 729, 731 and 732) were sold to the Iowa Interstate, WP 727 was donated to Elko, NV and WP 728 was scrapped in March 1985.

WP 729 / IAIS 304 suffered a fire in September or October 1987 that put it out of service.  It was finally cut up around August-September 1989.

WP 732 / IAIS 308 would last about another year, being wrecked in August 1988.  The remains were finally scrapped in late 1989 (some rosters say November or December).

The long hood of WP 732 and some parts from 729 survive.  The IAIS used them to repair their engine 309, a former Wabash GP7.  Today, ex-309 is a switcher at a grain elevator in Texas.

WP 725 and 731 were the last WP GP9s in active service on a revenue railroad.  The IAIS put them aside in 1994 and returned them to Helm Leasing.  They would be purchased by the Feather River Rail Society in November 1995.  One of the pair is approaching runnable condition and slated to get green and orange paint soon.

Of WP's road diesels, its GP9 fleet was its smallest with 8 units.

Z

Love the variety of multi-levels in those transition days before everything was fully enclosed.

Bob