OHHH!!!!!! What a surprise

Ah, an original MTH 2-rail DC engine. Rare indeed. Great find and ready for any electronics you might want to install.

 I like that paint scheme. Looks like the top needs a bath. Do you do 2 rail?? Sometimes finding something under my layout is like a present. Good times.

Very nice....lucky find.

Joe, yes, sort of.  I started out with Lionel as a child.  When I got old enough to buy my own trains I went to HO.  Gave those to my son and I started buying 2 rail O scale.  When 3 rail made its explosion with all its new stuff I put the 2 rail away and started buying 3 rail.  At the same time, I was at York one year, I saw a B&O F3 ABA set at Charles Ro's in G scale (F3's being my favorite) could not pass that up.  Since then been into G scale.  Now, going full circle, put 3 rail away back to 2 rail and G scale.  AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!  That felt good.

I had considered a layout with 2 loops of G scale as the outermost and lowest loops.  Next level, 3 loops of 3 rail.  Next level 2 loops of 2 rail.  So, if I ever decide what and how I want it I may actually do it.  If I can stop procrastinating long enough.

Rick

Rick, be careful when you first fire up that puppy.  The early 90's  MTH geeps were mostly wired in opposite DC polarity. tt

Fantastic!

Now if we could just get MTH to do fixed pilot GP9s again. 

Actually I believe your model is one of the B&O "Torpedo Tube" GP-7 units they used on Baltimore area communter trains.  Iused to see them fairly often but never in that early passenger paint scheme.  They survived into the 1980s if I remomber correctly.

Those tanks are for the steam heating system in use at that time.

Joe Foehrkolb

Joe,

I think you may be a little mistaken.  The air tanks were moved to the roof to allow room for water tanks under the engine in their place.  They were moved due to the need for steam but had nothing to do with the production of the steam.

Ken,

That makes sense.  I knew they were up there because the locomotive could generate steam and always assumed they had a direct relation to that feature but air tanks makes sense to me.  Not having a great deal of interest in diesel locomotives I never really looked into it.  I just remember seeing them in their final years on the railroad.

Thanks,

Joe Foehrkolb

Thanks Ken and Joe for your input.  I thought they were air tanks also but didn't realize that the engine generated steam for passenger service.  That is cool.  I will use this engine for a commuter train.

Rick

Actually, I believe those are air tanks.  They were placed on top so a larger fuel tank could be installed for longer runs between fueling.

Jay

Isn't it a bit scary that you bought this and totally forgot all about it?

Nope. They are indeed the main reservoir air tanks, but they HAD to be relocated to the top of the long hood in order to have the largest available fuel & boiler water tank mounted on the under frame. EMD had to do this on virtually every single GP7/GP9 when customers ordered them with a steam generator mounted in the high short hood, for passenger service. I can no longer remember the capacities of that combination fuel & water tank, but one end has the water, and there is obviously a partition inside the tank for the fuel end. The fuel portion would have been larger than the water portion, since the steam generator also burns diesel fuel in order to produce the steam.

Hot Water,

SP had four of them.  They were referred to as torpedo boats because of the air tanks on top.  The locos were used on the old Del Monte Train and because they didn't have refueling capabilities in Monterey EMD modified the fuel & water tanks to 4 separate  800 gallon tanks.  It is my understanding SP could, with some modifications, use all the tanks for fuel, or water (okay that would never happen), or any combination there of.  It is also my understanding that SP used three for fuel and one for water because they could add water in Monterey but, again, no fuel.  This was for the SP.  How or what the specifics are for other roads, I don't know.

Jay

Gunrunnerjohn, yes.

Rick

Rock Island had at least one or two.

The Soo Line had them that normally ran in tandem on the Laker and Mountaineer that flew past every morning with a string of heavyweights and up to five milk cars tagged on the back holding the markers. It sounds like you enjoy a proverbial Smithsonian collection or had a premature "senior moment". Toy train amnesia? Bizarre to say the least.

The Wabash had some as well.