Good morning switcher enthusiasts and @jhz563. Some very nice switcher locomotives already on display. We really could start an impressive switcher model railroad club...
O gauge Boston & Maine GP7 #1562 was made by Sunset Models/3rd Rail at an MSRP of $699.95 in 2021. It is highly detailed, has fixed pilots, and is powered by a horizontally-mounted Canon Motor that drives the wheels through a toothed belt. It has ERR Cruise, TMCC, EMD GP Prime Mover sounds and a smoke system that I don’t use. Slow-speed operation and acceleration are very smooth. I run it conventionally on Atlas O-54 curves and switches. When I order a Sunset/3rd Rail diesel locomotive, I know that it will look and run as expected.
Boston & Maine #1562 was delivered in 1950. It had 1500 horsepower and was set up to run short hood forward. B&M had its GP7s configured specifically for freight or passenger service. Passenger versions, such as B&M #1562, had an extended compartment at the rear of the long hood that housed train lighting equipment for commuter service and a steam generator in the short hood for train heating. Freight versions did not have the extended electrical compartment and neither version had dynamic brakes. Sunset has modeled these features correctly and this is the only O gauge GP7 I have seen with the extended electrical compartment (see first photo).
Diesel locomotives in commuter service on the B&M were eventually replaced by Budd RDC Railcars and the GP7s were transferred to freight service. So, this GP7 is a good fit for passenger or freight trains on my 10’-by-5’ single-track New England branch line model railroad. The B&M had 23 GP7s.
General Motors Electro-Motive Division produced 2,729 GP7s between October 1949 and May 1954. They were powered by an EMD 567B V16 2-stroke diesel engine that ran between 275 and 800 RPM. Their weight was 246,000 pounds and maximum speed was 65 miles-per-hour. Continuous tractive effort was 40,000 pounds at 9.3 miles-per-hour and 65,000 pounds for starting.
The train is moving at 9 scale miles-per-hour in the first video.
MELGAR
