Athearn Genesis G13243 HO Scale EMD GP15-1 Missouri Pacific MP 1562

The EMD GP15-1 is a 4-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between June 1976 and March 1982. Intended to provide an alternative to the rebuilding programs that many railroads were applying to their early road switchers, it is generally employed as a yard switcher or light road switcher. A total of 310 units were built for American railroads. A number of GP15-1s remain in service today for yard work and light road duty.

EMD built 28 examples of a variant, the GP15T, between October 1982 and April 1983. It was a very close cousin to the GP15-1, but used a turbocharger in order to generate more power from a smaller engine.

The mid 1970s saw many railroads rebuilding their first generation GP7 and GP9 locomotives. Recognizing this, EMD seized on it by offering the GP15-1 allowing railroads to purchase a new locomotive that reused components from traded-in GP7s and GP9s while receiving tax advantages making the GP15-1 competitively priced with rebuilding old geeps. The Missouri Pacific liked the idea and the first 20 GP15-1s, road numbers 1555-1574, would arrive in June and July 1976 on the railroad. Mopac used the GP15-1 across the entire system like the utilitarian GP7 it replaced, and it quickly found a home on branchlines, local and Traveling Switch Engine (TSE) service, yard switching, and as extra power for mainline trains. The Mopac would ultimately have 160 on the roster with an additional 30 GP15ACs, accounting for over half of the 372 GP15-1s and varieties built with Conrail’s 100 being a distant second.

FEATURES:

• Operating class lights
• Newly tooled MP style “solid” handrails and pilots (Not shown on art)
• Dual spark arrestors
• Small EMD plows on both ends
• Single Firecracker antenna
• Front pilot stripe
• Blue patch with MP logo on cab
• Blomberg M trucks
• Operating Class Lights (DCC only)
• Operating Number boards
• Coupler cut levers
• MU hoses
• Trainline hose
• See-through cab windows
• Full cab interior
• Walkway tread
• Windshield wipers
• Lift rings
• Wire grab irons
• Sander lines
• DCC-ready features Quick Plug™ plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector
• Fine-scale Celcon handrails for scale appearance
• Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, & breather pipes
• Body-mounted McHenry® operating scale knuckle couplers
• Genesis driveline with 5-pole skew wound motor, precision machined flywheels, and multi-link drivetrain for trouble free operation
• All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth and quiet operation
• All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
• Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
• LED Lighting for trouble free operation
• Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power
• Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more
• Accurately-painted and –printed paint schemes
• Fully-assembled and ready-to-run
• Packaging securely holds the model for safe storage
• Minimum radius: 18” — Recommended radius: 22”

SPECIFICATIONS:

• DCC: Ready/21-Pin NEM
• SOUND: Ready
• PROTOTYPE MANUFACTURER: EMD
• Axles: 4
• LIGHTED: LED Lighting
• Minimum Age Recommendation: 14 years
• Is Assembly Required: No