Modeling a Preserved Diesel! Unboxing and Product Review HO of Athearn's GP9R SP 2873!

Southern Pacific 2873 was built in 1956 as part of an 80 unit order for both SP and subsidiary Texas & New Orleans. 2873 was originally given a T&NO number, 443.

In 1965 SP renumbered the engine 3565. The unit was upgraded and rebuilt in 1977 and became SP 3798.

To rail fans and modelers, SP’s GP9 rebuilds are known as GP9Es or GP9Rs. According to Joseph Strapac’s SP Historic Diesels Volume 7, these were not official terms used by SP.

The “E” came from SP’s class designation for locomotives that were sold do Southern Pacific Equipment Company and leased back to the railroad.

The “R” designation was for locomotives that went through SP’s upgrade program but were not part of the lease back program, and the distinction was more for accounting purposes than because of any physical differences between the locomotives.

So technically 3798 was a class EF418R3, which would make it a GP9R in rail fan terms.

In 1978, number 3798 was one of a number of SP GP9s downgraded to switcher service, and it was renumbered 2873.

2873 was one of the locomotives repainted in the red, yellow and black Southern Pacific Santa Fe merger scheme, also known as the Kodachrome scheme.

The placement of the “SP” on the long hood is different on both sides. This was done to allow room for adding “SF” to spell out “SPSF” after the merger. Because the merger was denied, no inservice units ever had the full “SPSF” lettering. A few diesels briefly wore SPSF lettering for promotional purposes.

2873 has the distinction of being the last surviving operable diesel in full SP Kodachrome paint. It has been preserved at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, California.

As usual, Dan evaluates the model's packaging, prototype accuracy, paint & detail, and how well it operates and conforms to applicable standards.

If you're a fan of the SP, GP9s, or just model trains in general be sure to check out this video!

Includes bonus footage of the real 2873 running at Portola!