Railroad History

Passenger and Commuter Rail

Railroading Today

Rolling Stock

Infrastructure and Terms

Museums and Tourism

Miscellaneous

About The Site

[?] Subscribe To American-Rails.com

The EMD F9

The EMD F9 was the builder's fifth entry in the series although it signaled the beginning of the end of the cab unit's success. By the time the F9 was introduced, the Electro-Motive Division had been cataloging the GP7 since 1949 and debuted its successor, the GP9, in 1954. With the versatility these models provided railroads had less of a desire to continue purchasing cab units, which were best suited for main line services since they provided poor sight lines in yard service (engineers had a very difficult time clearly seeing other crewmen and objects outside the locomotive, particularly to the rear). Obviously, the General Purpose locomotives did not have such sight issues. Compared to the FT, F3, and F7 the F9 sold very poorly with less than 300 A and B units ultimately constructed. Interestingly, F9Bs sold better than the F9As, even with Canadian roads. Today, several EMD F9s remain preserved or in operation. The most famous of these are the two F9As operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway for use on its business train (although, technically, these locomotives started life as Baltimore & Ohio F7s).

The EMD F9 began production in early 1954 as one of the final first generation models of the series. From a technical standpoint it was also the last true freight cab unit EMD released as all future designs were primarily intended to be used in freight service. It used an updated version of GM's standard prime mover of the era, the 16-cylinder model 567C, which could produce a hefty 1,750 horsepower (the most powerful in the series to that time). Using GM's model D37 traction motor the F9 could produce 40,000 pounds of continuous tractive effort and 56,500 pounds of starting effort, both of which were standard for all first-generation F models (except the FP7 which offered a starting effort somewhat higher).

Visually, the F9 varied little from the F7 with a standard length of just over 50-feet, two port holes along each flank, and large number boards. Perhaps the only two distinguishable features if one really pays close attention is the change in grill location near the port holes (there is an additional grill located to the outside of the port hole nearest the cab on the F9). As mentioned before, with EMD cataloging the GP7 and GP9 during production of the F9, railroads saw more of a need for these models due to their increased visibility, which allowed them to be used in all types of services. Between EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant and its London, Ontario location just 100 F9As and 154 F9Bs were constructed by the time production ended in the spring of 1960, although nearly twenty Class Is (including the Canadian lines) purchased the model.

For the Canadian lines only the two large carries, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific purchased the F9, in this case F9Bs (38 for CN and 8 for CP). For U.S. lines, Northern Pacific found the F9 most useful purchasing 60 total A and B units (30 each). Interestingly, industry Erie Mining Company became famous in the railfan community for its roster of five F9As and six F9Bs using them for decades until finally being retired in the 1990s (thankfully, at least one of their F9s remains preserved). Overall, eighteen North American railroads purchased the F9, including the 20 A and B units sold to Mexican carrier Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México.

While few F9s were built many remain preserved today or still in operation. Those that you can find preserved include Rio Grande #5753 and #5771; Erie Mining #4211, Nacionales de Mexico #7009 and #7020 (both in Mexico); Northern Pacific #7003-D, #7010D, and #7012-A. Aside from the NS units in operation, Kansas City Southern also rosters a few as does Canadian Pacific Railway. Additionally, shortline Peoria & Western Railway continues to use F9s in service. For technical data regarding the EMD F9 please click here. Also, for information about EMD's F series please refer to the chart below.

Please Click Here To Return To The Main Diesel Locomotives Section

Electro-Motive Division F-Series Locomotives

Model Type	Units Built	Date Built	Horsepower
FT	555 A Units/541 B Units	1939-1945	1,350
F3	1,111 A Units/696 B Units	1945-1949	1,500
F7	2,366 A Units/1,483 B Units	1949-1953	1,500
FP7	381	1949-1953	1,500
F9	100 A Units/154 B Units	1954-1960	1,750
FP9	90	1954-1959	1,750
FL9	60	1956-1957	1,750-1,800
F40C	15	1974	3,200
F40PH	398	1976-1992	3,000-3,200
SDP40F	150	1973-1974	3,000
F45	86	1968-1971	3,600
FP45	14	1967-1968	3,600
F59PH	83	1988-1994	3,000
F59PHI	Still In Production	1994-Present	3,200
F69PH-AC	2	1989	3,000

For more information on the EMD F series consider Mike Schafer’s Vintage Diesel Locomotives which looks at virtually all of the classic builders and models from Alco PAs to early EMD Geeps. If you’re interested in classic EMDs, or diesels in general, this book gives an excellent general history of both.

You might want to also consider the book EMD Locomotives from author Brian Solomon. Solomon's book highlights the history of EMD from its earliest beginnings in the 1920s, to its phenomenal successes in the mid-20th century, and finally its decline into second spot behind General Electric in the late 20th century and eventual sale by General Motors in 2005. The book features 176 pages of EMD history and is filled with excellent photography and illustrations. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

Share Your Thoughts

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. Please note that while I strive to present the information as accurately as possible I am aware that there may be errors. If you have potential corrections the help is greatly appreciated.