UP's GP7s and GP9s in Victorville & Painting More Cork Sheets for Staging

This time we will look at the Union Pacific's EMD GP7 and GP9 diesels in action through Victorville, and then we'll see the progress in finishing the painting of all the cork sheets for the staging yards.

The UP was later than the Santa Fe in acquiring a large fleet of GP7 and GP9 road switchers to replace their earlier helper diesels and then their road diesels (Alco FA-FB sets and EMD F-unit sets).  

They didn't get their 30 GP7s until Feb. through Oct. of 1953.  They were very briefly numbered #700-729, but they were quickly renumbered to #100-129 in Oct.-Nov. 1953.

Here we see GP7s  #119 &114 helping a set of PAs with an eastbound passenger train entering Summit, thanks to John Munson:

 

Lewis Harris photographed GP7s #109 & 106 helping another set of PAs with an eastbound passenger train out of San Bernardino in April, 1954:

Here we see GP7s #109 & 106 again, this time helping a mixed set of a PA and two Erie-Builts with an eastbound passenger train as it approaches Summit in 1954, as shot by Don Sims:

During 1954 through 1957 the UP acquired a very large fleet of GP9s, along with some GP9B units.  They got GP9-GP9B pairs #130-204 during Feb.-April, 1954, and they got GP9s (without B units) #205-249 during Jan.-June, 1954.  Then #250-299 arrived in Aug.-Sep. 1954

Here's a nice shot of GP9 #130 helping the eastbound City of Las Vegas (the Aerotrain) into Summit in Jan. 1957, thanks to Allan Styffe

Here's a badly cropped Robert Heuerman shot of a GP9 ABBA set led by #140 as it descends with a westbound freight through Blue Cut in 1955 (this was a typical use of these GP9-GP9B sets, as four-unit road power):

Here we see another GP9 ABBA set, led by #147, as it descends with a freight through Keenbrook in May of 1956, thanks to John Shaw:

The GP9s were also used as road switchers.  Here is #173 and a partner pulling the eastbound Leon Turn toward Summit in Jan. 1955, as shot by Thomas Hotchkiss:

Here's an ABA set of GP9s with a westbound freight between Hesperia and Lugo, led by #273 in Jan. 1956, as shot by Thomas Hotchkiss.  This is probably the Leon Turn again:

Here we see an ABB set of GP9s, led by #279, with an eastbound freight at Cajon station in April, 1955, thanks to Bob Kern:

Finally, here is GP9 #294 helping the eastbound Aerotrain to Summit in 1957, as shot by Thomas Hotchkiss:

In July-Oct. 1957 (just after my time period) the UP got a final set of GP9s and GP9Bs, #300-349 and #300B-349B.  I will skip any photos of those here.

There have been plenty of HO models of UP GP7s and GP9s.  I'm careful to get the models that have the early slogans on the cabs, such as "Road of the Streamliners," but some the photos I found on the Web have later slogans.

Here is a Proto 2000 model of a GP7, but with a later slogan:

Here's the Walthers Mainline GP9:
 

And the Walthers Proto GP9:

Thankfully, Athearn Genesis made the GP9-GP9B pairs, as seen here (but mine have the early slogans):

Let's turn now to the slow progress on my layout.

When we left off, Bill Messecar had painted many of the cork sheets on the east half of the main peninsula of the benchwork.  But one of the painted cork sheets later warped upward due to absorbing the wet paint and not having enough glue to hold it down, and when I tried to insert more glue under it, the cork tore apart.  So I dug the whole sheet out, sanded the wood smooth, and glued down a fresh cork sheet, which I later painted.

I also crawled into the center pop-up area of the peninsula and painted the rest of the cork that was out of reach from the aisle.  The replaced sheet is in the foreground of this photo of me at work

 

 

One day that week was spent on a road trip north to Mukilteo to meet with my brass painter.  I hadn't been there in over a year, so I picked up the locos that he had painted or lettered or re-geared, and I left him with a few more brass locos to be painted.

One of the locos that he had painted was the UP's first gas turbine, #50, and I posed it on the inside mainline, where you can also see the painted cork on the east half of the peninsula:

My next layout work happened this weekend, when I painted most of the cork sheets on the west side of the peninsula:

 

Then I painted the rest of the cork sheets by crawling into the center of the peninsula.  At the same time, I trimmed some cork edges that were hanging over the edge, and I cut and glued some filler cork pieces where there were gaps

Here's the current view of the west half of the peninsula, as seen from the other end of the room (the most recent paint was still wet):

Most of my time has gone into preparing for several busy weeks of family events. This will be my last report for at least the next month.  When I resume the layout work, there will be a lot of electrical jobs to do, to get the inner mainline running and to start building the four mainline control panels for the lower deck.