Soo Line Locomotive Technical Drawings

Soo Line Locomotives All artwork copyright 1996-1998 Rick Johnson/Soo Line Historical and Technical Society. All rights reserved. Artwork may be downloaded for personal use, but may not be distributed to others without permission. Click on any of the thumbnails to see the artwork in O scale at 72 dpi. F-units \| GP15C & GP30C \| SD60 \| GP30 \| SD40 & SD40-2 \| U30C \| GP9
F-Units This locomotive series was covered in the Fall 2004 issue of the SOO, which included a poster with colored drawings of these locomotives. Poster available for purchase. HO scale: 3.5mm=1 foot. Drawn for the Soo Line Historical and Technical Society by Rick Johnson. ©2004 SLHTS
Soo Line 200 was the first F-unit on the Soo, built in October 1947 as a two-unit 3,000-h.p. set. This pair comprised the only phase II F3s on the railroad, and are easily recognized by the high shrouded radiator fans on the top and the "chicken wire" covering the side vents. This view shows the 200-A as it appeared shortly after being put into service. Soo Line 202-B is a phase III F3 built for the M.St.P.&S.Ste.M. in January 1948. It had the newer, low-profile radiator fans, but retained the vent screening used on phase II F3s. It1s shown as modified by the railroad in the late 1950s, with grabirons running up the right side of the nose, skid-resistant material, grabs above the front windows, and cab sun shades.
Soo Line 2200 (a.k.a. the "Queen Mary") is a 4,500-h.p. locomotive set built for the Wisconsin Central in September 1949. Although its appearance is that of an F7, it’s actually a phase IV F3. It was originally intended to work as a three-unit set, but the -A, -B, and -C subletters were added to the numberboards when they were added individually to the locomotive pool.
Soo Line 2230 was the last F unit built for the Soo Line in August 1953. As a phase II F7, it had vertical side vents and vertical style large Farr air grills, rounded-corner doors, and lacked the roof overhang at the rear of the locomotive. The fuel tank skirting was removed in the 1960s for easier maintenance. The grabirons on the nose and rerail frog were added in the 1960s. Soo Line 2204-C was unique in that it was the Soo's only phase II F7B, built in July 1952, and it was also the only cabless unit purchased as a spare booster. The center porthole on red and white booster units was sometimes painted over to accomodate the middle "O" in "SOO." Soo Line 212-B shows how the pilot step was later removed from F-units. The rear door window was blanked out and the diaphragms eventually removed. In some cases, but not shown here, steel kick plates were added behind the nose grabirons. Rear lights were originally of the removable type that mounts in the doorway, but permanent lights were added to some units.
Soo Line 503 was a phase I FP7 with a phase I F7B booster locomotive built in March 1951. The drawing depicts it as new, with the cabless booster still designated as 503-B, later changed to 503-C. Both units were equipped with steam generators for heating passenger cars and winterization hatches on the roof to help heat the interior of the locomotive. Soo Line 2224-B was one of several locomotives repainted shortly after the 1961 merger in a plain maroon paint scheme originally intended to be the new standard scheme for the "New Soo."
GP15C & GP30C This locomotive series was covered in the Summer 2004 issue of the SOO, which included a poster with colored drawings of these locomotives. Poster available for purchase. HO scale: 3.5mm=1 foot. Drawn for the Soo Line Historical and Technical Society by Jason Korth and Rick Johnson. ©2004 SLHTS
	GP15C The Soo's seven GP15Cs, numbers 4100-4106 were built by Generation II Locomotives using 1,500 horespower CAT 3512 prime movers atop GP9 frames. All featured ZTR computer controls and were delivered in the winter of 1990-1991.
	GP30C Acquired in the fall of 1990 were three GP30Cs, numbers 4300-4302, built by Generation II using 2,000-horespower CAT 3516 prime movers on GP30 frames. These units featured ZTR computer controls as well as dynamic braking.
SD60 This locomotive series was covered in the Spring 2004 issue of the SOO, which included a poster with colored drawings of these locomotives. Poster available for purchase. HO scale: 3.5mm=1 foot. Drawn for the Soo Line Historical and Technical Society by Rick Johnson. ©2004 SLHTS
	SD60 The Soo Line’s first SD60 order of 21 units (6000-6020) were delivered between August and October 1987 wearing the traditional red and white “hockey stick” paint scheme in use since the late 1970s. This paint scheme is depicted here on class unit 6000 and shows details representative of how the unit appeared shortly after entering service with typical Soo Line amenities, such as the large pilot plow, aluminum bay window, and cab wind deflectors. The horn location was originally just behind the dynamic fan on the conductor1s side roof corner, but was moved back to the middle of the long hood within a year of entering service. The black walkways are actually an anti-slip compound consisting of an industrial coating product mixed with fine sand and applied with a trowel. The next 21 units delivered (6021-6041) were lettered in the same manner and given many of the same accessories with only slight variations in application.
	SD60M The Soo Line’s third and final production slot of 21 SD60s (6042-6062) delivered in October and November 1989 ushered in the candy apple red paint scheme on newly-delivered locomotives. All 21 units also featured a slightly larger 4800-gallon fuel tank and Salem air dryer, located just behind the fuel/air tanks on the conductor1s side. Delivered in November 1989 as the last five units of the third slot, SD60Ms 6058-6062 introduced another first for the railroad with their North American Safety Cab. Depicted here, the SD60Ms were the last locomotives built new for the Soo Line. The use of the larger, safety or “comfort cab” resulted in the moving of the brake wheel from the front short hood to the rear of the long hood. These units were also unique with their nose-mounted headlights and 6062 featured air conditioning to complement the many advances in crew comfort such as the cushioned floor, padded ceiling, desktop controls, heated glass windows, and high-backed seats, all in a more spacious environment that was both quieter and more airtight in the cold Midwest winters. The preceding 16 standard-cab units (6042-6057) were delivered in the same general paint scheme as the SD60M depicted here, with the exception of different nose lettering.
GP30 This locomotive series was covered in the Fall 2003 issue of the SOO, which included a poster with colored drawings of these locomotives. Poster available for purchase. HO scale: 3.5mm=1 foot. Drawn for the Soo Line Historical and Technical Society by Rick Johnson. ©2003 SLHTS
	GP30 no. 700 was the first of twenty-two GP30s on the Soo Line. The plow and winterization hatch characteristic of Soo's second-generaation locomotives were added a few years after the GP30s began service. It's currently on display at the Lake Superior Trasnportation Museum in Duluth, Minnesota
	GP30 no. 703 was the only locomotive on the railroad repainted with this hybrid of the 1974 parallelogram paint scheme with a white rear end, but with the large 48" "SOO" on the side. The red front walkways are typical of units repainted by the Soo Line. This locomotive is currently at the Colfax Railroad Museum in Colfax, Wisconsin.
	GP30 no. 715 was one of three GP30s painted into the Wisconsin Central's maroon-and-gold paint scheme (the others being 711 and 713). It's currently on display at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
SD40, SD40-2 This locomotive series was covered in the Winter 1998 and Spring 1998 issues of the SOO, which included a poster with colored drawings of these locomotives. Poster available for purchase. Drawings in this section are O scale.
	SD40 No. 746 is from the second SD40 order of four units (746-749) delivered in March, 1970. These four locomotives were identical in appearance to the first ten delivered the previous year. All of the Soo's original SD40s were delivered in the 1962 red and white scheme illustrated here. The unique electronic bell, extra cab windows, rerail frogs, and footboards were also common to the three SD40 orders
	SD40-2 No. 777 illustrates the "parallelogram" scheme as it first appeared on units 775-786 delivered in October, 1974. The end of the long hood was left white, and the "SOO LINE" lettering was removed from the nose. In addition, the road number was removed from the cab and placed near the walkway towards the end of the long hood, where they eventually proved difficult to read. SD40-2s 757-789 were delivered with many of the same features found on the earlier SD40 orders, such as the extra cab windows, footboards, and small 3200-gallon fuel tanks.
	SD40-2 6612 was built in 1980 and delivered in a compromise between the 1974 scheme and the previous scheme, one dubbed the "hockey stick" paint scheme.
	SD40-2 No. 6623 was the last domestic SD40-2. Constructed in August, 1984 as part of an order for six units (6618-6623), it featured the latest design improvements to EMD's long SD40-2 production run, such as the distinctive free-flow "laundry chute" blower duct located behind the cab. By the time these six units were delivered, the standard location for the air horn was next to the strobe atop the cab roof. The black appearance of the walkways was due to the application of an anti-slip paint. This black coating eventually wore off over time, exposing the white paint underneath.
	SD40 No. 750 was delivered as part of the Soo's third and final SD40 order in May, 1971. It's electronic bell and footboards were removed, and the extra cab windows were plated over sometime during the late-1970s to early-1980s. During the mid-1980s, the unit received a larger plow and its horn was moved to a location adjacent to the strobe on the cab roof. This unit received ditch lights, and its horn was moved back to the long hood around the time it was repainted into candy apple red in August, 1991.
	SD40-2 No. 6607 was the first Soo Line locomotive to receive the unified dual flags paint scheme, having been repainted in April, 1993 at Shoreham. Like the other Soo SD40s/SD40-2s still in service today, its horn has been moved back and ditch lights now rest on the front porch. This unit received a dynamic brake retrofit in April, 1990. Note the unusual bulge in the dynamic brake blister: this is a feature common to all units retrofitted with dynamic braking.
	SD40B No. 6450 was quickly repainted into the "hockey stick" paint scheme before it entered service on the Soo in 1987. The dynamic brake housing was moved to the front of the hood from its usual location when it was rebuilt by the Burlington Northern in 1981 after a wreck. During the early 1990s, this unit received the "Proud To Be Part Of CP Rail System" decal under the road number on the hood -the only SD40 to receive this application.
U30C This locomotive series was covered in the Fall 2001 the SOO. Poster available for purchase.
	The Soo Line's ten U30Cs were built in 1968, and were delivered in the then-standard red and whte paint scheme with the large 48" SOO lettering.
	Several of the U30Cs were repainted in 1974 into the "speedlettering" paint scheme to reflect the new Soo Line corporate logo. Note that this unit, 805, had Adirondack trucks, while others, such as 800, had standard trucks.
GP9 This locomotive series was covered in the Spring 1997 issue of the SOO, and included a poster (SOLD OUT) with colored drawings of six Soo Line GP9s.
	GP9 406 is a freight unit in its original paint scheme. Note in the larger view that the "wings" on the end don't connect as on the ends of 2555--this is commonly believed to be a paint shop mistake by EMD, as was 404.
	2555 was the only passenger Geep equipped with dual controls for operation in both directions. It was ordered for use on branchlines where there were no facilities for turning the locomotive for the return trip.
	550 was the first locomotive painted in the red and white colors. It was a light gray color and had an unusual serif font for the big "SOO" lettering. It was the only unit ever painted like this.
	No. 2411 was one of three units chopnosed (this one in 1963) and repainted intno the red/white scheme. This is the most common paint scheme for GP9s from the 1960s to the preent, despite the repainting of many units into the all-red scheme in 1985.
	558 was the only GP9 painted in the "hockey stick" paint scheme more typical of GP38-2s and other later power.
	GP9 410 repainted into the 1985 all-red scheme.
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