New Project GTW GP9R

[Todd Cline]

I'll chime in with my two cents worth... According to a few articles I have read, The GTW used cabs built by VMV at Paducah shops for the first few GP-9-Rs. After that they fabricated the cabs at the Battle Creek shops. The cabs were designed to be 18 inches longer than the standard EMD style cab to allow more room in the cab for a 3-man crew on the local jobs that the 4600 program was intended for. So, any true model of a GTW 4600 should have an extended cab. (consult prototype photos).. As far as the "4 exhaust stack vs 2 exhaust stack", GTW retained the stock EMD "siamesed" manifolds with two stacks. The main reason that IC and MP modified the exhaust to a 4 stack configuration was to eliminate 2 FRA inspection points. The flex joints between the manifolds on top of the engine are FRA reportable points on the normal inspections. By eliminating those joints and seperating all 4 manifolds into individual units, there are two less possible FRA defects. Not, as some might think to improve engine performance. (although it might indeed have some benefits under full throttle/full load)...
Todd