Draft:Southern Pacific GP9E and GP9R

The EMD GP9E and GP9R are rebuilds from EMD GP9 diesel locomotives that were built by General-Motors Electro-Motive Division for the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (also known as the "Cotton Belt Route") and the Southern Pacific Transportation Company.

History
Beginning in 1970 with SP GP9 #3424, all of the pre-existing EMD GP9 diesel locomotives that were on the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (also known as the "Cotton Belt Route") and Southern Pacific's roster were rebuilt into GP9E's and GP9R's with the number series beginning at #3300.

Because of the internal differences of the three 'Phases', different 'rebuild' schemes were required, which meant that they were placed into different number series. As well some got Farr air filter boxes behind the cab of the units.

As the rebuilds had came and went, alongside the un-rebuilt units, no numbers were reused from the Southern Pacific's 1965 renumbering scheme.

The Southern Pacific Transportation Company began rebuilding their units in 1970, while the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (also known as the "Cotton Belt Route") began rebuilding their units in 1974.

SP's Paint scheme variants
Nine of Southern Pacific's GP9E/GP9R locomotives were painted into the Southern Pacific's "Kodachrome" livery of the Failed merger between Southern Pacific and Santa Fe, these units were GP9E/R locomotives #2873, #3370, #3735, #3739, #3775, #3778, #3784, #3792 and #3846.

Preservation
Out of all the 283 units that were rebuilt, six EMD GP9R locomotives have survived into preservation:


 * Southern Pacific GP9R #2873 (formerly Texas and New Orleans GP9 #443, SP #3798 and SP #3565) is currently preserved at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum (WPRM), it was donated to the WPRM in 1992 and currently still resides there to this day.
 * Southern Pacific GP9R #3189 (formerly, SP #5623 and #3005) is now operational at the Niles Canyon Railway (NCRy) as Southern Pacific GP9 #5623.
 * Southern Pacific GP9R #3194 (formerly Texas and New Orleans GP9 #281, SP #5895 and #3001) which had worked on the SP's Peninsula Commute from 1960/61 to 1985 before being retired in 1998 and donated to Golden Gate Railroad Museum (GGRM) that same year in 1998. It still serves there to this day.
 * Southern Pacific GP9R #3709 (formerly SP GP9 #5873) is at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association in Campo, California.
 * Southern Pacific GP9R #3769 (formerly SP GP9 #5733 and #3574) is currently on static display at the Utah State Railroad Museum in Ogden, Utah.
 * Southern Pacific GP9R #3873 (formerly SSW GP9 #3873, SSW 3651, SSW 830) is currently at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association in Campo, California.