Rapido Trains Inc. and MLW are delighted to announce the N scale GMD-1 locomotive. The GMD-1 was built between 1958 and 1960 by General Motors of London. The locomotive is an extended 1200 HP roadswitcher, equally at home on the branchline, on the mainline, and in the yard. We are pleased to be offering this locomotive in two distinct versions: the original 1000-series and the later rebuilt 1600-series.

The 1000-series GMD-1 features A-1-A trucks to distribute its 120 tons over six axles and allow travel on light rail branches in the Prairies. The 1000-series GMD-1 was intended mainly for freight service, with its 65 MPH gearing and lack of a steam generator or pass-through steam lines. However, they could be used with Steam Generator Cars as their cabs were equipped with steam generator controls and blowdown buttons. All 78 1000-series GMD-1 locomotives were delivered between 1958 and 1960.

In 1988 CN rebuilt 15 more GMD-1 locomotives for continued branchline use on the Prairies. This was a major rebuild performed by CN's Pointe St-Charles shops in Montreal. The batteries were removed from the short hood and replaced with a chemical toilet and access door and the batteries were moved outboard beside the short hood. The units received anticlimbers, ditch light brackets, straight exhaust stacks and several mechanical upgrades. The cabs were re-oriented to run short hood forward, and interior facilities were improved - they now had a fridge! The 1600-series units were called GMD-1A and received the class designation GR-612A.

Even though the GMD-1 was exclusively built for Canadian National and Northern Alberta Railways, it quickly became a Canadian railway icon with a devoted following. Simply put, there is nothing quite like the GMD-1, and it is still in service today.

Features:

• N Scale DC/DCC dual mode (ESU factory decoder equipped!) or equipped with an ESU DC/DCC/Sound Loksound decoder
• Dummy plug included with silent models for optional straight DC operation
• 5-pole, skew-wound motor with excellent slow-speed performance
• Accurate dimensions from GMD blueprints and field measurements
• Heavy, die-cast chassis for great pulling power
• Accurate 1000-series (6-axle) and 1600-series (rebuilt GMD-1A) variations
• A-1-A trucks with prototypically sized 40" and 33" wheels
• Full cab interior oriented the correct way (long hood forward for CN 1000-series, short hood forward for NAR and 1600-series)
• Body-mounted Micro-Trains couplers
• Up to six road numbers plus unnumbered for each paint scheme
• True GMD-1 sounds recorded from #1118 (formerly #1018) on the Alberta Prairie Railway

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