Locomotive Descriptions and Phases
Phases refer to incremental changes or improvements over a the production of a locomotive model. They generally indicate minor cosmetic differences observed by railfans and modelers and are thus rarely, if ever, used by railroads and builders.
Whenever possible, I have based phase information off existing, well-known phase descriptions. In some cases, I've modified the existing phases slightly based on my own observations. When I haven't been able to find existing phases, I've created my own. I include almost all phase differences in the drawings, except when it's not practical to draw them (such as with end plate differences in side views).
While I initially started only by listing basic phase details, I've gradually been expanding these pages into more detailed descriptions that include general production history, railroad-specific details, component variations, dimensions and measurements, and labelled illustrations. These pages nonetheless aren't intended to be comprehensive mechanical or historical descriptions, for which books exist for many locomotive models. I've attempted to ensure the information is accurate and complete, but there may still be errors or omissions; please let me know if you find any!
Models
ALCO/MLW
- Cab units
- RS series
- Century series
EMD/GMD
- GP units
- GP7, GP9 (EMD and GMD)
- GP8 (IC rebuild) - roster
- GP10 (IC rebuild) - roster
- GP11 (IC rebuild) - roster
- GP30
- GP28, GP35 (EMD and GMD)
- GP38, GP39, GP40
- GP38-2
- GP38-3 (NS GP50 rebuild)
- GP40-2
- GP40X
- GP39X, GP49, GP50
- GP59, GP60 - roster
- SD units
- Switchers and cowl/carbody units
- Components
GE
- Universal series
- Dash-7 series
- Dash-8 series
- Dash-9 and later series