by Allen Hazen
A variety of WWWeb sources tell me that the GP-15-1 had a D-32 main generator. This puzzles me. The D-32 seems to have been a 1960s design. (According to the tables at http://www.thedieselshop.us -- not 100% reliable, but what I have available -- the first non-turbocharged Geep with this generator was the GP-28 of 1963.) GP-7had a D-12, GP-9 a D-12B, GP-18 a D-22. (All from the same tables.)
BUT------- the idea of the GP-15-1 was that it was an alternative to rebuilding first-generation power: indeed, it was originally announced as available ONLY with a Geep of F-unit trade-in! (I don't know if this policy was maintained-- I find it a bit hard to imagine that EMD would have turned away a potential customer who wanted to order GP-15-1 at full price without a trade-in allowance!) And part of the scheme was that the new locomotive would re-use components from the trade-in!
So. How does this work? Are D-12, D-22 and D-32 similar enough that the EMD people, in reconditioning one of the earlier generators from a traded in F-7/GP-7/F-9/GP-9/GP-18 would in effect upgrade it to D-32 standard?
BUT------- the idea of the GP-15-1 was that it was an alternative to rebuilding first-generation power: indeed, it was originally announced as available ONLY with a Geep of F-unit trade-in! (I don't know if this policy was maintained-- I find it a bit hard to imagine that EMD would have turned away a potential customer who wanted to order GP-15-1 at full price without a trade-in allowance!) And part of the scheme was that the new locomotive would re-use components from the trade-in!
So. How does this work? Are D-12, D-22 and D-32 similar enough that the EMD people, in reconditioning one of the earlier generators from a traded in F-7/GP-7/F-9/GP-9/GP-18 would in effect upgrade it to D-32 standard?