Uncataloged O Scale Premier GP-7 Diesel Locomotive Announced

May 9, 2025 - M.T.H. Electric Trains has announced an exclusive and uncataloged Premier O Scale GP-7 Diesel Locomotive in Monogahela livery for M.T.H. Authorized Retailer Hobby Express of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. The locomotives will be offered in two unique cab numbers in extremely limited quantities beginning in July 2025.

Item No. 20-22015-1 Monogahela GP-7 Diesel Engine With Proto-Sound 3.0
Cab No. 1502
Early Order Price: $549.95 (plus freight)
Click HERE to order from Hobby Express.

Item No. 20-22049-1 Monogahela GP-7 Diesel Engine With Proto-Sound 3.0
Cab No. 1500
Early Order Price: $549.95 (plus freight)
Click HERE to order from Hobby Express.

ABOUT THE PREMIER O SCALE GP-7 DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE OFFERINGS

Electro-Motive Division's GP (for "General Purpose") engines were the brainchild of project engineer Dick Dilworth. In the late 1940s, Dilworth saw that America's 30,000 miles of mainline rail had been virtually dieselized, but the 130,000 miles of secondary lines that carried half of the nation's freight traffic were still largely steam-powered. He viewed that as a huge marketing opportunity.

In The Dilworth Story, a book published by Electro-Motive Division in 1954, Dilworth explained how he tried to meet that opportunity: "In planning the GP, I had two dreams. The first was to make a locomotive so ugly in appearance that no railroad would want it on the main line or anywhere near headquarters, but would keep it out as far as possible in the back country, where it could do really useful work. My second dream was to make it so simple in construction and so devoid of Christmas-tree ornaments and other whimsy that the price would be materially below our standard main-line freight locomotives."

Of course, Dilworth's explanation conveniently ignored the fact that Alco's arguably uglier RS-1 had introduced the road switcher concept eight years before EMD. And in one sense, Dilworth's project was a failure. Railroads bought Geeps for mainline service and relegated older power to secondary lines as they had always done. But his brainchild became the runaway best-seller among first-generation diesel power. U.S. and Canadian railroads bought nearly 7,000 copies of the 1500 horsepower GP7, introduced in 1949, and the 1750 horsepower GP9, produced from 1954 through 1963.

ORDER DIRECTLY VIA EMAIL OR PHONE FROM:

Hobby Express
1713 Route 228
Cranberry Twp., PA 16066
(724)779-2000
http://www.hobbyexpressinc.com
info@hobbyexpressinc.com

M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing the 2025 RailKing O Gauge Bump n Go Trolleys in four different livery configurations this Fall. In addition, three Holiday schemes are coming this Fall, each with body-clad LEDs. Each of these offerings is expected to begin shipping to M.T.H. Authorized Retailers in September 2025.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing the 2025 Premier O Scale Corrugated Auto Carriers in seven different livery configurations this Fall. Each of these offerings is expected to begin shipping to M.T.H. Authorized Retailers in September 2025.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.