HO Scale Canadian National FP9A

No stand-ins. No stretches. No fakes. The True North Locomotives FP9A.

Our GMD FP9 is the only accurate GMD FP9 ever made in plastic. Period.

The True North FP9A is a team effort and a labour of love from a bunch of CN and VIA fanatics. We will not compromise on our GMD FP9 locomotive. Every detail is correct, so that modellers of Canadian passenger trains do not have to accept locomotives that "vaguely resemble" the real thing. And on top of that, our FP9 has details that no other F-unit model has ever had.

Some of you may ask, why are we going to all this trouble? The answer is simple. There are numerous obvious amd subtle differences between a GMD FP9 - used by CN, CP and VIA and virtually every secondhand owner in North America - and the EMD FP9 of which there were a grand total of four operating in the USA and none in Canada.

Until now, if you wanted an FP9A your options were F7 models painted as FP9As or, worse, FP7 models with an added detail or two and passed off as FP9As. Our new True North Locomotives FP9A is being tooled from the start as an FP9A. That means it has all of the correct details for all five orders of CN¹s locomotives, from the fuel tanks to the end doors, from the 36" or 48" fans to the correct number of pipes in the roof-mounted cooling coils.

Prototype Information

CN placed five orders for the FP9A, taking delivery of 43 units between 1954 and 1958. Many of these locomotives are still being used today. In its heyday, the FP9A could be seen leading passenger trains across Canada and in the Northeast and Midwest states. It is truly an iconic engine of 20th-century northern railroading.What makes the FP9A different from all other F-units? Click on the image to find out.

FP9 Spotters Guide and Variations

Our FP9A has road number specific details! Grab irons, bell, headlight style, winterization hatch and other details are correctly placed from the factory for each road number and era. This kind of accuracy was only available in brass... until now. Every detail is correct, and our FP9 has details that no other F-unit model has ever had. How can one model have SO many options? Click on the image to see!

Engineering Drawings (Not for the weak of heart!)

OK, we could ramble on here for hours, but if a picture truly is worth a thousand words, then just click on the thumb for our version of "War and Peace"....

Sample Photos

Rather just look at model shots? Click on the image for the latest!

 

 

The first product in the True North Locomotives lineup, the FP9A, features:

• All new motor and gears for smooth slow-speed operation. Click here for more info
• Road-number and era-specific details applied at the factory, including:
  • different grab iron arrangements
  • winterization hatch style
  • cooling pipe style
  • headlight style
  • nose MU details
    and more!
• Correct fuel tank, end door, and other CN-specific details
• See-through fans
• Separate underbody air piping and rerailers (both styles!)
  
• Metal Macdonald-Cartier Knuckle Couplers mounted at correct height
• Operational headlight and user-applied operational ditch lights
• Operational class lights and backup light (DCC)
• Available in both DC/DCC with Sound or DC-only
  - DC-only version is DCC-ready
  - Sound-equipped version uses Soundtraxx Tsunami decoder with real EMD 567C sounds recorded from a real FP9 locomotive in service. Click here for more.
• Several road numbers plus unnumbered available
• Decals with alternative locomotive numbers provided
• CN colours are from the CN SIG. VIA colours are matched to cans of paint from Pointe St. Charles shops in Montreal - where the real engines were painted!
• 100% accurate for the Canadian FP9A. This is not a stand-in.
  

Available Paint Schemes:
Algoma Central	VIA - CN
Canadian National - 1954	VIA Rail Canada
CN - Wet Noodle (1961)	Undecorated

New Motor and Gears Development Update

We've developed a new motor, gear and drive train design that will improve slow speed performance for ALL of our future powered models. To see a video of the new drive train in action Click Here.

Prototype photo courtesy John Riddell.