PROTO 2000 Diesel EMD GP20 High Hood - Standard DC (No Sound) -- Burlington Northern #2017 (green, black)

By the mid 50s, increasing pressure from long-haul trucks, declining passenger revenues and mounting costs forced western railroads to find new ways to improve service. Faced with expensive overhauls of early cab and hood unit diesels, many began looking at new equipment as well as ways to improve existing motive power. In 1955 Union Pacific equipped several GP9s with turbochargers as an experiment. Their success inspired EMD to create its own turbocharger for the 567 prime mover, leading to the introduction of the six-axle SD24 in 1958. Further experiments in 1959 created a four-axle version, dubbed the GP20. Western Pacific was impressed by the new model's ability to deliver maximum horsepower at various altitudes and ordered the first six. Great Northern followed suit shortly after, ordering 36 units. As designed and built, the long hood was actually the front of these engines - they would be the only high-hood examples built - and a short, high hood was installed behind the cab. E