GP18

The GP18 is a diesel locomotive in the game Railroad Tycoon II. It is available from 1958-1975, and is one of the finer locomotives of the game. It's relatively high speed and high power is complemented by a surprising low running cost, which enables it to remain profitable for nearly all types of service. Normally though, players tend to use this locomotive for all types of freight. It can comfortably haul 300 tons at a fast 70mph.

## Strategy

Though the GP18 can be profitable with passenger work, other locomotives such as the Alco PA-1 or F9 benefit from their extra speed, and thus those locomotives are better suited to fast passenger work. However, for freight, the GP18 is on a league of it's own. Though the F3A+B is slightly faster than the GP18 (has a high free weight too), the GP18 is so powerful that while hauling 5-6 cars, it beats the F3A+B on all terrain. This fact especially holds true on rough terrain. The GP18 has low enough running costs that it doesn't necessarily need to haul 6 cars, but it is still a good idea to do so, in order to utilize the GP18's high power. In this case, even if the GP18 has to wait for extra cargo, it would easily still be making more money in the end for the fact that it wouldn't lose much speed as well. Working two different industries with a single locomotive is another way for the GP18 to be more efficient.

For more marginal routes where it is not possible, the player should stick to using the GP9, as the GP9 has lower running costs albeit a lower speed too. The GP18 also has the significant advantage of a very high reliability, which makes this locomotive good on a busy railway. This again is another reason why it is the best freight hauler of the era. For faster freight services such as routes of longer distances where the GP18 is not fast enough, the F9 or GG1 can be used instead. Unfortunately, this locomotive doesn't have a very long lifespan, which is disappointing considering it is one of the best locomotives of the entire game. When 1975 rolls around, the players has some choices as the retirement date approaches. The player can opt to replace the entire GP18 fleet just before the retirement, so it can last well into the 1990s before requiring another replacement (The Dash-9 or Class 232 can be used). It's high reliability give the GP18 the shelf life it needs for this strategy to work. The player can also opt to electrify the system and use the very similarly specified Class E111, or if electrification is not feasible the player can try to use other diesel locomotives. The Alco PA-1 has a similar speed to the GP18, but is slightly less powerful. Where power is needed, the player can switch to either the slower SD45, or the faster SDP40 (but be prepared for breakdowns!). Overall, the GP18 is a fine locomotive, capable of taking care of all freight services during the mid-to-late twentieth century.

## History

The **EMD GP18** is a class of 4-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors, Electro-Motive Division between December 1959 and November 1963. Power was provided by an EMD 567D1 16-cylinder engine which generated 1,800 horsepower (1.34 MW). The GP18 replaced the GP9 in EMD's catalog. 350 examples of this locomotive model were built for American railroads, 40 units were built for Mexican railroads, 12 were built for export to a Brazilian railroad, 2 were exported to Peru, and 1 was exported to Saudi Arabia.