HO Scale GP7's: Experiences?

Tom, you are way smarter than me. Facebook is so easy that even I could figure it out.

There's even a Frisco group on FB. It's called "Ship It On The Frisco". They don't have 3,300 subscribers like this site, but they are nearing 1,000.

I heard a briefing by Shane Wilson the President of ScaleTrains.com Sunday. They are producing nice HO and N models being built in China (at half the cost of USA production!!!!!!). I told him to consider Frisco models in the future and that there are 3,300 fans here on Frisco.org. They have a nice Airslide Covered Hopper and SD-40-2, neither for Frisco. They'll be doing another series of SD-40-2s in four years.

Doug

 

Ah yes, the Front Range Geeps. Front Range was the best we had at the time (at least it had a scale width hood), and even then it was a lot of tedious work to get one to the stage that yours is. The Front Range Geeps were not the best: The snap-in hood top didn't fit, the cab set too high, the mechanism was junk (except for the Mashima motor), the handrails were "odd", the frame was goofy, etc, etc. As I recall, a lot of milling was required to get the frame to settled down on the replacement Athearn trucks (the FR trucks were terrible) like it should, on and on. As you say, the end result was "not the most perfect representation", but was preferred compared to the other options.

It was during the Athearn truck years that I learned that not all NWSL nickle plated wheels were the same. Some received bad plating procedures and the plating would flake off quickly. I think I got to where I was able to "see" a bad wheel once it came out of the pack. Are the wheels on your Ming/Geep holding up well?

Amazing yours is still hauling the mail at 30+ years of age. I think I built it in the 1986-1987 range.

Actually, of all the previous Frisco models I sold off, I miss the Geeps the most. The F's were based on Athearn, and much better models of the F unit now exist. The FA was based on Model Power, and much better FA models now exist. Ditto my heavily kit bashed Athearn DS4-4-1000: Better models now exist. However, the little FR Geeps still fit in acceptably well with today's better GP7 models. I have two still marked up for service on my future KC Lines layout, albeit they are in Kansas City & Gulf paint.

Fun times "back then".

 

Here she is sitting in the Knoxville club's HO layout staging yard - it's a reverted loop for staging of both the north (Louisville) and sound (Chattanooga) ends.