This is a beauty! Looks and sounds great, but I can't spare an arm and a leg. Oh well, I'll live with the two steamers I got.
Thanks Ken, I do spend more time on this than I should, I am grateful to have a wonderful wife that lets me get away with it. I am also grateful to have met some really good down to earth people on this site as well, like yourself and many others, that are willing to give up their time to help me learn. It seems that I tend to model in spurts, and move on to another aspect of this hobby, there are so many aspects of this hobby, what I have no clue about other seem to know much better than myself. It is a good thing. By the way that is your GP 50 in the video with your NW2 261. Thanks Tom
Yes sir, It is a good engine, It had the same number that mine had, So I renumbered them both into the 790's I am working on your GP 38 one day too, it looks like to be an easy conversion to an Athearn drive. That at least 3 of your engines running around here. Thanks Tom
Tom - Neat! Numbering the GP50's as the 790 series is a better way to go - it does not have any hint of the dreaded "BN-ization" plague. And it fits the historical precedent as, when the Frisco ordered them, the ten GP50's were to be SLSF 790-799. I've always wondered what the Frisco would have numbered any additional GP50's they would have obtained? - high numbered 800's?, which would have interfered with more U-boats, replace retired 700's?, or jump to the 1000's?. I don't think they would go into the high 900's as those were all C-C trucked units. Ken
Ken I don't think Frisco would have been able to stay in the 3 digit loco numbering program for too much longer either, it seems it was a constant juggle for them. I know I'm about out of numbering ideas with 3 digits Thanks Tom H.
As Frisco folks know, the impetus to renumber the Frisco motive power and cabooses came about because of the introduction of computer tracking of motive power, rolling stock, and cabooses; a unique ID is required. I believe that one might make a reasonable case that if the Frisco still existed, it would no longer be using cabooses, and thus the 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1700 series would be available for modern locomotives. One can also point to the GP-15-1's, which took up the numbers once held by the RS-1's, and thus modern GP series locomotives would use the lower 700's, which were once held by the GP-35's. I believe that the modern Frisco would do the same with modern GE units and return to the lower 800's. Perhaps modern six axle units would then take the 4-digit numbers once held by the cabooses. Thoughts?
With the ultimate demise of the GP-7s {HERESY!}, the 500-599 and some of the 600's would be empty also.
Re: Glacier Park Models Frisco 4500 Terry, It's a gorgeous locomotive indeed, and runs even better with DCC. Please see this post. http://www.frisco.org/vb/showthread.php?p=33881#post33881 -keb-
After looking through roster numbers, it looks like there was numbers 775-789 open for more GP's that hadn't been used before. And it's possible the Frisco could have followed suit and begin buying more 6 axel power than 4. And I think they would finish out the 900 class (958-999) with 6 axles then moved into the 1000's with cabooses gone. But that's one prediction.
Or, if some big moose high horsepower locomotives were desired by the Frisco, be they four axle or six axle, bring back the "spot" series. After all, at the end of the 1970's, all we had running was SW1 SLSF 10, with maybe GE45t SLSF/AT&N 11 still sitting around. They could have been easily renumbered. Then use SLSF 1-99 for some new big fellas, GP/SD 60's anyone? Ken
I don't know if, even in a modelers realm, I am ready to give up the 500-600 numbers yet......I mean those are GP7's man!! Giving those up could disrupt or even derail the whole natural order of things you know. Like tugging on Superman's cape or the water in the toilet might start circling the opposite direction and stuff. You guys are scaring me here a little (need more Scotch) Tom H.
Re: Glacier Park Models Frisco 4500 Karl, I stumbled onto your Youtube video today, didn't realize it was yours. But at the time I thought the layout & surroundings looked a lot like Shawnee KS & Rick McClellan's talented work and the HW passenger cars looked suspiciously like the work of Jan Jester's! Brad Slone
Right on Tom! Those GP7's were holy machines. They should be in a Hall of Fame and their numbers, SLSF 500-632, should be retired for all time. Even the five RS-2's - they turned them into Geeps! Ken (I'll have mine over ice please)
Most of the numbers through there are already occupied by retired F units. It would work, but I was looking at unused numbers Ethan
Ethan - By the time the GP50's were ordered the F's, unfortunately, were gone. I think the 45t GE SLSF 11 was gone, too. Only the SW1 SLSF 10 was still active, as best I recall, in the "spot" number series (1-99). I never recognized the F-unit renumbering anyway. That, and painting them o/w, ruined them in my view. I admit to being early 1960's Frisco biased! Ken
I believe that unfortunately we would need to take into effect the fact that if the Frisco still existed after 1980 they like their predecessor would have began looking to divest themselves of branch lines like the Ft. Smith and Wichita Subs to name a couple. Further upgrades of highly used main lines would have probably prompted the purchase of big six axle power to haul coal trains and container trains more effectively and economically. The 25 GP15-1 would have probably been welcome power to handle the branch line duties that would be left. Just some more thoughts to ponder.
Sputter-sputter-sputter! If ever heresy has been committed on this site, it's Bob's mentioning the Frisco dumping the Central Division. A little customer service during the time that the Dark Force was in control and who knows how profitable it could have become as NW Arkansas became the Center of the Known Universe? (Speaking as one who just drove through the campus of the world's largest corporation to pick up pizza.)
For those of you that are interested and haven't found it I put up a video of footage I was able to get while I was operating at Rick McClellan's Northern Division layout. Ethan [video=youtube;djWmlB0eMmE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djWmlB0eMmE[/video]
As far as the Central Division goes, I could see them still abandoning the line between Poteau and Antlers, since there really wasn't much of anything in the way of business. In Antlers, the only thing left when the Kiamichi RR started up in 1987 was a pulpwood yard, and a new crushed limestone quarry at Good, north of Hugo. IMO the A&A and Arthur Subs would still be intact. I like GP7s as well (have 5 of them in HO scale), but to be realistic, the 500-632 series could still be used. In the 1980s, with all the GP7s long gone, there would be room for, say, secondhand leasers a la KCS and Katy, plus some new power.
