Just to try one out I acquired a Bachmann GP7 (no dynamic brakes) to see how well it would operate. At eighty bucks from Micro-Mark it wasn't much of a risk, and to my surprise and delight, it operates very well. Now...before I light into it with brute force, can anyone tell me how the body shell is attached to the frame? For obvious reasons I want to repaint this little guy, but I don't want to wreck it before I even get started. GS
I didnt even know they made a GP7 Greg, thanks for showing us. I went to the Bachmann site and looked at them.. Are the fans see thru? Handrails look OK to me too. I wish they would do something about the coupler lift bars, but they are not a deal breaker. I agree it doesn't look bad at all.
Greg, according to the parts diagram, it looks like there may be two screws (#10152) hidden by the fuel tank that secure the body to the frame. I should remember, I installed sound in one of the EMD Demonstrators I bought, but it's been almost two years ago. It looks pretty good, especially considering the price and it runs pretty good and has that great Soundtraxx sound.
Bachmann has gotten a lot better than they used to be. My little GE 44ton switcher still smokes on the rare occasions that I run it. Been doing that for over 20 years. Ken
I too, was tempted to try one of the Bachmann GP7's with DCC/Sound. They were priced very reasonable for a spell. I did note that some have delrin shrinkage issues on the long side handrails, which pulls the stanchions and end portion out of square. This doesn't seem to be present on all of them, but some. That scared me off and I didn't want to risk it. (For the sake of fairness: One of my two Atlas HH660's suffers from this too. The Chinese just haven't got all of their stuff together at this time.)
Fans are not see-through, but hey, for $80, so what? This thing runs like a champ and the detail parts all look good. GS
Okay, for the future reference for anyone else who buys one of these babies, here's the drill: There is a single phillips screw that secures the fuel tank to the underside of the frame. Remove that and there are two more screws that hold the body to the frame. You must also remove the couplers, and then the body just lifts off. There are no wires attached to the shell, so it is a clean removal. Be forewarned that all these screws are REALLY tiny. Best bet is one of those screwdriver sets that you might use to fix your glasses. GS
Darn, Gregory, you're making me think to pick one of those up now. Hm... have to look and see if I can find one of those in Rock Island colors (or some other KC line in the early 1960s).
Well that didn't take long. Just a "look see" to see what was available on the Bay. Ended up purchasing a Rock Island version w/DCC and Sound for $123.53 + shipping. Darn you Greg.
That's right, blame me. I got the Pennsylvania version and removed the lettering, which left me with a plain black shell. Hmmm...what shall I do with it? GS
Well, it can't be MY fault. No way. So, you'll do nicely as the blame taker. What did you use to remove the lettering?
Okay, for those planning to score one of these bargain-basement babies, if you are planning to Frisco-ize it (B&Y), get the Pennsylvania version. The shell is already a glossy decal-friendly black and the PRR lettering will come off easily using a Q-tip and brake fluid. You will need to refinish the area where the lettering was removed with Glosscote to restore the finish, which works perfectly. GS
Tom, I am glad you chimed in because I needed to ask you the name of those erasers you sent me. I still have some left, but I can tell I will be needing more. The brake fluid idea sounds good, but the erasers seem cleaner. I know that not all erasers work because I tried another one first before I found the one you sent me, and it did not work. An abrasive eraser will mar the surface, but these don't. In fact, I was able to feather the edge where I had concentrated on the lettering for a smooth transition into the undisturbed paint. I will be looking for your answer with great anticipation. Terry
Hi Terry, I hope you hung on to whatever I sent you. And we need to be a bit more careful about how much we cut away to keep that tip sharp. This is the part # for the erasers I sent you, Sanford #72, or 75213. If your not sitting down you better sit down before you click on this link. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-SANFORD...937681?hash=item2ca8a4dc91:g:LjEAAOSwT5tWHHQs This looks to be the going rate, WOW. Thing I will hit some old graphics offices and see if they have some more to get rid of.
WOW! Worked as a draftsman in my younger days. Used ink on mylar, these electric erasers and a little spit made it easy to take the ink off. But you had to be careful, if you let that eraser sit in one spot too long the mylar would melt. After we computerized, I should have asked the boss if I could take my electric eraser home. They had tons in inventory. Probably still sitting there. The newbies are wondering what are these things! OH Well! Another hindsight got passed me again!
WOW, is right! The brake fluid method may have to be used now, because I won't be buying these erasers. Terry
Brake fluid will work fine, just rub gently. I used Microscale, Oddball and Herald King decal sets to letter this unit (#515, no steam generator). The old Oddball sets are the right configuration, but the color is not opaque enough and the decals themselves are VERY thin and fragile. All that is left to do now is paint the handrails and then apply some judicious weathering. GS
Hope you fellows who are "Friscoizing" the Bachmann GP7 will post some photos of your finished geep. Several years ago, when the late Richard Napper and I were working with Oddballs to do that short-lived Frisco F & FA unit cigar band stripe decal set, Tom said he was trying to improve his yellow decals so they were more opaque. He did a run of his b/y geep, rs, 44t, etc decal set using the improved yellow. I have a set of them but have never used any of its decals. Have any of you by chance used his "improved" yellow decals and did it solve the problem? I don't know how many of these he ran using the improved yellow - probably not many. But, a few of them must have been sold there at the end. Ken
Greg, can I use soak a model I want to reletter in brake fluid? I soaked the sides of a Branchline SP sleeper in 90% alcohol and did get the lettering off, but I had to use a brush to do so. That left paint on the car where I was not brushing, and I want to take all the paint off and start over. I have had very good luck with 90% alcohol in the past when I wanted to remove all the paint from a model, but the paint on the Branchline sides was not effected by the alcohol. Is there a danger of the brake fluid damaging the sides? Thanks, Terry
