Athearn GP7 Project Poll

To All:

I am getting ready to contact my Athearn representative about producing the GP7. I need to specify to him which color scheme we want to see produced first. In this regard, I want to keep the choices as simple as possible so here is how I'm going to do it. I am giving the group two basic choices to begin with, either B&Y or O&W. After the votes are in, then I plan to post another poll being more specific as to time frame paint scheme (i.e. stripes, etc.)

We need to remember that we want to get the first run correct (i.e. most chance of number of units sold) so we can assure getting a second run down the line. I will close this poll in two weeks.

For reference purposes, GP7's have not been produced by anyone for several years. Atlas first produced an O&W one that was the wrong color and the old body style with cast on grab irons, etc. and later produced a B&Y version that had the wrong road #'s for the body style used, but did have separately applied grab irons, etc. It also had a DCC plug.

 

Bob,
the question now is which B&Y sceme are we talking about, the one with five cheverns, etc.?

 

Richard and All:

As I said in the original post, for right now let's just try and decide which basic color scheme (B&Y or O&W) that everyone would prefer seeing. Then my plan was to narrow the choices down after that in a subsequent poll.

 

Bob, if B&Y wins (and I'm about 95% sure it will), what are the chances of them doing one in O&W? It would be neat to have one, but B&Y doesn't really fit in...... Then again neither does the steamer.

Ethan

 

Curious--I'm in N scale and don't keep up with HO releases, but didn't Atlas release an HO Frisco GP-7 in the full stripe b/y scheme? Atlas did a GP-7 in N scale and they usually do HO first??

Tom

 

The GP7L Frisco diesel had basically two B&Y paint schemes, The first one had a full four or five Chevrons on the nose with two yellow rectangles on the upper part of the nose. The Frisco then began to simplify this by putting only one full chevron and two corner chevrons with a diamond sharp replacing the two rectanglular shapes. Those came on the GP7Ls with and without Steam generators in the short hood. There was also two O&W paint shcemes. The most used had no strips on the nose ends, but a second one used scott light reflectors all over the white portion of the nose ends but they fadded badly. Both photos are by Louis A. Marre. We could fight all day about what color the yellow is, I know it is a golden yellow, but I have always prefered Floquil Reefer Yellow on my models, and that is the color that matches the decals available; just my opinion.

 

Richard--Do you think the Frisco GP-7 yellow is the same color as the yellow nose area and stripes of the F's and FA's?

Tom

 

Bob, If Athearn wants to do all Frisco GP7L then there would be eight models. B&Y in both paint schemes and with and with out Steam Generator in short hood; and all the same for the four O&W models. I would prefer to see the GP7L modelled with steam generator in short hood in both B&Y and O&W. It is easier to remove the steam generator detail if one wants the other four models. Just my opinion.

 

Ken,
I have such a photo but it will taken me some time to find it as I have thousands of Frisco photos.

 

Fort Smith, 5-60 and 8-61. Notice too, though, that the sg-equipped units had a much larger fuel/water tank than the ones not equipped.

 

Here's the only thing that I have at the moment that looks down on the short hood and it is not very clear but you can at least see how the s/g stack is offset to the
fireman's side.

 

I agree with Chris regarding the photo of 512. Lots of neat stuff in that photo! Thanks for posting it.

Ray Wells