GP 7

I have figured how to recycle electrons in my camera. Nothing is safe anymore.
This was the Geep that my Grandpa was engineer on, in some old home movies. I had to make it.
Someone please tell me those MU stands are mass produced, in HO anyway They are a pain to make.
Anyway here she is and company bringing in the local in from the main yard to Quanah, and the power going back to the house.
Tom

 

Tom -

Very, very nice! That original black & yellow livery is my all-time favorite on a GP7. Neat that you did the engine your Grandfather ran.

What HO model did you base this on? Atlas? Front Range?

Ken

 

Thanks Ken-
Its a Proto I have a few more of them to build. I install Athearn side frames and replace all the gears with Athearn, so it will run. It might not be the best but it works for me.. That Black and Yellow is classic. Hard to beat, the DRGW black and Aspen gold was closer than you might think to Frisco Black and Yellow.
I have a couple Front Range shells left too, but there might be something else in store for them.
Tom

 

Tom -

Ah! I forgot about Proto 2000 when I asked. I don't have any P2K GP7's, but do have the P2K GP9 - in PRR colors, same chassis. You are right - they look great, and run OK for about a year. Then a gear splits and you have a clunk-clunk-clunk until the gear train is replaced, usually the axle gear.

Right now, I have a PRR GP9, a Monon BL2, a NKP GP30 (done up as ficticious SLSF 900 if you can believe that!) and an EMD demo GP20, all P2K, and all four B-B's are now clunking away! I complained to Walthers and they sent me some new axle gears, but they are not installed yet. We should not have to do this. I'm in the process of fixing the GP20, and it looks like the operation will be a success.

As I come from a chemical industry background, I have done a lot of business with the Chinese. This is what you often get.

What decal set did you use on the P2K GP7? It looks great - nice job!

Ken

ps: I currently have five Frisco GP7's:

o SLSF 572, 620 and 632, all done by Andre Ming using the Front Range model, repowered. I bought them from him some time ago. They look great, run great, but require a lot of maintenance to keep them in top shape.

o SLSF 500 and 502, Atlas, test run only, still in the box, untouched. I know they run great. I haven't decided what to do with them - will probably renumber them to get the GP7 phase correct.

I love Frisco GP7's - second only to Frisco E and F-units!

K

 

AAAHHH, maybe you know why. Why do they always make the plastic too small for this? I understand there must be an interference fit but so much the plastic splits and fails??? And why can't they make those plastic handrails long enough, you know what I mean, they are just a smigin too short, just enough to not let the stantions stand straight and tall. And they wonder why a guy has a drink, or two or twelve.....
I bought a couple of Mr. Ming's Front Range Geeps, years ago too on ebay. Probably bid against you for them. Got from him the B/Y 577 and the O/W 583 nee 546, "conflicting with my QA&P 546", so the former 546 turned into the 583... This planet gets smaller for me everyday. Still like those FR shells but the handrails looked like sewer pipes...

 

I bought a fourth FR SLSF GP7 from Andre at the same time - a dummy unit. Some fellow at Tinkertown just had to have it, so I sold it to him for the same delivered cost that I bought it from Andre. I forget the number - it was 500-something. Looked great.

Andre - do you recall all the numbers of the FR SLSF GP7's you sold? When was that?

Ken

 

Yep they work for a livin here still running the second or third set of NWSL wheels off of them. I trimmed the skirts off and installed flared stacks on the 577. I actually removed your stacks from the 577 and installed them on the 517. I emailed you years ago and you told me you used brass square tubing and wrapped styrene around it for the stacks. I still use this method.
Wow indeed.
Good to hear from you.
Tom

 

Tom -

How did you make the tall m/u stands for your Frisco GP7's?

Details Associates 229-1502 looks to be tall enough, but the vertical member is not correct for the Frisco's GP's.

Ken

 

Hi Ken-
If you look at the MU 1506 there are two MU can type things that are cast on a slight angle, all I did was glue these "took 2 packages" to four pieces of .040 X .060 styrene. Drilled the ends and stuck some .010 brass rod in the ends drilled the walkways
ACC'd and inserted, it was not all that bad just trying to come up with 2, 1506's per Geep is the problem anymore.
Tom

 

Can you tell me about the Quanah boxcar in this photo? I see hoppers in the other photo. Are those prototypical?

Charlie

 

Thanks I enjoy building them, and the positive comments coming from such just accomplished modelers, I am gratified. And no Charlie I'm afraid the QA&P cars are not prototypical. I have modeled some equipment just like the BN never consumed the Frisco and the QA&P. This has opened up a whole new world for me as a modeler. I conceid that it is a rather liberal use of the "modelers license".
In my HO scale world the Frisco and QA&P has 2 main tracks rides on concrete ties, and sees power and trains from many roads.
Thanks
Tom|-|

 

Thanks, I'm still trying to find pictures of Quanah boxcars with no luck.

Charlie