|
|
Post by painkiller on Jun 6, 2012 22:40:01 GMT -8
I bought Bachmanns S4 in Santa Fe.s zebra paint with the DCC sound and allmost at once it was out of box I ordered Bachmanns GP9 in Zebra and one of the Genesis GP7.s in Zebra aswell. The idea was to compare the difference between a low coat model with more expensive. So I needed a couple of cabooses along and won the bid of two dirt cheap, but rather nice Walthers wooden Santa Fe ones. After seeing a few photos of the Genesis Zebra units I just ordered the rest of them and now am planning on a switching layout, while eyeballing alot on Bob Smaus's new layout which also one such...
The moral of the story is I don´t appearently have the dicipline to stay on one road. I cancelled an order earlier on the Genesis GP9.s in SP and was pleased to see that the Genesis line has corrected thses on the new release.
Ollie
|
|
|
|
Post by Brakie on Jun 7, 2012 1:51:07 GMT -8
After the flack they receive over the errors I don't blame them for fixing them.
There is another lighter side to this..
A long time friend that's been wanting two of those Geeps manage to pick two of the first run non-sound Geeps up at (to use his words) prices that would have made Sam Walton smile.For what he paid for the set that may will be a understatement.
He's well aware of the errors but(his words) at 72 I won't be losing any sleep over 'em besides all that I help the hobby shop guy out since he was sitting on a canceled order he couldn't sell..
|
|
|
|
Post by riogrande on Jun 7, 2012 6:28:32 GMT -8
Athearn announced the D&RGW "modern" paint Genesis D&RGW GP9 with the spark arrestors due out this fall, so I'm saving my pennies for one of those. I don't have any sound units yet, so we'll see, I would love to hear a Tsunami. I don't expect I'll be a big fan of sound but I'll want to have a few examples to play with and right now the only sound I have is QSI that came with two Atlas GP40-2's and 1 Proto 2000 F7AB set. I do want to install a Tsunami in one of my SD40T-2's some day.
I'm jazzed because the GP9 is one of the diesels that has been on my want list for a long long time and I've collected about every other major class on the post 1966 roster. There are really only two major classes left that I don't have yet, thats the GP9 and the SW1200. Now if only Walthers P2K would do the SW1200 in D&RGW finally - I'd have to break the bank of course with the Walthers very high prices!
|
|
|
|
Post by calzephyr on Jun 7, 2012 15:49:24 GMT -8
I bought Bachmanns S4 in Santa Fe.s zebra paint with the DCC sound and allmost at once it was out of box I ordered Bachmanns GP9 in Zebra and one of the Genesis GP7.s in Zebra aswell. The idea was to compare the difference between a low coat model with more expensive. So I needed a couple of cabooses along and won the bid of two dirt cheap, but rather nice Walthers wooden Santa Fe ones. After seeing a few photos of the Genesis Zebra units I just ordered the rest of them and now am planning on a switching layout, while eyeballing alot on Bob Smaus's new layout which also one such... The moral of the story is I don´t appearently have the dicipline to stay on one road. I cancelled an order earlier on the Genesis GP9.s in SP and was pleased to see that the Genesis line has corrected thses on the new release. Ollie The corrections are a good start, but the SP units that so many of us wanted and some of us purchased are not correct in a lot of ways. I hope they offer the model again soon for some who still want it. Larry |
|
|
|
Post by painkiller on Jun 8, 2012 1:49:19 GMT -8
I was among them who got disappointed when they came out. As a fan of black widow SP units I ordered a batch at once. But when the first reports came in, I cancelled the order. But once they are to do a new GP9.s with correcte details I am in.
Speaking of Walthers I got one of the Portales depot and the Santa Fe freight house and as there is a new tower announced I am to get one of these.
I find it kind of strange iin the world of many companis making a GP40 that there is not untill now by Bachmann a basic but scale GP9 offered.
Ollie
|
|
|
|
Post by Donnell Wells on Jun 8, 2012 14:32:50 GMT -8
The Bachmann GP9 (or GP7 really, with more louvers) is not a bad locomotive. I actually bought two with the intention of upgrading them significantly with detail parts and new paint. I'm about halfway done with one (unfortunately no pictures), and will use it to compare to the stock unit when it is finished.
The areas I focused on were the trucks, which I replaced the sideframes wth Athearn parts. This is a semi-permanent fix meaning once you glue the sideframe on, it while be next to impossible to take them off. I mounted them so that the brake shoes actually ride over the entire whell tread. Very scale-width looking!
Even if you don't change the sideframes, at least change the brake cylinders with Athearn or DA parts. I actually started rebuilding/reshaping the crudely rendered stock sideframes with DA Hyatt wheel bearing caps, scratchbuilt elliptical springs, Kato or Athearn swing hangers, and Kato/Athearn/DA brake cylinders. It was going well, but it was tedous.
In the end, I just replaced the whole thing with Athearn parts. It was way easier, and resulted in a very nice conversion.
I also changed the roof fans with what I believe are 36" fans from Athearn's retooled CF7. These fans are quite nice! I cleaned off the pilot and will be mounting scratchbuilt coupler buffers, pliot detail, and #158 Kadee couplers. I removed part the full-length batten strip on the sides of the body to just even with the top of the hood doors. This was a very tedious process, and required the use of some custom-made chisels and scrapers.
The grabirons were located with a custom template the I drew and printed on full-sheet label paper. This allowed me to get the correct spacing for the grabs, and the self-adhesive label were very simple to apply to the locomotive hood ends.
One thing I would like to do, and it may seem to exceed what many would deem necessary for this particular locomotive, is to machine the frame so that I can model a de-skirted unit. Of course, this requires complete dissasembly of the chassis, and if you've ever taken apart a Bachmann engine, you know that their design is anything but standard!
Anyhow, I have decided the one unit will be for SP, and other for BN
Donnell
|
|
|
|
Post by rhpd42002 on Jun 10, 2012 5:41:20 GMT -8
Ollie, I feel your pain!!  While I sort of model BN and it's predecessors, I have some loco and/or caboose equipment for CSX, CP, & ATSF.   I won't even start on my freight car roads! Can't seem to resist some things...... At least I'm still having fun and it soulds like you are, too.  |
|
|
|
Post by painkiller on Jun 11, 2012 4:54:53 GMT -8
Well let me put it this way, at least I am back to the days when Stewart released various F-units with Kato drives, remember them? I got a few of them, Passenger F3- units, F3.s in freight version as well. Then I had some change of heart and go more modern, In a verbatim I got some Kato GP35.s and a bunch of the first release of Kato SD 40. Before that I got a nice collection of custom made SP models made from old Atlas Roco models. By the way the first Stewart ABBA was in SP, with my first effoerts on painting and decalling along with a few Atlas RSD5s....
To make a point with a friend I repainted those Kato GP35.s in to Rio Grande and added few engines in that paint, though I really like Western Pacific, so I got some engines all in WP green. Then I stumbled on New England and got a few GP38.s in BAR paint as I could not locate any in MEC:... One of my favorite roads is BC Rail and I do have a pretty respectable fleet of their Alcos and a couple of SD40-2.s. I liked the idea of Cajon pass so I needed a "few" SD40-2.s, so Kato got the order and I guessed they were not that sad to send 10 more green boxes my way. If they release new versions or phases of SD40-2., most likely that number will be expanded. After all SD40-2 is my favorite...
Then these modern modellers came along, and Lance Mindheim and the clips on youtube by Danny Harmon came along so I am now also boasting a number of CSX units.... Did I mention I had a stab on N-scale? or not to mention on 0n30...? and loads of European stuff?
But I guess having a switching layout with Zebra Striped Santa Fe units would be cool, though I could shoehorn in some blue and yellow freight units, like the sole NW2 in the house along with Roco made Atlas S4.s. But then again Like those alligators which could be used in transfers...... How to mix some larger steam in that soup is a problem, like those sexy 3700 series 4-8-2 were converted in to Edsels or toasters when the big Alcos started to grind the rails. By the way my zebra striped ATSF RS 2 by Kato is now receiving a steam generator like it had originally..... Then we have this flirt with Chessie, Western Maryland, CP Rail and CN and not to forget Guildford..... Those GP40-2W looked pretty nice.... lol
|
|
|
|
Post by rhpd42002 on Jun 11, 2012 15:21:40 GMT -8
 Holy Mackeral, Ollie!!! You win!! ;D LOL!!
|
|
I won't even start on my freight car roads!