Saturday 19 April 2014

Hallmark Brass GP50


Although I'm currently building a pair of modern geeps using Railpower GP60 shells, I couldn't resist picking up a second-hand bargain on ebay.  This is my second brass locomotive and it is a Hallmark GP50 factory painted for Santa Fe.

 
A pretty decent model, slightly let down by the lack of see-through fans and the distinctly oversized truck gearboxes that prevent the trucks from looking properly see-through like an Athearn or Atlas as the gearbox is visible as a square shape behind the truck sides.


This model was released in the early 90's and compared to most of the models of the time it would have been very impressive.  The various road-specific details include antenna frame, air conditioner and (non-operational) rooftop beacon.  There are no air-hoses or lift rings, and the walkways do not feature etched treadplate.


I don't model SF, but I'm sure this model won't be difficult to repaint and convert into a Norfolk Southern locomotive in the black scheme.

I'd really like to add some more brass locomotives to my roster, especially an SD40 or a Dash-9, so I will continue to keep an eye out for more ebay bargains.

Thursday 17 April 2014

Geep Wreck - Proto Packaging Claims Another Victim

I picked up a nice looking mint condition Proto GP9 in the early maroon paint scheme, but unfortunately the curse of the Proto 2000 packaging struck while it was en-route to me in the post.


These older Proto models are designed to be shipped with the body shell and the chassis in separate parts of the box.  The seller didn't realise this and shipped the model in one piece.  There is too much room in the box and the model was free to slide back and forth in transit. So much so that the front pilot ended up completely mashed and most of the rooftop details were shorn off.


It was certainly a sorry sight when I opened the box.  Turned out that the seller was a top bloke and he sorted everything out for me, but I now have yet another unexpected basket case for the 'to do' box.


was hoping to put this unit straight to work on Godinez, but with the damage it's sustained it will take a while before it sees the rails again.


If you are buying a boxed Proto on eBay then be sure to e-mail the seller and ask them to dismantle the model before shipping.  It's unlikely to make the journey in one piece otherwise!