Top Of The (front) Range Geep

 
I already have two of these on the bench, or rather in the queue to be worked on, but I took the opportunity to pick up a big box of front range GP9 parts and chassis on ebay recently.

These kits were originally issued in 1986 and were ahead of their time for detail, including separate walkways, interchangeable battery boxes and see-through fans.   

You can see from this original advert that they retailed for the rather high price of $45 back in 1986, a lot more expensive than they sell for these days!

The only real problem with these kits is the contour of the cab roof which sits too high compared to the real locomotives.

The image above shows the incorrect roofline on the cab, it should sit much lower down, with a shallower angle.

 

The lot also came with a set of instructions for the kits, although they are very simple to put together and probably could be assembled without instructions.

This box of parts will help to finish off the two engines I have on the backlog, and will also yield enough parts to put together a third locomotive, all three will become motive power for Godinez, with the plan being one in maroon, one in red and the third in ex-Rio Grande black with the Rock Island heralds.

Home on the Range...

I picked up yet another geep for the Peoria layout.  This one is a Front Range GP9 in ATSF livery.  I will strip the shell and repaint as an N&W unit.

This locomotive was yet another ebay cheapie, and it needs some TLC to bring it back to life.  There are no number boards or lenses with it, and the front pilot has bent steps that will need attention.

This brings my total to three GP7/9's all of them needing repainted and DCC fitted.  Of course none of them are DCC ready, so there will be some fun and games to be had with the soldering iron.

I will probably paint and decal them all at the same time in a production line fashion, especially as they will all be similarly painted.

I also picked up a low-nose GP30 dummy which will be used as part of a multiple unit consist for the layout, although it is a P2K unit and I believe they can be a little tricky to strip.

I really need a high nose GP30, so I am on the lookout for one of those to partner with this one.  Hopefully one will pop up  on ebay soon.

Brass in pocket...

I've often seen adverts or photographs of brass locomotives in magazines, almost every issue of Model Railroader features a full page spread from Overland models listing $500 EMD behemoths, but I didn't really know much about them - other than they are very expensive!

So I was intrigued when I saw an HO Sunset Models Southern Pacific GP9 listed on eBay recently, with a very low starting price.  The locomotive was clearly in need of some tlc, and didn't have a box, but seeing as it was listed low (even below the cost of a regular Athearn Blue Box) I thought it was worth taking a punt on it.

Well I won the auction and here it is, my first ever brass engine, and very nice it is too.  Dating from some time in the early eighties, this Korean made engine is very nicely detailed and this high level of specification must have been incredible at the time.  The locomotive has all the usual details, grab irons, mu cables, drop steps, truck piping etc.  but it also has some really neat extras, including real chains above the steps, see-through grilles (although not see-through roof fans) and etched tread plate.

Obviously the locomotive is all-metal construction, but I still found it surprising what a difference that makes.  This model is heavy, really solidly made, and with the amount of detail I would be very interested in seeing how it compares to the new Athearn Genesis version.  I reckon this model would give the new plastic releases a run for their money, despite being at least thirty years old.

This geep has clearly suffered since losing its original box and it was supplied to me in an old Athearn box (which may have been why it sold so cheaply as it looked like an old plastic Blue Box at first glance) and with such poor storage and the weight of the model it has bounced around over the years and ended up losing the front nose top light and some bent handrails, with one of the handrail stanchions snapped.  Being soft brass, the handrails were easily straightened, but the broken stanchion will need some work.

Having been idle for years, it runs poorly and will need some time on the bench for dismantling and cleaning, also I will need to find a way to fit it with DCC and bring it up to current specification.

I'm very pleased with this purchase, and it's fun to have a brass engine after so many years of reading about them, and although it's not right for my modelling era or road, I think I will be keeping hold of this one.