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Trying to find a Locomotive...... without success.

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  • Member since
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Posted by Texas Zepher on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 11:08 PM

Santa Fe all the way!

A guy I know had a HO scale GP 7 or 9 in the Rock Island black and red color scheme. He said he thinks it was an Atlas, but Ive looked thru the last couple of years worth of Walthers catalogs with no luck. Im trying to find out who the manufacturer was. Anybody out there know?

I agree with the others.   I know I have one from Atlas (blue box w Kato drive), and I think I have a Proto-2000.   I thought Atlas had also done one in the "classic" line - but that might have been an RS-3. 

Tags: Rock Island
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Posted by ChadLRyan on Thursday, June 16, 2011 8:10 PM

I have two of these & they (mine) are Kato/Atlas ones, that match the picture posted before. However, did any of the prototypes have silver trucks & bottom gear in this scheme? I think I saw a version that had a long range fuel tank & top hood mounted air tanks (torpedoes) at one time. That one had the fuel tank & trucks painted silver, if I recall correctly.  (was that a Proto perhaps?)

Chad L Ryan
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Posted by Santa Fe all the way! on Thursday, June 16, 2011 9:25 AM

Thanks for the info guys. I know that the Walthers catalog only shows the currently available products, but I looked at most of the catalogs for the years 1999-2010, in the hopes of getting lucky. For a few days before I posted the OT, I check Ebay with no success, but I will continue to check. I was hoping to find something easily DCC able.

Come on CMW, make a '41-'46 Chevy school bus!
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Posted by fmilhaupt on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 5:51 PM

Walthers' online listings definitely don't go back to the late 1980s/early 1990s, when Atlas released the Rock Island GP7 that "SFatw" was asking about, no matter what options you select on their advanced search.

 

-Fritz Milhaupt, Publications Editor, Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc.
http://www.pmhistsoc.org

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Posted by Flashwave on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 1:44 PM

ironrails

Once an item has been discontinued for more than a little while it gets dropped entirely from Walthers' online listings. So Walthers can't be relied upon as a record of "historical" model production after an item is more than a year or two gone.

As I recall, the Atlas GP7 was first produced by Kato in the mid' 80s, later it was moved to China, making it difficult to track what has or has not been produced over that length of time. More recently Atlas indicated that the tooling had been damaged, so any further production is uncertain.

Regards,

Mike MacLatchy

Mike, recheck the post above yours. Walthers pulls things from the ACTIVE listing, but if you tell it to include the discontinued stuff, you can still pull up Oscar and  Piker from 2000. I haven't tried anything else any furthur back though.

-Morgan

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Posted by cacole on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 12:33 PM

I believe the one you're looking for was called the "Barber Pole" paint scheme, which has not been made for 25-30 years.

 

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Posted by ironrails on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 12:26 PM

There are two P2K GP7s in the "Rocket" paint scheme on that auction site right now. Do a search for GP7 (nothing more) and they will turn up.

Regards,

Mike MacLatchy

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Posted by ironrails on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 12:01 PM

Once an item has been discontinued for more than a little while it gets dropped entirely from Walthers' online listings. So Walthers can't be relied upon as a record of "historical" model production after an item is more than a year or two gone.

As I recall, the Atlas GP7 was first produced by Kato in the mid' 80s, later it was moved to China, making it difficult to track what has or has not been produced over that length of time. More recently Atlas indicated that the tooling had been damaged, so any further production is uncertain.

Regards,

Mike MacLatchy

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Posted by maxman on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 9:49 AM

jrbernier

  I think both Atlas and P2K have done the 'Rocket Freight Wings' scheme on GP7's.    It has been years since the last run that I am aware of.  BTW, the Walther catalog only whows what is currently available - old runs that are sold out are not listed.

Jim

Not entirely correct.  Searching for Atlas GP7's in the Walther's on-line catalog, I found items 150-8643 and 150-8644 for Rock Island.  Unfortunately these are listed as being in the blue/white/Rock lettering scheme.

I also found Proto2000 GP7's listed as item numbers 920-23056 and 920-23057.  These are described as being in the red/white/black wings paint scheme.

The trick to finding these is to use the "advanced search' function, and then select "show all items" and "include discontinued out of stock".  It is also helpful when looking for Proto2000 to indicate Walthers as the manufacturer.  "Proto2000" and "Lifelike" get you nowhere.

Regards

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Posted by DSchmitt on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 9:18 AM

Found  a picture of   "Atlas Kato GP7  cat # 8220"  

http://neko2.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ho-scale-atlas-kato-8220-ri-rock-83609678

I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.

I don't have a leg to stand on.

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Posted by jrbernier on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 9:12 AM

  I think both Atlas and P2K have done the 'Rocket Freight Wings' scheme on GP7's.    It has been years since the last run that I am aware of.  BTW, the Walther catalog only whows what is currently available - old runs that are sold out are not listed.

Jim

Modeling BNSF  and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin

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Posted by riogrande5761 on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 9:01 AM

Walthers catelogs show only what manufacturers currently offer in any given year so won't be of much help for items produced in the past.

Check the auction site a couple times a week, one will eventually turn up probably.  Do a key word search on Rock Island GP7 or GP9.  I did not turn any up today but check regularly.  Probably in HO it would be Atlas (GP7) or Proto 2000 GP7 or GP9. 

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

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Trying to find a Locomotive...... without success.
Posted by Santa Fe all the way! on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 8:40 AM

A guy I know had a HO scale GP 7 or 9 in the Rock Island black and red color scheme. He said he thinks it was an Atlas, but Ive looked thru the last couple of years worth of Walthers catalogs with no luck. Im trying to find out who the manufacturer was. Anybody out there know?

Come on CMW, make a '41-'46 Chevy school bus!

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