GP9B

[Anonymous]

my little brother has an old athearn GP7 that he picked up at a train show for $5 that we were thinking of modifying into a GP9B. the idea kinda came about randomly, but we thought it would be cool to take this GP7 he has that someone tryed to costom paint, clean it up and use some sheet styreen to make our own GP9B. we found that UP and Pensy both originaly owend them. the PRR ones got passed down to PC which passed them down to CR. we decided to do the UP version b/c the UP ones were based on phase II GP9s while the PRR ones were phase III. so after collecting photos i have a pritty good idea of what were gonna do. but i was wondering if there are any scale drawings for GP9Bs anywhere out there? i figured that this would be helpful. also has any one else ever done this that could offer tips?
well as the project progresses i'm sure i'll come up with more questions and put em up here.
thanks, matt

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mr_mathyou

my little brother has an old athearn GP7 that he picked up at a train show for $5 that we were thinking of modifying into a GP9B. the idea kinda came about randomly, but we thought it would be cool to take this GP7 he has that someone tryed to costom paint, clean it up and use some sheet styreen to make our own GP9B. we found that UP and Pensy both originaly owend them. the PRR ones got passed down to PC which passed them down to CR. we decided to do the UP version b/c the UP ones were based on phase II GP9s while the PRR ones were phase III. so after collecting photos i have a pritty good idea of what were gonna do. but i was wondering if there are any scale drawings for GP9Bs anywhere out there? i figured that this would be helpful. also has any one else ever done this that could offer tips?
well as the project progresses i'm sure i'll come up with more questions and put em up here.
thanks, matt

Smokey Valley offers a conversion kit:

Kit #1 GP9-B Conversion Kit with Prototype Handrails. Fits
Athearn or Lionel GP $19.95.

[dknelson]

Another version of a GP9B is that some railroads kept the cab but blocked out the windows with sheet steel - a much easier modification. I think the Soo has/had some
Dave Nelson

[ndbprr]

The Smokey Valley kit is designed to drop onto the Athearn engine as a replacement for the cab. I built one from a Bachman(?) GP18. It required installing GP9 grills in place of the ones supplied (DetailWest parts) and modifying the Smokey Valley kit roof since the GP18 had the correct width hoods. All the GPb's were 9's by the way which the Athearn engine is. As I recall the spotting feature is typically the three louvers on the base of the cab. All the PRR GP9B's had the large hood fans also. Don't know about the UP version. That is why I opted for the GP18 as the basis for my PRR version.

[leighant]

Santa Fe had cabless GP-7B units

Scale drawings: Railroad Model Craftsman May 1966 p.29 (That one is going to be way down in your pile of old issues.)

Santa Fe 1940-1971 in Color vol.4 has photos of cabless units #2788A (p.61), and #2791A p.32

I seem to recall a GP-7m #99 that was a rebuild after collision but I don't immediately find it in my index.
My index says that Model Railroader magazine Nov. 1985, p.136 had something on #2791A

SantaFe in the Lone Star State vol.1 has photos of cabless #2788A (p.37) and #2790A (p.115)

[Anonymous]

Athearn's model is a GP7 so modifying it to a GP9 requires some work. The main spotting feature between a GP7 and a GP9 is that the GP7 has two rows of louvers on the long hood below the last radiator while the GP9 has only one small louver. Also GP9's have an extra set of louvers below the dynamic brake area.

Compare these two drawings:

GP7: http://trainiax.0catch.com/emdgp7db.gif
Phase I GP9: http://trainiax.0catch.com/emdgp9dbph1hn.gif

[Anonymous]

hey thanks for the info guys. we looked at the smoky vally kit but decided that $20.00 is more than we want to spend and that it woudl be kinda interesting to try to scratch build a "cab" for it. the louvers beneith the cab will go. but the rest of the louvers on the hood we figured would be close enough. althongh im interestood in the santa fe GP7Bs. time to do a little more reaserch =) once again thanks for all the help and if any one has anything more that would still be awesome too =D