I'm starting to get into the hobby again and have started looking at collecting locomotives and other things for a future layout. The layout I hope to do is one based on a Chicago and Northwestern line in central Wisconsin during the early 1970s. The line was small and was mostly used for through freights at that time. From the research I've been doing, it seems like GP7s and GP30s were the dominant power (along with FM baby trainmasters) during that time period.
I've done some looking around and have seen locos from many different manufacturers. For GP7s it seems like P2K, Atlas and most recently Athearn have the leg up. I've had experience with Athearn before, but am kind of leaning towards Atlas. Anyone have a GP7 from any of these 3 companies?
For GP30s the only ones I've found are from P2K and Bachmann. The Bachmann ones seem to be more readily and at a lower price.....are these good engines?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
NOTE: It does not matter if any of these companies dont have CNW in their paint schemes. I am an experienced military model builder and am comfortable with stripping paint and re-painting things.
Modeling the C&NW in northcentral Wisconsin, late summer 1976
I have some PK2 GP7's and GP30's as well as a few of the Atlas GP40's.
The PK2 and Atlas diesels are both good runners.
You cannot go wrong with any of the diesels from those two manufacturers.
Mine are all set up with decoders for DCC operation. Are you planning to operate in DC or DCC?
Rich
Alton Junction
Between the Bachmann GP30 and P2K GP30 the P2K wins hands down.
As far as GP7s the better detail is the P2K GP7..I happen to favor the Atlas GP7 now out of production.The Athearn/Genesis GP7 is well worth a look see.
The older P2K GP7/30 may have crack gears..This is a easy fix by using Athearn gears.
Bachmann makes a GP7 but,its bare bones detail wise.The details like grab irons,uncoupling bars and mu hoses must be purchase separately and added by the modeler.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I've got a number of P2K geeps, and they are nicely detailed and run well. I've added Tsunami sound to one of them, which turned a $40 out-of-production overstock from a discounter into a first class locomotive. If you are interested in sound, get the engine with the sound already installed, though. It's going to be cheaper and better that way.
I would caution, though, against buying too many items before you are ready for them. Plans change, and you don't want to end up with something you can't use.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
You should consider that Proto 2000 has one huge advantage for both GP models.
They share the same drive mechanism.
This will allow for smooth running of the combined diesels.
If it were me, it's all Proto 2000 GP7 and GP30 power, based on that fact.
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William
I have several Atlas GP-7s and they all run great. Their motors etc. are the same as other similar sized Atlas diesels like their RS-11 so there's no problem running them together - in fact, in my experience, Atlas engines come from the factory running much closer to each other in speed than Proto engines.
I would suggest the Atlas or Proto models. If however you're like me and in a money crunch the Bachmann GP7 and GP30 run quite well. The GP30 has passable detail with separately added grab irons and such, They do however have an Athearn-like growl but run well. I have two of these locos. They run much better once good decoders are installed. The decoder must be hard-wired. The GP7 is bereft of most detail but runs well and be made to look quite good without much trouble. I have two of these as well. Changing out the decoder is as easy as dropping in a new 8-pin decoder.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Thanks for the suggestions guys.
Rich- DC for right now. I'm modeling on a budget and DC has always worked just fine for me
MisterBeasly- Thanks for the warning, I know how that goes. This is a short line though and the layout would be relatively small, meaning the number of cars and locos would be at a minimum.
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Very true as long as the gear ratio of the month Life Like used doesn't become a nasty factor.
I did suffer that problem between different runs of the GP9s and GP30s but,I overcame that problem by changing gears.
This also played a factor in me getting rid of my P2K geeps--which proved to be one of my biggest mistakes.
The Proto 2000 recommendation is based on the OP's requirement of factory produced GP7 And GP30 locos.
GP39 The Proto 2000 recommendation is based on the OP's requirement of factory produced GP7 And GP30 locos.
They're good choices to boot..I'm not knocking them by any means.
As you know there was some glitches with P2K locomotives that was easily fixed.
I just want the OP to know there may be some minor problems so,he will understand the possibilities of finding crack gears and differences in speeds due to gear ratios which is easily fixed.
This engine ran beautiful until I heard that familiar "click,click.click" of a crack gear..I changed out the gears and now she runs as good as she looks.
In addition to having similar drivetrains, P2K also made GP18's in CNW paint, in case you find the area you're modeling ran those locomotive as well.
The GP7 and GP30 CNW's both had runs in the newer Walthers version of P2K that are packaged in a smaller gray box. These newer versions should not have cracked gears (which isn't a big deal anyway), and probably have LED's, which are nicer than incandescent bulbs. They are probably the best runs of P2K's, so look for those, although the older runs are nice too.
- Douglas
The GP7 and GP30 CNW's both had runs in the newer Walthers version of P2K that are packaged in a smaller gray box. These newer versions should not have cracked gears
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My Ohio Central GP7 is a Walthers..The gears could have been older older LL parts..Still a simple fix.
Yes Larry that's possible.
The OP should be aware that the latest run Walthers did for a GP30 included a version in CNW paint, which was kind of an odd scheme that must have been modeled from a certain era of the CNW GP30.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/920-31879
And the most recent release of the GP7 is quite recent and looks like the more familiar CNW scheme.
http://www.trainz.com/p-237330-proto-2000-920-47855-ho-cnw-gp7-ph2-1569-with-dcc-ln-box.aspx
Pretty sure the "tune up kit " was available for the older protos before these were released, so I'm hoping these would not have that factory cracked gear issue.
A topic that has been beat to death anyway.....
Both of these locomotives are available with DCC & Sound too, which I would think would be another plus for choosing the P2K's over the other brands.
I believe these are out of production but the OP might find some at a LHS or the auction site from time to time. There is also an older cracked gear version of the GP30 that is in the more traditional CNW scheme, like this one here:
http://www.trainz.com/p-237323-proto-2000-23079-ho-cnw-gp30-locomotive-812box.aspx
Pretty sure you could find one less pricey than $95 too. There's probably a comparable GP7 of the same older vintage, but Google search doesn't produce a linkable picture at the moment.
I'm starting to feel like the Cliff Clavin of P2K locos here, so I'll stop now...
Doughless Yes Larry that's possible. The OP should be aware that the latest run Walthers did for a GP30 included a version in CNW paint, which was kind of an odd scheme that must have been modeled from a certain era of the CNW GP30. http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/920-31879
Having the CNW logo on the long hood was actually not all that uncommon. Having the logo on the long hood simply denoted that these were ex-Chicago Great Western units
matt56 Doughless: Yes Larry that's possible. The OP should be aware that the latest run Walthers did for a GP30 included a version in CNW paint, which was kind of an odd scheme that must have been modeled from a certain era of the CNW GP30. http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/920-31879 Having the CNW logo on the long hood was actually not all that uncommon. Having the logo on the long hood simply denoted that these were ex-Chicago Great Western units
Doughless: Yes Larry that's possible. The OP should be aware that the latest run Walthers did for a GP30 included a version in CNW paint, which was kind of an odd scheme that must have been modeled from a certain era of the CNW GP30. http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/920-31879
That's interesting. I often wondered why that was the case. I think there are some HO models of other older CNW locomotives that have that scheme too.
I do not think that paint scheme was applied only to ex-CGW units. I have seen Alco RS's and GP's with that short-lived paint scheme from the mid-70's.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
jrbernier I do not think that paint scheme was applied only to ex-CGW units. I have seen Alco RS's and GP's with that short-lived paint scheme from the mid-70's. Jim
I was speaking terms of GP30s, but I take that back now that you mention it (and after further research ). It's almost true with the though. All GP30s delivered from EMD straight to the CNW with the exception of 818 and 823 had the all green cab with the logo on the cab. All but one of the 8 units acquired from the CGW merger carried the other scheme. CGW merged in 1968 so I'm guessing the scheme originated around that time. I'm guessing 818 and 823 were re-paints since I imagine all 14 for the CNW wouldve come in the same scheme, but I dont know for sure.
Just be aware if you acquire any Proto 2000 GP30's that they are prone to the cracked gear issues that a number of GP versions from P2K had. This should not discourage you since the cracked gears are easily replaced and the Proto 2000 GP30's are widely considered the best version offered in HO. I personally own 11 of them myself (7 D&RGW and 4 CB&Q). Proto 2000 has produced both phase I and phase II versions. The phase I has the standard cab and the phase II has the extended cab, firemans side, and one fewer stanchions behind the cab.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
While I agree that Proto have some really nice locomotives, I have about a dozen of them myself, Athearn shouldn't be counted out.
Gordon
Brought to you by the letters C.P.R. as well as D&H!
K1a - all the way
Well, it definitely seems like Proto is the way to go then....thanks for the replies guys
Dave, haven't seen them in person YET, but i've never been disappointed with anything from Athearn.
Gord
TA462 CP5415: While I agree that Proto have some really nice locomotives, I have about a dozen of them myself, Athearn shouldn't be counted out. Gordon Gord, have you seen the new Athearn GP9's? Nice!!!!
CP5415: While I agree that Proto have some really nice locomotives, I have about a dozen of them myself, Athearn shouldn't be counted out. Gordon
Gord, have you seen the new Athearn GP9's? Nice!!!!
The paint is nice on those new units, but don't check the model to any prototype drawings. I purchased one for a review and was surprised at the results. Does the name Front Range ring a bell?
CZ
If you are on a budget check EBAY. As I write this there are serveral P2K CNW GP7/9/18 and SD7/9 available for bid. Most of these are the Blue Box P2K which means the minor gear issue, now that I've said that I can't find the Athearn part number that is the cure. I'm sure spmebody will have it
Dick.