For Illinois Central Fans.( Celebrating over 1000 posts )

[icmr]

I think the engine you are looking for is a GP10 or a GP11.



Victor

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[icmr]

No problem.



Victor

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[Anonymous]

for new engines there's not too many death star's out there. Atlas GP40 and Genesis SD70 are the only ones i can think of.

[icmr]

I belive you are right dingoix. The rest you have to buy from other railroads and repaint and decal ( and rebuild if necessary )[;)][;)][8D][8D].



Victor

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[Anonymous]

I plan on getting an old b-b GP38-2 next time I'm at the LHS and once i see it runs okay I'll order some DEATH STAR decals

[Anonymous]

the new driveshaft for my U33C will cost $0.40 (plus shipping)

[icmr]

When you get your engine and get if finished will you show pics? If the driveshafts are that cheap you might want to get extras "just in case".



Victor

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[Anonymous]

I haven't ordered the driveshaft yet but maybe i should get 2 of them, good idea. I'll gladly post pics when i get a death star painted. But it could be a month before it's done. In about 3 weeks I'll go to the LHS and hopefully a month(from now) I'll have a death star. I've been meaning to take pics of my b-b GP38-2 Santa Fe. This month is it's 12th birthday[bday] (who celebrates a train engines birthday) I also want to get some pics of my Atlas FP7 Santa Fe. I bet i could get some pics soon, maybe even tomorow.

[icmr]

My layout is still under construction. I didnt work on it today. I got MR and Trains yesterday so Ive been reading.



Victor

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[Anonymous]

I got my Feb. Moder Railroader today so i've been reading too.

[icmr]

Sounds good dingoix. I cant wait until you upload the pics.

Happy B-Day to your engine.



Victor

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[Anonymous]

It's not the exact date (i'll never know when that is) but i'll tell her you said "happy birthday"

[Anonymous]

I did find a GP35 on ebay but starting bid is $19.99 plus $8 for shipping which is too much- i could get one at the LHS for $20-25 (if they have one)

[icmr]

Thats why I havent bought anything from ebay yet. I will sometime but not right now.



Victor

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[icmr]

I plan on finishing the deconstruction of my layout tonight.



Victor

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[Anonymous]

I plan on taking some pics of my trains tonight or tomorow. I will order the U33C driveshaft- i must send a check or money order to Atlas. I'm getting 2 driveshafts which is $.80 for two plus $1.00 shipping.

[Anonymous]

I realized my ILLINOIS CENTRAL set in 2005 is freelanced. That means I can make my own changes. If my Athearn that I paint and decal turns out good I'll have to add some modern IC diesel. I was thinking maybe this http://www.atlasrr.com/HOLoco/hodash840c1.htm , get an undecorated one and paint it IC death star. But it may be easier to get an NS one and just paint over the NS decals.(but then the paint would have to match perfectly) the NS would be quite easy to transform to IC- just paint over the logo on the sides, front , and back, put on some DEATH STAR decals and you're done. Seeing the UTAH BELT layout in Great Model Railroads 2006 has inspired me to freelance IC. I'm going to do a lot of thinking over the next few days- IC may become the main RR on my layout with just run-through's from BNSF (now it's the opposite)

[icmr]

Thats cheap for the driveshafts. What you want to do with the Dash 8 I want to do with a SD70M-2. I also got inspriration from the UTAH BELT. I think my run through RR's will be mostly CSX and NS.



Victor

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[icmr]

Heres the link for the SD70M-2 http://www.overlandmodels.com/main.php?scale=HO&type=Diesel&series=EMD+SD70ACe%2FSD70M-2&prod=AA-1159



Victor

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[Anonymous]

Since C/N took over the I.C. its harder to find I.C. models or it just seems like it. I was looking at the latest issue of MR and they have a I.C.G. on page 98 and 99 of a U30B it looks nice.but I dont know much about Life-Like products. Ive heard there engines are not very good. The DCC/sound is $265.00 or the DC version $165.00. For that price it had better be good. I havent switched to DCC yet , Ive been thinking about it. The I.C. MAY IT LIVE ON IN OUR HEARTS [bow][tup]

[Anonymous]

icmr, that SD70M-2 will be expensive. I'm quite sure IC will be the main focus of my layout. I did some thinking and with that I could still have BNSF run-throughs. I'm going to get a few b-b GP38-2's and paint them myself (IC death star) I think i'll order the decals soon so i'll have them whenever I get the engine(s) i want to paint. I think getting a NS DASH 8 in would be the best way to get a DEATH STAR out of it. Just paint over the NS logo's on the front, back, and sides and the road # and there you go. It'd be easier than getting an undecorated and having to mask the windows, ect. before painting. I just hope the paint would match the NS black Atlas uses.
Check this out http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/dto/item006-55666.html
I'm still undecided as for what color i'll paint my death stars- i have gloss black and flat black spray paint. I will use them both on something to see what it looks like. A shiny re-built GP38-2 might look cool. Man, freelancing is fun. I can have whatever i want for engines (DASH 8's which IC never had) I think i know why IC didn't have lots of new motive power- in the 1990's IC had the lowest operating ratio of any U.S. class 1 railroad.(But the SD70's weren't that old) IC knew how to save money. In 1994 when many RR's purchased huge fleets of new engines I don't think IC ordered too many. EMD only produced 120 SD70's and not all of them were for IC. But in 1994 BN orderd 350 SD70MAC's at a cost of $350 million Now BNSF has over 5,000 engies (that's more than they need)hundreds of them are in storage and BNSF is still ordering new engines. BNSF needs to either stop buying new engines of sell the older ones in storage.

[icmr]

Illinois Central had 40 SD70's, 20 in '94/'95 , and then IC ordered 20 more in '98/'99.

The U30B is nice but I wont be getting it. Life like engines are very good as long as they are in the Proto 2000 series. I dont know about the Proto 1000 series. Dingoix I know they are expensive but thats not my problem right now it is the fact that parts on there are brass and I dont want to mess the paint up.



Victor

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[Anonymous]

I wish some manufacturer would make a plastic SD70M-2 or SD70ACe. I like EMD engines but the new SD70M's don't look as good as the old SD40-2's and GP38-2's. After reading about the UTAH BELT in GMR's 2006 I realized how similar it will be to my layout. IC had mainly EMD engines and i will be adding a fleet of DASH8's (hopefully). Here's the one I hope to get http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/dto/item150-7644.html
I don't know if I'll get it off the internet. I'll probobly check and see what the LHS sells it for.
something like this http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH80893
might make a good death star transformation. I'm not sure if a C44-9W would look right in death star paint.

[waltersrails]

sounds like you have it planned out icmr

[icmr]

Some of it, waltersrails. Dingoix i like the Dash 9 and I dont think it will be bad in IC paint on your layout. In 1996 I know that IC had nothing but EMD engines. Ive added my CSX SD60 to my IC roster.



Victor

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[Anonymous]

I don't know what the Dash9 would look like as a death star. I think it could be okay. Maybe i'll get 1 of them. The only worry i have with painting over NS engines is the paint won't match. i guess it couldn't look too terrible.
Well things may change a few times but here is a list of IC engines i hope to have-
-Atlas DASH 8 paint over a NS one to get a death star. i would like 5 of these if they look -good after i paint them.
-Athearn Genesis SD70 IC -i hope to get 2 of these
-Atlas GP40 IC -hope to get 2 of them
- b-b GP38-2 - paint them myself

[Anonymous]

.. and maybe a DASH 9 or two- icmr, what year are you modeling? I forgot.

[icmr]

Your roster looks great. I am modeling the present. Speaking of modeling I plan on working on the layout tomorrow. My roster I have planed is as follows, 1 GP10, 1 GP11, 1 GP26, 1 GP38, 1 GP38-2, 1GP40R, 2 SW14, 1 SD28, 1 SD40, 1 SD40-2, 1 SD40-2, 1 SD60, 1 SD70. I have the SD60 and the SD70 and 2 GP38-2( one powered and one dummy. I plan on getting RTR GM&O and BN engines as well as other RR's to repaint and or patch. The SD60 is a Proto 2000 painted for CSX. It is a great puller and runner.



Victor

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[Anonymous]

i bet we are the only ones modeling IC in the present. I like the looks of your planned roster. i'm undecided about a DASH 9 death star. But i won't have to worry about that anytime soon- i need more track. i can't wait to see what a DASH 8 death star will look like. i plan on getting 2 b-b GP38-2's to custom paint. I considered my future needs and decided 2 b-b and 2 Atlas DCC-ready GP40's would be a better approach than 4 b-b. Since "discount trains online" charges a flat rate for shipping i'll order a freight car or something w/ the decals. maybe this http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/dto/item140-71699.html or this http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/Walthers-Trainline-FA-1-Santa-Fe-202A/item931-207.html
OUCH! the Athearn well car w/ containers is $23.38 http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/dto/item140-91105.html
DTO doesn't have the Accurail Illinois Central 47' ACF hopper kit.[V]

[Ibflattop]

Ya got to love the I.C. in the Orange and white sceme!!!!!! What Old School....... Kevin