New tooling GP30 from Atlas.

[lv4142003]

BSOplinger, the Reading routinely sent GP30's to Allentown on their trackage through East Penn Junction. Why not get a RDG GP30. I'm not sure any were ever used on the Valley, but, they may have been. I don't recall any PRR GP30's venturing on to the LV, but they may have also.
Bob Rufkin, a while back a guy did an article (was it RMC?) about kitbashing a SD30 in HO. It looked good! <lv4142003>

[bsoplinger]

BSOplinger, the Reading routinely sent GP30's to Allentown on their trackage through East Penn Junction. Why not get a RDG GP30. I'm not sure any were ever used on the Valley, but, they may have been. I don't recall any PRR GP30's venturing on to the LV, but they may have also.

But umm, well, ummm, blame it all on my childhood, yeah that's it, that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

I just don't like the Reading. Dunno why, saw some of their stuff regularly as I was growing up in the valley. But it was the trips down to the 'big' city of Philly that got me views of all those really "neat" locos, all the PRR centric and only found there items. So I guess in my mind the PRR was the railroad that was the fascination whereas the Reading was just another road. Not to mention I hated the speed lettering style they used that I most often saw in the 60's and 70's. (That and the god awful "READING" on those boxcars, like they really needed to be 6' tall letters sheesh)

But I saw the loco spur movement every day as the Lehigh Valley delivered the odd boxcar to whomever and empty gons to the scrap yard where there was this neat still steam (or else it was a really, really filthy running diesel) powered crane that loaded those little crushed up blocks of scrap metal into the gons that got picked up. Saw the CNJ stuff over in the Allentown yard regularly also.

So see, its all my parents fault, they decided where we lived and they let me look out the window and watch the trains and they let me ride my bike over to the yard to see it in action, yeah, that's my story, its all my parents fault.

(Wouldn't Freud be proud of me )

[DKS]

Brass here. Get your fresh etched Brass here ...

I'm ready for more bridges in N and Z. Any ideas on the ETA of 0200301, 0200601, 0200701, 0200801 or 1200301?

1200301 - N Dbl Pratt is finished and in final layout.
0200401 - Z Dbl Girder is finished waiting on final layout.
0200601 - Z Sngl Girder is finished waiting on final layout.

2300801 - HO PRR 4-Track Lines East Signal bridge is almost done.
2300803 - HO PRR 2-Track Lines East Signal bridge is done waiting on final layout.
The signal bridges have been adjusted to allow larger track spacing. 2.25 for HO and 1.25 for N. Both N & HO will be released together.

1200??1 - N 90ft Deck Girder w/ side walkways & railings is done waiting on final layout.
1200??3 - N 120ft Deck Girder w/ side walkways & railings is done waiting on final layout.
These were commisioned as the first part of the project for the SOU New River deck truss bridge in Tennesee.

Edited for correction

Hot diggity dog. Now... where to find all the money... Guess I'll pass on getting GP30s right off the bat and wait until they show up on fleaBay used or something...

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Wow, Lee and I were just talking about those RDG GP30s.

Dammit, first the GP9s in the bee scheme, now these. Ugh...

[Sokramiketes]

The latest mechanism with the DCC board should fit the old shell with ease... If it's the same as the GP9 drive, I can check it out, because I have one of those laying around.

if you don't trust me (read my two previous posts) please go ahead and double check it...  

I dunno.  Look at the two images above, and draw your own conclusions.  I still think we won't know until they're here, or if Paul or Cory tells us over on the A board.  I don't think it's a slam dunk, rememeber, the retooled VO1000 doesn't fit the original drive or vice versa.

I see what you mean but if Atlas would have changed the whole shell (narrowing the whole thing...) they would have to change the sill/walkway/handrails as well. look on the picture with the new tooled Phase1 engine, it is still the old Kato design where the handrails and walkways are one piece. if they would have changed the sill/walkway/handrails don't you think they would have changed it to the new design were the sill and walkways are one piece and the handrails are separate ? (the new design is MUCH easier to paint...) just a thought...

The sill and walkway has to be a new piece as well.  It seems like everyone is missing the fact that the cab is shorter on the conductors side of the engine on a phase 1 GP30.  Look at the comparison to the CGW GP30 again.  Shorter cab, new sill with shorter battery boxes, new handrails with an extra stantion.

[wm3798]

That's the obvious change, Mike, I don't think anyone's overlooking that.  I think the image comparing the two still isn't definitive.  The new shell looks narrower to my eye, but then I've been drinking since 6:30 this morning... ;D

I also can't see conclusively that the handrail is integrated with the sill.  As Mike pointed out, that's got new tooling, as well.  Why wouldn't they update that to the standard of their other models?  Unless someone has some inside skinny, I still think we won't know the answers to these questions until we can do a side by side comparison.

I'll let you know as soon as my pair of Readings arrive from the left coast.

Lee

[Sokramiketes]

That's the obvious change, Mike, I don't think anyone's overlooking that.  ILee

Well, judging by my quoted text, atleast one person overlooked it... Steve was assuming it was the same sill and handrail as before with cost as a basis.  Now that it's clear that the sill and handrails are new tooling as well, the other questions remain unanswered... Why is the walkway part of the handrails and not the sills if they cut new tooling anyway?  AND Is the shell narrower now that it's established that body, sill, and handrails are new?

[Bob Bufkin]

Lee:

Pulled this off the Yahoo B&O Group site.

By Murphy's Law, one of their chosen numbers is B&O 6962, wrecked and retired in
1966. Prototype only lasted only four years. There were five
early wreck casualties amongst the 77 B&O GP30's (6920, 6940, 6942, 6946, 6962).
Years ago, in HO scale, I coached Like-Like Proto 2K to avoid
these numbers, and other numbers not ever painted in certain later schemes they
wanted to produce. I do this appearance and longevity sanity
check for all manufacturers ..... who ask.
Hope you didn't get the 6962!

[Mark5]

Is the shell narrower now that it's established that body, sill, and handrails are new?

The only way I could see it being narrower is if they ditch the Kato based chassis and make a new one. Guess we'll find out in due course ...

[wm3798]

Ah, but there's the rub... They have made a new drive, the DCC-friendly one.  It wouldn't be a big deal to make a bigger dimple to allow the fat shell to fit on a new, skinny drive...  Then take the dimple off for a new run with a skinny shell...

We shall see!

Lee

[nscalesteve]

Well, judging by my quoted text, atleast one person overlooked it... Steve was assuming it was the same sill and handrail as before with cost as a basis.  Now that it's clear that the sill and handrails are new tooling as well, the other questions remain unanswered... Why is the walkway part of the handrails and not the sills if they cut new tooling anyway?  AND Is the shell narrower now that it's established that body, sill, and handrails are new?

...you're right, someone could assume that, some people sometimes think I'm stupid but I'm not blind, I did see that, thank you so much.
still, I don't think the shell, the sill and handrails are all new - if they were they would have been changed to the new style and not copy the old Kato design again...

[central.vermont]

Well if Atlas doesn't get the details right on this new tooling you can
always remove all the details and make one of these!! ;D ;D

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/csx/csx2232awc.jpg

[Robbman]

Message deleted

[Sokramiketes]

still, I don't think the shell, the sill and handrails are all new - if they were they would have been changed to the new style and not copy the old Kato design again...

They pretty much have to be... unless Atlas or its manufacturer redesigned the last run of Ph II GP30s with slides.

Or unless they had Kato cut all the tooling for a pahse 1 but never ran it before?  Does it count as new tooling at this point or not, if that is the case?  (Still an unlikely option, but possible I suppose)

I guess I would still call it "all new".

[Chris333]

There were five
early wreck casualties amongst the 77 B&O GP30's (6920, 6940, 6942, 6946, 6962).

I have photos of 6942 with 2 different B&O paint jobs.