Status of Atlas GP7 Gold Series?

[Southern1970]

OK, here's some photos of the DC version:

1)  Basic shell with the shell off.   Notice the speaker at rear.



Link:  http://www.randgust.com/ATL24001.jpg

2) Right side:



Link:  http://www.randgust.com/ATL24003.jpg

3)  Bottom.  No longer split frame....



Link:  http://www.randgust.com/ATL24005.jpg

Now, here's my issue.  If you look at the board, there's a couple observations I don't get.   First, two white plugs on top of the board, facing outboard.   What are those for?  Second, the parts diagram shows two different 'daughterboards' under the main board in the nose, one for DC, one for DCC.   Is this like the SD7?   And you can see, on the DC version, there's just not a whole lot of room in front of the DC board to fit my CF7 cab, if the DCC board is much longer, it won't fit at all.



Link:  http://www.randgust.com/ATL24026.jpg[/img]

Side view.  If you see those 'notches' that's where the front cab window fits, so I have what appears to be 18 scale inches or .1125 in front of the STOCK TOP(not DC daughterboard on bottom) to clear my CF7 cab windshield.   That's the dimension I need to verify if anybody has a DCC version yet.



link:  http://www.randgust.com/ATL24027.jpg

Thanks Randgust, for posting those pictures of the revised atlas GP7/GP9 chassis.  I now know what to expect when I receive my atlas silver GP7.
Cheers
Allan

[sp org div]

If you compare pictures of that Atlas GP9 adapter board to their SD9 board
A swap of the DC board to the esu decoder will not fit in Randy’s CF7
And apparently why their low nose GP20 gold has been mothballed too…

[tehachapifan]

The Gold SD9 board also has the 2 end-facing plug receptacles. From the markings on the SD9 board next to them, they appear to be for additional lighting. However, I am yet to find what type of connector would fit into them.

[peteski]

The Gold SD9 board also has the 2 end-facing plug receptacles. From the markings on the SD9 board next to them, they appear to be for additional lighting. However, I am yet to find what type of connector would fit into them.

You started to ask about them, then when asked  for pin spacing you sort of abandoned the subject.  https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=57051.0
I also volunteered  to figure out what signals are present on those connectors if you lent me the board..

[tehachapifan]

You started to ask about them, then when asked  for pin spacing you sort of abandoned the subject.  https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=57051.0
I also volunteered  to figure out what signals are present on those connectors if you lent me the board..

Right, but the question was asked if these connectors were present on the SD9 board too, so I was simply replying to that. I still intend to send the board for your examination.

[randgust]

Atlas just got them in.  I got a photo of the mechanism, and it's exactly what I feared - the DCC daughterboard goes 'all the way' to the front of the short hood nose in the gold DCC version.    So while I could convert the DC's to a CF7, you're not chopping the nose or using that mechanism on anything with a short front nose.  No room if that decoder is in there.

The only other thing I can think of would be to hardwire in something like a DZ126T where the speaker is, pull that out (easy), forget the sound, and wire it all up including new lights as those are hard-soldered on the board.  It 'should' all fit including all the wire connections, but you're loosing sound that way. 

I'm assuming this is a semi-proprietary DCC board rather than a third party here.

The last run DCC's without sound were really actually pretty easy, I'd just finished doing a custom build of a pair.

[peteski]

The only other thing I can think of would be to hardwire in something like a DZ126T where the speaker is, pull that out (easy), forget the sound, and wire it all up including new lights as those are hard-soldered on the board.  It 'should' all fit including all the wire connections, but you're loosing sound that way. 

I'm assuming this is a semi-proprietary DCC board rather than a third party here.

That glorified "light board" is Atlas (not 3rd party).

More and more new models being released by the manufacturers include a light board with a DCC-compatible connector and a dummy DC-plug to have the model operate on DC.  Originally the DCC connector was a simple 6-pin connector, then when sound decodes became more widely available Next18 connectors were used.  Then ESU came out with the small E24 connector and some manufacturers started using that connector for the DCC interface.

It does seem like a poor design not to make it compatible with low-nose shell. Maybe Atlas is not planning on making those models?  I was thinking that of maybe installing the low-nose shell backwards, but the speaker would then be in  the way.

[reinhardtjh]

It does seem like a poor design not to make it compatible with low-nose shell. Maybe Atlas is not planning on making those models?  I was thinking that of maybe installing the low-nose shell backwards, but the speaker would then be in  the way.

Probably because the GP7/GP9 never came from EMD with a low-nose.  Only in a few 3-rd party rebuilds did it happen.  Still, a pity the new mech design doesn't allow for it since it did happen.

[sp org div]

Just gonna have to treat it like a typical sound decoder install
Rip it all out and hardwire that esu board with the speaker in the fuel tank
Add some xtra weight in there to get it back to old school standards

[thomasjmdavis]

If Atlas were to do a low nose GP-7 or 9, why not put it on the GP-20 chassis? Aren't they the same length and wheelbase? That would seem simpler than chopping a chunk out of the GP-7/9 chassis.

[peteski]

Just gonna have to treat it like a typical sound decoder install
Rip it all out and hardwire that esu board with the speaker in the fuel tank
Add some xtra weight in there to get it back to old school standards

Sure, that is definitely a valid option, but Randy wanted something easier to adapt the new chassis to the low-nose shells he sells.  With this type of conversion he would have spend quite a bit of time doing the decoder installs and drastically raise the price.

[randgust]

I'd say the great majority of GP7's and 9's have been converted to low-nose during their careers.  It's really, really rare to see one now on a shortline with a high hood.  I've seen three in the last year; the one leased off B&P to a quarry in western NY, and two on the South Branch Valley.

I'm still debating what to do here, I'll finish mine, but if people want a CF7 with DCC and sound, I'm not sure how it would be done without a tremendous amount of work.  And in my kit, you need the Phase 1 long hood without dynamic brake, so that's what I recommend people get.  Santa Fe literally copied the GP7 hood down to the doors and louvers.

I'd guessed that the speaker would end up in the fuel tank, didn't happen (like the GP40).  That current chassis sure runs well and the silver DC will work just fine, but not the DCC with that 'hangover' of a DCC daughterboard.

Center bolster on a GP20 is 31'   https://www.thedieselshop.us/Data%20EMD%20GP20.HTML
Center bolster on a GP7 is also 31'.  https://www.thedieselshop.us/Data%20EMD%20GP7.HTML

Problem with using the GP20 chassis is then you need a GP7 hood.  Only one CF7 ever had dynamic, 2649.

And I haven't been paying attention but the Atlas production schedule for the N GP20 that shows a 'partial' transit date back in 2022 and that is kind of  ended it.   Fall off a container ship?   Anybody ever see how they intended to make sound + DCC work in it?

[reinhardtjh]

And I haven't been paying attention but the Atlas production schedule for the N GP20 that shows a 'partial' transit date back in 2022 and that is kind of  ended it.   Fall off a container ship?   Anybody ever see how they intended to make sound + DCC work in it?

Word has it they showed up and were sub-standard and Atlas sent them back.  They haven't come back since then.  And I think the partial was just the non-sound units as that was in the middle of ESU's dry spell due to lack of parts.  I have two sound units on pre-order and still waiting.  They were going to be mech for the Brigg's RS-36 shells.

[mecgp7]

The Life Like split frame, dual flywheel GP18 chassis is made for low nose. Two versions; 1998 low nose without DCC and the more recent with DCC has a low nose as well.

[peteski]

The Life Like split frame, dual flywheel GP18 chassis is made for low nose. Two versions; 1998 low nose without DCC and the more recent with DCC has a low nose as well.

Didn't Atlas take over Walthers/Life-Like models?