Thanks, I'll keep an eye out. I cleaned the truck side plates without removing them. I used a paper cup of vinegar and several cotton swabs. After they were clean I swabbed them with clean water and dried. Then it was mask the interior of the chassis and sprayed it semi gloss black. Looking much better.---John
I just received the decals in the mail. They state they are for 1973 green hood units. GREEN? I know NYC had some turquoise green units but Penn Central? Or were there some from NYC not repainted?---John
Just got this in the mail today. Another Athearn Blue Box, this one is an unpowered-undecorated GP9. It's still wire tied to the inner box! All the parts are there, railings rustier than the GP35s were but useable. And the best part is NO ONE PAINTED IT!!!!! will be starting a build post in a few weeks.---John
Here's the road number the GP9 will be 1825. It was 1725 but in 1979 it crashed in Chicopee Ma and was rebuilt as 1825.---John
It almost looked like a phase 2 GP9 but the louvers on the doors and under the cab are wrong. I can't do a B&M GP7, they didn't have the unit for "dynamic brakes" near the middle of the long area of the engine on either side. I'll have to find another livery from the New England.---John
Sorry Jon thought I would let you know. You could always pop off the blisters then cut out the fan section and fill it back in with sheet styrene. A little putty and call it good.
It's neither. I spent hours comparing line drawings, Conrail images and B&M images. The top looks like a GP9, the sides look like a GP7, the fame is closer to a GP9 but really looks like neither. I'm flipping a coin and almost betcha it's a GP9.---John
It's actually a GP7. I know first hand as I worked for Burlington Northern during the 90's and spent many a day operating GP9's on ballast and mow trains when I was a hogger back then.
Hi John, I don’t want to throw water on your camp fire but you ought to get some powered units and join the rest of us on the dark side. You won’t regret it!
Back "on track" so to speak. The second side is "railed". I just have the back end left to do.---John
It's painted, I just took the masks off. I'm not happy but it's not worth bothering with. This shell had issues, the right side clicks into the nob by the fuel tank, the left side won't. It's like the shell is stretched oversized on the bottom. There were lots of divots and blivots I didn't see in the wonderful black first paint job. Chalk it up to learning curve, that and I HATE painting black plastic!!! Now to gloss coat the shell and decal.---John
