I kind of changed my mind on the GEVO chassis lol.
After packing away the W1 so it won't get damaged I decided to clear up all the lamps I'd been using for photography, the plan is a little reshuffle of the study and a general good tidy up to be honest.
Of course being Xmas space has to be made for new toys (kids) which mean the old toys have to go in the loft.....along with all the other old toys.....supposedly kept for grandchildren or future sale, fact is they're so old and crappy they should really go in the bin
Anyway I espied my O gauge stuff and it was feeling a little damp up there so I decided it really need to be in the warm, necessitating a mini shuffle in the study ahead of the main one shortly. Box after box descended through the loft hatch which got me thinking, how much have I actually got
it would seem, quite a lot
What isn't here is another Atlas F... thingie and two more Red Caboose GP9 kits.
There's a few items here that really need progressing before getting back to the GEVO, namely the MP15, GP9 and F9. The Dash 8-40B needs a new fuel tank to fit around the speaker as the cast one is a bit chunky.
The U25B has no effective under frame or bogies so they'll need sourcing/fabricating at some point, either way it'll end up as a SP model so a little research there for fittings is required.
The GP15 will be repainted into UP colours at some point and no doubt require light cluster and fitting alterations here and there, but for now it's staying in mint boxed condition.
The SD35 will have a new low nose and be placed into SP service, I'll also probably replace the cab shell with an etched version of the spartan cab, I really don't like the thick plastic window surrounds. The SP SD35 didn't L shaped windscreens which is a shame.
The MP15-DC will also come into the SP fold, it'll need some extra work for the light clusters and I'll probably work an etch cab for that to give thin window frames. Once of these (2700) was painted nicely in the pre merger SP - SF Kodachrome colours.
The GP9 I'm still bouncing off the walls on, I've got three and quite a few choices. I want to limit the number of panel or grill changes so there are a few possibilities there. Very few UP engines (300-321) match the out of the box Red Caboose model for engine vents, all are high nosed and most had small coffin tanks, though some had larger later. The batch also includes the rarer B model, not many railroads purchased B model GP9's. Adding the extra grills does open up the possibilities of Omaha GP20, GP9M and those converted to run on Bunker C oil alongside the turbines.
Southern Pacific seems to have a better hit rate regarding grills, mostly high nose but also the odd low nose, not sure on ATSF yet. Either way, I think I need more models and a whole host of etch supplements, specifically the cabs and interiors.
The F unit will go into SP F9A fleet, the other I may convert to a B unit or look into a ATSF variant.
The GP30 isn't mine, I'm just holding onto it pending a possible purchase or joint sale, it needs a lot of work and I'd probably just use it for general dimensions and then we'll let it go. I do need a decent GP30 and B model at some point.
What's missing, well a SD24 and B unit is a certain, they'd be UP with a possible ATSF and I'm keen to add the solo UP SD24M model with it's humped engine covers. I'd also like some SD9, those would be SP which seemed to favour that model.
Some Alcos would fit in well with the SP theme, Alligators or Camels, both would find a home easily and some more larger GE's, U33C or U36C etc.
I'd also like a Turbine, standard but preferably Veranda and you can't model out west without tunnel motors, dash 2 40 or 45 and then throw in a stock 45 with elephant ears. Finally you have to have a Centennial DDA40X, Whirly bird U50BB or Locust U50C and just to round that fleet out a DD35 and DD35B.
So, what does one do with all that stock, clearly some back water branch line is out, or even a shunting layout, though several of the list could be employed on a shunting layout and many saw their final days trip working around LA.
A depot would be ideal, many SP depots in the 60-80's still had turntables, some used traversers to access sheds, some workshops were built next to running lines so two tracks only fueled, watered and sanded mixed lash ups. They roll in at one end, get serviced and roll out the other, you could add interest by chopping in and out engines, either to match HP/tonnage or switch in and out engines to and from servicing.
Finally I dug out this box, I knew it was a hospital case when I bought it, it was cheap enough but the postage was a little excessive but I got stung even more by HM customs, pahh. I'd not opened it until today, some times you just have to look on the bright side! To say the original description was cleverly worded is to polite.
The side frame appears to have been left too close to a heat source, it's all warped and blobby, the tank has been stuck on....attempted...with what looks like Uhu.
The other side isn't much better. To be fair I only wanted the drive mechanism and the description did say it got stuck at every revolution, I'm suspecting a slit gear or cog somewhere, neither of which are a major issue. It's a shame about the trucks, as they're not to dissimilar to the standard and veranda turbines or whirly bird U50BB. Either way it'll be a strip down and component recover before binning the rest to the insatiable plastic bin monster.
MD