to the cab sides and doors. The re- silient,
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measure .014″ in diameter,
scales out to 1.25 inches. The models have fine,
passenger service,
handrails which
separately-installed wire
grabs, wire cut levers, and brake and m.u. hoses. The side windows on the cab slide open to reveal interior details, and the wind screens next to them are “glazed” and have thin, silver frames. McHenry magnetic knuckle couplers are installed in a coupler pocket that is a good copy of what is on the proto- type’s pilot, and the models will negoti- ate an 18-inch radius curve.
TEEN-AGERS
The Teen Association of Model Railroaders is dedicated to helping teens with the hobby. For information write:
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On both samples the paint and let- tering is excellent. It is thin, opaque and neatly applied, and the lettering matches photos on internet sites and in books. Athearn includes a booklet that covers the history of the GP7 and GP9, gives a roster of original owners, and it has exploded diagrams and parts lists. It includes basic DCC information, a list of CV’s (Configuration Variables, settings that users can customize), and has comments on installing a decoder in d.c. units. (See the Soundtraxx web- site for more information on the Tsuna- mi decoder.) The Chicago & North Western re- ceived five GP9’s in June, 1954, the first of four orders totaling 59 units be- tween 1954 and mid-1959. They al- ready owned 113 GP7’s, including the three EMD demonstrators. (The first GP7, which became C&NW 1518, is re- stored operational at the Illinois Rail- way Museum.) Through merger, pur- chase and lease the road eventually had a couple hundred Geeps on the ros- ter in the 1980’s. The Athearn model discussed here is from the road’s third GP9 order, 32 units numbered 1725-1756 delivered between March, 1957, and February, 1958. These had 2,200-gallon fuel tanks for long mainline runs. The large fuel tanks required LaGrange to relo- cate the air reservoirs onto the roof of the long hood, leading to the nickname “torpedo tube Geeps” or “torpedo boats” among fans. (Many GP7’s and GP9’s in
including on the
North Western, also had the air reser- voirs on the long hood roof to allow for a tank with a larger water capacity for train heating. They should not be con- fused with freight engines with large fuel tanks, nor the other way around.) Athearn’s model represents the as-de- livered appearance of C&NW 1725-1756 and has the spotting features of mid- to later EMD GP9 production. Prototype- specific detailing on these locomotives includes the four 12-inch diameter air tanks on the roof and its associated pip- ing, the 2,200-gallon fuel tank complete- ly filling the space between the trucks, the shape of the skirt above the fuel tank (wide by the fuel filler, then narrow, no slots), and the three-chime air horn on the cab roof. It comes with a winteri- zation hatch over the third cooling fan and, following common North Western practice, without dynamic brakes. The sample matches photos of these units closely and is striking in C&NW’s yellow and green, colors which appear to be very accurate. While this may look like a “plain
Jane” Geep, there is nothing plain about the model. The running boards have a non-skid pattern, the steps to the cab are made from see-through etched met- al, and the etched, see-through foot- boards on the pilots are fitted with hol- low boxes to hold the m.u. hoses. The vertical, dual sealed-beam headlights are illuminated by micro bulbs behind clear lenses and have a very realistic ap- pearance and color.
The only discrepancy is in the fuel
tank. Its sides are rendered vertical and flat down to where they curve at the bottom, rather than having the more-commonly-shaped EMD tank of the time which had a continuously- changing curve on the sides and used on this series of North Western locomo- tives. The one on this Athearn model is actually a good representation of the large, internally-divided water and fuel tank used on many passenger- equipped Geeps, including those on the C&NW’s neighbor, the Milwaukee
RUTLAND RAILS BEYOND THE by Philip R. Jordan
www.tomarindustries.com
The Rutland Railway shut down in 1961, ending an era in New England railroading. Three years later the railroad was revived by the state of Vermont and began operation as two different companies. Author Philip R. Jordan looks at the Rutland’s successors — the Vermont Railway and Green Mountain Railroad — with a tour of the lines between Burlington, Vermont, and North Walpole, New Hampshire.
(C00054) $12.95 + s&h Order On-Line At:
www.carstensbookstore.com 86
Carstens Publications, Inc. OCTOBER 2013
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