GP7green

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
BUILDING A SOUTHERN GREEN GP7 by JIM SIX

SAFETY STRIPES

NOW THAT I HAVE GOTTEN INTO THE GREEN GP7 PROJECT I HAVE NOTED THAT THE WHITE SAFETY STRIPES ON THE ENDS OF THE P2K MODEL IS DIFFERENT THAN SHOWN IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT I UPLOADED TO THE FILES OF THIS GROUP. IN FACT, I CANNOT FIND PHOTOS (INCLUDING IN THE BOOKS) THAT SHOW THESE STRIPES MATCHING THE P2K MODEL. THIS MEANS THAT I WILL BE PAINT BLACK OVER THE PAINTED ON SAFETY STRIPES AND APPLYING DECALS TO MATCH THE PROTOTYPE PHOTOS. OUR SIMPLE DETAIL PROJECT JUST GOT MORE DIFFICULT. THIS MAKES ME WONDER ABOUT THE SAFETY STRIPES ON THE P2K MODEL. WAS THIS AN AS DELIVERED ARRANGEMENT THAT WAS CHANGED IN THE MID TO LATE 1950S? JIM SIX JIM, THIS WAS A MISTAKE BY PROTO THAT WAS DISCUSSED ON ANOTHER LIST WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVED. THE BEST GUESS WAS THAT THEY SOMEHOW SAW THE STRIPE ENDS AS BELONGING IN THE STEP WELLS INSTEAD OF ON THE PILOT EDGES. THE HORIZONTAL STRIPE AT THE TOP OF THE PILOTS ON THE GP-7S IS ALSO MISSING. SO YES, THE STEP WELL SIDES & THE PILOT ARE GOING TO NEED TO BE PAINTED BLACK & THE PILOT DECALED. THE STEP EDGES SHOULD REMAIN WHITE. NOTE THAT THE STRIPES ARE ONLY AROUND THE EDGES OF THE PILOT ON THE GP-7S. FOR SOME REASON THE PHOTOS OF THE GREEN RS-3S ETC. HAVE THE ANGLED STRIPES GOING ALL THE WAY UP THE PILOT FACE WITH NO TOP HORIZONTAL STRIPE. JUST ANOTHER EXCEPTION FOR US MODELERS TO BE ON TOP OF. THE STRIPES CAN BE FOUND IN "MICROSCALE 87-878 SOUTHERN HOOD DIESELS 1940-1960". ON ANOTHER TOPIC, I CAN NOT GET THE FILE OF INSTRUCTIONS TO DOWNLOAD. COULD YOU POSSIBLY POST THEM AS AN E-MAIL?? THANKS MIKE OLDHAM

CAB AIR DEFLECTORS

FOLKS, I APOLOGIZE, BUT I MADE AN ERROR IN THE BILL-OF-MATERIALS FOR THE GREEN GP7 PROJECT. WELL, AT LEAST IT IS AN ERROR TO ME. WE EACH HAVE OUR OWN PREFERENCES, LIKES AND DISLIKES. WHILE BOB PREFERS THE ETCHED BRASS CAB AIR DEFLECTORS (DA 2304) I DON'T. MY PREFERENCE IS DETAIL ASSOCIATES (DA 2312)CLEAR PLASTIC AIR DEFLECTORS. WHEN I MADE THE BILL-OF-MATERIALS I HAD COPIED AND PASTED BOB'S LIST, THEN MADE MY CHANGES. I OVERLOOKED THE AIR DEFLECTORS. YOU WILL HAVE TO DECIDE FOR YOURSELF WHICH YOU PREFER. SINCE YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY ORDERED THE 2304 BRASS VERSIONS THIS MAY BE YOUR CHOICE. I JUST RE ORDERED THE CLEAR PLASTIC 2312 VERSION, WHICH MAY CAUSE A DELAY IN COMPLETING THE MODEL, BUT PROBABLY NOT AS THEY MAY GET HERE BEFORE I AM READY FOR THEM ANYWAY. SUCH IS LIFE IN PROTOTYPE MODELING. THERE ARE MANY DETAIL PARTS AVAILABLE AND IN SOME CASES COMPETING VERSIONS OF THE SAME PROTOTYPE DETAIL AND IN THIS CASE, COMPETING VERSIONS FROM THE SAME MANUFACTURER! WHEN BOB'S AND MY MODELS ARE COMPLETE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE BOTH VERSIONS. YOU MAY WISH TO HOLD OFF AND STUDY BOTH BEFORE MAKING A DECISION AS TO WHICH YOU WILL CHOOSE. IN THE MEANWHILE I HAVE 4 PACKS OF DA 2304 ETCHED BRASS AIR DEFLECTORS IF SOMEBODY WANTS THEM. LET ME KNOW. JIM SIX

HORNS

MAN, I AM LOSING IT. THANKS DON. HOWEVER, . . . I MADE ANOTHER ERROR. I ORDERED THE WRONG HORN. I DID NOT HAVE PHOTOS AT THE TIME THAT SHOWED THE HORNS AND "ASSUMED" THAT THE HORN THAT BOB ORDERED WOULD BE CORRECT -- WRONG! JUST LAST EVENING I RECEIVED PROTOTYPE PHOTOS THAT SHOW THE HORN AND . . . YOU GUESSED IT, MY ASSUMPTION HAS GOTTEN US THE WRONG HORN. 8-( THE CORRECT HORN IS OVERLAND #9014 BUT, . . . THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE HORN NEEDED. IT DEPENDS UPON WHICH PROTOTYPE LOCOMOTIVE YOU ARE MODELING. IT TURNS OUT THAT THEY DID NOT ALL HAVE THE SAME HORN. THIS OVERLAND HORN IS ONE OF THE TWO TYPES I HAVE DISCOVERED. THE OTHER TYPE MATCHES THE HORN THAT COMES ON THE P2K MODEL!!! LORD, SOMETHING IS GOING RIGHT! IF YOU MODEL THE 6244 OR A MATCHING LOCOMOTIVE THE P2K HORN APPEARS CORRECT, BUT WILL HAVE TO BE TURNED AROUND AND RELOCATED SLIGHTLY. IF YOU MODEL THE 2172, 2174, OR 2180, THEN THE OVERLAND #9014 HORN IS CORRECT. THERE IS YET ANOTHER "HITCH" TO THIS. THE 6244 HAS DIFFERENT PILOTS. INSTEAD OF THE SLOPED PILOTS IT HAS THE LATER MU-HOSE POCKET PILOTS DETAIL ASSOCIATES #2208.THIS MEANS THAT THE SLOPE PILOTS WILL NEED TO BE REMOVED AND THE DA PILOTS INSTALLED IN THEIR PLACE. I HAVE DECIDED TO DO JUST THAT ON ONE OF MY TWO MODELS (SINCE I HAVE ONLY ONE OVERLAND #9014 HORN ON HAND!). I WILL BE SURE TO TAKE GOOD PHOTOS OF BOTH VERSIONS AND WRITE CLEAR TEXT EXPLAINING ALL OF THIS. SHEIKS, . . . BUT SOMETIMES PROTOTYPE MODELING CAN BE FRUSTRATING. THIS IS WHY I "TRY" TO NEVER WORK FROM DATA, BUT ONLY PHOTOGRAPHS. THIS TIME I FELT THE PRESSURE OF BOB AND HIS BLACK GP7 GETTING AHEAD OF ME AND I MADE SOME ASSUMPTIONS THAT HAVE CAUSED THIS "BUMP IN THE ROAD." I SURE HOPE Y'ALL WILL FORGIVE ME AND NOT ABANDON YOUR GREEN GP7 PROJECTS. WE WILL SEE THIS THROUGH TO THE GLORIOUS END. JIM SIX DOESN'T THE HORN PLACEMENT AT LEAST ON SOME LOCOS RELATE TO THOSE THAT HAD STEAM GENERATORS? DON YELVERTON I AM SURE IT DID, BUT THE PHOTOS I AM MODELING FROM ARE ALL OF NON-BOILER, FREIGHT ONLY LOCOS. THE WITHERS SOUTHERN DIESELS BOOK SHOWS SOME PHOTOS OF THE GREEN GP7S WITH BOILERS AND THE HORNS DO NOT APPEAR TO BE CONSISTENT PAGE-123 NEAR BOTTOM: HERE SOU 6202 SHOWS NO HORN AT ALL. I SUSPECT THAT IT IS ON THE SIDE OF THE SHORT HOOD NEAR THE ROOF AND IS A OVERLAND #9014 TYPE HORN, BUT THIS WOULD BE AN ASSUMPTION. PAGE-125 BOTTOM: HERE SOU 8213 UNIT HAS THE OVERLAND #9014 TYPE HORN ON THE SIDE OF THE LONG HOOD UP NEAR THE ROOF. THE DYNAMIC BRAKE GREEN GP7S APPEAR TO HAVE THE SMALL 3-CHIME HORN (2 FORWARD TRUMPETS AND ONE FACING BACK) THAT BOB IS USING ON HIS BLACK GEEP. STILL OTHER PHOTOS SHOW NO HORN AT ALL AND AS SUCH, I SUSPECT THAT THESE TOO THE HORN ON THE SIDE OF THE SHORT HOOD NEAR THE ROOF AND IS A OVERLAND #9014 TYPE HORN. JUST NO PROOF. IF ANYONE HAS PHOTOS TO SHARE OF THE GREEN GP7S WE WOULD CERTAINLY APPRECIATE YOU SHARING WITH US. JIM SIX

FUEL AND WATER TANKS

JIM, THANKS FOR POSTING THE FIRST PART OF THE TEXT. ANOTHER SEMI MYSTERY I AM SEEING IN THE PHOTOS IS THE FUEL TANK ASSIGNMENT. IN THE GREEN PROJECT PHOTOS ENGINE #S 2174 & 2180 HAVE THE FULL SIZE FUEL TANK BUT IN WARREN`S PHOTO OF #2177 IN BLACK IT SEEMS TO HAVE THE SMALLER FUEL TANK BUT I CAN`T QUITE MAKE IT OUT. I WONDER IF THEY WERE CHANGING TANK SIZES OR JUST ORDERING A MIX OF THEM ACCORDING TO THE ENGINE`S INTENDED ASSIGNMENT. ANYONE HAVE ANY INFO ON THIS?? THANKS MIKE OLDHAM MIKE, YOU BRING UP A GOOD POINT. EVEN AMONG THE GREEN GP7S SOME (NON-BOILER) HAD FULL SIZE 1600 GALLON FUEL TANKS WHILE OTHERS HAD THE SMALLER 800 AND 900 GALLON TANKS. WHAT I DO IS NOT ONLY WORK FROM PHOTOS, BUT I TRY TO WORK FROM PHOTOS THAT WERE TAKEN IN THE "TIME FRAME" THAT I AM MODELING. WITH THE GREEN GP7S THIS IS PROVING DIFFICULT BECAUSE THERE ARE SO FEW PHOTOS AVAILABLE. IT DOES APPEAR THOUGH THAT THE PHOTOS I HAVE ON HAND WERE TAKEN IN THE MID-TO-LATE 1950S. MAYBE WARREN CALLOWAY, BOB GRAHAM, OR ANOTHER PERSON WITH PLENTY OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THIS TOPIC WILL CHIME IN AND ENLIGHTEN US. JIM SIX

EXHAUST STACKS

JIM, INSTEAD OF USING PART 2402 FOR THE EXHAUST STACKS, ARE THE F-UNIT STACKS LIKE THE ONES YOU USED FOR THE ACL PURPLE UNITS FROM THE MRING ARTICLE GOOD AS WELL? I HAVE USED THOSE ON MY ACL GP-7S AND THEY DO NOT NEED THE BASE PLATE REMOVED AS WELL. THEY DO NOT LOOK THAT HIGH AFTER THE ARE PAINTED TO MATCH THE ROOF COLOR. LARRY NEAL LARRY, YOU CAN USE THE DA F-UNIT STACKS. I USED TO USE THEM FOR THE REASONS YOU DESCRIBE. HOWEVER, THEY ARE A BIT TOO TALL AND A BIT TOO FLARED. TO OVERCOME THE THICK BASE PLACE OF THE DA GEEP EXHAUST STACKS YOU CAN FILE OR SAND THE BASE PLATE TO BE THINNER. THIS IS WHAT I DO NOW AND IMO THIS YIELDS THE BEST RESULTS WHEN DONE JIM

SIGNAL BOXES

JIM, I NOTICE IN ONE OF THE FILE PHOTO SCANS THAT THE SIGNAL BOX APPEARS TO BE PAINTED BLACK. I ALWAYS ASSUMED THIS WAS GREEN LIKE THE LOCO. FURTHER ASSUME YOU HAVE A COLOR SHOT TO VERIFY. SEEMS OTHER PROJECTS BY OTHERS, THIS PART HAS BEEN GREEN, SO I'M JUST CURIOUS. THANKS, MY GEEPS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO ME SO I'M TOLD. MIKE GARBER CHECK ON PAGE 116 OF THE FIRST MORNING SUN ALL COLOR SOUTHERN BOOK. THE RADIO EQUIPMENT BOX IS GREEN, JIM G'DAY GROUP, WAS JUST LOOKING AT THE PROTOTYPE PIC OF GREEN GP7 #2180. THIS UNIT IS OF MOST INTEREST TO ME AS THIS IS THE ONE IM MODELLING. (THE P2K MODEL CAME WITH THIS NUMBER !!) NOW IVE READ WARRENS INFO ON FUEL TANKS, BUT THE TANK ON THE PHOTO I WAS LOOKING AT SEEMS LIKE IT IS OF THE LARGER (1200?) VARIETY.AM I GOING MAD OR IS IT BECAUSE THE PHOTO IS DEAD SIDE ON ? IVE LOCATED A COLOUR (YES THATS HOW ITS SPELT) PHOTO ON THE FALLEN FLAG SITE OF 2180 IN BLACK AND IT CLEARLY SHOWS THE SMALLER (800?) TANK. WOTS DOIN ?????????? WHADAYA REAKON BOYS, SHOULD I LEAVE THE TANK ALONE ON THE MODEL, OR SHOULD I CUT IT UP. IT ALSO SEEMS TO HAVE LOST ITS SIGNAL BOX. (ONE LESS DETAIL PART TO BUY !!) HELP ! ANTHONY VENESS GROUP. GENERAL COMMENTS ON SOUTHERN GP7S: NONE OF THE GP7S RECEIVED THE FAN GUARD/SHROUD IN GREEN. THIS WAS STARTED IN THE LATE 1960S AND EARLY 1970S. ALSO, THE ANTENNA POSITION VARIED. NOT ALL GOT THE ANTENNA MOUNTED ON THE LONG HOOD AND ITS CORRESPONDING CONDUIT CONNECTION. MANY HAD THE ANTENNA ON THE ROOF OF THE SHORT HOOD AND NO CONDUIT. ALSO, SOUTHERN DID NOT BEGAN TO REMOVE THE SKIRTING ABOVE THE FUEL TANK UNTIL, EARLY 1970S. GOFG ON THE OTHER HAND REMOVED THE SKIRTING EARLIER. AS TO THE LARGER FUEL TANKS, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE FOLLOWING NON-STEAM GENERATOR EQUIPPED UNITS WITH LARGER 1500 GALLON TANKS: 2075, 2174, 2175, 2176, 2177, AND 2180. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN MORE, BUT THESE NUMBERS ARE VERIFIED BY DATA AND/OR PHOTOS. SOME WERE CHANGED BACK TO 800 GALLONS IN THE 1970S. INCLUDING THE 2180. WARREN
© Jim Six 2003
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