AT&SF GP30 Questions

Guys, My wife picked up Santa Fe GP30 #3223 at a rummage sale for five bucks. She figured that even though its a diesel I might like it. She figured right! It runs perfect and I don't think the shell was ever put on it. I going to get a another one because like scorpions if you see a diesel there is always a second close by. As many of you know I'm stuck way back in the steam era so before I spend hours hunting down info I thought I check with you guys first. The P2K model looks very nice but I'm sure that additional details are needed. Maybe Details West or someone makes the parts I will need. So what detail parts do I need, who makes them and where can I find or buy the drawings or pictures that I will need? Also what paints match this model best? P2K made numbers 3200, 3223 and 3233. I think that these locomotives started their careers in 1962 but were re-numbered and re-painted later. They carried the yellow and blue war bonnet paint. What years did they operated under these numbers in this paint scheme and where on the SF system were they used? What size and type of cars would have been commonly hauled by them and what well detailed car kits or models are available? Also how many cars would two of these GP30 things normally haul? Thanks, Bruce

Reply to
Bruce Favinger
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Santa Fe originally was painted blue with yellow stripes in places rather than the warbonnet scheme back then. I think that the warbonnet scheme came after Amtrak started up. As with all diesels, the number of cars pulled could vary a lot, depending upon the loads/empties ratio and the grades. I'd consider 10 cars on a model layout to be a nice number of cars.

-- Bob May Losing weight is easy! If you ever want to lose weight, eat and drink less. Works every time it is tried!

Reply to
Bob May

Bruce

The renumbering into the 3200s dates from about 1970 and they were rebuilt in the early 80s to look slightly different. As far as the details are concerned I would suggest that you consult one of the specialist mailing lists where you'll get probably more info than you really needed. If you want to get funny about it decide on a location and build cars to carry the traffic likely to be found in that place. Loads will depend on the terrain and types of cars, but a pair of these will look really good with 30-40 cars.

Freight cars for it to pull? Since the loco scheme suggests the 70s then there is huge number of different schemes and prototypes - while there were huge numbers of older cars still in service, the 70s resulted in a huge boom in boxcar building under the Incentive Per Diem scheme. This means that a lot of apparently tiny railroads had large numbers of brightly coloured cars roaming all over the country. Research into this can be a complete hobby on it's own, but I would suggest looking through back issues of Rail Model Journal which is full of good ideas for 70s freightcars. Don't overdo the home road cars - you'll want to suggest a wider world beyond the confines of the layout. Here are a few thoughts - I'm assuming general freight service when I think about this rather than specialist operations. Generally the Walthers and Branchline schemes are pretty accurate for their chosen prototypes - Atlas will fudge things a bit but the cars are usually of similar type, whereas Intermountain and Accurail will often do schemes for various roads that don't really match the real cars on those roads. Athearn Genesis cars are good - the old range less so.

Boxcars I'd start by looking at the MDC PS 1900 series exterior post boxcar (which does up nicely when given wire grabs), and can stand in for the Railbox cars of the period or be kitbashed into a pretty accurate model. Also think about the Branchline 50' Berwick boxcar and similar cars for IPD paint schemes. The Athearn 5800 series kits for the flat roofed Pullman boxcar can be used for a late 70s setting. Accurail's ACF exterior post box is more convincing as a model than the later Atlas version - I can't say quite why, but the Atlas has something wrong about it; watch out for strange paint schemes on the Accurail cars though.

There would also have been a good many older cars around - 40' and 50' AAR cars like those offered by Branchline lasted a long time as did the PS-1s like the Kadee models thought they may have seen a repaint or two in the intervening years.

Covered hoppers Santa Fe had a good many hoppers generally similar to the P2K PS-2 CD covered hopper. Also look at the Atlas ACF cars and with a bit of work the similar, but subtly different Accurail car as well as the Atlas cars.

The Athearn steel caboose is a Santa Fe prototype. Some got sold off to the Frisco in 77, but I don't know how many were still in mainline service by this time.

I'm sorry this isn't comprehensive, but really this becomes a whole new research project for you . Ask focused questions and you'll probably get intelligent answers. Join mailing lists and review the archives; use the public library to get copies of books and go back over your magazine collection for pictures (libraries and publishers will often arrange to photocopy articles for a small fee

Aidrian Also devoted to external combustion.

Reply to
Aidrian Bridgeman-Sutton

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