Has anyone ever heard of this company? If so what would you say the quality level of their SD40 is?
Bob DeWoody
I think you mean GSB…?
Which stood for “Going Slowly Broke” which they eventually did.
The only good thing about their SD40-2 was the Tan Can motor. The rest was junk.
If indeed you do mean GBS, I never heard of them.
Good luck,
gtirr
Hi Bob;
Are you referring to GSB ?
If yes, they went belly up about 15 - 20 years ago. Jim6 can tell you a great deal about thier SD40-2 model. The shell is comparable to slightly better than Athearn’s early ones. The drivertrain is interesting; excellent Mashima motor, no flywheels, poor trucks with 14:1 gears. The chassis was a major mistake, thin plastic, no rigidity, the Mehano (SD40, C628, RS11, GP18, etc) is better.
Overall, you are getting a great motor, and a good shell; to use with a RPP SD45-2 chassis. You’ll still need flywheels (PPW/A-line) and trucks (Athearn).
I think the company was GSB - They advertised a SD40-2 when nobody made one, and then had production delays and technical issues that resulted in several missed ‘available’ dates. In the meantime, Athearn quietly produced their SD40-2 and got it out long before GSB. GSB also sold their ‘Bulldog’ chassis and ‘Tan Can’ motors for a while and just went by the wayside…This was in the early 80’s.
I remember looking at one of the engines, and it looked OK - appeared to be an early production SD40-2 from the radiator grills, IIRC…
I would consider the model to be an interesting piece of MR history, but would not invest much money in one.
Jim Bernier
Thanks, fellas. There is one listed on E-Bay. The sellor has it listed as GBS but I am sure you are right. The box looks good but as I had never heard of either listing I’m not sure I want to bid. Starting bid is $40.
Bob DeWoody
Hi Bob;
The GSB boxes are superior, rigid foam, well designed. The boxes are probably the second best thing about the model, the Mashima motor being the best. I would suggest that not to go more than $30 including shipping, handling and insurance.
I am one of the unfortunate few to own a GSB SD40-2. It is a giant piece of junk. The only reason I got it was because I was in a hobby shop. Looking over the consignment shelf, I accidently knocked off on to the floor. The next words spoken were, “Will there be anything else sir.” I still havn’t finished rebuilding it yet.
James.