I can’t say they’d fit with anything I model, but I’d love to try detailing up an MBTA GP40 commuter unit. They’re highly modified CN geeps that were rebuilt in the late 90’s, and I know that no one has a kit, but I’m wondering if anyone out there has kitbashed their own. There are some heavy modifications, I know, not the least of which is a stretch in the frame and a lowering of the cab height by (I think), about 4".
If anyone has tried to model this rebuild, I’d certainly appreciate any advice you might have!
Hi there. Nice to see another MBTA fan. I can’t think of any examples of scratchbult MBTA GP40MCs. There is one company that has been custom painting MBTA units, but I do not remember the name. They weren’t producing the GP40MC’s though. On a side note, The Railroad Depot is starting to custom build Kawasaki Bilevels, but I believe the pricing was going to be upwards of $100 a unit.
Paul3 has been contemplating a kitbash for a few years now. The kitbash will not be an easy one. If he sees this thread I know you will get a response, if not try dropping him an email.
I sure do love to see those GP40s on the Old Colony and can’t wait for them to run on the Greenbush (right through my town). I have been watching the progress of the last branch(Greenbush) and it is nearing completion.
Welcome to the forum. Where in the Boston area are you?
I case you haven’t seen the notices, there’s a good train show out in Marlboro (Crown Plaza Hotel, on Route 20 just beyond 495) this Saturday and Sunday.
Thank you for responding. It’s definitely an intense kit-bashing job. I’ve been quitely hoping that someone would produce one. Due to limited interest, I’m sure that only Overland would be even remotely interested in doing them. I’ve also hoped for the K-cars, but those haven’t been exactly forthcoming either. Despite the purple paint, I love the MBTA and have always loved their equipment. The F10s were my favorite, but I think the Geeps come in second, with the screamers a distant third, then the Boise-builts. I’ve got a scratch built F10 that I love, with all the key features, but that’s relatively simple compared to the Geeps since they don’t have stretched frames or modified carbodies. It’s doable…but will require a LOT of work.
To answer your question, I live in Brookline and work in Copley. I like to take my lunch break on the platforms at Back Bay. Unless it’s late (or I am) I can usually catch the Lake Shore and a number of T jobs, plus an Acela or two.
I’d love to see a model of the MBTA Geeps too. I grew up along the Haverhill line in Melrose, MA and saw the evolution of the motive power from F10’s pulling RDC’s to the F40’s pulling Bombardiar (I think?) coaches and now the mix of GP40’s when I go back to visit.
I couldn’t fit one of the loco’s into the theme of my layout, B&M in central NH during the 70’s, but would still love to add it to my collection and could come up with an excuse to run it I’m sure.
Out of curiosity, does anyone know how different the MBTA Geeps are from the wide nose GP40’s used by PanAm/Guilford such as the recently repainted GP40 505?
I believe that they are actually modified versions of the same exact Geeps. I know that both were of CN origin, so the basic design is the same, but there were a lot of changes made to make them passenger units. Frame stretch, cab was shortened (height-wise), long hood was modified, changes to roof and underframe components. I think that the modifications make this an awesome looking unit (regardless of real-world performance), but again, the modeling side of things would be a potential nightmare.
There is a guy inWest Ossipee, New Hampshire who makes decals for almost every New England railroad out there, past and present. The name of his company is High Balls Graphics.
Last night when I read this topic, I searched and searched his web site to see if he had made any decals for the MBTA, but it looks like he hasn’t…at least not yet. It never hurts to call him and ask though. He also does custom decal work. I have purchased from him several time in the past and his decals are top notch. They sure have come in handy building up my B&M roster of late steam and early diesel.
AussiePossie,
Bogp40 is right, I have contemplated a GP40MC for a while. I’ve pretty much given up on a 100% reproduction. While I’m an MBTA fan, I’m not that much of a fan, if you follow.
So what I’m doing is sort of an 80% model, maybe more like 60%. What I want now is for someone to take one look at it and say, “That looks like an MBTA GP40MC.” And I’ll be satisfied with that.
The problem I found is where to stretch the model. The real ones are stretched in the middle of the two flared radiator cores at the rear. But the fans are not moved in a similar fashion… They actually added a forth rear cooling fan, and the end result is all the fans get moved around. It looked to me to be a zig-zag cut to get the results where I wanted them, and that was just too much work for my interest level.
For the shell, I bought a Rail Power Products GP40X shell for the flared radiator end. I probably should have bought an Atlas GP40 and added flared radiators (the dynamics and the doors match better to the Atlas version vs. the RPP GP40X).
For the cab, I bought the Details Associates safety cab. To convert it, I filled the number board holes and filed off the class lights. Then I cut out the middle window posts to make it a 2 window cab vs. the stock 4 window. Next, I had to fill in the drooping outer two window panels on the front to make the cab have two straight windows. The other thing was the nose door had to be filled and smoothed over with putty. Then small number boards from an RPP loco kit were glued to the nose. And I also cut off the bottom 6" of the cab to drop it. I should have cut the 6" out of the middle of the cab, but again, my patience ran out.
A single piece of 6" thick styrene cut to shape goes on top of the cab. Next is fabbing a bell & horn bracket using various Details West parts.
A guy from my club talked to Brian Marsh of Overland about maki
Hey guys, let me know if you find " Charlie" on the MBTA !!! LOL sorry guys, I just couldn’t resist that… I love that song by the Kingston Trio… Ohhh did he ever return…no he never returned…and his fate is still unknown…he may ride forever on the MBTA he’s that man who never returned…
Or maybe she didn’t want him to come home? Maybe she had a boyfriend, or maybe, even worse, she was planning to re-decorate and wanted to get rid of “all those old toy trains he’s always playing with.”
There but for fortune go you or I. Et tu, Charlie?
