I just picked up 2 Proto 2000 GP38-2’s in Soo Line colours from my LHS. These are very nicely detailed locomotives and as far as I can tell are 99.9% accurate when compared to Soo Lines real GP38-2’s. The only thing I found wrong was the placement of the air horns on top of the cab, they should be closer to the middle of the loco. The paint work is very crisp and looks to be 100% correct. Installing a Digitrax DH163L0 decoder is a breeze but the number board lights need to be removed or rewired to work properly with the decoder. I had experienced a problem with a ONR GP38-2 so I already knew about the issue with the number lights. Shell removal is very easy, once you find the screws under the trucks. After they were programmed I put them on the layout and broke them in. Both purred like a kitten running around the layout, both run very smooth and quiet. Over all I would say Proto did a great job on these loco’s and I would recommend them to anybody. I also picked up a Norfolk Southern GP38-2, its still in the box waiting for a decoder but soon I’ll compare it to the real thing.
what number have you got ? i have #4400
Can anyone comment on how one runs on DC? I am considering picking up a couple.
Thanks,
Jim
James, I have 4400 and 4436. Soo Line, sorry dude, I put the decoders in before they hit the track so I don’t know how they would run BUT, I tried out my Norfolk Southern GP38-2 and it ran great on DC using a Tech 4. I also tried it on 00 on my Digitrax system and it performed the same as with DC power, except for the hum you get when you run a loco without a decoder. On both systems though I couldn’t get it to crawl at a very low speed like the other 2 would with the decoders installed. Hope that helps you.
Jim,
I have a couple of UP GP38-2’s that I picked up last summer and both run fairly well. I haven’t run them much so when they get broken in, I’m expecting good things. I have a P2K SW9/1200 that I use fairly often and it works very well.
Hope this helps.
Tom
TA and FIAT;
Thanks for the infomation.
Jim
How are they painted? In the old black white and red scheme or the later solid red before Soo line was absorbed by CN? All the GP38-2s I have are all Athern locos in the old scheme, and 3 that I custom painted and lettered in red.
These ones are red and white. I still see them running around in this painst scheme a fair bit. CP bought them, not CN. It would be nice if Proto did a couple of the red ones, I would buy them for sure.
I’m building a 4.5x10 layout and my P2K GP-30 and GP-38-2 Santa Fe are going to be my main engines. I just bought the two but haven’t ran then (No layout yet, no running). I was bummed with I found out that they didn’t have DCC installed and how on the box it say that if you do run in DCC to replace the light bulbs. Detail is great except the yellow on the cab is a little different then the yellow on the rest of the engines. My fix for that is that the engines as prototypes had to have some paint tough-ups. And last, the horns will have to go or be repainted. But all in all I’ve been very happy with their looks and I’ve been very happy with P2K so far (I have 2 SD60M 3window–Love them a lot).
I just picked up a Proto 2000 GP 38- how do you get the shell off? I took the screws out of the coupler box and the two screws just behind the coupler boxes. Ended up pulling the fuel tank off but nothing else budged. Don’t want to pry anywhere unless I have to. Any help is greatly appreciated.
There are screws located under the trucks close to the fuel tank. If you slightly turn the trucks you will see them. Do this under a well lite area as these screws are hard to see. Remove those and the shell will pop off. Before you do though put the screws back that were in front of the couplers, they don’t hold the shell on. Good luck.
Well, depends in some ways on your point of view. All of the original SOO east of TC went to WC, then to CN, while SOO runs on the former MILW. But, yes, SOO did become part of CP.
4400 and 4436 are stil in red/grey/black. (It’s not actually white…) Prototype pics of most of the SOO 38s can be found here:
www.fuzzyworld3.com/soo1/index.html
Mark- I havent ever heard anyone identify the SOO color correctly like you did. I rarely say grey, but it is. SOO put a couple drops in each spray if i remember.
My buddy has the two GP38-2’s and they are amazing in the detail. Perfect paint job like you mentioned. I just wish proto didnt make the disasterous paint job on the WC GP30.
Alec
just out of curiosity, what is the correct placement for the horns? mine are on the cab, should they be on the long hood?
james
Depends on when you model the SOO Line. If its pre CP, than that is correct to have them on the long hood. The horns were placed directly over the engineers head in the SOO days.
Alec
i have all the soo sd 60s in proto and athearn except one of the red sd 60s by athearn and 2 of the gp38-2s in soo red by athern missed out on the soo gp38-2s in white red by proto ,have soo mp 15s ordered from athearn
I thought it was just an off white, doesnt seem grey, maybe slighty…hmm interesting.
Yep, just barely grey. I think INRD used white when patching their SD60s, they look less-than-pleasant… [xx(]
This is good info as I have a D&H GP38 as well as a D&H PA waiting for me at my local hobby shop.
If it’s anything like my other Proto locos, then I will be impressed.
Gordon