Hi all,
New to the forum (and model railroading altogether), so my apologies if this is too much of a “noob” question…
I’m curious about the GP35 bodies produced by Rail Power Products – were these specially designed for a bespoke frame, or will they work on other frame – i.e. those produced by Athearn?
I’m modeling on a budget, but more importantly, I like actually getting down to painting/building/etc – hence the fact I’m asking about kitbashing as opposed to the easiest way to buy into a non-dynamic GP35.
Plus, it’d mean more to my father if I present him with a loco for his birthday that I’ve assembled m’self…
Thanks,
-Evan
Welcome! Welcome to the forum there amigo!
Being a NOBLE-Scaler all I can do is venture a WAG to your question but I was always impressed with this company’s work and read the press’ revues of these body shells when they came out. If memory serves me they were designed around compatibility with Athearn drive mechanisms. I seem to recall that certain body shell modifications were required if you wanted to mount them over, say, Proto Power West drives.
Hi Evan - The RPP GP35 shell was made to fit the Athearn GP35 frame with modifications. There are little rails(?) the length of the frame on both sides that need to be removed. These would fit into the too-wide Athearn shell but not into the narrower RPP body. The rear bolster also needs to be narrowed. I have done these modifications several times before using a Dremel. I hope this helps…
Good luck!
The current Athearn RTR GP35 uses a modified RPP GP35 shell pretty much as-is. Athearn purchased the entire RPP line about 9 years ago.
The GP35 shell is OK, certainly better than the old Athearn widebody GP35 shell. However, it is no longer state of the art and includes some visually jarring features, like oversize, very shallow door latches, way-too-thick pilot plates, solid steps, oversize rivets, and an overall coarse quality of detail.
Athearn made some improvements to the shell to allow for separate, seethru fans, finely done handrails, a nice brass horn casting, and wire grab irons.
If you just want a GP35 and aren’t much of a rivet counter, the RPP shell is for you. However, if you aren’t, the Kato GP35 is a far better choice for a serious modelling project.
Thanks for all the replies! No, I’m no rivet counter, but I am bothered by finding dynamic brakes on a loco that, prototypically speaking, didn’t have them. The door latches/etc. I think I can live with…
I’m sure others will disagree, but given what I’m looking for and my budget, this sounds like a viable option as opposed to something as beautiful as a Kato. I’ll go ahead and give it a try.
I’ll make sure to post the finished project when it’s done. Thanks again!
I think I would try to round up one of these: http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH91700
The current frame is better than the old one, no modification needed to get it under the shell properly. It might come with parts to make it non-dynamic, many of the factory painted ones are.
If budget is your primary concern, building a model with the RPP shell may not be much cheaper than starting with Athearn or Kato from an auction site.
Not sure how those makers put the dynamic brake detail on, but it might be a snap-off part that can readily be removed.
Of course, it’s more fun to build your own … [swg]
Eric