Hello, I am very new to the G lifestyle and want to put a 300 ft track in my back yard It has to be a UP track due tho the fact that there are 2 east west mainlines running 400 feet from my back garage. Talk about lifelike sound effects! Once a year or so UP’s Big Boy steam loco goes through with an excursion train and such. Im not a big steam fanatic, (please dont hold that against me) but to see the biggest UP steam loco in real life sticks in your memory. I am looking at two locos by USA Trains. The GP38 and Sd40-2. I see enough SD70’s and AC4400’s along with a smattering of dash 8 nd 9’s every day in real life So I dont want to model one. I know the SD40-2 should pull more than the geep due to 6 axles driving verses 4 but how many fullsize cars will the geep pull? Can I double head the GP38 to get more power? Will I have to go to a bigger power supply to doublehead? I want fairly long consits so I know I wont be able to take corners to tight due to the long trains. and the only grade I will have is a 6 ft bridge about a foot off the ground to cross my wifes koi pond which she wants to put in this summer but I have to do all the work (how did I get voted to do that? I dont even like fish.)[xx(] the grade will be maybe 1.5 at the most. . Please forgive any stupid questions as I am new to this fantastic pastime. I plan to read everything on this forum it is so great!
Better on curves that are sharper, less overhang, double-head is fine, done lots for folks in conversions.
i got a geep 30 runs great
GP7-9, GP30, GP38, F-3, all the exact same trucks and motors.
They are reliable.
TOC
The 38 will just about grind round 2 foot radius while the 40 needs 4 ft radius minimum or it’ll wander off the track. I’ve one of each and there’s not much difference in pulling power, we had 25 cars behind the 38 on a mates garden line. I found a 5 amp controller is fine for double heading with a load behind, anything smaller tends to pop the thermal cutout after a while.
As for not wanting the Aristo -9 try resisting when you see one!
Enjoy
I concur, the 38 is the winner hands down. Now as far as power goes, there is another thread that talks about that at length, and we all agree that it is best to buy the biggest power supply you can afford, usualy a 10amp can be had for $100 or so (cheaper if you thrift shop like I do!)
Good luck and welcome to G scale!
I have a couple of 38-2"s and GP30"s . I run these all the time , usually for hours at a time pulling 30 car trains around our railroad . These are really reliable units that keep going and going . So far the only problems have been the axle journals crumbling to pieces from extended use. These were easilly replaced and are going strong again. It might have something to do with the fact that I like to mix units from different manufacturers in my multi-unit consists. I dont care if they wear out a little faster cuz of the different gearing from one unit to another . I like the way they look together . Also I think if you see one of Aristocrafts dash 9"s you will want one or two . The UP models come in two different paint jobs . Any way below is a picture of a Aristocraft dash-9 mated to a USA GP 38-2 pulling a long string of double stacks on a cold (4 degree) day past Romeoville station . 