Right, so I model southwestern Ontario in HO scale and I’ve noticed that the Walthers GP9M is passibly close to the GP9Ms used by Canadian Pacific. I’ve heard these engines are about halfway between train-set quality and model railroad quality, so what I’m wondering is what’s the impression from everyone who has these engines regarding operation and detail level? Cheers! ~METRO
Hi Metro. I have 2 of the CP units running on DC. You are right, about “halfway there” detail wise. The handrails etc do look a bit “chunky” but passable. I have mine relagated to work-train service, as my Atlas, Proto and Kato engines are much better. Operations wise - they are smooth and quiet and good pullers. Keep the wheels clean and your track clean, as I find they are sensitive to stalling.
Not the best locos but not the worst either.
Good luck and enjoy
Max
Are they any worse than Athern blue box?
With a little work, the BB’s can look very nice if you do not mind the extra width. I did up a chop nose GP 9 that ran on the E&N for a while, has extended sand boxes on the back.
I have two of them that Walthers had on sale with an included caboose, decorated for U.S. Army, because they were evidentally not moving off the shelf as Walthers had hoped.
I don’t know if this applies to all Trainline GP9Ms, but mine have only one truck driven and only one small flywheel on the drive shaft. The detail is not as good as higher quality locomotives, but is passable. I installed decoders into both of mine, which was not that difficult even though they are not DCC ready. Both trucks pick up power, and they run smoothly.
I’ve got a GP9M, and it’s a pretty good runner really. The details are fairly crude, but like an Athearn Blue Box locomotive, if you add a few detail parts they can look pretty good. That is what I’d compare it to, the Athearn Blue box engines, and the ones I have run about the same and have the same detail quality.
Installing DCC is easy too if you are into that. The motor is already isolated from the frame, and it’s stimply a matter of wiring the decoder into the wiring that’s already there. I like them anyway.
Noah
I had one of these. It ran fairly well but the shell is another wide body like the old athearn Geeps