I realize the Walthers Gp9m Trainline locomotives aren’t top of the line, but has anyone used them and what is your opinion of them?
Yes.
Despite inaccuracy of paint schemes, details, and roadnames, they are good runners. Not P2K, Atlas, Kato, etc., but for someone who isn’t into those(As I once wasn’t)they would be good locomotives. Jeff Hanke provides a great guide on how to kitbash one into a correct Chessie/WM model(http://www.trainweb.org/chessie/walthersgp9m.htm).
The motors aren’t half-bad, and the shells have potential.
I have several, they all run quite good and reliable. Put decoders in all of them. I dont care how accurate the paint, lettering, etc is
yeah I have a couple they are pretty good runners
The detail is a little chunky. But mine run well. And you can’t beat the price, especially when Walthers has them on sale.
Nick
I have one. Want a few more.
James
I bought two today and one of them derails every so often is this commom?
Sounds like a problem I had with one of my Athearn SD40-2s Check to make sure all the wheels are in gauge. On mine I had one wheel slightly out. I got a replacement from athearn and it works like a charm.
My son had one a few years ago and it ran great, it was smooth and had enough power to run with any comperable engine. It performed better than any Athearn Blue box unit we had at the time. I sold it on Ebay a month or so ago and the new had nothing but praise for it.
always wnated to get one of these units, seemed cheap and something good to work on… that was befor ei changed my modeling eara and layout… now i’m regreting it!
About on par with the Blue Box…not real fancy, but like others have said, they’re good reliable runners. Unlike the P2Ks, they’ve never caused me any problems, and I don’t regret buying them.
Their F40 PHs, 1998 run turned out to be an excellent buy for me. Had an opportunity to up grade to the new Kato
F40PH but passed.
The Walthers GP9m shell is an older molding and a “widebody” like the Athearn GP7 (nee GP9). It’s also a generic chopnose, and not a dead match to any one batch of locomotives - chopnosed GP9s were products of individual rebuilders or railway shops, and therefore they varied widely.
Still, the drive runs at least as smoothly as the Athearn, and it seems to be as relliable, so if you’re looking for an economical loco that’ll run well it’s a good, solid choice.
Thank you gentlemen for your information
I don’t have a GP 9 but our Alco FA is a bit touchy on less than perfect trackwork. Two reasons. One, the trucks don’t pivot as widely as Athearn blue boxes. Two, the locomotive is pretty heavy which means momentum can derail it as it goes around a curve. I relayed some of my track and shimmed the outside of some of my curves. It cured most of the problems but it still can be touchy and I run it at lower speeds.
If you want more details on the GP9Ms than I did a review a few months ago on them. Here’s a link to it: http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=42992[:)][:)]
You’ll have to scroll down a little before you get to the part about how it runs.(about 6 or 7 posts down) At one point I said that the motor was glued in, but when I did did some work on it a few weeks ago I found out that it was only pressed, but real tight.[:D][:D]
I am still looking for a set of the old WSOR GP9M’s that Walthers did a few years ago. Everyonce and a while one shows up on e-bay, but they always go for way more than I can afford on a teenage budget. Ah well, one of these day’s I will get those WSOR units…
But yeah, the GP9M’s aren’t bad certainly, a SOO line GP9M was my first locomotive, and it runs okay still.
Noah
I just bought one from Walthers on sale, Burlington Northern. Seems like a great price. Do they come with knuckle couplers? If not what type did you change it out with and how easy was it?
Thanks, Mark
I had one, it was my very first locomotive. It ran fine and I never had any issues with it. Once I discovered the higher end loco’s it was put back in its box until I sold it in February.
I re-powered the one I had with a Athearn GP7 drive…This re-powering isn’t for the unskilled.