Freelance 2013

[faraway]

Matt, the GP10 announced by Intermountain for end of 2013 will be the preserver of the round cab roof with chopped noses. Cleburne engines look best with the unique angled cab in my eyes.

ps. I did write "announced" and not "available" intentionally....

[faraway]

Work in progress. To my surprise a new low nose is required. The old nose fitting the P2K round roof cab is a bit to low to fit in the Athearn CF7 based angled cab. Let's wait until the putty covering old lights and number boards has set and can be sanded.

[lajry]

Reinhard
The cab you are putting on your GP7u is called the "Topeka Cab" While the CF7 & Topeka cabs are similar, the CF7 angle cabs were a product of the Cleburne TX shops. Here's some info from <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.qstation.org">http://www.qstation.org</a><!-- m -->

Cabs: Round vs. Angle
Since the original reason for the Santa Fe to embark on the CF7 rebuilding program was to save money, the original batches of CF7s were released from the Cleburne Shops with the rounded roof cabs, as it was thought by preserving the contour left over from the F unit roof, money could indeed be saved.
However, as the program progressed, it was found the round roof would not save money for the ATSF because the doors associated with this rounded-roof cab had to be custom fitted. CF7 #2638 was the first locomotive to refitted with the angled cab and fitted with standardized doors, and thus saving Santa Fe 50% of the cost of custom-fitted doors found on the original units.
There always has been talk that the angled cab is known as a "Topeka Cab", and this was because the Topeka Shops "rubber-stamped" the changes made throughout the CF7 program, however all of the angled-cabs were indeed fabricated by the Cleburne Shops, and the Topeka Shops had no input with regards to the origination, or fabrication, of the angled cab.
The new, large cab allowed a Santa Fe crew of three, comprised of the engineer, fireman, and head brakeman, room to complete their work. The Cleburne Shops also brought new innovation in the form of adding side mirrors to both sides of the cab so both sides of a train could be monitored.
The new angled cab also allowed Cleburne Shop forces to provide Santa Fe crews with better sound insulation, as they added a lead plate, and foam insulation installed in the roof of the cab to suppress noise and vibration for train crews. It is interesting to note that the Cleburne Shops had measurements taken from the La Junta, CO roundhouse, which contained the smallest height doors on the ATSF system, to insure the CF7 could be used everywhere.

[faraway]

Andy, thanks for the CF7 explanation that matches my knowledge and the wonderful CF7 book.

I assume the same is basically true for the GP7U also done in Cleburne some time after the CF7 series has been completed. I do usually not use the misleading term "Topeka cab" but angled cab. I do not have any books or detailed information of the GP7u. Can you confirm the angled cabs of the GP7u and CF7 had the same or very similar dimensions? That is my assumption and the reason why I am using modified Athearn CF7 angled cabs for my GP7u conversions.

Do you know why Cleburne did the GP7u again with some round roofs (modified) but mostly angled roofs. They have been through that learning process with the CF7.

Another topic is the location of the front lights. I understood many have been moved from the cab into the nose in the 1980's. That change had no relation to the CF7 or GP7u conversion programs. One reason why there are GP7u with front light in the cab (unmodified) and in the nose (modified) just like GP30, GP38.....

ps. Cab and nose met the rattle can on the balcony. The yellow paints dries extreme slow..... no more action until late tomorrow

[lajry]

Reinhard
The GP7/9 angle cabs were developed & done in Topeka KS not Cleburne. Hence the term "Topeka Cab". Trying to find some historical documentation but no luck so far.

[faraway]

Reinhard
The GP7/9 angle cabs were developed & done in Topeka KS not Cleburne. Hence the term "Topeka Cab". Trying to find some historical documentation but no luck so far.

So, the angled cab has been invented in Cleburne for the CF7 but has later been "reinvented" and manufactured in Topeka for the GP7u? The CF7 book states that the GP7u has been done in Cleburne too. That means Topeka build the GP7u angled cab and send it to Cleburne for assembly?
A discussion in Trainorders states that Topeka did do some design work on the angled cab for the GP7u but all actual build was done in Cleburne. That is still somehow confusing because the angled cab has been invented/designed some years earlier by Cleburne for the CF7. Wonder what Topeka did in detail.

My second engine is still in the shop. The long time used dull coat got some white spots possibly because I sprayed it at the extreme hot (95°) balcony yesterday.


Some hours later a first test run on the layout. The lights are missing and the roof is still empty. Need to do a BNSF baby pink A/C unit if I can stand it....


But I am conceptional thinking about the future of the two GP7u. They are fine for switching in SoCal after the year 2000 but they are also a great base for some "patching" to get some more or less fictional class III switching operation. MAW etc. are great examples but do not fit into my layout so well. Oakland terminal switching would be the next prototype. But it had only one engine and unique lettering at the long hood.

[jwb]

If you're looking for a Santa Fe GP7u still in California on a short line, there's the Northwestern Pacific (restart as of 2011). It has a number 1322:
   
   
The NWP isn't much like the LAJ, though -- it runs through gentrified exurbs.

[torikoos]

The NWP isn't much like the LAJ, though -- it runs through gentrified exurbs.

There's a new term for me, had to look up both as being from the other side of the pond, I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but an online dictionary helped out there:
Exurbs, urban areas developed outside the outline of a city / town, (extra urban) , gentrification: redevelopment/renewal/rebuilding of run down areas, where wealthy and middle class people settle, often displacing poorer residents due to rising housing costs etc

I guess this should be wealthy and middle class rail fans that like the NWP in this case? :-)

Koos

[faraway]

I will proceed in the thread Freelance 2013-2 (MAW) with the migration of my layout from currently SoCal to a very freelance interpretation/inspiration of the Maumee & Western in Ohio.
Thank you all for following this thread in the past. I enjoyed your encouragement and often needed your support!