The Hobo Camp Fire Is going well #IX.. Stop In!!!

[tompm]

I got an email from my online dealer about the PRR DD-1 I reserved. I was excited as I knew the locos had arrived at the manufacturers from the factory. I am thinking this is the invoice for it. I opened the email and found a copy of a letter the owner sent to the dealers. There were fingerprints and other marks in the paint on the bodies. The bodies have to be remade. I have been waiting for this loco for three and a half years. Now looks like at least another six months.

Are those the new GHB models?  Thats awful!  I was tempted to order one, but just couldn't justify it. 

Yes it is the GHB models. At first I was not going to get one. Then again it is PRR and an electric motor. I will figure out some way to justify it being on the layout. Whenever we go to the RR Museum of PA the DD-1 is one of the locos that always draws me in.

I recently reserved a Rapido Penn Central EP-5. Not a hundred percent sure why other than it is an electric motor. I would love to find an E44. They maybe ugly to some folks but they are PRR and electric. You see I may have a problem with electric motors.

I found a source for some Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines decals. They are for RDC’s, Cabooses, and Passenger Cars. I think they should work on the undecorated Athearn blue box GP-38-2 I have. I am looking to get a second one soon. PRSL had GP-38’s without dynamic brakes so I need to find non-dynamic brake hoods to replace the hoods on the loco I have. I need to investigate what the difference in appearance between a GP-38 and a GP-38-2 is and whether or not I need to make any adjustments.

There are fairly significant (in my opinion) differences between a GP38 and a GP38-2, particularly the Blue Blox GP38-2.   An Atlas GP38 would make a better base model. 

GP38s had a larger radiator screen with 2 sections, and the radiator fans themselves were spaced apart conspicuously farther than on a GP38-2, which has a shorter single-section radiator screen. The Athearn blue-box GP38-2 also has the "late phase" corrugated radiator screens,  which would not be present on a GP38.  The "dust bin" for the air filter hatch is also the older style on the GP38.  Then there is of course, the -2 style  sight glass that would only be present on a GP38-2. 

Here I have a Genesis ex-PC GP38-2 compared to my own ex-PRSL GP38 (managed to get a PRSL cab 3d printed before they discontinued it for some reason).  I think the profile is different enough to justify hunting an older Atlas GP38.  I have spare non-dynamic hatches for those if you need one, but if you find an undec Atlas GP38, it will come with one.

Thanks for the information on the differences between the GP38 and GP38-2. I was going to ask if anyone knew. I have been searching for the Atlas GP-38 for sometime and have found them to be rarer than hen's teeth. I am even willing to buy one and strip it and repaint if I can't find an undecorated one. I did find a custom Penn Central GP-38 with a bad decal job, that I may eventually use. However, it is much older than I was lead to believe. It only has one power truck and was made in Yugoslavia. It came in an Athearn box. Apparently the original box was lost. I paid only $40 for it so I can't complain. I will figure out something to do with it. After some wheel cleaning I got it running nicely. It still needs to be tuned and perhaps overhauled.

Getting back to the GP-38's I will keep looking. If I can't find them and run out of patient I will just use the GP-38-2. It will mean in my little slice of the model railroad world the PRSL got GP-38-2's instead of GP-38's.