There's been a lot of bashing on Another Forum about this model. I got one simply because I began to realize it had the same speed curve as my turbine and U50s, and I could overlook any dimensional glitches around the grilles just to get some variety in my UP power consists. It does, in fact, MU nicely with the turbine:[attachment=9596]
I need to double check if this series of GP9s was ever able to MU with turbines on the prototype, but I believe it is in fact a specific model of a series that was never rebuilt to Omaha GP20s. If it did or didn't MU with turbines, I don't care. My layout can handle 25 car trains, and the turbine by itself will only handle 12-15 cars, so I want to give it some help.

In fact, it's a very good looking model.[attachment=9595] You have to put it next to a P2K GP9 or Atlas GP7 and then look hard to see any issue over the grilles.

And with all the bellyaching about the grilles, this is the first GP7 or 9 that I'm aware of that provides the different prototype fuel tank sizes.
[attachment=9594]
And Athearn's fixing the grilles on later runs anyhow. Amazing how some people are.

And Athearn's fixing the grilles on later runs anyhow. Amazing how some people are.

jwb you said it all right there. Athearn are fixing the problem, but still some people are never happy. These days I find the quickest way to shut them up is to offer them the tools and materials to do the job themselves, and then enjoy watching them back-peddle fast.
We are fortunate enough to be experiencing a hobby at a time when the benchmark level for detail on reasonably priced models keeps getting higher and higher. Example; couplers, Kadee have become the de-facto standard for couplers in HO so any coupler introduced into the market has to successfully mate with Kadee's. Even introductory train sets now come with Kadee compatible couplers. Would anyone seriously want to return to the days of the X2F Horn Hook coupler?

Mark

I went ahead and got a second Athearn UP GP9:[attachment=10720]After all, who ever heard of just one GP9 behind a turbine? There's also a great sequence in an Emery Gulash DVD of two GP9s on a UP wayfreight in Nebraska, so if anyone comes out with a good GP9B or Omaha GP20 that will mate with an Athearn (or any other) turbine, these will have a good use as a pair by themselves.

I was looking at the model even before I took it out of its plastic sleeve, and I thought it was pretty good, despite all the complaints about it. Here it is in a closer view:[attachment=10719]And since a lot of the complaints make invidious comparisons with the Life Like P2K version, here's one of those:[attachment=10718]Some of the complaints say the Athearn version has the wrong hood top-to-side radius (!!!), but I frankly don't notice anything there. I think the paint is somewhat better on the Athearn, it has the side mirrors on the cab window and cab interior detail, it has fan blades where the P2K doesn't, and the grabs are better on the Athearn. More to the point, my P2K never ran at all. At all. I kept putting off remotoring it, but I'm thinking harder now about simply turning it into a dummy, now that I have acceptable UP GP9s to run it with.

I notice that one major online retailer has the pre-upgrade Athearn GP9s on sale -- the badmouthing they've had on Another Forum has had its effect, but heck, I'm gonna pick up the bargains here. I think that even with a minor error here and there -- and what's perfect? -- they're still much better than the P2Ks, especially since they actually run. As some guys have pointed out here, you get what you pay for. I wonder if the complainers mostly just don't like that idea.

jwb Wrote:I went ahead and got a second Athearn UP GP9:[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]After all, who ever heard of just one GP9 behind a turbine? There's also a great sequence in an Emery Gulash DVD of two GP9s on a UP wayfreight in Nebraska, so if anyone comes out with a good GP9B or Omaha GP20 that will mate with an Athearn (or any other) turbine, these will have a good use as a pair by themselves.

In my book, a GP9 looks better in pair. ;-) Anyway, I don't know of any model that doesn't have flaws. In my own opinion, this kind of "issues" are rather insignifiant when you think about British OO and Japanese HO (1/80) discrepancies.

Matt

Here's another comparison. P2K GP9 truck:[attachment=10728]
Athearn GP9 truck:[attachment=10727]I report, you decide!

jwb Wrote:Here's another comparison. P2K GP9 truck:... Athearn GP9 truck:...

I am not a specialist in small details but I need a very good photo of the prototype to decide who did the little differences right or wrong or there have been some small changes over all the years of Geep production and both are right. The trucks would not bother me at all. Just my two cent.