GP 15

[Green_Elite_Cab]

I bought my kits #50 (GP15-1 body,) #55 (handrails & stanchions) and # 56 (GP15-1 cast frame) in 1991 and all are clearly marked "Conrail" on the package. I bought a Cannon thin-wall cab at the same time for the model along with a handful of additional detail parts. And I do remember all those louvers behind the cab ... I always thought the C&NW version "looked strange" without them!

I just wondered which parts G.E.C. was referring to as inaccurate!

The issues with the Smokey Valley GP15-1 kits really are very VERY slight. All the body pieces are correct, the only areas that are noticeably wrong are the very ends (aka, the nose, and the very rear end of the hood). In fact, the Smokey Valley GP15-1s have the most scale pilots you can get outside of brass (they're prototype thickness).

The Smokey Valley Nose section is the correct 88" nose, but the nose is t0o "Pointy". At first, i thought i could get away with this, but when you park a smokey valley GP15-1 next to any other EMD switcher by athearn, Atlas, P1/2k, Its very easy to see the nose is WAY too pointy. the rear suffers the same problem.

Luckily, it is no problem at all the install a Cannon nose and cannon ends/roof sections. This has the added benefit of increasing the detail accuracy.

Another issues is that the Smokey Valley fuel tank is way to shallow, and it makes the model seem higher off the ground than it is. Fuel tank details that fit are readily available as spare parts from Athearn or Railflyer Models.

Jim Six did an article on Main-line modeler about adjusting the Smokey Valley GP15-1s to be more prototypical, even going so far as to modify the original smokey Vally frame by milling down truck mounting location to get the correct frame height, but i think that is a step to far. Bottom line, some elbow grease will get you what you want if you go the Smokey Valley route. At this point, though, it is probably MUCH easier to get the Athearn or P1k versions, so unless you can find the smokey valley parts easily, its probably better to go that way.