12-18-2011, 04:30 PM
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:
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. 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.
And Athearn's fixing the grilles on later runs anyhow. Amazing how some people are.
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. 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.
And Athearn's fixing the grilles on later runs anyhow. Amazing how some people are.