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 Posted - November 22 2006 : 10:23:25 PM
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I forgot I had found a GP-30 at a swap meet at least 10 years ago. I repainted it with the CSX's first blue and gray scheme, put the big heralds on it then put it away. Mine has no motor so I looked, this eve, to see if a GP-35 chassis and it fits, and it does almost exactly, but the coupler pads are to close to the opening in the pilots to add couplers quickly. The original chassis has diecast sideframes which look pretty good. It was neat to see this relic running on the layout after all these years. I see there are some GP-30s posted elsewhere, that's what got me thinking now about finishing this project. The 30 is another favorite of mine next to the 430 and the BL-2. I thought all along this example was by Front Range and so did the hobby shop owner I asked.
Alco Fan
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jlong
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Posted - November 28 2006 : 12:17:40 AM
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I had forgotten Athearn made my favorite EMD diesel. A snooted SD-40 T2 tunnel motor until I saw an Espee in a LHS a couple months ago. It was heavily discounted because it was missing some parts. I figgered I could get a complete one on ebay but got sniped out one for twice the money this dealer was asking. So I thought WTF and bought it yesterday. Sent an order to Athearn for the missing parts. Following Ray M's "Servicing a Blue Box" post, my new tunnel motor purrs flawlessly making a healthy blue box growl. I'm very happy I got it.
John Long
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Posted - December 02 2006 : 10:37:12 PM
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jlong,
Have you seen Athearn's recent RTR SD45T-2 model? They make it in Cotton Belt Bicentennial and it has lots of nice details...
Rumor is Athearn is cooking up a new SD40T-2...and may announce it sometime in the near future. I'm looking forward to it for Rio Grande examples.
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
http://ho-scaletrains.net
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Posted - December 07 2006 : 11:27:45 PM
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Are you sure that you want to change the frame as the 35 has a smaller fuel tank than the 30 frame. I know as I have at least a dz of them and always have to make sure I put the right frame back on them. I've also seen Bachmann bodies on Athearn frames being sold as Athearn. Athearn has stubby fans and the others have tall fans
Just my $0.02
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Posted - December 08 2006 : 8:00:22 PM
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cmgn,
I thought the tank was the same, but I need to check. I happened to notice the similarity and was able to see the old thing run for the first time. I think I'll repower the old chassis cause it's complete minus motor and shafts.
I'm sure it's not Bachman. I have an oldler post-Lionel GP-30 that I really like in Chessie and a B&O Spectrum. The one I repainted has a really wide body and the cab roof and dynamic brake blisters are one piece and lift off. I understand it was wider because the motor for the models were wider. I'd like to see some of the 30's in the various road names Athearn offered. Can you post some pictures
Alco Fan
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Posted - December 09 2006 : 11:49:48 AM
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Hey Guys,
Back around Halloween we had a thread going about scary looking models and VintageHO posted some pics of his Athearn GP-30s from the '60s...
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
http://ho-scaletrains.net
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Posted - December 23 2006 : 6:10:34 PM
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I think they're beauties. They are to this hobby what Tyco is, interesting, physically and mechanically, colorful and pioneers.
Alco Fan
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Posted - September 12 2008 : 12:56:33 PM
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Athearn GP30 are getting rare. I had a couple CB&Qs with bad paint so I also redid them (PRR). I also have a original NYC GP30. Did athearn make the GP30 in Pennsylvania paint?
frank
toptrain
" It's a Heck of a Day " !!!
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Posted - September 12 2008 : 1:12:11 PM
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never seen one yet so i bought the bachmann instead ken
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Posted - September 12 2008 : 8:21:50 PM
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Hi Frank. Athearn Made 6 different engines. Reading, CB&Q, Santa Fe, NYC, Union Pacific, & Undecorated. Athearn did not make a PRR. But, Bev-Bel did make one many years ago, using the Athearn Engine and Bev-Bel also made one using the Lionel HO GP30 from the 70s.
Athearn stopped making the GP30 back in the 70s. The Engine was not correctly made to specs. So Instead of making it correct they retooled the mold and made the GP35. Hence, no more Athearn GP30s.
The only other GP30 PRR was made by Bachmann. Like the one that Catfordken posted.
/tyco/forum/uploaded/vintageho/gp30read.jpg
/tyco/forum/uploaded/vintageho/gp30s.jpg
About two years ago we had a simular discussion about the GP30s. Here is the link to the archive:
http://www.tycoforums.com/tyco/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=306&SearchTerms=gp30
Fun Reading..  Any other questions Just ask.. Carl
Numquam Immoderatio Satis Est
(Too Much Is Never Enough )
Edited by - VintageHO on September 13 2008 08:31:21 AM
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Posted - September 13 2008 : 06:21:40 AM
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the new bachmann gp30s are good value as they contain dcc fitted chip,and are nicely detailed compared to the older versions ken
/tyco/forum/uploaded/catfordken/2852257903_210c637a50_o.jpg/tyco/forum/uploaded/catfordken/2852257995_02bee23b2d_o.jpg
availible for around $40 brand new
http://www.billstraindepot.com/servlet/the-1257/Bachmann-HO-Pennsylvania-GP30/Detail
or ebay even cheaper buy it now
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-BACHMANN-HO-60807-DCC-EQUIPPED-PENNSY-GP-30-SALE_W0QQitemZ300251637089QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116
Edited by - catfordken on September 13 2008 06:54:07 AM
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Posted - September 13 2008 : 09:02:37 AM
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i really miss MagnoliaAcademy and the banter he created,great orater with the listings,ah well,time moves on, its still great site,as the listings prove ken
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Posted - September 13 2008 : 12:13:03 PM
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quote:. Athearn did not make a PRR. But, Bev-Bel did make one many years ago, using the Athearn Engine and Bev-Bel also made one using the Lionel HO GP30 from the 70s.
Originally posted by VintageHO-September 12 2008: 8:21:50 PM
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I didn't know that Athearn didn't make the PA. GP30.
Ray
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Posted - September 13 2008 : 4:35:09 PM
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[quote] [quote]. Athearn did not make a PRR. But, Bev-Bel did make one many years ago, using the Athearn Engine and Bev-Bel also made one using the Lionel HO GP30 from the 70s.
Now I have one, a New York Central GP30 done by Bev Bel. It came in a Athearn box with a Bev-Bel lable. It had a Athearn GP35 drive with what seamed to me a Bachmann body. It was custom painted by Bev-Bel. The body fits the drive but doesn't latch to it. Whenever you pick it up the body comes off. This is the Bev-Bel GP30
toptrain
" It's a Heck of a Day " !!!
Edited by - toptrain on September 13 2008 6:40:30 PM
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Posted - September 13 2008 : 6:42:50 PM
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The Athearn GP30. New York Central
toptrain
" It's a Heck of a Day " !!!
Edited by - toptrain on July 21 2010 9:06:56 PM
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Posted - September 13 2008 : 8:25:52 PM
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quote:
Athearn stopped making the GP30 back in the 70s. The Engine was not correctly made to specs. So Instead of making it correct they retooled the mold and made the GP35. Hence, no more Athearn GP30s.
Originally posted by VintageHO-September 12 2008: 8:21:50 PM
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It was my understanding that the mold was accidentally destroyed in transit from one point to another in Athearn's shop. Because of its many dimensional flaws, they simply retooled for the GP35. Makes for great research anyway...
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Posted - September 14 2008 : 01:45:25 AM
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Hi guys. Did some research and found this in the Greenberg's Guide To Athearn Trains By Dallas J. Mallerich III. The reference was found on page 40. This is only a small part of the Information of Athearn Trains and also Other companies: Life Like, Varney, Tyco, Penn Line.
This Book is Out of Print. But, most libraries have this available in their reference section. The book has a lot of information on most of the Items that Athearn made. This book along with the Stardard Guide to Athearn Trains By Tim Blaisdell & Ed Urmston Sr. show the history Athearn Trains & Catalog the many Items Athearn made up to 1997.
Numquam Immoderatio Satis Est
(Too Much Is Never Enough )
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Posted - September 14 2008 : 09:38:38 AM
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| So the urban legend can now die. Thanks for the article V, now to find me one of those books.
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Posted - September 14 2008 : 09:47:58 AM
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is the myth dead or just covered up with verbal Diarrhoea ken
ps would you admit to loss or damage?
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Posted - September 14 2008 : 11:32:26 AM
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quote:is the myth dead or just covered up with verbal Diarrhoea ken
ps would you admit to loss or damage?
Originally posted by catfordken-September 14 2008: 09:47:58 AM
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I am even now in sack cloth and ashes, beating me back with a thorny branch for even allowing such vain prose to cross me keyboard.
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Posted - September 20 2008 : 01:30:50 AM
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While checking things out about the GP 30's you guys have missed the variations ole Uncle Irv did.
Reading has the road numbers in 2 different places on the body
A local in Chicago made a mold of the D/B hatch and sold them by the tons to fit the new GP35 body making a foobie GP 30 out of a 35
I still have one of the gear drives unassembled in kit form with org box
Even as bad as they were they are Hard To Find in good shape
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Posted - November 04 2008 : 2:01:47 PM
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The story that's been around is the dies were changed in 1966 because let's face it, the engine looks pretty bad with the hood a scale foot too wide. Those sold from 1966-1969 were from leftover stock and the engine wasn't sold at all in the 1970s.
I picked up what I thought was a MIB CB&Q and it has a Santa Fe shell with a bad half-repaint. So I need a shell.
I also have a Reading, the only one I've ever seen, some pilot damage but nice otherwise and enshrined in the permanent collection.
The Bachmann one was made originally for Lionel and has a scale-width hood but some of the other details are off. Bev-Bel fitted them to the Athearn frame, you can still sometimes find shells and things for those at shows. The same shell became their Spectrum engine with some detail upgrades.
Then Life-Like did the Proto-2000 version and that's the best one overall, even with the motor and trucks basically clones of Athearn stuff.
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Posted - July 19 2010 : 6:36:22 PM
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Having always heard the GP30 mold dies were incorporated into the newer GP35 Ive long since come to the conclusion that this wasnt so. Irv totally replaced the ruined GP30 mold with the GP35 tooling. Ive compared the 2 models side by side and upside down and backwards and cannot find where anything of the GP30 was reused. The pilot details differ and even tho the two models share the same fuel tank design with the screw driver slot - the GP30 tank is shorter. I used CB&Q decorated units of both models for comparison. The main similarities are the use of the fuel fill to semi disguise the mounting tab and the fuel tank design.
Larry
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Posted - July 19 2010 : 9:17:54 PM
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quote:Having ... heard the GP30 mold dies were incorporated into the newer GP35 Ive long since come to the conclusion that this wasnt so. Irv totally replaced the ruined GP30 mold with the GP35 tooling. Ive compared the 2 models side by side and upside down and backwards and cannot find where anything of the GP30 was reused.
Larry
Originally posted by SOU2645Â -Â July 19 2010Â :Â 6:36:22 PM
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Did you measure the bodies with a micrometer to see if there were size differences between the GP30 and GP35 ? It wouldn't take much, maybe .010 to .020 of metal shaved off the inside of the mold, to make a fresh start, and just carve the new detailing into the expanded cavity to create the GP35. Creating a mold from scratch costs $10,000 or so, having 99% of the work done and just slightly expanding the mold to create a new casting is very conceivable, and highly probable, considering the costs of totally new tooling, at least back then. Even today, milling the metal to make a mold like that cost thousands, so if there were any chance of reusing the mold and just slightly enlarging the mold to gain a better model, I can see where that is possible. I don't know the length and width differences between the two personally, but if they're close, it would be entirely possible to wipe out all the previous detailing with just minimal metal removal inside the mold, and start fresh, with a very close tolerance. Before you say "can't and wasn't", I'd see if the newer model is slightly bigger than the old one. Since I have neither, I can't prove that theory, but if you do, and have a micrometer, would be interesting to see if the 35 is slightly enlarged from the 30.
Jerry
In Production and Manufacturing, has some knowledge of molds and costs.
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - July 19 2010 : 9:51:11 PM
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No micrometer here. I'll include 6 pix of them (iphone pix sorry) but the GP30 appears to be a hair shorter overall when put dead even side by side with the GP35.
Larry
     
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Posted - July 21 2010 : 11:53:58 AM
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It does appear that at least on GP30's sold from 1966-c.1969 or whenever they finally ran out of stock that they did use the same chassis for both it and the GP35. I just got a Reading GP30 and the chassis is the same as the one used on early non flywheel GP35's. It has brass wheels too - a 1960's Athearn hallmark. The multi unit parts diagram included with my CB&Q SW7 cow shows both using the same chassis in the drawings and part numbers. Unlike my pair of obviously older GP30's (the above pictured CB&Q unit and a NYC one) this one runs great.
Larry
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Posted - July 21 2010 : 8:20:39 PM
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Interesting topic. I didn't know the history of this Athearn Geep, even though I have one, but only partially. When I was about 11, my best friend bought a layout from a kid that was in my grade who wanted to get rid of it. Included in his roster was a Burlington GP30, but days before the deal was sealed the family's new puppy decided to gnaw on it, destroying the shell and apparently swallowing most of the rear truck. Once it was in my friend's possession, he replaced the rear truck, but never could locate a shell. He later passed it on to me, and I found a GP35 shell to fit it and still have it today.
I guess the moral is that it's pretty bad when you're tooling is so off that even a dog knows the difference.
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - July 21 2010 : 10:03:56 PM
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I have two of the low end Bachmann offerings, the shells are immaculate and came without mechanisms. They sit so well on this Athearn GP35 dummy frame I have that I've been searching for two powered ones ever since.
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Posted - September 19 2011 : 7:05:48 PM
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Has It Been Sold Yet?
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Posted - September 22 2011 : 1:28:27 PM
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I got some of the newer Bachmann GP-30s a few weeks back and have to say that their bluebox stuff is pretty good. Of course one is a bit louder than the other one but one of them is super quiet runner. Glad to see backmann quality improve since I have been away from the hobby.
If you are not having fun, you are not doing it right.
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Posted - February 27 2013 : 3:15:49 PM
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The last variation I needed for a complete GP30 collection. A mint unassembled powered Reading unit with centered road numbers. All parts still sealed in plastic bag and envelope.
Larry
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