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 Posted - March 23 2010 : 11:37:42 AM
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Hey, all... kindof new here... definitely new to dealing with old / collecting type issues.
I have a question, and I'd like y'alls input.
(Moderators: I wasn't sure whether this should go under kitbashing or locomotives, since the core question is whether to superdetail or leave as-is an old locomotive. Please feel free to move if you see fit.)
I posted over in the LotW thread for this week (3/21/10 - 3/27/10) a pic of my 1980-ish Santa Fe GP-20 that I recently dug out of storage. I'm not sure exactly what year model it is, but it's for sure post-1978, and does not (yet) have the DB blister. It doesn't run, it's missing all the handrails, and has some small chunks broken off the front where the stairs are.
I had planned to detail and custom-paint it in the planned colors of my fictional short line railroad that I'm modeling in N-scale (horrors!). My thought was to make it a display piece, maybe even cook up a little section of track on a nice piece of wood, that sort of thing. Being a rank beginner, I have no illusions about the quality of the finished product, but still, it would be my work, and I think I could be proud of it.
However, Alco Fan posted the suggestion that I keep this one in stock configuration for posterity and detail up a different unit. That comment gave me enough pause to consider whether he might be right, before I pick up the knife and paint brush.
So... please discuss... is the '78-era GP-20 particularly valuable for some reason? Rare? Hard to find? Unique in some fashion? Or is there some sentimental argument here that I'm not understanding? Some historical value to this particular unit, paint scheme, or something?
This WAS my very first model locomotive. It has great sentimental value in that sense... but I had at least thought so far that detailing and repainting it would be like giving it a new, second life, rather than destroying it (unless, of course, I literally destroy it by accident). Have you had experience with going and mucking with (and mucking up!) a sentimental favorite and then later wishing you hadn't?
FTR, I do have a junk HO GP20 loco, as well as some N-scale shells, that I plan to practice on before diving into this one. I'll probably also re-motor it, or at least repair the existing chassis and try to get it running, though I have no plans for an HO layout anytime soon (my HO thoughts lean more toward painting, weathering, and detailing, than running trains).
At any rate, whether I repaint it or not, I'd like to at least restore the railings, so if someone wouldn't mind pointing me at a set (or some instructions on how best to make them), I'd appreciate it.
The changes I'd planned to make are:
* Custom paint and decals
* New railings (since they're missing)
* Repairs to the damaged stairs
* Body mounted Kadee couplers
* New snowplow
* DB Blister (resin mold from TYCO part, thanks to Hypoponera)
* MU hoses
* Windshield wipers
* Grab irons
I thought about upgrading the fans, too, but I think I will have bitten off plenty already.
So, if you've stuck with me through all this blabber, I welcome your comments and discussion.
Oh, and here's the pic:
/tyco/forum/uploaded/TwinDad/4393894050_8791a8100b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bgtwindad/4393894050/in/set-72157623482898412/
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Posted - March 23 2010 : 11:40:01 AM
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| hi i would personally leave that one as is and get scrapper of ebay,but thats only my opinion,ken
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Posted - March 23 2010 : 11:51:46 AM
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quote:hi i would personally leave that one as is and get scrapper of ebay,but thats only my opinion,ken
Originally posted by catfordken - March 23 2010 : 11:40:01 AM
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Why?
Not meaning to challenge you, but I just want to understand the reasoning behind your opinion. What is it about this model that would induce you to leave it alone and modify another one?
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Posted - March 23 2010 : 12:14:59 PM
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| i have my first shoes,when i look at them i sort of go back in time and remember happy events,same with your loco,put it in a display cabinet,and when you look at think back to when you got it,and the fun it gave you and your parents,you could also compare it to the one you intend to make,but remember once the deed is done,you cannot reverse or replace it ken
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Posted - March 23 2010 : 12:56:52 PM
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| I have that same loco,it was my first gp-20 i bought when i was a kid,i just got it running again,I highly recommend BRIANSTYCO videos on you tube or pm him directly .He and others here on this board have helped me out alot. J.
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Posted - March 23 2010 : 1:36:54 PM
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quote:i have my first shoes,when i look at them i sort of go back in time and remember happy events,same with your loco,put it in a display cabinet,and when you look at think back to when you got it,and the fun it gave you and your parents,you could also compare it to the one you intend to make,but remember once the deed is done,you cannot reverse or replace it ken
Originally posted by catfordken - March 23 2010 : 12:14:59 PM
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Aah. Thanks for this response. This is the kind of thing I was looking for.
I will need to think about that before I dive into this one. My thinking to date is that by repainting it, I would be giving it a second life. Like taking an old cabinet and refinishing it and then using it for some slightly different purpose than before, or like patching up Grandma's quilt and putting a new border on it so you can snuggle up in it again.
However, you make a good point that once I dip that shell in the solvent, my old red/silver Santa Fe is no longer, and it cannot be undone. That must be taken into account.
What say the rest of you? Any dissenting opinions?
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Posted - March 23 2010 : 1:52:40 PM
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Hi TwinDad,
I am not certain but it seems like there is Tyco GP 20s everywhere. I have two of them (Santa Fe) that I had offered on auction that didn't sell with a low starting bid. As I know them, they aren't rare or valuable... But there are many on the forum that know more about the product than I do! Enjoy the forum...!
Walt
Luck, usually comes dressed in work clothes...
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Posted - March 23 2010 : 2:30:17 PM
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Here are my two gp-20s the chattanooga and the santa fe
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Posted - March 23 2010 : 2:33:55 PM
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| hi guys hes not interested in values or rarity,just should he sacrifice his first train or get another to tart up ken
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Posted - March 23 2010 : 4:31:24 PM
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Your first loco. I wouldn't touch it. Especially, if it's got a little bit of wear on it. That is indication of many hours of enjoyment. (maybe a little frustration, too.)
"So... please discuss... is the '78-era GP-20 particularly valuable for some reason? Rare? Hard to find? Unique in some fashion?"
Not rare or hard to find. I got one from a train show recently. Very good condition external condition, did run but, sluggishly. $3.00. The earlier versions, Red Box era, usually have more value. These have the MU-2 motor, metal handrails, and more accurate truck sideframes. Take a look at Tony Cook's TYCO resource web site. The link is at the bottom of the Forum page.
Unspoken expectations are premeditated failures.
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Posted - March 23 2010 : 4:44:50 PM
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Sounds like the consensus very much is that these guys are too cheap & easy to come by to risk screwing up my very first loco. The more I think about that, the harder it is to argue.
Hey, Walt... you still have those two you couldn't sell? PM me with an offer.
Thanks, all. I think I've made up my mind. I'll most likely get another one to detail up, and at most make repairs and add handrails to my "baby".
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Posted - March 23 2010 : 7:26:44 PM
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Twindad,
Nice write up. I PMed you before I saw this. You have a good topic here.
I have kept my SF C430, which was given a Christmas, stock but it is the reason I try to collect the other Alcos. I've gotten other SF Alcos to run with it and have custom painted 3 in different RRs.
I might only find handrails and add them if they did come with that engine.
Welcome back to the hobby.
Alco Fan
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Posted - March 24 2010 : 09:15:05 AM
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I got a dead GP20, good body, paint is bad, perfect for your kitbash! Any interest twindad?
" Heck with counting 'em rivets, TRAINS ARE FOR FUN! Not called the Mad Scientist for nothing either!"
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