Modeling a Preserved Diesel! - Unboxing and Product Review HO of Athearn's GP9R SP 2873!
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- čas přidán 13. 04. 2024
- Modeling a Preserved Diesel! - Unboxing and Product Review HO of Athearn's GP9R SP 2873!
Southern Pacific 2873 was built in 1956 as part of an 80 unit order for both SP and subsidiary Texas & New Orleans. 2873 was originally given a T&NO number, 443.
In 1965 SP renumbered the engine 3565. The unit was upgraded and rebuilt in 1977 and became SP 3798.
To rail fans and modelers, SP’s GP9 rebuilds are known as GP9Es or GP9Rs. According to Joseph Strapac’s SP Historic Diesels Volume 7, these were not official terms used by SP.
The “E” came from SP’s class designation for locomotives that were sold do Southern Pacific Equipment Company and leased back to the railroad.
The “R” designation was for locomotives that went through SP’s upgrade program but were not part of the lease back program, and the distinction was more for accounting purposes than because of any physical differences between the locomotives.
So technically 3798 was a class EF418R-3, which would make it a GP9R in rail fan terms.
In 1978, number 3798 was one of a number of SP GP9s downgraded to switcher service, and it was renumbered 2873.
2873 was one of the locomotives repainted in the red, yellow and black Southern Pacific Santa Fe merger scheme, also known as the Kodachrome scheme.
The placement of the “SP” on the long hood is different on both sides. This was done to allow room for adding “SF” to spell out “SPSF” after the merger. Because the merger was denied, no in-service units ever had the full “SPSF” lettering. A few diesels briefly wore SPSF lettering for promotional purposes.
2873 has the distinction of being the last surviving operable diesel in full SP Kodachrome paint. It has been preserved at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, California.
As usual, Dan evaluates the model's packaging, prototype accuracy, paint & detail, and how well it operates and conforms to applicable standards.
If you're a fan of the SP, GP9s, or just model trains in general be sure to check out this video!
Includes bonus footage of the real 2873 running at Portola! - Jak na to + styl
Always love your videos. It’s like the old school way CZcams used to be. Informative short to the point, and not taken over by corporate sponsors adds that are hidden within the video which overall becomes annoying and distracting.
I've disabled the mid-roll ads for now, so ads should only show up at the beginning and the end. I'm glad you're enjoying the videos. Thanks for watching!
Love me some Kodachrome. I picked one up after after watching your evaluation.😎
Cool! I'm glad you found the review helpful. Thanks for watching!
at one point a pure K5HL on the real prototype GP9R would have annoyed me, but with that first gen version of the horn becoming more rare on the mainline GEVOs i appreciate it on that old Geep. Glad you were able to get this model that you have seen in real life. Nothing is more special than that.
Someone else said the horn has been changed again to a P3 since I took my footage of the engine. I'm glad I was able to get this model, too. Thanks for watching!
Boy, that Portola Geep sure has faded, I saw it in 2004 or 2005, hard to believe that was 20 years ago. I picked one of these up as well in a different road number. Great looking model overall, good thing those loose parts on yours did not get lost. Great review
I know what you mean. It doesn't seem like 2004 was 20 years ago, but here we are. It seems to go by faster as I get older. I'm glad I didn't lose any parts, too. All that packaging at least kept them contained. Thanks for watching!
Great review. I like that colour scheme, particularly when it gets faded and weathered!
The real engine is very weatherbeaten these days, or at least it was last time I saw it. I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
I purchased mine at The Train Shop - I continually match their prices with others online and am impressed they are very competitive. I did not think much about this engine until I saw it in person and running on the test track - it’s really awesome- the DCC version also sounds great (I’m also glad it did not have broken pieces which I think yours may be an anomaly) - excellent review as always
I love the Train Shop. I don't get there as often as I used to, but I've been a customer of theirs for many years. They do have good prices. I hope my engine having some parts loose isn't too common. I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
Great looking model. I can't wait to see your backshop episode where you add DCC/Sound and upgrade the lighting. One of the things I have always liked about SP engines is their massive lighting packages. Like you I also like having physical models of locomotives that I have seen in real life at museums or in the wild. I've had to have a bunch of custom paint work done to achieve this because I have the painting skills of a toddler and lack the time to put into getting better at it. Looks like Athearn made a pretty decent model at a good price.
I was thinking this one might be a good candidate for a DCC install video. It's a pretty cool model. Thanks for the suggestion and for watching!
Dan, you've got a fine looking model. The Western Pacific Railway museum would make a fine switching model for a person who collects rolling stock and desired to model a few buildings.
That could be an interesting layout concept. I haven't seen many layouts based on museums, but it would be a great way to run equipment of mixed eras. Thanks for watching!
In the footage, SP 2873 is sporting a Nathan K5HL. It sounds like an early one the way it's tuned which is actually the more popular version. Honestly it's kinda funny seeing an old transition era unit with an ultra modern horn.
I don't really know the story of why that particular horn ended up on 2873. Someone else commented about putting the horn on the engine, so it sounds like maybe it happened at the museum. Thanks for watching!
Nice locomotive! I love the failed SPSF paint.
I'm glad you like the model. Thanks for watching!
Hey Dan. Great review again. MANY THANKS for the short footage. Colors are highly faded on that nice prototype unit rolling on track. Model now : Well... Athearn (falling parts). I'm REALLY not into that flashy scheme colors. I got to admit that the engine looks awesome. Very nice details especially on front end. I would grade it a bit higher than you did. Prototype accuracy... Overall, I mostly like the fact that you made me learn about that engine and the scale model. Thanks ! Keep on your good work.
I'm glad you liked the review. The real engine is very faded. It's hard to believe that the footage I shot is 8 years old now. I wonder if it's faded more. I haven't had a chance to make another trip to Portola since then. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi Many thanks for answering Dan. I'm wondering about the comment you made on the red paint job of the engine... Correct me if I'm wrong here. I think that factory is painting it all black first. Then red and yellow paint are applied over it. That's why I think you find the red paint a bit thick on that part of the engine. I'm doing paint jobs myself on my models. Especially buildings. I'm also painting 3D cars I'm selling on EBay. I've started the technic not long ago. I'm kinda priming with black color. Mostly on items that will end up orange, yellow or any other pale color. Then I paint over it. I know it's an old painting technic used for a long time. I specially like the result. On SP engine it was probably to make yellow and red colors look more... opaque. You tell me ! At the end, even if I'm not a BIG fan of Athearn engines and specially not of SP Kodacolor scheme, that engine is simply awesome looking. Regards. Hi to Nicole.
@@lucgagnon5241 I am not sure what they do at the factory, but I have only heard of using black primer with certain metallic finishes. I always prime with white or a very light gray, especially for colors like yellow, orange or red. Those are the worst for coverage. If you’re getting good results, though, that’s cool. It’s interesting to hear about new (to me anyway) techniques!
@@lucgagnon5241 I've heard scale modelers recommend priming in pink for lighter vivid colors like yellow and red.
I put that 5-chime gray horn on the unit. It was a very unique sounding K5HL which was fun to hear. I believe a P3 has replaced it in the last couple years which more accurately reflects the SP horns for GP9s. Probably made some SP purists mad for that one. 😂
That's interesting. I thought maybe since it was gray the horn was from a different SP unit, but I am used to SP engines often having 3 chime horns. Thanks for the info and for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi you're welcome. I enjoy the reviews since you get down to the smallest details like horns on the models. Keep it up!
That thing is awesome!
I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!
I think it looks like Athearn have just used a older RTR GP9 and detailed it a little....some of the older Proto2K GP9's have better step detail than the more expensive stuff!!.
I recently got a Genesis SD45 in Kodachrome scheme for Santa Fe its a great contrast to the regular SF SD45s. and looks awesome with my Scaletrains SD45 in standard SF yellow/blue.
I have one of the Proto GP9s that I'm working on, and you're right about the steps. They look much better. It would be nice to have those details on this model. I'll probably use an aftermarket step kit eventually. I have a Genesis ATSF SD45-2 too. Nice engine. Thanks for watching!
Good review, Dan. Very thorough. I agree with your comments about the number boards not being lit and the steps not being perforated. I assume the DCC Genesis version has these things, and if the DC version is still a Genesis why doesn't it? I considered buying this model when Athearn had their sale a while back. I do like the Kodachrome's.
As far as I'm aware the only difference between this model and the ones with DCC and sound is the sound decoder and speaker. I think they have the same shell. Athearn started a "Genesis 2.0" a while back, and I think those have lit numberboards, but I don't think they've upgraded the GP9 tooling. It would be nice if they did. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi Genesis 2.0, interesting. I'll try not to be negative. I have an order of box cars coming today, Moloco, Rapido and Athearn Genesis. I wonder what I am going to get from Athearn?
@@DanielCortopassi yes Gen2.0 loco's have lit no boards, step lights and some have class lights, rubber hoses (LOL I have a four...a DDA40X,SD45-2 Kodachrome, a GP40-2 DRGW and SDP40F (in the ready 2 weather faded scheme) my biggest problem with Athearn is the decoders all fire up as soon as power is on and requires reprogramming to change (not a skill I have aquired yet!) Much prefer the Loksnd5 now after comparing the way they run.
Very good review. What a great purchase price you got !!!!! Excellent detailed review !!!
I'm glad you liked the review. I actually stumbled across the engine by accident, just browsing online. I'm glad I was able to get one. Thanks for watching!
It’s perfect for a late 80s layout. If you wanted to recreate the 2873 as she appears today, looks like you’ll have to weather and rust the paint job. Sad how far the 2873 has fallen.
Since I mostly model the 1990s, I will probably not weather mine as much as the real one looks now. The real one is looking pretty weatherbeaten. Thanks for watching!
Dan, I think this is a stunning model. I don't own any SP units in the Kodachrome, but have always wanted one. Do you ever take just 1 point in categories? 😄 Its always 5 points for each problem with in a category. Thanks for an awesome review.
I have not had any 1 point deductions. I did split the difference and do 2.5 points once. I'm glad you liked the model and the review. Thanks for watching!
Hey Dan, Can you link to the glue you used in this video? I have some sunshades that I need to attach and I want to make sure I use the same glue you did in this video.
If you do a Google search for "Forumla 560 Canopy Glue", you'll get a bunch of links to online stores that carry it. I've been using it more and more, because it dries clear, makes a strong bond, stays somewhat flexible, and is water soluble when wet so if you get excess on something it's easy to wipe off. It's a good glue for attaching small detail parts to a model. Thanks for watching!
Nice Locomotive Dan, Shouldn't Paint So Fast!!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I've heard that one many times. Too true! Thanks for watching!
And this is why I use BlueBox and RTR, those plastic stanchions and hand rails just ruin an over priced model, and running the risk of fixing the model is just cringe.
Plastic stanchions and handrails are hit and miss. These were pretty good, but I am never happy when the stanchions end up crooked. I often wish that manufacturers would find a way to make them out of brass or some other metal that would be a little more dimensionally stable vs. plastic. I've made my own brass handrails to replace the plastic ones on some of my models. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi Stanchions and handrails should always be made out of metal.