WEEKEND PHOTO FUN 18-19-20th August

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AndyWS

New Member
GBRR's locomotive maintenance crew tore into new aquisition ex-CN GP9 #4235 Sunday, and found their work cut out for them...

When I popped the shell off, planning to remove the added weight on the roof of the shell, something didn't look quite right in the mechanism. So I put in on the track and ran it, and the motor still sounded like it was struggling even with the shell and its weights off.

Then I removed the shell from the other Athearn GP9, former Milwaukee Road #2387 (it doesn't bear a number but I found a website with Milwaukee Road's all-time diesel roster and randomly picked a number that they'd actually used on a GP9 to call the engine by). Then it became obvious what was missing from CN 4235...the flywheels! :eek:


08-20-06GP9s1.png


08-20-06GP9s2.png


There are #2387 and #4235 in the "maintenance yard" (three tracks nailed directly to a 4' x 8" piece of wood with crossovers between them for storing cars and engines that need couplers replaced, details glued back on, don't run properly etc). The missing flywheels mean that #4235 is going to reside in that yard quite a bit longer than originally anticipated.

On the plus side, removing the weights was easier than I'd expected since they weren't in any way fastened to the inside of the shell-they were just resting on top of the motor frame! First picture shows the weights in place, second after they fell out.

08-20-06CN4235weight1.png


08-20-06CN4235weight2.png
 

Brakie

Member
Andy,Your flywheels hasn't gone missing..You see they was never there in the first place..What you have there is a antique 1960 era GP7.
 

AndyWS

New Member
Brakie said:
Andy,Your flywheels hasn't gone missing..You see they was never there in the first place..What you have there is a antique 1960 era GP7.

Cool, thanks for that info! Also, how can you tell it's a GP7 and not a GP9? Externally it is identical to the MILW GP9.

So if it's not the weights or missing flywheels, what is causing it to run so badly? Possibly lubrication (or lack thereof)?
 

Brakie

Member
Andy,Heres what I would do..I would give the engine a good cleaning to include the commutator then I would lubricate the engine and see how she does.
If all else fails you may have to replace the motor.I am not sure if Athearn revamp the frame when they started using flywheels.Since you have a newer GP7 compare the frames and motor mount area..It should look the same and if it is replace the old motor with the newer flywheel equipped motor.I believe the drive shafts are the same.
One of the quickest ways to tell a GP7 from a GP9 you will see 3 louvers under the cab area.Like this.
http://www.trainweb.org/chessiephotos/photos/GP7/5860c&o.jpg

Whereas the GP9 has one.

http://www.trainweb.org/chessiephotos/photos/GP9/6202c&o.jpg


There is also differences in the louvers on the long hoods as well.
 

AndyWS

New Member
hyrail5 said:
The Athearn units labeled as GP9's are really GP7's. The big difference is the grills. on the long hood.

Wow, didn't know that. All these years I've been thinking that Milwaukee Road engine is a GP9. Guess this means I'll have to renumber it too.

Are any of my other presumed GP9s actually GP7s?

Walthers WSOR #4494 (another thing I'm curious about, were any built like this or did they have to be rebuilt later to have low front hoods?)

Dsc00210.png


Life-Like P2K #1720 (& #1719, not pictured)

Dsc00198.png


Snapped some pictures of action on the WSOR line from Madison through McFarland and Stoughton today...unfortunately on my dad's cameraphone which has no way to upload to the computer.

Edit: Ok Brakie just saw your new post. Thanks.

I've checked and the others are true GP9s.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

jbaakko

Diesel Detail Freak
Oh my, thannks! Thats nice to see her getting somewhere. I remember playing on her as a child, along with the CNW Steamer there in Hancock (well technicaly Ripley).
 

AndyWS

New Member
Updated that post with lots more pics...still more to come mainly from the opposite end of the museum. Speaking of which...

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1038 PM CDT WED AUG 23 2006

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
SAUK COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN

* UNTIL 1130 PM CDT

* AT 1036 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 9 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF REEDSBURG...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
LOGANVILLE BY 1045 PM CDT...
ROCK SPRINGS BY 1050 PM CDT...
NORTH FREEDOM BY 1055 PM CDT...
LELAND BY 1100 PM CDT...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
BASEBALL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

LAT...LON 4355 9002 4349 9019 4337 9019 4319 8990
4335 8969

Let's hope it's not one of those tornadoes strong enough to overturn railcars.
 




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