advice

Hi Christian.  FWIW, the Athearn BB GP35 has an unprototypically too wide long hood.  Compare it to your Atlas locos, and you'll see what I mean, though this may not be of concern for you.  As far as the trucks, Athearn sideframes are considered one of the best, and are preferred over Atlas's.  If you are refering to the truck mechanism, they aren't the greatest, but with tuning will perform decent.  As far as the fans I would direct you to Cannon & Co. http://www.cannonandco.net/ for some great aftermarket fans and other detail parts.  For online resources try the following links:  http://www.6axlepwr.com/  http://dieseldetailer.proboards.com/index.cgi

Just how far do you want to go.

About a decade ago, Model Railroader magazine ran an article on a redetailing something like an Athearn GP40.  The article was outstanding and done by a consumate craftsman building to the highest contest standards.  After spending at least fifty hours and at least fifty dollars in after market detail parts, he produced about the equivalent of the then current Atlas version of the same thing. And he was still stuck with the questionable Athearn blue box drive train.

Even if you got the older stuff for free, it would still be cheaper to find a newer version at a swap meet or on Ebay.

May not be worth it

From your description it sounds like the Atlas locos are the really old GP38 and 40 as opposed to dash-2s?  The one-piece sideframe and reference to replacing fans makes me wonder.  If that's the case it may be a good idea to accept the detail level on these models as-is.  The models have relatively primitive tooling and upgrading a few parts may only prove just how far behind the rest of the detail is.

I have an Athearn BB GP35 that I extensively reworked before a decent plastic GP35 was available in HO.  I added a LOT of Cannon & Co. parts; everything from a new short hood, new rear end of the long hood, "Thinwall" 35-line cab, narrowed hoods to scale, new radiator and inertial filter grills.  The works.  Plus all the other details like lift rings, grabs, new handrails, etc.  At the end of the project I had a major disappointment on my hands.  The model really wasn't as nice as the later shells despite the upgrades, and all those fine-quality parts caused the remaining detail problems with the shell to stand out even more.  I still have this model running around as a dummy unit in the middle of a consist, and very few of even the regulars seem wise to its origins unless I remind them.  The paint and weathering make it look decent enough from normal viewing distance so it's likely to stick around the roster for some time.  Was it therefore worth the time I spent?  Not really.

So - assuming you really want to use these models, I would suggest adding nice paint, decal and weathering jobs to them as they stand and appreciate them for the throwbacks they are.  Or, don't start stitching silk purses from sows' ears.

Just move on is my advice

Unless you like really fiddily detailing projects when what you can buy is better, I'd suggest a good weathering job and then moving on. You won't save money on the detail parts, and you certainly won't save any time!

For typical viewing distances, nice weathering covers a multitude of sins. Only if you plan to do a lot of railfan eye level photography, most will never notice the poor detail on the loco if it has a nice weathering job.

The magazine photos lead us to believe we need hyper-detail on everything, but reality is the standing rule needs to apply. If you can't see it well at 3 feet, then don't bother.

Thanks for the inputs...

I will just apint them up and not bother with detailing.  I'll just get good locos in the future and maybe sell those on evilbay!

As usual, your inputs are really appreciated.

And I thought I had a great deal...    Oh well, I guess we all have to learn somehow!

Thanks again,

Christian

What Joe Said

Remember, The stuff we all thought was cool and cutting edge 30, 20, and even 10 years ago is now considered poor quality.  Unfortunately, our layouts are populated with many examples of these outdated models, which run alongside our latest $59.95 superdetailed caboose (for example).  Selective detail parts like coupler cut levers, wire grabs, and a good weathering job really helps blend these classics into the overall scene.  If you can find it, get a copy of Railroad Model Craftsman's June 1987 issue.  There was a great article on the subject of very basic and inexpensive detailing that greatly improve the appearance of detail on locos given the three foot rule, called "Selective detailing for diesels: upgrade for an SP SD40T-2." by Andy Pierce and Brenda Bailey.  The article is not a superdetail article, but rather focuses on getting the overall texture of the locos so that they will look good running in a consist from a normal viewing distance.   FWIW 

Thank you Mike for this info,

Thank you Mike for this info, I'll see if I can get my hands on a copy of the article at least.

Christian

A big thank you to all!

I would like to thank all who gave their advice on help me reaching a decision about htis! I have decided to stick to the 3-foot rule (altho I'm still not sure what it really means!) and keep the rolling stock I already have.

I have started work on the primary engines (QGRY 3801 and slug 801). 3801 being a GP40-3, I have checked drawings (from Trainiax) and pictures of this particular unit and I was unable to find any differences between the GP40 I have at home.  801 is a GP38 and I'll use the Atlas GP38 as a basis (minus the fans, grills and some side doors). I think that it will give a farly good rendition of what is being used today by the QGRY. If anyone has supplemental info on the GP40-3 vs GP40 differences, let me know, I have parely touched the unit so far!

Next in line will be a GP38 from GATX Rail Corporation and another QGRY unit, a GP35 this time (Athearn RTR, DCC ready that I got for cheap). My GP9 will be from MMA #79, just because I have it, it still runs and it has a high hood!

Again, thanks to all, for helping this dream of mine finally come true! As soon has the room is built, I'll get going with the layout plan in more details...

Christian

The three foot rule was

The three foot rule was mentioned once actually as a 4-foot rule in a Model Railroader magazine review of some Bachamann diesels (namely the Bachmann SD45 and GP35 Plus models in HO).  The reviewer pointed out some discrepencies with the models but commented that from 4-feet away, you may not notice them.  So the 3-foot rule probably refers to the same thing - get far enough away from the model and you don't noticed the flaws in them too much.

The Atlas GP40 was a very decent model for its time with a scale width hood at a time when Athearns were mostly "fat body" diesels.  The fuel tank is the worst part of the old Atlas GP40 (shape and big slot).  Good luck on your projects!