On a roll, (got one of my F units ready for paint) I took one of my Atlas "Gold" DCC/Sound equipped GP7's and got it to the "ARTP*" stage.
* Almost Ready To Paint
Here's a pic of it:
Strange little offering, this Atlas GP7. Supposed to be Atlas' latest and greatest top-of-the-line offering. BUT... working on it caused some of those "WWTT?*" moments in me.
* What Were They Thinking??"
Consider:
* The ESU decoder works really nice. Good lag before moving which allows the prime mover to rev a couple/three notches before the smooth start begins. There is a momentum feature which helps with the lag and also helps there to feel like there's "heft". Once moving you can play the throttle up/down which gives variation in the revs, but the momentum helps maintain a nice steady movement.
* The ESU sound is excellent. I really like the Roots blower whine. Almost all of the sound decoders are really coming on in the sound department.
* The engine's running characteristics are excellent. No complaints there. Very quiet and smooth. Creeping along is not a problem.
So far, so good (great, even!) HOWEVER, about those "WWTT?" moments...
* NOT impressed with the way the Chinese factory has handled the handrails. They do not fit so that 90 degree bends are as they should be. (Not square, etc.) I am going to have to "tweak" them in some way to make them more to my liking.
* The handrail-to-step joint is a huge step backwards. You can see what I'm talking about in the picture. (Look at the handrail receptacle in the front steps.) In the the "fitting of details" respect, P2K's GP7/9's have it all over this Atlas/China GP7. (I mean, come on, the end of the nice looking scale-sized handrail fits into a five gallon bucket??)
* The supplied nose ladder grabs proved to be cut too short to be of use. I ended up using Detail Associates hand grabs that I re-bent to fit the holes and angle on the nose and rear of the hood.
* The end cut bars and MU details are too loose fitting. (I'm spoiled to light press fit.) They will have to be secured once final assembly is accomplished.
* I didn't like the "mannequin" look of the engineer... he was sitting stiffly at a weird angle and sat too high. Same with the fireman figure. SO, I cut off the figure's mounting stems and glued on a piece of styrene inside the cab mount to use as a mounting platform. Some Tacky Tack and presto: They look more natural and can be easily removed/repositioned.
* Another step backwards: There were little "nubbins" (bumps) cast onto the roof top that were "supposed" to be "lift rings". No joke, cast on nubbins (ala Athearn of the 1960s!)... on a so-called "state of the art" Atlas Gold unit?? Needless to say, the chisel blade made short work of the nubbins, and once holes were drilled, preformed wire lift rings (Detail Associates) were installed and the "nubbins" were no more.
* Lastly, prototype GP7's were offered equipped with either 1600 gallon tanks, or 800 gallon tanks. The Frisco (I use them as one of my reference materials for the ol' KC&G) had both, as well as the version w/auxiliary water tanks added. All of my KC&G GP7's to date use the 1600 gallon tank... that's because the 1600 gal version was all that was offered on a P2K or the old Front Range frames I used "back when". I wanted some visual variety among my fleet of GP7's, so I opted to use the tiny 800 gal tank casting supplied with the Atlas Gold GP7. However, it's a bit TOO small... but I'm going to accept that and go with it. I like the visual variety the small tank version affords, even if it's not 100% accurate.
SO... recapping: The Atlas "Gold" does indeed perform, and sound, like a "Gold" line engine should. However, their attention to fit of the details is, IMHO, below standard. In that respect, the old P2K GP7 shell/details/fit is superior.
All fer now!
Andre
Kansas City & Gulf: Ozark Subdivision, Autumn of 1964
The "Mainline To The Gulf!"