SP GP9 commuter loco - 2
operations. I have no space for long passenger trains, so a com-
muter service would fit better. What better to model than
an Espee commute train, consisting of a lone GP9 and two to
three bi-level passenger cars? With the recent re-release of the
Walthers model of these cars, I decided to buy two of them. All I
needed then was motive power.
I had two older Life-Like GP9 models in Pennsy colors in boxes,
and I toyed with the idea of turning these into SP locomo-
tives. Both were Phase III GP9’s, with the three large radiator
and dynamic brake fans on the roof. Most dedicated commute
GP9’s were Phase II, which had the one large brake fan, and
four small fans. Luckily a friend at the local club had a Phase II
he wanted to swap for a Phase III. I gave him my Pennsy, and I
got a UP in return.
Preparing for modifications
First, I stripped the shell of all separately applied detail parts,
and then stripped the paint off using a product called Model
Strip. After soaking the shell for about 10 minutes, I could see
the paint starting to let go, so I started scrubbing it with a me-
dium toothbrush. This got most of it off. I then washed the shell
using soapy water, and dried it. I found a few stubborn patches
of paint left, so I repeated the Model Strip treatment on those
isolated areas. This got the last of it removed.
I compared the bare shell it to photos of my chosen subject SP
3191, a GP9 commute locomotive, one of the few that had a
five-chime Nathan P5 horn on the cab roof.
The Internet is a great resource for modelers like me who model
something they never saw in real life, either because it’s of an
era that has gone by, or it is of a country or distance that is not
exactly on your doorstep. Both apply to me.
MRH-Sep 2014
