07/17/2007
| CHESSIE GM50 |
Photo by Art Hall
Used with permission
Used with permission
Buckhannon, WV July 1980
A long time ago. Well maybe not that long ago. Probably around the mid 1990's I got that urge again to pick up
on modeling. I was an N-Scaler then. That was when I could actually see things that small. I was not happy at all
with the level of detail so I started prototype modeling in N-Scale. As usual I could not decide on what railroad I
wanted to model. I never really did settle on one. Same is true today with HO. I just like all of them. Anyway, for
a while in N-Scale I modeled the Chessie System. I think because it was a challenge to paint. One day I decided
to build the GM50 unit. The model you see below is what it looked like when I finished.
on modeling. I was an N-Scaler then. That was when I could actually see things that small. I was not happy at all
with the level of detail so I started prototype modeling in N-Scale. As usual I could not decide on what railroad I
wanted to model. I never really did settle on one. Same is true today with HO. I just like all of them. Anyway, for
a while in N-Scale I modeled the Chessie System. I think because it was a challenge to paint. One day I decided
to build the GM50 unit. The model you see below is what it looked like when I finished.
Ever since I started modeling in HO, I have wanted to build this locomotive again. Other projects always seem to
get in my way with my never ending search for a railroad to model and stick with. Since I know that will never
happen, I have come to the realization that I just need to build models of what inspires me at the time a new
project is ready to be decided on. So the time had come to build the GM50 in HO scale.
My initial plan was to use the Atlas GP40 chassis and walkway. Then transplant the hood of an Athearn GP40-2
on the Atlas walkway. All was going well until it was time to do the surgery to the Athearn shell. Thank goodness
that Des Plaines Hobbies was having a super blowout sale on Athearn GP40-2 shells. At a $1.99 a piece, I
could not go wrong experimenting with this idea. As it turns out, It did not go well and was just to much work
trying to true up the Athearn hood along the bottom to fit nicely down onto the Atlas walkway. I quickly decided it
would be much easier to go the Cannon & Co. hood route and I am very happy I did. You just can't beat the
look of how a complete Cannon hood looks when completed. It just makes you want to build more and more of
them.
OK, enough blabbering. Let me get into the details on how I built my HO scale GM50. There are only 6 parts to
this article and I broke them down into chapters. My original intent with this model was to see how quickly I could
get it built. I did not want to get bogged down as I usually do with all the under frame details because of all the
frame cutting I would have to do. As you will see, because of all the frame cutting I had to do just to get the air
reservoirs in I may as well have gone all the way. It would not have been all that much more cutting. One more
reason I am looking forward to Railflyer's kits.
get in my way with my never ending search for a railroad to model and stick with. Since I know that will never
happen, I have come to the realization that I just need to build models of what inspires me at the time a new
project is ready to be decided on. So the time had come to build the GM50 in HO scale.
My initial plan was to use the Atlas GP40 chassis and walkway. Then transplant the hood of an Athearn GP40-2
on the Atlas walkway. All was going well until it was time to do the surgery to the Athearn shell. Thank goodness
that Des Plaines Hobbies was having a super blowout sale on Athearn GP40-2 shells. At a $1.99 a piece, I
could not go wrong experimenting with this idea. As it turns out, It did not go well and was just to much work
trying to true up the Athearn hood along the bottom to fit nicely down onto the Atlas walkway. I quickly decided it
would be much easier to go the Cannon & Co. hood route and I am very happy I did. You just can't beat the
look of how a complete Cannon hood looks when completed. It just makes you want to build more and more of
them.
OK, enough blabbering. Let me get into the details on how I built my HO scale GM50. There are only 6 parts to
this article and I broke them down into chapters. My original intent with this model was to see how quickly I could
get it built. I did not want to get bogged down as I usually do with all the under frame details because of all the
frame cutting I would have to do. As you will see, because of all the frame cutting I had to do just to get the air
reservoirs in I may as well have gone all the way. It would not have been all that much more cutting. One more
reason I am looking forward to Railflyer's kits.
CHAPTER 1....................Trucks, Frame & Fuel Tank
CHAPTER 2....................Walkway Deck, Pilots & Hood
CHAPTER 3....................Paint & Decals
CHAPTER 4....................Finished Model Photos
CHAPTER 2....................Walkway Deck, Pilots & Hood
CHAPTER 3....................Paint & Decals
CHAPTER 4....................Finished Model Photos
