Speaking of Models -The O-Gauge Version
by Mike Mottler and Mitchell Selligman

The Prototype.
Built at GM�s EMD factory in La Grange, IL, these 2000-horsepower locomotives were the only units delivered from a builder in the blue and white ROCK image.
According to Louis A. Marre�s book, Rock Island Diesel Locomotives, 1930-1980, the GP 38-2s  delivered to the railroad were provided in three lots of 15, 41, and 12 units respectively.  Lots one and two were delivered in the Summer and Autumn of 1976, and lot three was acquired in November, 1978.  The R.I. leased nearly all of the GP 38-2s; only four (#4352 - #4355) of the 68 units were owned by the railroad.  The GP 38-2s were the last new equipment leased or owned by the CRI&P before shutdown in 1980.

Weaver�s Models
These models are manufactured in the USA by the  Weaver Model Company of Northumberland, PA, a well-established maker of quality O-gauge trains.  Like many of the products made by the company, these are offered in a three-rail, AC-driven version (high-rail, as some like to call them) and a two-rail, DC-powered version.  This is a review of the three-rail versions.
Weaver�s R.I. GP 38-2 is available in three configurations: a powered unit, a dummy unit with an internal sound system, and a dummy unit without sound.  We reviewed a two-unit set: a powered unit and a dummy unit with sound.  The retail price of $440 for this pair is consistent with marketplace expectations for upscale plastic-bodied diesel models.

The Powered Unit
The model matches the prototype drawing very closely, and it is a full 1/4-inch scale locomotive.  It is made of injection molded styrene and acetyl plastic parts.  The body, cab, and chassis are styrene while the handrails, truck sideframes and mechanical parts are acetyl.  The black handrails are scale-proportioned and flexible, and they will resist damage from handling.  Serious R.I. collectors/operators will probably decide to paint them before installing them.  They must be coated with rubber bumper primer so the color coat will adhere properly.  �Bankruptcy blue� for the side rails and white for the front and rear end rails is appropriate.
The locomotive is powered by a Pittman DC motor with a heavy flywheel attached in a center-mounted position.  An electronic reversing unit, mounted in front of the motor, provides directional lighting.  There are metal weights near each end of the chassis and in the fuel tank for traction.  In addition, there are two traction tires mounted to the wheels of the lead axle of the rear truck.  The drive shaft is connected to the rear truck upper sprocket gear through universal joints.  The upper sprocket is connected to the lower sprocket with a flat Delrin chain.  A shaft connects to the front drive axle and thence through universal joints and another drive shaft to the front truck, so all wheels are powered.  Two pickup rollers mounted to each truck bolster and phosphor-bronze wipers at each wheel provide electrical pickup.
In an operational test on a layout, the locomotive started smoothly at about 3 volts from a ZW transformer and slowly crawled along at about 5 scale mph.  It ran effortlessly and quietly through the entire speed range to a top speed of about 100 scale mph at 18 volts.  The prototype maximum speed was rated 71 mph, so this model is a speedster.  Weaver notes that this locomotive will - after a break-in period and with proper lubrication - pull 30 weighted cars.  We believe their claim is too modest, it could probably pull up to 50 cars on level, straight track.

The Dummy Unit (with sound)
This locomotive has no motor, reversing unit, gearing, or traction tires, but it contains a headlight at the cab end (only) of the body.  The completely self-contained sound system is vertically-mounted on a circuit board in the center of the chassis and wired to two 1 1/2-inch speakers mounted at each end of a 1 1/4-inch long cardboard resonating tube.  The speakers are placed �back to back� in the center of the cab and face the sides.
A 9-volt battery back-up allows the sound to continue for about 30 seconds after the track power is turned off.  Thus, there is no unrealistic, abrupt cessation of sound when the locomotive is powered-down and stopped on the layout.  The battery for the sound system resides in the fuel tank.  There is one roller pick-up mounted to each truck bolster facing the center of the locomotive as well as phosphor-bronze wipers at each wheel to provide electrical pick-up for the sound unit and the headlight.
When power is applied to this loco, the unmistakable and realistic sound of an EMD prime mover can be heard - even at a distance.  Which is as it should be, for the sounds were recorded from the prototype.  There are two on-board adjustable controls for the sound system located immediately below the dynamic brake housing.  With this housing removed, one sees two access holes in the body shell for the controls, and each is clearly labeled.  With a small screwdriver, one can reach through the �volume� hole and make adjustments.  The �threshold� control determines the point at which the �low� running speed sound changes to a �high� running speed sound -- depending upon the amount of voltage applied.
In order to use both the bell and horn sound, one must insert a Lionel (or equivalent) sound control button in the center rail circuit between the transformer and the track.  The ZW whistle control lever would not sound the horn nor the bell on its own.  The bell works during the low engine speed only.  The horn is multichime.  The sound system will please most everyone.

Comparing Weaver�s GP 38-2

We compared the Weaver GP 38-2 model to top-of-the-line O-gauge plastic-bodied models by makers of more-highly-detailed trains, and our answer became, �It�s very good, but a notch below the great models -- which also happen to be at least $100+ more expensive.�  Considering the Weaver model in relation to its retail price, we believe it�s a best buy.
Upon opening the box, you see the model at rest in a soft foam nest with its side and front handrails, brake wheel, and cab-top three-chime horn placed on the foam ready for installation in appropriate slots in the car body.  The handrails on the Weaver model are very realistic while those on the Lionel model are not.  Also, the rooftop fan grills on the Weaver model are open and one can see the fan blades underneath; the Lionel equivalent has closed fan grills and no blades.
We realize that the business of model-making sometimes requires a few compromises on matters of railroad-company-specific details.  The folks at Weaver have made a generic GP 38-2, and with a little bit of effort one can customize it as a R.I. version.
The first item that arrested our attention was the inclusion of a dynamic brake unit and its fan and side vents atop the locomotive.  The GP 38-2s delivered to the Rock Island did not have dynamic brakes.  Ironically, the line drawing of the locomotive packed in the box by the manufacturer shows the non-dynamic brake version of the locomotive, so Weaver is well aware of this important difference.  The company made a judgment call based on manufacturing economics.  We learned that the company is seeking a cost-effective way to offer a substitute hood top casting without the dynamic brake for home installation by serious R.I. collectors/operators.  It�s a good idea.
Along this same line of �attention to details,� the photos in Marre�s book show that the GP 38-2s delivered to the R.I. had 5-chime horns -- three facing forward, two facing rearward.  The horn provided by Weaver for this model is a 3-chime horn.  Any O-scale-oriented model shop could provide the prototypically correct 5-chime horn.  It should be painted blue.  On this model, the hood-top box behind the cab has a beveled edge; the R.I. units were squared-off.
We also noticed that there was no decal for the builder�s plate nor was there a small letter �F� on the front step riser to mark the front end of the locomotive.   �Nit-picky� points perhaps, but these and other details absent from the Weaver units define the difference between a very good and an excellent model.  One could add-on several details to the model and enhance it significantly, like: windows in the cab, windshield wipers, cab-top �firecracker� radio antenna, front and rear MU hoses, lighted classification lamps in the front and rear hoods, a bell under the sill, optional front and rear snow plows, engineer figures in the cab, etc.
Generally attentive to obvious details in model-making, Weaver applied �real� R.I. road numbers to these units: #4352, #4355, #4368, and #4379.  R.I. history buffs will applaud Weaver for selecting the two lower road numbers because they are derived from the group of four GP 38-2s that the Rock Island owned rather than leased.  #4379 was the last number in this series.
Many, but not all, of the GP 38-2s were named for cities and states along R.I. routes, individuals, or for other purposes.  Weaver did not apply the names to the two numbers that were named, but serious modelers could apply the original names as decal black lettering to the battery boxes on each side of the platform:
#4352 John W. Ingram (the final president and CEO of
 CRI&P, 1975-80)
#4355 William M. Gibbons (CRI&P Trustee, 1975-80)
#4368 (not named)
#4379 (not named).
The blue and white paint job was nicely applied to the model, but we noticed that the black printing of the large �R� of THE ROCK logo on the hoods was not fully saturated; several bits of blue showed through the black at some of the molded-in door hinges and handles of the hoods.  Like most models in this price range, the grab-irons and lift rings are molded-in instead of added-on.
The model will negotiate 042 and greater radii curves; however, 031 curves and Lionel 022 switches on any layout will forever be a forbidden zone to it.  Larger-radius curves look great on a layout and avoid the unrealistic displacement of front pilots on diesel locomotives and the overhang of cars around tight 031 and yet-tighter 027 curves.  Many operators wish for a large-enough train room where 042 curves could be the minimum standard, but most of us can�t transform the two-car garage into the train room of our dreams without facing really tough negotiations with the household�s Vice-President in charge of space planning.  In large part, this explains the popularity of space-efficient HO and N scale railroads in the train hobby.
This is a must-buy model for everyone who wants to include this particular locomotive in their O-gauge R.I. collection.  Some might consider the GP 38-2 an unremarkable locomotive -- merely a rectangular box with lots of louvers on wheels; however, from a historical perspective, it has a special niche on the R.I. roster.  The GP 38-2 was the blue and white symbol for President Ingram�s ill-fated hope that the railroad -- like the mythical Firebird -- could be reborn from its own ashes and avoid its fate.

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