Speaking of Models
by Steve Hile

GP-7:  The largest class of diesel locomotives on the Rock Island was the GP-7.  A total of 112 units were built for the RI between 1950 and 1953.  Life-Like has selected two locomotives from a 30-unit batch built in 1952; 1266 and 1283.  They are nicely painted in the Wings scheme as delivered.  The white wings are nicely done, but it is still possible to see a hint of the black underneath them.  This is hardly objectionable since the alternative might well be grossly over-thick paint.  They are very nicely detailed with working cab doors and drop steps.  The walkway tread and the see-through step treads are very impressive.  The pilots are solid, so the couplers must be removed from the frame and then reinstalled after the body shell is installed.  I had a bit of a problem getting everything back together until I checked the lugs that attach the body to the walkways.  One of them was interfering with the frame.  Once I got that back in alignment, everything went together fine.

I intend to go back and install or add the RI specifics, either from the loose parts included with the locomotive or from after-market suppliers.  Based on the photos, I want to replace the generic 3-chime horn with two single chime horns.  One should go about where the 3-chime one is now and the other, facing rearward, would go between the forward pair of cooling fans and the first exhaust stack.  Clearly, the winterization hatch would be appropriate for these unit numbers.  Also apparent in many photos are a pair of tall MU stands placed on either side of the drop step at both ends.

GP-7 models have been available for years.  Athearn never painted theirs like this, however.  Atlas somewhat botched the paint scheme.  Life-Like has done a great job.  These are certain to be very popular.  Get yours while you can.

E-6:  Life-Like has also added to its stable of RI E units by providing the slant nose E-6 (and no, I am not going to pursue the �correct� model designation issue here!)  The units are painted in the delivery paint scheme from 1940-41 when the RI received 5 units numbered 627-631.  P2K provides two road numbers, 628 and 630.  Again they have done a very nice job of capturing the appearance of the prewar incarnation of an EMD passenger diesel.  As usual there are a number of separately attached detail parts, including two pilot choices, open or closed.  There is a ghost of a mold parting line on the engineer�s side of the nose.

There are a couple of things I would have liked to have seen that they did not.  The amount of work to provide these features will vary considerably, depending on your (or my) desire for perfection.  It sure is nice to be talking more about perfecting a model than correcting problems.

On the prototype, the carbody sides were stainless steel, but not the roof.  It should be painted in aluminum white.  I suspect that a reasonable job of weathering would provide sufficient contrast between the roof and the sides.  Life-Like did the lettering in aluminum white and I think that silver would have been a better choice.  This would be difficult to correct.  At times I have heard of people wanting to do a photo etching of �The Rocket� in stainless steel.  It would be a real attention-getter on this locomotive.  Finally, by 1950 or 51, all of the RI E units were retrofitted with the larger number boards and separate class lights.  I don�t think this correction would be possible without body work and repainting.  Microscale does have some fine looking decals for the passenger units.

A dummy B unit is available for other roads or undecorated for potential conversion to an AB-6.

Short Hauls