Kewl, I have my fuel tank cover drilled and ready to accept sound.  I am taking a bunch of 6 axle Athearns down to the hobby shop to sell, that will generate funds to purchase a sound decoder for the unit.  Once I get the new decoder, I can wire up the yellow double flash strobe on the roof.   For now only the hole for the bulb is there.  I almost have the engine ready for paint.  Check out the pic in my "chop nose GP7" thread.    Mike

You guys just love to be a total buzz kill dont ya.  Come up with any reason NOT to encourage someone to produce a low nose GP7/9.  SP had butt loads of lights on thier's, but till the new one from another popular company arrives some say soon, we all have to add those extra lights to factory painted SP GP7/9's.  So a standard set up, rounded cab, headlight between the numberboards with the headlight/numberboard assembly rounded to match the roof line ect.  That is the most common set up and what should be produced.  Anything beyond that is up to the custom modelers.  Anywho, here is an "in progress pic of my project.  Got the hood chopped, headlights and numberboards done.   Still have some final prep work on the low nose prior to paint.  The original headlight and numberboards are plugged and filed smooth, only the halo's remain and will be invisible once I paint the unit.   Enjoy the pic.     Mike

I am in the process of chop nosing a Bachmann GP7.  Not the easiest task, I ended up having to break the headlight lenses out, they are glued in!  I managed to pry loose all the cab window glass without breaking it.  The hand rails were almost glued in with the paint.  They must be putting the rails on when the paint is wet.  I used the headlight and front cab windows from an Athearn GP38-2 cab.  I filed it very thin in the headlight/numberboard area, filled off the headlight casting on the front so I can replace it with an early EMD casting.  Once the glue dries good, I will file the squared off newer EMD headlight/numberboard set up to the contour of the GP7's roof.  I got the idea on modeling the rounded headlight from another model forum.  I really wish Bachmann would do a low nose version along with high nose units in more modern road names.  Lots of short lines are still running these workhorses to this very day.  But glueing in parts that could be just a press fit, makes custom painting a real pain in the arse.  I will get some pics tomorrow of my progress so far.  The final result will be a GP7u painted for the Central Railroad of Indianapolis road number 1750.   Mike

Yepper, pull the fuel tank cover off, 1 screw removes it.  You will see its set up for a speaker and the inside of the fuel tank cover is dimpled for your drill bit to open it up for the sound to come out. 

Anybody put sound in your Bachmann GP7's yet?  I am planning to put sound in mine when I low nose them and repaint them.   For those that dont know the fuel tank is dimpled inside to be drilled for sound, and the fuel tank is cast to accept a round speaker.  Mike

Hey Mr Bachmann, is it possible to get a spare fuel tank cover for the GP7 diesel?  I am building a custom low nose unit that had the air tanks on the roof and a full length fuel tank.  I need a second fuel tank piece so I can splice them together to extend the tank and eliminate the air tanks down there.   Thanks  Mike

If I remember correctly, when I had my Chessie GP7 appart to replace the pee yellow LED's with golden white ones, the fuel tank is dimpled on the inside for a speaker and the chassis has room for a sound decoder to preplace the factory one.   I have two of them now, one Chessie and one Clinchfield.  What I want to see is either an unnumbered one or other road numbers.  But no number and blank numberboards with the correct white/black background would be perfect.   I would also love to see Bachmann offer a low nose GP7 along with more modern shortline road names.  Both of my GP7's run as quiet and smooth as my older Atlas/Kato GP7's  Excellent job Bachmann, now expand on it with low noses and more modern road names.  Many shortlines still use early EMD's!       Mike

The newly released GP7's would also be an excellent choice on 18" radius track.  The Chessie or Clinchfield engines would be excellent for a small coal hauling layout.  You could put the mine on one side, with a scenery divider in the form of a low mountian down the middle and a small yard or town on the other side.  Smaller steam like the 2-8-4 Berkshire, or 2-8-0 would be much better on tight curves.  You CAN fit 22" curves on a 4x8 layout, it will put the track near the outer edge, then you can put a second loop of track with 18" radius inside that to create a double track main line.  There are some excellent track plans for 4x8 layouts on the net.    Mike

I agree, one would think after all these years of popped gears from not aging the Delrin properly before production, thus causing shrinkage around a metal shaft that doesnt shrink, they they would learn a few things.   NWSL is coming up with a fix for the Climax in HO scale, so if you want one, buy it and when it quits, park it by the repair shop till NWSL releases the repair kit for it.   Should be any time now.   The Rivarossi Heisler is a very good model, but is a model of one of the largest 2 truck Heislers produced.  The later runs have a better motor and finer details on them.    Mike

I am getting ready to put a Tsunami in my Bachmann NKP Berkshire, I plan to use one of the QSI Super Bass speakers on recomendations of another NKP Modeler.   I also have a Proto 2K NKP Berk with working mars light, but no dcc or sound, so its next to get the good stuff.   Might try the QSI Revolution A sound board in that one.    I will report back once I start putting the sound in.    Mike

You can also give Train Exchange hobbies in Kokomo Indiana a call, they have several different passenger sets in stock, both IHC, Athearn, Rivarossi and Walthers.  Most are all complete consists and I know there is atleast 1 or 2 Daylight consists.  They have a website and some nice pictures from some local train layouts.   Cheers   Mike

This engine is another example of Bachmann needing to just trash all the older style drives and put quality motors and worm/spur gear drives in them.  They do this with all the nice Bachmann Branchline OO gauge stuff for the Brits.   Thier little class 08 switching diesel is a sweet runner, along with the Pannier tanks and Terrier class tank steam engines.  The little Plymouth along with the 0-6-0 and 2-6-2 all need better quality drives in them. 

Thats kind of the plan, to file the tip of the point rail to better blend in with the running rail, its really only an issue where the point rails are right after coming out of a curved piece of track and the pilot truck flange is against the inside rail flange due to the way a model steam engine tracks thru a curved section, doesnt matter if its 22 or 18 radius curves.  A 4 wheel pilot truck does ok, its the 2 wheel pilot truck that likes to pick the turnout.  Cheers   Mike

When I run my steam engines at the local hobby shop, thier layout has the nickle silver Ez track with two crossovers that put the point end of the turnouts right after  you  come out of the curved portion of the layout, every steam engine with a 2 wheel pilot truck will have that truck pick the point rail where it meets running rail.  This is due to the square end of the point rail and the fact the running rail isnt notched to allow the pint rail to fit flush into it.  You can either file the tip of the point rail at a 45' angle, or notch the running rail which is much harder to do without damaging the ties or roadbed.   A redesign is really needed from Bachmann on thier turnouts.   Even thier own NKP Berkshire's will pick the points and derail.   Sometimes even rolling stock will pick the points.    I have never had problems with the frogs.   Yes all the wheelsets are in gauge  and the turnout is in gauge as measured with a NMRA gauge.   Mike

I do plan to remove the left set of crossover turnouts and just leave the single set that is more toward the right side.  I dont like the turnouts that close to a curve as when traveling in a facing point direction, the pilot trucks on steam engines will pick the points due to Bachmann's design of the point rail not fitting flush into the running rail.   Both of my brass steam engines and the new Bachmann Berkshire will pick the point rail.  The PFM engines were made in the early 60's, long before DCC was thought of.  They have to get thier motors isolated (nylon screw and capton tape), then have a decoder hardwired with jumper wire with disconnects from the engine to the tender.  Miniatronics make nice disconnect cables from engine to tender.   Then its just programing, setting up the lighting for 1.5vt bulbs and one as a Mars light.  Setting the whistle to the closest thing they have on there.   Need to find out what whistles the NKP Berkshires, and 587 have.