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Post by ztrack on Sept 7, 2012 16:16:59 GMT -5
A LARGE number of boxes just arrived at the Ztrack offices.... Testing to commence immediately!
Rob
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GP38-2
Sept 10, 2012 7:32:14 GMT -5
Post by domi on Sept 10, 2012 7:32:14 GMT -5
Good!....
Dom
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GP38-2
Sept 11, 2012 22:25:37 GMT -5
Post by skibbe on Sept 11, 2012 22:25:37 GMT -5
Next time you apply the US Flag to a locomotive, make sure it is properly displayed on both sides. The flag should always look like it is flying from front to back. On AZL's BN engines the flag is backwards on the engineer's side. It should look like Pray59's photo of his GP39 rebuild above.
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Post by skibbe on Sept 11, 2012 22:35:34 GMT -5
And while we're on the subject of the BN paint scheme, the black needs to come down farther on these locomotives. The color separation is too high on the body.
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GP38-2
Sept 12, 2012 5:33:22 GMT -5
Post by Rob Albritton on Sept 12, 2012 5:33:22 GMT -5
Yup - agree with you on both counts!
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pmx
New Member
Posts: 40
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GP38-2
Sept 12, 2012 20:05:56 GMT -5
Post by pmx on Sept 12, 2012 20:05:56 GMT -5
Other constructive criticism with regards to the, Milwaukee Road release. Where possible select road numbers that match your design best. MILW had 16 GP38-2: the first 6 (350-355) didn't have Dynamic Brakes but the second order of 10 (356-365) did. So it for your MILW release it would have been better to have selected all 4 number in the second group rather than split 50/50.
That aside, I have my order in and looking forward to running some more MILW units soon.
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GP38-2
Oct 12, 2012 15:47:06 GMT -5
Post by stoops on Oct 12, 2012 15:47:06 GMT -5
After a week of running time, this seems a good point to share some thoughts about my CP GP38-2. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places but I haven't seen a whole lot of written firsthand experiences with the GP38-2 yet.
The GP38-2 ran well from the get go and has run about twelve solid hours now - stays nice and cool and it was fairly quiet to start with. I was pleased to see the traction tires split up with one on each truck, instead of two on the same axle as with my GP7. Still, for kicks I'd love to try one out without any traction tires as my default preference has always been for electrical contact over traction - but then again this is for branch line/switching ops. I've had a few minor slow speed stall outs (while using a Zthek controller), but for the most part a little extra throttle is all it takes to break free. 0-5-0 helper use has been minimal, once maybe twice.
As far as appearances go, the proportions of the model really make it stand out from the rest of my fleet, it's a really, really attractive loco. The trucks, IMHO, are the best I've seen in Z in terms of proportion and overall appearance. While the handrails aren't as slim as those on the SD70M, they actually looked better to me in person than they do in some of the photos I've seen. Also, the fuel tank was very nicely done. Having the full weight of a metal fuel tank to me trumps having a plastic cap and less metal. It's a nice simple chassis design.
About the only visual 'surprise' was the absence of windows on the long hood side of the cab. Having never owned a RLW GP38-2, this was news to me. My short term plan to correct this is to simply apply black decal material trimmed into the shape of the windows to the long hood side of the cab. As this loco was purchased for branch line/switching - it will do a lot of running long hood forward. Maybe one day I'll drill/trim out some actual windows.
Based on this favorable expereince my next step is to pick up a MILW unit to paint up as a 'bandit'. I seem to recall seeing somwehere that the SOO is next, is that the case? Wow, three Upper Midwest roads in a row! Looks like some more choice roads are on the way too - but what about Conrail? That seems a rather conspicuous omission for the GP38-2, doesn't it? PC would be nice too!
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GP38-2
Oct 13, 2012 1:35:33 GMT -5
Post by domi on Oct 13, 2012 1:35:33 GMT -5
About the absence of long hood windows that was the same on RLW models. As far as I remember AZL is using exactly the same shell than old RLW's. And myself I also came to the conclusion one has to create dummy windows there. I don't consider drilling these but myself I'm thinking about painting them rather than using decals.
BTW thank you for the feedback.
Dom
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txrfan67
New Member
Z dreamin'...long freights somewhere out West...
Posts: 42
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GP38-2
Oct 15, 2012 19:11:18 GMT -5
Post by txrfan67 on Oct 15, 2012 19:11:18 GMT -5
Digitrax Decoder install is VERY easy on this loco!! All that is required is to file down the solder pads on the front top of the board to ensure they fit under the frame clips. The *only* caveat/issue I ran into with one of my SP 38-2's was that the fiber light guides were a skosche long, and wouldn't allow the body to be fully seated...it would rock back and forth. A quick snip of the guides fixed this. The other SP 38-2 was fine, as was my CP.
This install is a tad easier than the GP-30, as you don't even have to remove the rear frame clip/board retainer. For less than a DC MTL GP-35, we can now have a fully-DCC'd, better running, more-to-scale GP!!
Cheers!!
TXRfan
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Post by Edward on Apr 18, 2024 4:00:54 GMT -5
Earlier today I mentioned that we had improved the top of the GP38-2. In fact, we had hoped to produce this locomotive much earlier in the year, but the top of the tooling was damaged, and we were only able to produce a handful of SP models for the National Z Scale Convention in Denver. In the mean time, we had to make a whole new top for the mold. We decided to make some minor improvements while the work was being done. I thought you might enjoy seeing the changes that we made. The top is the original and the bottom is the new and improved. Best, -Rob It’s a shame during this opportunity you didn’t take the time to correct the “edges” of the hood and nose as well. EMD has rounded edges and the model had sharp 90% edges. I also believe the nose is too tall and the cab is missing the rear facing windows. Is there any plan on correcting this for a future run of GP38-2 in the near future? Maybe you can take the cab and nose molds from the SD40-2 line and adapt them to the GP38-2 line?
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