Although the "torpedo tubes" on top of the long hood was more common in passenger units for the reason Bob cited, I think they alsosometimes ended up there so the fuel tank under the frame could be enlarged for longer range operation.DL&W also had such units, and, I think, IC; probably others that don't come immediately to mind.
Jace Kahn General Manager Ceres & Canisteo RR Co./Champlain County Traction Co. Here's a photo of PRR 8552, the sister engine to the one modeled: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=997969 The top features are air reservoirs. Most Geeps have their air tanks located behind the fuel tank, but in some cases particularly on passenger Geeps, the space behind the fuel tanks is occupied by the need for an enlarged tank to accommodate additional capacity for steam boiler water. In this particular case, the space behind the tank was used for the rectangular box that houses cab signal equipment. I model the Pennsy's Elmira Branch in the late '50s. This particular GP-7 spent a lot time roaming the branch duing that time period. In the '60s it was sent to Chicago and assigned to commuter service. Bob FrascellaWenham, MA On Thu, Mar 22, 2012 at 11:31 AM, Alan Lambert <[email protected]> wrote: From: Alan Lambert Bob, what railroad do you model after. I have not seen any GP-7's with the top features that you have. What is it. Thanks, Alan If you've been following my posts on the conversion of the AM GP-9 to a GP-7, I'm happy report that the locomotive coversion is complete and ready to be moved to the paint shop. I've uploaded a couple of progress photos showing the pre-painted version, which you can view here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/photos/album/2131888790/pic/1430517891/view?picmode=&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc or, in the "Bob Frascella's GP-7" file on the group website. It's hard to tell from the photos but all the walking surfaces include the installation of the Archer treadplate which adds a nice texture to the otherwise smooth surface. A couple of other items of interest include the modified AM fuel/water tank. When I compared it to the plans in Mainline Modeler, I discovered that the fuel tank was not tall enough and rode too high above the rails. I also added the Pennsy cab signal box behind the fuel tank, thus the reason for the roof-mounted air tanks. The correct GP-7 early handrail stanchions were used. These are very delicate castings and bend very easily but the well worth the effort. I'll post more photos after painting and decaling. Bob Frascella Wenham, MA
