since i was not able to go to trainfest 2day or tommrow, i went to sommerfields and got a atlas gp7 torpido tube loco. it is chicago north western #1523. its a heck of a lot of a better runner then my alco pa by life like. does anyone know the pulling power of this loco?
UP&Santa Fe nut: Enjoy your new Atlas GP 7 loco. Atlas makes fine diesel loco's.... Stay cool and run steam.....
Not sure about pulling power but they are a great Loco, you will certainly motice the difference in quality.
It will pull six RR HWs on RR trucks up a one per-cent grade. This is the most that I have ever tried with the Atlas first generation GPs. The average for the prototype was four to six passenger cars. As you mentioned torpedo boat, this is a passenger engine (which answers a question that you raised in another topic here). THere is no rule that says that you cannot use it for freight, as well. In fact, more than one road used its passenger engines on freight trains when they were not needed for passenger trains. Many roads had their passenger GPs and RS s geared for 65 MPH, which was a dual-purpose gearing. Pure passenger gearing was usually 85 MPH, 45-55 MPH for pure freight gearing. The Atlas are good locomotives. The newer ones are the better, although some will disagree with me on the Atlas/Kato locomotives. Except for the SD-7s and SD-9s, I am less-than-impressed with the Atlas/Katos. While they were not the first A/Ks with flywheels (that would be the RS-1), they were the first ones that impressed me. You can buy any of the Atlas torpedo boats with confidence, as they are the newer ones. If you want other Atlas GP-7s, GP-9s or RS-3s and RSD-4s, buy the ones marked 'CLASSIC', although the A/K RSD-4 is not bad. If you find an old RS-3 or RSD-4 in a road name that is not available as a 'CLASSIC', the shell and fuel tank of the A/Ks will fit the CLASSIC chassis with a minimum of modification to the shell.
