SP GS-4 Daylight 4-8-4 "The world's
most beautiful train"
The Southern Pacific SP GS-4 debuted in March, 1941 and saw service
up and down the California coast until the late 1950's. The "GS" stood
for Golden State initially but was changed during the war to stand for
General Service. The model shown above was built based on
photographs
and descriptions I collected on Southern Pacific's engine # 4449.
This engine was retired in 1959 and sat rusting away until it was
restored
in 1974. It had the distinction of hauling the Freedom Train
around
the country during the 1975-1976 Bicentennial celebration.
SP GS-4 Daylight 4-8-4 and Norfolk & Western 'J' class 4-8-4.
Building the SP GS-4 model started with cutting off the front end of
a Bachmann N&W 4-8-4 shell. Sixty plus separate parts had to
be cut out of styrene plastic and then shaped and glued in order to
build
the boiler, grille, bumper, skirts and enclosed cab. Both of the
front headlights have bulbs behind them and light up when the train is
running. Modifications to the electric pickups on the engine and
tender were done to improve the engine's operating performance.
Final
touches included airbrushing the engine and tender with the Daylight
colors
and applying decals with the logo and Southern Pacific markings.
View down Main street towards the barrel factory.
The truss bridge in the foreground is a wooden kit. The buildings
on either side of the street are plastic kits, while the barrel factory
was scratch built.
Hudson 4-6-4 making its way up a narrow mountain pass.
This is a Con-Cor engine manufactured in the mid 1980's. Many
N scalers feel it was the finest N scale steam engine ever
produced.
Unfortunately, it had a short production run and is no longer
available.
Decapod 2-10-0 rounding the bend towards freight yard.
All of the double portals had to be scratch built in order to
accommodate
the track layout. The shed in the foreground is a Campbell wooden
kit, while the outhouse is scratch built.