Power for the People

I thought that I would take a moment and talk about some of the passenger train power found on the Elmira Branch, though in the era that I am modeling, there weren't many passenger trains on the line. But, there were dual purpose locomotives such as the FP-7 and the distinctive passenger GP-7s that roamed the Elmira Branch. FP-7's were relatively common on the Branch. The Pennsy owned 54 FP-7s (39 A-units and 15 B-units) and only a handful (four A-units and two B-units) were painted in the PRR's passenger scheme. Passenger service ended on the Elmira Branch in 1957 between Southport and Williamsport, PA. Since the period that I model is the Fall of 1956, some passenger service still existed and could logically have been handled by one of these dual service locomotives.

I chose to model FP-7 no. 9834 one of the four A-units in the Tuscan red scheme. No. 9834 was subsequently repainted into the Brunswick Green scheme, but beyond the era that I model. The model started out as an American Models FP-7 which I reworked extensively to recreate the Pennsy version. The first thing that I did was change out the motor for a reliable Sangami can motor, added DCC and Tsunami sound. Then I added the distinctive Pennsy water tank ahead of the fuel tank. Next came the antenna stanchions and wires, steam generator details, grabs above the windshield and cab door, and other roof top appurtenances. I built up a new flat front passenger style pilot from sheet styrene (the AM FP-7s only come equipped with the freight pilot), and added the front lift rings, nose grabs, and ladder rests on the side of the nose.

The rear of the AM shell left a lot to be desired in terms of detail. The rear end door was basically a flat un-detailed and molded on to the end of the car body. So, I built up a new door and door frame from styrene shapes so that it matched the quality of the exquisite F-unit offered by S-Helper Service. This was not as difficult to do as you might expect. I uses the SHS units as a guide and added the Pennsy lift rings to the top of the door frame. I painted the engine using Scalecoat's Tuscan Red and lettered the unit with Des Plaines Hobbies PRR 5-stripe decal set. Then I added some light weathering particularly on the unit's lower region to simulate dried mud and grime. Some black exhaust weathering was added to the roof near the fans and exhaust areas. when I was satisfied with the weathering, I added the stainless steel Farr air grills (also from Des Plaines Hobbies).

I now have some passenger power for the Elmira Branch that will look good on the head end and serve as a workhorse in freight service. Next time I'll feature the matching B-unit.