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No, the GP-7 I was holding in my hand wasn't real.  It was one of these. But bear in mind that if you're modeling first generation diesels in western Canada, you gotta have Geeps!  When I was about four or five I could remember seeing a nice mix of CN GP-9s in the green and yellow and the black and orange working the prairie branch lines.  It was only fitting that I painted a few Geeps in both schemes after I decided to take up model railroading.  For years Athearn called its Geep a GP-9, and the carbody louvres say it's a GP-7.  So I numbered all my units as GP-7s, not GP-9s.  All of CN's GP-7s were gone by the mid-1970s, but they still run on my layout.   4801 was my second serious attempt at brush painting, but when I added the detail parts I had to scrounge around for whatever I could find.  The major pitfall in painting and detailing locos is that you can't always find what you are looking for in the way of paint, parts, and decals.  The local hobby shops don't keep a full line of the stuff on hand, and sometimes I have to settle for different brands of parts.  The three chime horns on each of these units are examples of alternative choices.  I suppose the smart thing to do would have been to plan on doing x number of locomotives and order a whole whack of detail parts.  Not this cowboy.  I have no idea when I'll get the urge to do another loco.  An idea will pop into my head at the spur of the moment and I'll say 'I gotta paint another Geep in CN' or 'How about an H-12-44?'  The guys in the hobby shops are ready to throw me out the door when I ask for parts.

Make:
Athearn

Detail parts (4801):
Miniatures by Eric  B1 Diesel High Hood Bell
Detail Associates  1601 Nathan M3 Three Chime Horn
Detail Associates  SS 1301 Cab Sunshade
Juneco  C-32 Diesel & Caboose Antenna
Juneco  C-4 Spark Arrestors for GP-7 & GP-9
M.V. Products  LS 25  Headlight Lenses for Athearn GP-38

Detail parts (4803):
Miniatures by Eric  B1 Diesel High Hood Bell
Miniatures by Eric  H1 CPR Diesel Air Horn
Detail Associates SS 1301 Cab Sunshade
Juneco C-32 Diesel & Caboose Antenna
Juneco  C-4 Spark Arrestors for GP-7 & GP-9
M.V.  Products  LS 25  Headlight Lenses for Athearn GP-38

Decals (4801):
C-D-S Lettering HO-163 CN roadswitcher-original modern 'CN' logo (before stripe) pre-1973

Decals (4803):
C-D-S Lettering HO-632 RS-18 diesel locomotive - green and yellow scheme, c. 1950