Lionel 6-28827 Chessie GP38 [Almost] - Running and Review

Today we're going to try something really crazy. 23.9, close enough. These are very close to true O scale. You don't want to try this with a modern transformer. So this is based off of a real VNO caboose. From 1916 up to 1938. That is not helpful. Now it is truth or consequences time. Part of the circuit is running through this wire arm here. Very simple but effective animation for the layout. Hello again, this is Mike with Toy Train Tips and Tricks. And today we're taking a look at the Lionel 6-28827 Chezy GP38. First we're going to run it through its paces around the layout a few times. And then we'll talk about the rivet counting. How close did Lionel get to the real locomotive? Is this really a GP38? Is this really a VNO GP38? Let's take a look. But first, let's run it around the layout and see what we've got. Alright, and before we actually get started out on the road, the GP38, this Lionel GP38, does have a horn. If you can call it that. The electronic horn. Sounds more like a grocery scanner, but it does add a little bit to it. There's no bell, but there is our grocery scanner horn. So, now that we have that out of the way, let us get started. Reverse, neutral, and forward. This model features twin hand motors. The motors and gearing are all contained within the trucks. So, it has a very low center of gravity. It means it hugs the curves well. It was designed to run on 027 curves. It looks a little silly doing it, but it can go around 027 curves and 027 switches. And as you can tell, it's a pretty smooth runner. Let's see how slow we can get it to go here. We can get it to creep along pretty well. With pickups on either end, switches don't bother it much. So, a pretty good budget locomotive. This is conventional control, not command control. This particular model is from 2001. I know that because it's stamped July 2001 on the box. These are pretty commonly found at shows and on eBay and such. It's generally in the $150 range in good condition, give or take. And again, as a budget locomotive, they run pretty well. You do get that horn. And your electronic reverse unit. Notice there's no hum there like there is with a traditional post-war or MPC reverse unit. So, a good running locomotive. What about the details? Well, let's take a closer look. So, as we look at the details on this locomotive, first, what actually is a GP38? And we'll go from there. So, the GP38 was part of EMD's. That's the Electromotive Division of General Motors. That was part of their line that came out in the late 1960s featuring the new 645 series engine. EMD was all about standardization. And so, the 645 came in a couple of very basic variations. In the four-axle GP, or General Purpose, road switchers, there was the 38 series, which had a 16-cylinder engine rated at 2,000 horsepower. It had this basic car body and frame and featured two exhaust fans over the radiator. There was also the GP39, which had a 12-cylinder but turbocharged engine generating about 2,300 horsepower. So, a little more horsepower for a little fewer cylinders. So, it got better fuel efficiency, but you had the maintenance of the turbocharger to deal with. And again, same basic design, two fans in the rear. Then there was the 40 series, the GP40, which was a 16-cylinder engine with the turbocharger generating 3,000 horsepower. And for those, same basic, same frame, same basic design, but three fans over the radiator in the back. Also, in the six-axle versions, there was also a 38, a 39, and a 40, just like the G38, 39, 40, but on six-axle trucks in the longer frame. And also, the SD45, which rode on the same frame, but featured a monster 20-cylinder engine, turbocharged, generating 3,600 horsepower. And not only had the three radiator fans, but also to generate more cooling power, the radiator vents were flared to get more surface area. Something that is very common in locomotives today. In 1972, EMD introduced their Dash 2 line. Mainly was electrical improvements and just efficiency changes, but there were some spotting features, some slight changes to the exterior of the locomotives, especially the SD series. In the GP series, the only main differences were the radiator fans or the two-fan locomotives got a little closer together. And on the 38, 39, and 40, there was a little sight glass added right about here, so that you could view the fuel level on the locomotive. So, from the exterior, those were about the only changes. 38, 39, and the 40. These were very successful. The GP38 and the 38-2 were the most successful four-axle, second-generation road switchers. And they were common from the 1960s to today. I saw a few on CSX just a couple of days ago. So, they're very dependable, and they are still out there today, not only on Class 1 railroads, but also on short lines, etc. Some of them have been rebuilt a number of times, but they're still going strong 50 years later. Very dependable design. So, let's talk about this model in particular. First, let's look at the paint scheme. This is a pretty good representation of the Chessie system scheme that was used by the Chessie system, which was from 1973. Officially, it was merged into CSX in 1980, but they didn't start painting engines in CSX until about 1986. So, the paint scheme was still good from 1973 to about 1986. Did B&O have these? Yes, B&O did have GP38s. Not dash-2s, but regular 38s. C&O did as well. Western Maryland did not. That's where Caneline gets their GP38 wrong. They did a GP38 in Western Maryland, and, well, they goofed. So, you have a good paint scheme. B&O is correct. The road number is correct for a B&O GP38. Number 3849 was a real B&O GP38. Unfortunately, they did pick one that never got painted in the Chessie system. It didn't really last on Chessie that long. It was originally delivered in what's called the Blue Dip, solid blue with a yellow stripe, and was sold to Union Pacific before it was ever repainted in the Chessie system, but pretty close. If this were a post-war or an MPC-era locomotive, this number would be the catalog number. That's a change that the LTI folks made, you know, starting around 1986, was they started putting more prototypical numbers on instead of catalog numbers. So, so far, so good. You've got a GP38, you've got a B&O GP38, you've got the right number, you've got a believable paint scheme. But, if you get to the next level, this is not a GP38. As I mentioned before, the 38 series, you have the 16-cylinder engine without a turbocharger. And in this particular model, right here, this is representing a turbocharger. If that were not there on a GP38, instead of this one turbocharger stack, you would have two exhaust stacks on either side of this radiator fan. Or, on the roof, if it did not have dynamic brakes. Which is another cool feature is that Lionel could make these without dynamic brakes. That was a removable feature. Some of them did not have that. In that case, you would still have the two exhaust vents here and here. No turbocharger. So this is not a 38, this is a 39. Well, did Chessie system have GP39s? Yes! They did have regular GP39s. They were C&O, not B&O. And the numbers were the 3900 series, 3900-3919. So, with a few modifications, you've got a GP39. You could make that Chessie system. Um, kind of. Looking at the fans back here, these are a little closer together than the normal 38 would be. So technically, that feature, plus this little hump here, identifies this as not a straight GP39, but a GP39-2. Those made after 1972. Chessie system did not have any of those. Most of those were purchased by Roads in the West. Most of them are on B&SF today. Burlington, Northern, Santa Fe. Both bought a lot of GP39s-2s. A few were in the East, and actually, most of those have ended up on CSX. And, as a matter of fact, I saw one last week. I have a video of one on my other page, the Logomaniac page. So, how close is it? It's pretty close. For Lionel, you've got an engine that they took some liberties with the dimensions. It's a little too short in length. It's a little too short in height. It's a little too wide in width because of the low-gauge track. And for 99% of folks out there who aren't the true rivet counters, most people aren't going to notice the turbocharger. Most people aren't going to notice the fans. Most people will see a GP38 in the, you know, scheme. So, you know, let's give them an A-. Pretty good for Lionel, not bad for a toy train. So, it's a good running locomotive. The details are almost correct. And you can have it on a budget. A nice engine, twin motors, and a horn. Usually found under $150 at most shows or online. So, it's a winner. The B&O GP38, kind of, sort of, actually GP39-2. So, if you want to paint one of these up in CSX, CSX has some. Or B&SF, Burlington Northern, Straight Santa Fe, Delaware & Hudson, a few others. Redding had 39-2s. And it would be totally, particularly correct as far as your decoration. You're still not exactly to scale on your length and your width, but pretty close. So, an A- to Lionel on the GP38. I'd say a good solid A on the running capabilities. And, you know, the A- on the decoration, you got close. They got close with what they had. I am curious, though, as to why they chose to model a 39 instead of a 38. Because 38s were far more common than 39s. So, I guess, from their renderings, whatever photo they had to work from, they thought they had a 38, and they did. But, in any case, there it is. So, that's it for this time with Toy Train Tips & Tricks. 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