Search greenbayroute.com:
Green Bay & Western Lines
The East-West Short Route
 [Home]     Information ] Locos ] Rolling Stock ] Photos & Stuff ] Ephemera ] Modeling ] References ] Site Map ]
Eddie Gross' Loco Roster

Up ]

 
Eddie Gross has a complete roster of HO scale locomotives based on the prototype GB&W's roster, with a few "what-if?" additions added for fun.

Go here for a summary of Eddie's loco roster.


 #102 is a 660-horsepower Alco S-2.  The prototype GB&W sold their switch engines to Wisconsin paper mills in the late 1960s, but on Eddie's proto-freelanced railroad these engines were kept in service into the 1970s.  This locomotive is getting the 1970s-1990s all-red paint scheme.

This model is an AHM body on an Athearn drive. It has been painted, but not yet decaled.  In addition to AHM, this body was also used on Model Power products in the past.



#102 is an Alco S-4.  Although similar to the S-2 (above), note that this locomotive rides on AAR type A switcher trucks instead of the Blunt trucks under the S-2.  This engine shows the all-red paint scheme used on Eddie's switch engines. Instead of yellow handrails used on many locomotives, these engines have black handrails.

This model is an AHM body on an Athearn drive.



#302 is the sole RS-2 on Eddie's roster.  Just like its prototype, this unit sits on gray trucks -- a carryover from the earlier red-and-gray paint scheme.  Eddie's GB&W simplified the paint scheme on this engine by eliminating the large "GBW" on the sides of the long hood and only used the GREEN BAY ROUTE herald on the cab sides to identify the railroad.  Based on the way it sits on the ready track, it looks like this unit operates with the short hood as the front of the engine, opposite to the way the locos were originally configured -- the shop crew must have done some repowering of this engine at some time!

This model has an AHM body on a scratch built chassis with Athearn motor and trucks.



The soot in the radiator grills of this Alco RS-3 identifies it as one of the harder-working locos on Eddie's layout.  #305 may be close to getting sent to the shops and being rebuilt as an RS-20 like #306 (below).  The paint scheme  on this loco is close to the real GB&W in the 1970s.  Instead of black handrails like the switch engines and RS-2 above, the paint shop used yellow on this unit.  Also note the white checkerboard pattern on the side sill.  A notable exception to the prototype is the yellow road numbers on the cab and ands of the hood.  I like how the color of those numbers complement the handrails -- I wish the real GB&W had done this!

This model is a Roundhouse body and drive.



The shop rebuillt RS-3 #306 into a 2000-horsepower "RS-20" with a low short hood and reconfigured the controls to run short hood forward.  The paint shop used large white road numbers when they repainted it after shopping it  -- compare it to the yellow numbers on #305 above.

This is an AHM RS3 converted to an RS20. Anyone who has attempted an RS-20 conversion can appreciate what Eddie has done to this model.  The checkerboard sill stripes are still coming.



This Alco RS-11 GBW #309(1) began life with a high short hood and running long hood forward.  In the 1960s it was rebuilt with a new engine and chopped short hood and configured to run short hood forward.  Here it is after the GBW began applying the all-red paint scheme of the 1970s.

This AHM model began as a high hood unit factory painted in GBW's red-and-gray scheme of the 1950s & 1960s.  This model started Eddie's interest in the GB&W and Alco locomotives.  About 20 years ago the motor died in the model, so he converted it into a low nose unpowered unit and repainted it into the all-red scheme.  As Eddie recalls, this is probably his first attempt at any kind of model kitbashing and painting.



There is a second #309 on Eddie's roster:  This model represents a "what-if" scenario where the RS-11 was never rebuilt with a low short hood.  The shop crews have apparently reconfigured the engine to run short hood forward, based on the orientation of the engine on the tracks.  The paint scheme is a transition between that used on #302 and #305 - the yellow handrails, road numbers and the checkerboard side sill reflect the latter's style, but like the #302 this engine is lacking the large "GBW" on the sides of the long hood.

This model is an Atlas body. Eddie built the chassis out of brass and used an Athearn motor and trucks.



Alco C-424 GBW #311 sits on the ready track on Eddie's layout.  This paint scheme is a faithful reproduction of the prototype in the 1970s. Likewise, most of the remaining 300- series locomotives on his roster (below) closely follow the real GBW 1970s paint scheme.

This model is an AHM C424 with a dead motor, which was rebuilt into an unpowered model. The handrails are from an Athearn kit.



One of the most unique units on both the prototype and any modeler's roster is this Alco C-430 #315.   At 3000 horsepower, this was the most powerful locomotive on the real GB&W, but Eddie's roster has other high-horsepower units, see below...

This model is a Tyco body.  Eddie built the chassis out of brass and used an Athearn motor and trucks. General Electric trucks had closest appearance to the Alco Hi-Ad trucks used on the real locomotive, so he used them on this model,



GBW #319 is still undergoing heavy work by Eddie's GB&W shop forces.

It is an AHM unpowered model. The body is being modified to match the prototype more closely.  The trucks are from an Athearn model.  This is another one of his longtime projects.



GBW #322 looks very similar to the prototype locomotive late in its time on the railroad.  Eddie visited the Green Bay & Western in 1992 and 1993 and this was pretty much how they all the prototype power looked at that time.

The body is an Atlas C-424 with a brass scratch built chassis with an Athearn motor and trucks.



Here is the sole Alco C-420 on both Eddie's model GB&W and the prototype railroad.  The smaller 2000-horsepower V-12 engine gave this loco its most distinct spotting feature: a long low hood, compared the 2400-horsepower C-424s which needed more room behind the cab to hold a V-16 engine.  Here is #323 in the 1970's paint scheme.

The model is a Lima body with an Athearn motor, trucks, and modified chassis.



After Alco quit producing locomotives for the US market in 1969, the GB&W turned to the Montreal Locomotive Works of Canada for this modern MLW M440W. 

It is a Tyco body with a  "Canadian" wide cab and an Athearn chassis and drive.



Alco FA-1 came from Alco in the late 1940s, and Eddie's GB&W shops kept the engines in good working order into the 1970s and painted them in an all-red scheme.  The scheme carries over the gray trucks and yellow cab numbers from the 1960's red-and-gray scheme.  The large "GBW" on the sides uses a different font than what was used on the hood engines. I like how the checkerboard pattern is applied to the engine and wraps around the front of the loco.

This is a Model Power locomotive.



GBW #503 was another survivor into the 1970s which had an experimental all-red scheme which spelled out the railroad's name on the side of the cab unit.  It never was used on any other equipment - perhaps the railroad felt that the words weren't legible on the 50+ MPH trains they were running!

This is also a Model Power locomotive.



GB&W #504 carries a similar paint scheme to sister unit #502.  The air horn has been removed for repairs from this unit when this photo was taken.

This is also a Model Power locomotive.



This FA-1 locomotive has an updated "GBW" in a bold font typical of the prototype locomotives in the 1970s.  The silver trucks are similar to what the real #312 had in the 1980s.   Details such as the number boards and horns are still being worked on.

This is a Train-Miniature model powered by a can motor.



The GBW's original FA-1 was wrecked in a grade crossing accident several years ago.  The railroad picked up a well-worn FB-2 from the New York Central and now uses it with RS2/RS3s on each end to provide extra horsepower on their cross-state trains.

This FB-2 Train-Miniature model has an Athearn drive.



The Green Bay & Western went big-time with this six-axle Alco C-628 power on the fleet!   The 601 numbering scheme logically follows the open slot after the 500- series used by the FA- units.  The paint scheme is unlike anything else on the railroad.

This is an AHM repaint / work in progress.



This six-axle engine, has a serif font "GBW" on the long hood.  Its an interesting twist on the standard GBW lettering style... I wonder if more engines will be wearing it in the future on Eddie's layout? The gray three-axle trucks under the locomotive provide a great contrast to the black underframe.

This is another AHM Alco C-628 model.



Here's some more big power on the GB&W!  The railroad acquired this high hood Alco C-630 unit with questionable mechanical worth mainly for a parts supply, so the shops only gave ita basic paint-over of the former Norfolk & Western paint scheme -- the old lettering still shows through the faded paint.  But the railroad took the time to add the safety checkerboard stripes to the sill of the locomotive.  Note that it rides on Fairbanks-Morse Trainmaster trucks.

This Alco C-630 is a Tyco body with a modified Athearn chassis & drive.



This  was also an ex-Norfolk & Western unit but came via the Chicago & North Western, which operated a fleet of ex N&W C-628's in ore service in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  The paint was still in good shape on the engine, so the GB&W simply added a herald to the cab sides, similar to what they did to #902-903 when they were acquired in the 1960s.

This is an AHM body kitbashed to a high nose configuration with an Athearn motor

[ Top of This Page


 The Green Bay Route is maintained by Mark Mathu.
Visit the Guest Book or send comments to mark@mathu.com.
Updated July 11, 2015