Gregg Fuhriman HO ATSF GP35u 2890

ATSF GP35u 2890
I built this model circa 1990 to get a scale-hood-width GP35, as all that was available at that
time was Athearn's "wide-body" blue box model. The construction diagram (bottom of page)
reveals the shell is a shortened Atlas SD35 hood (and nose) grafted onto an Athearn
GP35 walkway and pilots, plus a Cannon & Co. thin-wall cab kit. This model won first
place, diesel category, at the 1991 NMRA-PCR Coast Division meet in Richmond, CA.

I donated this loco for use on a holiday-themed layout built by the
Carquinez Model Railroad Society club for the San Francisco public library.

I hand-sketched this construction diagram for display with the model to illustrate the amount of effort I put
into the project, which is often lost on NMRA contest judges who may not be familiar with diesel kitbashing.

This unit represents an early-1980's GP35u with the intake shields behind the cab and exhaust lifters on the top, scratch-built from sheet styrene. The trucks, fuel tank, and drive are Athearn. Later, I built a more accurate model, GP35u 2910, allowing this model to be donated.

Below: I opened up the 48" fan housings and installed fans made from Athearn semi-truck wheel hubs and styrene-strip blades.
The grills are an etched brass product from Detail Associates. The 36" fan and the open exhaust stack are Precision Scale parts.

Left: The front received Details West
and Detail Associates ATSF-specific
details typical of the early 1980's.
The cab-side mirrors were hand-made
from styrene and brass wire.

Right: The rear received the usual
upgrades - drop grabs, drop steps,
coupler lift bar, MU receptacle and
air hoses. Campbell scale chain was
installed on the handrail openings.

Right: Down-on shots like this one are invaluable for
accurate modeling. In the early 1980's, I caught GP35u
2890 from the street overpass overlooking Santa Fe's
San Bernardino shops. All the cab-top details and their
placements are readily visible for replication on my model.