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The Fleet - ATSF 3500
The Model:
ATSF 3500 is the first N scale locomotive I ever got. The model is a Bachman GP40 “New Tooling” produced around 2016/17. It came in Bachman’s “Thunder Valley” starter set, which was given to me as a gift several years before I officially did N scale. It is a nice looking model, and runs decent, although its minuscule motor and flywheels coupled with its small electrical footprint make it very susceptible to stalling momentarily on dirty track. This stuttering, and its pitiful top speed (about 45 scale miles per hour) are the only gripes I have with the model.
I recently converted the locomotive to DCC—a task which proved very simple as TCS makes a decoder designed to fit directly into the stock light board. I think I may integrate a keepalive at some point, because its electrical issues are even more prevalent now (as is usually the case with DCC).
Lore:
Former Santa Fe #3500 was acquired from BNSF along with sister locomotive #3501 by Pioneer Central in 1997. The pair were some of the first locomotives purchased by the railroad after the 1976 separation from the parent company, and subsequent financial disaster. They were purchased to replace a number of older units (mainly vintage F-series EMDs) that had failed safety inspections and were considered too costly to repair.
Immediately upon delivery, the 2 GP40s were put to work hauling Pioneer Central’s longer-distance trains (mainly grain shuttles for the BNSF) to and from Gamman Yard. Over the years, 3500 proved a good and reliable workhorse, unlike its sister, which required a full rebuild in 2004 and was consequently repainted into Pioneer Central “Greenback.” PCRR lacked the funds to repaint its entire fleet, and 3500 never received the Greenback paint. It was eventually decided (as part of PCRR’s heritage policy) that the Bluebonnet scheme on 3500 would be preserved instead of replaced. 3500 was demoted to local service in the late 2000s, as Pioneer Central began to recover financially and could afford to purchase and lease newer, more capable equipment.
Today, 3500 is still active. It periodically leap frogs between Gamman and Great Plains yard, and alternates between switching duties and running locals. 3501, meanwhile, is assigned to the Lansford yard, to run grain shuttles along the Lansford subdivision. *I do not have a model of 3501.
