My Birthday Presents

After almost 1 year of going back and forth I picked up my Ann Arbor GP38 from Brasseur Electric Trains in Saginaw Michigan today this time I hope it's finally fixed. 

I also picked up my C&O E7 Pere Marquette locomotive after it quit on me.

I dropped off my New York Central PA locomotive that they repaired because it was not done properly.

So far everything is in working order I just hope it stays that way for a while.

Repairs Are Coming Along

I will soon have my Ann Arbor GP38, road number 7802, back from repair at Brasseur's Electric Trains in Saginaw Michigan I had the motor replaced. There are 2 others that I need to pay for and pick up. One is a New York Central F3A unit, and the other is a C&O Pere Marquette E7A unit road number 96. There is another New York Central ALCO PA unit, road number 4202, that I had just picked up that still has the same problem with it as when I brought it in for repair the first time. That will most likely need the motor replaced in it as well.
Once I have the Ann Arbor GP38 back on the tracks my Ann Arbor freight train will be complete. Once the New York Central ALCO PA unit is repaired and back on the tracks my New York Central passenger train will be complete. I am saving money to purchase the two Pere Marquette EMD E7A locomotives, road numbers 103 and 105, I have on hold at Mountain Town Hobbies in Mount Pleasant Michigan. I am hoping that I can get one of them for my birthday next month. That will complete the C&O Pere Marquette passenger train sold by Walthers as the 2013 named train. All in all my indoor HO layout in very near completion. I just have some landscaping to do to finish it off.

Most Of The Repairs Are Done

Last night there was a call on my answering machine, from Brasseur Electric Trains in Saginaw Michigan, that 3 out of the 4 locomotives I had in there for repair have been completed. I am thrilled and can't wait to find out which three they are and to put them back on the layout. The locomotives in for repair include:

• A New York Central ALCO PA unit for my passenger train. 
• A New York Central EMD FA unit for a freight train. 
• A C&O Pere Marquette EMD E8A unit for my Pere Marquette passenger train. 
• And finally an Ann Arbor GP38 unit for my Ann Arbor freight train. 

I am finally bringing my HO layout to a state of completion insomuch as the trains themselves are concerned. I still have a lot of landscaping to complete in order to really complete the project.

My HO Layout Is Enhanced

Now that I have all three GP38's from the Ann Arbor Locomotive roster, I have completed my Ann Arbor freight train that I have been putting together for around five years. I was finally able to find the GP38 locomotive road number #7771 from a private owner I met on the internet. We arrived at a fair price and he mailed it to me. The locomotive is now on my layout and is pulling the freight cars. The last piece of unfinished business is that the GP38 locomotive road number #7802 is currently being repaired at Brasseur's Electric Trains in Saginaw Michigan. Once the repair is complete, I will have all three GP38's, road numbers, #7771, #7791 and #7802, on the layout pulling my freight train.

My Search Is Still Unsatisfied

I have had a posting on my facebook group called Model Railroads for a long time now it reads
"I am looking for an HO Atlas GP38 Ann Arbor locomotive DC road number 7771 I know this is a very specific request but I have been looking for it for a few years. If anyone can help me I would appreciate it. you can contact me at freedmb@msn.com or leave me a comment on this site. Thanks"
So far I haven't had any success except for the following link that was sent to me
http://www.facebook.com/l/pAQHMT0eK/factorydirecttrains.com/gp38.aspx
It is exactly what I am looking for except it's in N Scale and not HO Scale. So close and yet so far away. I would like to set up an N Scale layout using that locomotive but I still want the HO version.

I Finally Took Back My Ann Arbor EMD GP38 For Repair

I was really displeased with the repair of my HO Ann Arbor EMD GP38 locomotive road number 7802. Last December I took the locomotive in for repair to Brasseur Electric Trains in Saginaw Michigan when I got it back the locomotive did not run well and stopped running altogether after about 3 weeks. I had an identical locomotive repaired the year before at Brasseurs and it worked really well after they replaced the can motor. It's still running fine today. So I took the broken locomotive back and asked that they replace the can motor in it as well. I have faith that this time the repair will work.

The Repair Did Not Last

In December I reported that the repair on my Ann Arbor GP38 locomotive was completed. I was able to run the engine for a few weeks and then it stopped running altogether. I will need to take it back to Brasseur Electric Trains in Saginaw Michigan to find out what happened. I suspect they did not replace the can motor as I had hoped they would. They most likely just cleaned it up and got the old motor running which would explain the cheep cost of the repair. unfortunately I did not keep the paperwork that would shed some light on the repair work that was done. Oh well we live and learn. When the repair came back I was wondering why it ran so sluggishly, it just didn't have the pep that it had before. Well this time I will monitor the repair more closely.

  

The Second Ann Arbor GP38 is Down and Needs Repair

It was bound to happen. The GP38 locomotive manufactured by Atlas has stopped working. The last time this happened it was the can motor that just wore out. This looks like the same problem it was running fine one day and the next day it just stopped running. The last time I took it to Brasseur Electric Trains in Saginaw Michigan for repair. It was a bit pricey but the work made up for it. They replaced the motor and it is now running just fine. The need for repair is no surprise to me as I run my trains every day for long periods of time. I hope this time the repair will not take as long as last time.

The Model

The actual locomotive

The EMD GP38 is back from repair

I must admit Brasseur Electric Trains in Saginaw Michigan did a great job of repairing my Ann Arbor EMD GP38 locomotive road number #7791. I had run it into the ground and the can motor needed to be replaced. It runs great now and my Ann Arbor freight train is back in business.

The model was made by Atlas and was part of a run of three GP38's from the Ann Arbor Railroad roster.

This is a artists drawing used by Atlas when the locomotives were released they were road numbers #7771, #7791, #7802. I just need #7771 to complete the set.

Constant use Requires Periodic Repair

I run my layout just about every day. This results in a lot of wear and tear on my locomotives. My Ann Arbor GP38 road number 7791 stopped running so I took it into Brasseur Electric Trains in Saginaw Michigan for repair.

The picture above shows the Locomotive manufactured by Atlas where a different road number is shown it is the same as you see pictured here.

At first it was thought that there were carpet fibres caught in the works so it would require a cleaning and then would be just fine. After taking it apart and beginning the cleaning it was discovered that the motor was just about worn out and may need to be replaced. The technician working on the locomotive left for vacation during the 4th of July and would not be able to complete the job for a few weeks. Once the job is completed I will be running 2 Ann Arbor EMD GP38s  Numbers 7791 and 7802 to pull my freight train on the layout. I will let you know my satisfaction level of the repair service as soon as the work is complete.

Above is a photo of the actual EMD GP38 #7791

EMD GP38 #7802 Photo of model

Above is a photo of the actual EMD GP38 #7802

Change of Plans

With the out of stock situation regarding my attempt to purchase an Ann Arbor locomotive, compounded by the fact that another Ann Arbor locomotive that I already have broke down yesterday, I am changing my freight train configuration from only Ann Arbor to a mixture of Ann Arbor and Tuscola and Saginaw Bay. I am pulling a lot of rolling stock so I need a minimum of two locomotives to pull it all. Hopefully by the end of the next month (June) I will have two Tuscola and Saginaw Bay GP35's and one Ann Arbor GP38 doing the job.
Currently I am using a current day Ann Arbor GP38 and an Ann Arbor GP35 with The Detroit Toledo and Ironton paint scheme and a Tuscola and Saginaw Bay GP35.

New Agreement Opens The Door To New Locomotive

My wife Sandy proposed a new agreement today which I jumped all over. If I attend a gym 4 or 5 times a week I can earn money toward train cars and other stuff. She was kind enough to advance me enough money so I could order an Ann Arbor GP38 #7771.

Currently the Ann Arbor Railroad shows 3 GP38's on their roster, they are #7771, 7791, and 7802. I currently have #7791 and 7802. Now I just ordered #7771 so my collection is complete.