Con-Cor N scale Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 class 4-8-4 steam locomotiveBuilt by Lima between 1941 and 1942, the 28 GS-4s (4430-4457) were painted in an eye-catching livery of black, orange, and red with silver striping. The colors complemented the SP’s Daylight passenger cars, and as these were the trains the GS-4s were designed to haul, the railroad soon dubbed the new locomotives “Daylights.”
The GS class (GS initially stood for “Golden State”; during World War II it became “General Service”) hauled the SP’s top passenger trains until 1957. By the late 1950s the SP had scrapped all of the GS-4s except no. 4449, which was donated to the city of Portland, Ore. Restored for service on the American Freedom Train, the 4449 still operates regularly in the Pacific Northwest.
Con-Cor’s model, which is made in China, uses the same mechanism as its Great Northern S2 4-8-4. The model’s overall wheelbase, at 50′-9″, is longer than the prototype’s 47′-8″. However, the model’s driving wheelbase is almost dead on at 21′-6″.
This extra length provides clearance for the lead truck beneath the cylinders on sharp model curves. The model’s lead truck is mounted farther forward than is prototypical and its axles are spaced on 8′-3″ centers instead of the prototype’s 7′-4″ centers.
The Daylights had inside-frame lead trucks instead of the GN style outside-frame version on this model. This can be easily corrected by carefully cutting off the sideframes.
A five-pole, skew-wound motor is mounted at the cab end inside a split cast-metal alloy frame. Electrical pickup comes from the drivers and the tender trucks. Pickup wires from the tender are soldered to the motor brush caps.
The motor turns a steel drive shaft with a brass worm. A metal worm gear drives metal spur gears on the last three driver axles. The front driving axle is not geared.
The wheels are chemically blackened, and all met National Model Railroad Association standards, as did the coupler height.
Several crisply modeled plastic castings comprise the locomotive shell. These include the boiler top, the pilot, the smokebox door, the running boards, and the running board skirts. The throttle linkage and handrails are made from acetal plastic. The boiler shell also contains a cast-metal weight for added tractive effort. The shell comes off by removing the screw that attaches the pilot to the frame. Simply lift the front of the shell up and slip the cab end off the frame.
The GN trailing truck doesn’t have the GS-4’s slight step-up at the front and it’s missing the characteristic brake cylinder on each side.
The tender is a nicely detailed model of the SP’s 235-R-1 class, which is correct for the GS-4. It features accurately reproduced trucks, and the end ladders properly angle inward at the bottom.
Lettering on the tender says it carries 23,000 gallons of water. However, the real ones carried 23,500 gallons and up to 6,000 gallons of oil. The rear deck should have individual boards rather than a one-piece wood platform.
Inside the tender is an eight-pin socket for a Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder. The shell easily slips off by gently prying the sides from the frame. There’s plenty of room for a decoder, and an enterprising modeler might even find a way to fit a Soundtraxx DSD-090 decoder and a speaker.
I tried our review sample with a North Coast Engineering decoder and found the lamp in the front headlight burned brightly and became very warm (I suffered a slight burn when I touched it).
Our sample came equipped with a scale dummy pilot coupler and a truck-mounted Rapido-style coupler on the tender. The Micro-Trains no. 1128 magnetic knuckle coupler can be easily substituted on the tender truck, but there’s no provision for a working front coupler.
The paint and lettering on our sample were crisp and even. However, the model has its train indicators (number boards) in their as-built forward position. As-delivered GS-4s were lettered SOUTHERN PACIFIC LINES in extended Roman on the upper red stripe. By the late 1940s, the indicators were moved back and the lettering was changed to the style used on the model. (See the April ’72 MR.) The Daylight insignia was also the only train insignia to appear on these locomotives.
Our sample came with a silver pilot instead of SP’s orange with silver striping. Con-Cor says this problem has already been corrected.
The model started a bit roughly and was fast in the lower voltages, but these mechanisms commonly smooth out some with use. There’s no flywheel to help smooth out the motion, but modelers using DCC can load a speed table to improve the speed range.
Our sample’s drawbar pull of just over three ounces is very impressive and should be good for 72 40-foot cars on straight and level track. Traction tires on the rear driver set contribute greatly to this figure. The locomotive will negotiate a 9¾”-radius curve, but looks awkward doing so and will run much better on broader curves.
Overall this colorful GS-4 is a visually attractive model with excellent pulling performance. As the only mass-produced Daylight on the market, this model’s price is likely to make it a hit with many N scalers.
Price: $298.98
Manufacturer:
Con-Cor International
8101 E. Research Ct.
Tucson, AZ 85710
520-721-8939
www.all-railroads.com
Features:
DCC ready
Directional incandescent headlights
Drawbar pull: 3.04 ounces
Engine/tender weight: 5.5 ounces
Minimum radius: 9¾”
GS-4 road numbers:
Daylight insignia on side skirt, 4449, 4432, and 4437
San Joaquin insignia on side skirt, 4441, 4442, and 4445
Sunset Limited insignia on side skirt, 4450, 4451, 4455
No train insignia on side skirt, 4431, 4433, and 4444
Undecorated
