Story and Photos by Adam Bunkelman
With a large abundance of GP30s on multiple railroads to choose from, why would one want to model a locomotive from a small Midwestern railroad with a short history? It comes down to the location of this little railroad, its unique operations, and the memories of seeing them roll through the hometown you grew up in. This Wisconsin regional railroad was the Fox River Valley Railroad, and here’s how I modeled one of only three GP30s on their thirty-five locomotive roster. The locomotive featured here is the FRV 815.
For a brief history on the 815, it had a good career, to say the least. GP30 815 started its life in April 1963 for the Chicago & North Western and served as a workhorse for the railroad for years. However, by the 1980s, the C&NW began acquiring new or secondhand units, eventually pushing the GP30s out. By the time the FRV started up in 1988, the 815, along with sister GP30s 814 and 820, would get a new start. In 1993, the three locomotives changed hands as the FRV was folded into the Wisconsin Central, where they spent their days across the system. The GP30s were then renumbered into the 2251 series.
Now that we have a bit of history, let’s dive into building the FRV 815. When ScaleTrains announced they were making the four-axle GP30s, I was very pleased and placed a preorder for two of the C&NW units. Yet, looking at all the numbers being produced, one number stood out to me: 815. The number kept catching my attention, so the research phase began. One book I referenced was written by Bruce C. Nelson, titled “Chicago & North Western and the Fox River Valley Railroad.” This book confirmed my suspicions: the number that ScaleTrains was producing was indeed on the FRV. After preordering, I waited for it to arrive at EngineHouse Services LLC in Green Bay, WI.
While these next details are small, they are important for achieving a close-to-prototypical model. One change is swapping the ScaleTrains as-delivered horn for a Nathan P3 with two bells forward and one bell back. Another addition is the front plow to the 815. This unit was the only one out of the three GP30s to gain a front plow in 1989, although all three would gain plows later in WC days. This required cutting the model a bit to fit the plow, but a sharp Exacto knife and some light sanding did the trick. The next step involved an airbrush. The C&NW repainted both front battery box covers and the rear walkway steps into North Western green over the years. However, the model was in the as-delivered state, painted North Western yellow, so a quick repaint was needed.
With all the decals, horns, plows, and paint in place, it was time for a personal favorite: weathering the locomotive. Using Vallejo Air and Tri Color airbrush paints, I added about six layers of colors, starting with darker colors and working up to lighter ones. Lots of browns, grays, and blacks were used, with the darkest colors on the trucks and the roof by the exhaust stack. After letting the paints dry, I added Vallejo Matte Varnish to protect the hard work that went into making this model look realistic. I take great pride in knowing that this model now brings back memories of when a young boy would run to the edge of the school playground to watch these locomotives thunder by, still in C&NW paint but under WC management, and give a two-short-blast horn salute to this railfan.
