I was fortunate to grab up a few of these monsters of the UP in the 60's and 70's. My first contact with a PSC KMT model DD40 at the Pasadena train show and fell in love with the unit. However there to was OMI and they said they were going to produce one too and so I waited and waited and waited. It seems more than a decade before they produced their model and it came out at $2700. Yah, NO! I met Jerry Snow of accurail and he turned me on to 2 of the PSC painted for 1200each. I also purchased 2 OMI U50Cs for about 6 to 700 apiece. One I had painted and the other was already painted. So for the price of one OMI DD40s I got 2 PSCs. Thanks Jerry, Well it was fate that my timing was right.
I do think I recall all these double motor engines were sort of a contest as UP was looking for such an engine and so all three companies put forward their best effort. I do love the GEs best. BUt the giant DDs are a very close 2nd. I have never put current to them so don't know how well they perform.
I remember taking a photo on a trip to Neb. of a triple lash up of the U50C. Spectacular!Golly was I thrilled to see them and I was really foaming. I am thinking that brass models are possibly pricing themselves out of the market place. Then at $2700 was hugh and now it would seem to be priced at 4K if realeased again and very few would buy. Yet then there are a bunch of rich people out there who could pay that easily and I the price for me is more than 2 years of my O budget.
