3rd Rail to Announce GE Dash-9s

Hi Scott,

Has there been any progress with reservations on the SD40-2?

Would you also do the Dash8s?

Thanks

This is good news for me as I like to run "modern" trains that I've seen in the wild.  I'd be in for NS and (BN)SF red / silver war bonnet (#777 would be excellent) in 2R. 

YYYEEESSSS!!!!!! Very excited for the modern diesels! Union Pacific and C&NW would be top of my list! 

Bummer. Unless there is s demo model, i will be out. FWIW, I think the F45, FP45, SDP40F would have gained more interest.

There is still too much Lionel, MTH 3/2 product out there. Good luck though on this endeavor!

This is very good news!! An awesome model that needs to be done by you!!

This is great news!  I will put in for a few.

-Brian

Scott, Fantastic announcement!  Super excited for some of the changes you're making with this announcement, most importantly the ESU Loksound for 2-Rail modelers! 

Excellent news Scott. I like the modern power. I have been a loyal Lionel supporter for over 50 years. I love their products and nothing would excite me more than an orange and blue box with a new engine inside. But I am sick and tired of buying new product only to have it not work or break down. This has been the case with me for the last 5 catalogs. I have sent back 9 new engines to Lionel for warranty work and I currently have 5 more at a local shop for repairs.

Maybe I just have bad luck. 

I made a conscience decision to start to buy my new engines from Scott at 3rd Rail. I know if there is a problem (highly unlikely) he will take care of it quickly. Down side is that only a few new models are announced each year that interest me. The Dash-9's are right in my wheelhouse, so thanks again Scott.

Donald

Bummer. Unless there is s demo model, i will be out.

There's a Demo!!!

From OGR Pages

Wow. I’m pleasantly surprised. I’ll certainly reserve several, how many depending on road names. To this day I’m still tempted to track down one of the old brass versions  hopefully the reservations come  

Scott, there’s a lot of little detail variation in the prototype as things like windows, , step wells, handrail configuration and body panels changed over time and from roadname to roadname. That’s on top of the more obvious things modelers notice like headlight, number board and ditch light placement. Will all these variations be reflected in the models?

Thanks,

RM

@sdmann posted:

Bummer. Unless there is s demo model, i will be out.

There's a Demo!!!

From OGR Pages

Will this model carry the Ball bearing drive as well?

Ok! I'm in!

That locomotive has not been done to scale. Only the last century a Lionel toy concoction was done.

I hope this time around this model will work out for you Scott.

Will be interesting to see how well this modern diesel reserves with MTH leaving the market this should help. JMO

I am in for 2 and maybe more depending on roadnames.

Donald

@hibar posted:

Will be interesting to see how well this modern diesel reserves with MTH leaving the market this should help. JMO

Market is saturated with Dash 9s

@SPSF posted:

Market is saturated with Dash 9s

Yes.....but not 3rd Rail quality. I think there is a difference. I will pay for the quality and the fact the engine will work as designed without having to send it back immediately for DOA, broken parts or just bad quality control.

Donald

and what about the possible SW1 ?

Quick question: Can the pilots on 3-rail diesels be taken off the frame of the locomotive and attached to the trucks, for tighter curve operation?

@carnerd3000 posted:

Quick question: Can the pilots on 3-rail diesels be taken off the frame of the locomotive and attached to the trucks, for tighter curve operation?

Not to my knowledge. How tight of as curve are you referring to?

@Hot Water posted:

Not to my knowledge. How tight of as curve are you referring to?

My widest curves are O-42, and I'm aware that normally 3rd Rail diesels can run a minimum of O-54, at least on regular curves.

@carnerd3000 posted:

My widest curves are O-42, and I'm aware that normally 3rd Rail diesels can run a minimum of O-54, at least on regular curves.

Especially since this will be a model of a LARGE 6 axle GE diesel, your 042 curves might be a bit too tight.

Plus this engine is very likely to have a full size fuel tank which could hit on the switch machines that typically come with 042 switches.

@Hot Water posted:

Especially since this will be a model of a LARGE 6 axle GE diesel, your 042 curves might be a bit too tight.

Yeah, that's what I figured. I noticed that the pilots on the 3rd Rail F3's are removable, so I wondered if it could be possible to basically go in reverse and mount them on the trucks instead. Majority of my stuff is Postwar and MPC, so that's one of the reasons why my layout is smaller, because most of my stuff is, lol. But there's plenty of scale stuff that I want; it's just that I can't run nothing like the Big Boy on my layout at the moment. But if any of Scott's diesels and electrics could be modified a bit for tighter curves, that would be cool.

Hmm... an ATSF Warbonnet version to go with my ATSF E8s and E6s to pull my GGD El-Capitan would make for an interesting discussion.  I hope this project comes to fruition.  A unfortunately now deceased friend owned one of the brass versions.  It was nice locomotive.

The limiting factor in tighter curves are the trucks u-joints ability to swing far enough. Where the "China Drive" pivots on a vertical motor and can swing much further.

U-joint configuration SD 7/9 model.  The drive shaft limits the truck swing.   Fuel tank pictured right in picture. 

@SPSF posted:

Market is saturated with Dash 9s

Perhaps a newer ES/ET 44 GE  series would get better reservation response.

I have been looking around and do not seem to see a saturation of the Dash 9.  Maybe I am missing out.

Anyway,I would suspect that the 3rd Rail model would be of a higher standard.

Norm

Oh yeah, I forgot it has a horizontal drive motor. Thank you for the replies.

I am aware that some 3rd Rail models can negotiate O-42, and of course I would like to eventually get some of them one day. Either way, even if GE locomotives made in the past few decades are constantly being produced in the model train industry, like others have said this version by 3rd rail will be in a league of its own. I look forward to seeing what it will look like.

@hibar posted:

 

Perhaps a newer ES/ET 44 GE  series would get better reservation response.

I think it would be awesome to see high quality ET44AC's represented in O Scale since MTH is now out of the new market, seems like a great time to tool this one up with all the class one railroads owning these awesome locomotives.  While I do believe there are slight variations in frame length, would be fairly easy to re-use a good chunk of the design work for C44-9W's through ET44AC's, perhaps some of the tooling.... biggest changes are in the bodies obviously. 

I'm definitely intrigued and will keep this on my radar. An ET44AC would be a definite yes from me.

Modern diesels with proper road specific details, interiors and quality accurate paint jobs.   Only a little more expensive than MTH.  Next question.

-Crank

It is comical to me that a nearly 30 year old engine is referred to as "modern".  I'm happy for all the people who are excited for big "modern" 6 axle power.  I'm not a big "modern" fan so I'll give the wallet a rest on these. With F-units inbound, Geeps soon to come, hopefully FAs/FBs, and SD40-2s as a long shot I already have allocated way too much. Not to mention an unannounced project that I will need at least 4 of.  

Glad you think I'm funny.

-Crank

@EMD posted:

Hi Scott,

Has there been any progress with reservations on the SD40-2?

I would also like to see an accurate SD40-2 get made.  I put a reservation in a while back. 

@sdmann posted:

A long time ago...

We brought out a Brass GE 9-44CW Diesel in the late 1990s. Our first diesel in 3 Rail. It's been over 20 years.  I think it's time to do the 2.0 Dash 9. This time with ABS body, Brass Details, ERR Cruise, Railsounds, Remote Couplers, ESU DCC / LOK Sound in 2 Rail, Fixed Pilots, Full Cab Interior and our Horizontal Drive with all axles powered. Look for an announcement in the coming days.

Scott Mann

Ok, I must be "Stuck in Stupid" but every time I go to 3rd Rail website or click on the 3RD Rail OGR Forum Banner, the reservation section is still void of this Dash 9.  What am I doing wrong?

The reservation and engine specifics are not up yet.  Patience....I have been checking  daily.....sooner than later!

Norm

I admit to checking the reservation page periodically too. I hope this project gets the needed reservations. (By the way, that’s the answer towhat about the SD40-2s?”). 

RM

I reserved a couple of SD40-2's when they were announced in 2016. If production meant raising prices by 10% I would still keep my reservations.

MTH makes some nice Dash 8's and 9's and Evolution Series locomotives so I'll take a pass on the Dash 9's from 3rd Rail. My primary interest is in 2nd generation diesel so a GP30 from 3rd Rail would definitely pique my interest.

unfortunately Emd 2nd generation popular diesels abound in both two and three rail. I would like to see the not so popular second Generation diesels like

F45/FP45/SDP40F,

SD45-2, SD45X,

GP40X,

GE U28/U30/U33B's

ALCo C636, C415, T6 

And how about Really turning heads with a Paducha built GP8/ GP10's!