Dash 9

Phill, I just rec'd my 2-rail UP Dash-9 as well, and I can say for certain you are going to love the sounds for this loco. Some of the best I've heard. And a great looking locomotive for sure-

See Atlas-O website for new 2014 catalog. There is a re-announcement for a Dash-8 in the beginning of the O-gauge section. I think it's release was late in 2014. Looks like they may be back on the production schedule again. If this is the same one you were talking about?

rtr, you heard the saying fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. Well, I am way past both of those with Atlas. It is like pulling teeth to get them to get current with their announcement of this engine.  Ever since Bill passed the helm has been driverless. There is money out here and Atlas isn't trying to go after it like MTH. I'd rather buy an Atlas model but at 65 I am going for what I can get as i started this process at 61. Bill wasn't that old and neither was Joe at OST. I want to enjoy the time I have and collecting is part of that enjoyment. I think when a company says they are going to do something, do it . I just hope they had Key man insurance to cover the loss and change over to keep the company running smoothly.  

Hoping I can locate some of them as I didn't preorder any...

phill,

I have heard the saying, but I just re-started in the hobby a couple years ago. I'm not familiar with the Atlas management structure, but there was a blurb about the current head of Atlas stepping aside and passing it on to someone else and I don't remember who it was without going back to look.  I think it was also in the new 2014 catalog, you are much more informed on this than I am so you may already know all the details. Maybe they are turning the corner, I hope so as I think they have some very nice products and was looking forward to purchasing some.

I am only a couple years behind you in age and am beginning to wonder the same thing about the Legacy system I ordered last year. Now I'm a year older than when I ordered it!

Mike DeBerg,

I asked my LHS about both Dash-8's in the 2014 catalog and they are checking to be sure I can order one or both of them. They acted like there would be no problem, but I haven't heard a definite reply from them one way or the other. Will be going there either tomorrow or Sat and will try to remember to ask about it. If it's a go, I will be ordering at least one of them.

As I read it in the catalog, it sounded to me like they are treating it like a totally new release, but I'm green and have been wrong many times before.

Yesterday I received my Dash 9 in CN paint. This is MTH scale wheel fixed pilot version and it is a beautiful monster. Sound is a little different than the Dash 8 units I have, but very good. I place the model in the excellent category.

Have a pair of the MTH Scale-Wheeled Dash 9's and they're great. Wish I could find the 3rd road number. A couple of other good choices are the C40-8 standard cab and C40-8W wide cabs. They're also good runners and have great sound. The first releases were with Proto-2, but the current releases are Proto-3/DCC. All will run just fine on DC 2-rail.

It seems that all the companies that use specifically China, have all kinds of trouble getting equipment when it is promised. Even MTH. Weaver still makes most of their standard grade stuff in the US. It is good equipment but on the grade with Atlas Trainman. 

3rd Rail or Sunset uses uses Korea as far as I know and do not seem to have those delays.

When Jim Weaver died it seamed Atlas lost its edge, although that edge seems to be starting back in spurts. I have always been an Atlas fan even with those darned China drives.

Dick

Matt, That C&NW units looks spectacular!

Glad to hear everyone happy happy about the dash9 and look forward to the Fed Ex guy comnig today. It is 4:30 and says it si supposed to be delivered today. I don't think so at this late hour. The routes are like a potato chip man who owns his route and I guess they can pull the plug on when they want to go home.

Not like my job at the Post office and all mail goes out and delivers that day unless a huricane or such. It is 82 degrees maybe he got heat stroke.

just hope it isn't like the fed ex driver at my summer place as he left medicine at our house there in Jan. and we just went up last weekend for the 1st time this yr.. It has been sitting on the porch in freezing temps  for 2 months and it belongs to the 4th house down the street.  Heck without the edicine she could have died. Maybe. Called them up for a redelivery. So let the fed ex guy face the customer. It is 6:15 pm and still no dash 9. Oh well!

Dog, wait around all day and I post about the guy not making it and at 6:30 he shows. Suns been down for over 30 min. and he still out del. Fed Ex needs ot hire some more drivers. now to check out my prize.

I am in trouble now, darn, It is so sweet yet  tuff looking. Now I got to find another with a different number Just wonder if Hirsch can find me one as it will be months and months before Atlas gets that Dash 8 to hook up to it. Atlas got some competition with this engine.

This is why competition is so good, especially for the hi-rail/3RS side of the house. Before the 1980's Lionel was the only 3-rail game in town as we hadn't discovered Weaver yet. Atlas came in in 1997 and raised the bar for RTR equipment and everyone has been engaged in trying to one-up each other ever since. Some great stuff has been released as a result.

Another locomotive you'd like is the SD70ACe. They're big; they're brawny; they sound great; and their available with scale wheels and fixed pilots. I'm trying to track down the DRGW, SP, and WP heritage units with scale wheels to complete my collection.

mth has not yet corrected the "handrails on a stick" yet. Otherwise they would be up there with Atlas and Sunset. It is a shame mth does not fix the problem. Until then they are on the low end of the roster to me.

Stephen

MAtt, My son owns a WP. Tweeted you

Matt,

Nice weathering job, but you have to put the plow on....

My BNSF warbonnets arrived (forgive me, Matt), but I haven't had a chance to open them, yet. I felt some temptation to order the UP as well, but resisted. Was that one painted in the early 90s era scheme as depicted in the catalogue? I actually like that scheme better than the later lightning stripes and Building America variants. (Had to resist the CN too; very nice paint job).

I'm hoping that at some point MTH will run these again in NS, but in the standard, rather than Operation Lifesaver, paint.

RM

Rich, the UP is in the as-delivered scheme, which is very cool. No lightning stripes or wings, just the small UP shield on the nose. I like this engine alot! However, it's going in my shop as we speak to put on the safety-yellow sill stripes.

well, day time and got the camera out. This is my beauty and I am sticking to it.

Thanks. My first solo effort after Jack's weathering lessons. You can't see from the photos, but I also rusted the wheel faces.

Thought about putting the snow plows on the CNW units, but they didn't really fit right and I've been too lazy to make the appropriate mods. If I were smart (oh well, so much for that) I'd fabricate new mounts, make some appropriate cuts and make a casting master for replacements, but I have too many irons in the fire right now.

Phil:

That's a beauty. I think you'll be very happy with how they run.

Phil,

Very sharp. I finally tested out mine. It runs like a top. I ran it in a consist with a Heritage I model from the last run.

But I was chagrined to start it up and hear... EMD prime mover sounds(!) Somebody at MTH must have goofed when they mixed the sound set for this run. The earlier PS3 Dash 9s have spot-on GE prime mover sounds. I've never uploaded new sounds to an MTH engine, but I guess I'll have to figure out how its done. I could load one of the sound sets from the prior PS 3 run, but I really like the horn in this sound package. So I might email MTH and see if they will re-do the sound file just switching out the prime mover sounds. (Swapping sounds is where MTH's DCS compares poorly with DCC).

RM

Rich, wow, which one do you have? My UP is awesome and has some great GE sounds for sure. Hope you can get it changed out, should be easy. 

OK I'm jones-ing to see pix of the Atlas Santa Fe models, 2R or 3R, I don't discriminate.