Golden Spike Club Renewal

I gave up my GSC deluxe membership a few years ago because club cars were being delivered 12-18 months late. Now Atlas is offering a Premier 2-bay offset hopper as its 2023 club car. That's pretty cheap compared to the Master models they used to offer. Um, no thanks.

I agree.  When I saw the car at York I said to myself "who thought it was a good idea to offer that as a club car?"   I don't mind the wait, but I do want a Master Line piece of rolling stock, preferably a billboard reefer.

-Greg

Hi Greg,

Did they have an actual prototype or was it a picture you saw? If it was an actual car that would give credibility to the very, very, early delivery date.

I wish they would go back to a 5161 Master offering for the club cars. I get they need to get the most bang for their buck with the new tooling, but the Premier line just isn't the same as the Master lineup.

@Loose-Caboose posted:

Hi Greg,

Did they have an actual prototype or was it a picture you saw? If it was an actual car that would give credibility to the very, very, early delivery date.

I don't remember seeing the actual car - they had stacks of flyers at their booth which is where I saw it.

-Greg

The 2022 GSC car (Western Pacific PS1) is currently in production, the 2023 car, Reading 2 bay offset, is planned for the first half of 2023.  Both of these cars were selected, in part, because they are being made at the former MTH factory, which  has better delivery times.  Our other factories are working through their backlogs and by 2024 we will be able to offer just about anything from our stable of tooling and have it delivered on schedule.

@Paul Graf posted:

The 2022 GSC car (Western Pacific PS1) is currently in production, the 2023 car, Reading 2 bay offset, is planned for the first half of 2023.  Both of these cars were selected, in part, because they are being made at the former MTH factory, which  has better delivery times.  Our other factories are working through their backlogs and by 2024 we will be able to offer just about anything from our stable of tooling and have it delivered on schedule.

I hope to see those “other factories” backlog cleared out !!!!  The sooner the better. I SO MISS a steady stream of the beautiful Master Line of diesels !!!! I believe a lot of others do too !!!!!

@Paul Graf posted:

The 2022 GSC car (Western Pacific PS1) is currently in production, the 2023 car, Reading 2 bay offset, is planned for the first half of 2023.  Both of these cars were selected, in part, because they are being made at the former MTH factory, which  has better delivery times.  Our other factories are working through their backlogs and by 2024 we will be able to offer just about anything from our stable of tooling and have it delivered on schedule.

Thank you Paul for your insight.

I have never been a big fan of the MTH product line and have only three or four cars left in my collection. I have thinned down from five or six by giving them to a young man I am acquainted with and which I will continue to do. I also, as stated by vash44, have always believed that the Atlas product was far superior to the MTH product. But "times-are-a-changing" and I guess I have to accept the changes and change according to the "Changes". I will probably pass on the Deluxe membership this year.

Hopefully Atlas will start with either the Master Dash 8-40B's or SD40's.

Atlas acquired a lot of Premier tooling except for models that Atlas offered as Masters like GP7's/9's, F3's/7's GP35's and SD35's. This led me to believe it was their intention to offer these models and many others like ALCo C424's/628's, GP60's, SW's, MP15DC's, etc in due time (2024?).

I also seem to remember proposed runs of Master NE-6 and extended vision cabooses that were subsequently canceled. Besides motive power, Atlas makes the best, most-detailed cabooses. I hope to see these offered once again.

@catnap posted:

Hopefully Atlas will start with either the Master Dash 8-40B's or SD40's.

Atlas acquired a lot of Premier tooling except for models that Atlas offered as Masters like GP7's/9's, F3's/7's GP35's and SD35's. This led me to believe it was their intention to offer these models and many others like ALCo C424's/628's, GP60's, SW's, MP15DC's, etc in due time (2024?).

I also seem to remember proposed runs of Master NE-6 and extended vision cabooses that were subsequently canceled. Besides motive power, Atlas makes the best, most-detailed cabooses. I hope to see these offered once again.

I Hope you end up being a visionary with some Master line diesels returning by 24 - though I’d prefer seeing some phase-in starting in 23 !!!

I like the 2023 club car, just as a standard Reading hopper.   What makes it especially appealing to me is the sign on the side: "Made in Pennsylvania.  50 TON HOPPER CAR.  Built by BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY Johnstown Pa.  I find it evocative of many things: that time period, both a state and  a city, the material it is built with, and the pride in manufacturing in this country that characterized that place and time.

I wish Atlas had offered more than one road number.