We can still order the new Atlas O F-7s with Pre-Order Pricing through 4/27!

Jim,

 

Thank you for your support and kind words as well!

 

Jerry Kimble

Atlas Model Railroad Company

Coordinator Sales/Marketing/Product Development

Thank you Jerry for your response. Glad I ordered my Rio Grande F7 units, they should be great.

David #1,

 

Thanks for your order and kind words as well!

 

Jerry Kimble

Atlas Model Railroad Company

Coordinator Sales/Marketing/Product Development

Jerry Kimble,

 

Thanks for your support, I have an SF ABBA order in as well, looking forward to it!

Jerry,

I forgot to mention that since I now know the ATSF F units will be plated I am ordering an A-B-B-A set.

 

thanks again

jvega2,

 

You're welcome and thanks for the e-mail.

 

Jerry Kimble

Atlas Model Railroad Company

Coordinator Sales/Marketing/Product Development

Just out of curiousity how do you equate Jerrys statement with looking at all options of finishes painted or plated with confirmed plated.

Well darn. I guess someone will have to ask Mr. Kimble directly then, won't they? I just assumed that his answer covered it.

Mr. Kimble, your response is what I was hoping to see.  It is what I would expect of the excellent reputation that Atlas established building some of the finest O gauge equipment available.  You have a heavy Santa Fe schedule this year and I'm looking to pick up as much as possible.  I am especially looking forward to the Santa Fe F7!

 

My humble thanks.

Marker,

 

Thank you and I'm looking forward to a set of ABBA Santa Fe F7s myself.

 

Jerry Kimble

Atlas Model Railroad Company

Coordinator Sales/Marketing/Product Development

Mr. Kimble,

 

Any plans for future releases for the South? Would be nice to see some ACL purple, Southern green, and perhaps Clinchfield in the F7. 

 

If you ever release more F2 versions, how about the Atlantic and East Carolina? It would be a nice companion to the RS1 Atlas did years ago.

 

Thanks,

That is NOT a confirmation of plating!  

 

"try not to disappoint" and "looking at all options"

 

That's not a commitment.... sorry to be the negative nelly here but c'mon people

Mr. Larry Neal,

 

We'll certainly take a look at doing your wish list as we move forward with future production, thanks.

 

Jerry Kimble

Atlas Model Railroad Company

Coordinator Sales/Marketing/Product Development

Trust me if AtasO can do the plating and within their financial constraints, they will. Nobody does a better job of getting our trains right then AtlasO.

 

If ordering the SF units and whether they come plated or not they will still be the best F units in O gauge. 

 

No I do not work for AtlasO but I am a satisfied customer. 

 

David1,

 

Thank you very much for that vote of confidence in our product, it's truly appreciated!

 

Jerry Kimble

Atlas Model Railroad Company

Coordinator Sales/Marketing/Product Development

This stainless panel issue comes up every time there is a new release of the Santa Fe F units. Last May when 3rd Rail announced the F7's, and those are a couple hundred more than the street price of the Atlas units. No one has done it yet, (the simulated MTH units don't count) so if the Atlas models don't have stainless panels, there is nothing that sets them apart from anyone else.

 

Lets not have the price agreement either, because the Athearn Genesis engines sell at several hundred dollars in the HO market.

 

I have an ABBA set of 3rd Rail F7's on order, so unless the Atlas engines come plated, I just don't need another set of F7's. I'm not going to commit $1500 to a pre-order for Atlas with a "try not to disappoint" and "look at all options" statement. Atlas makes great products yes, but based on the past few years of delivery issues, it's going to take a little more than that for me to get back on board with Atlas.   

If we're strickly speaking plated side panels (to simulate SS) on SF F units in O Scale,  other than Key Import's SF F7 units, IMO the plating on the MTH SF F3 models are the best I've seen on any O Scale SF F unit so far, so I'm not sure what you mean by the your comments "No one has done it yet" and "the simulated MTH units don't count," they are plated. I'm sure the 3rd Rail F's will be fantastic, but I don't recall reading anywhere in there product decription that their SF F units will have plated side panels?   

 

Joe

Is it just me, or is Mr. Kimble specifically ignoring the posts from myself and Laidoffsick, concerning the "plated" side panels on Santa Fe F7 units?

I didn't say the 3rd rail units will be plated.... that's exactly why I don't need another set of F7's that are no better than any of the others. With the MTH "tether" between the F3's (not even F7's) and various other details.... I don't count those. If Atlas is going to plate the panels, then absolutely I would be in for another set, and would consider them to be the best offerings out there.

 

Ignored completely! That's why I won't pre order them. I don't think its fair to the hobby shops for me to order them based on a "maybe" I'll take them once I see them. Even though they don't require any money up front, and would sell them anyway just because they are Santa Fe Warbonnets, I'm done ordering stuff up front without seeing it first. 

 

These manufacturers want to "build to order", or reservations determine the number of units produced......  then show me EXACTLY what I am ordering up front! If they can't commit, NOR WILL I!

 

We all appreciate Mr Kimble taking the time to post here in an attempt to quell the concerns for the faithful so to speak. In reading and re reading the (edited) statement above, I don't get the assurance that the Santa Fe's will definitely be plated which is the major concern expressed by most of us.  It would have been better if Jerry was more concise with a definite 'yes', a definite 'no', or something like 'we're evaluating the possibility' of having them plated. 

As has been mentioned before, Athern has been able to offer this finish on their beautiful HO models at a reasonable price so it IS doable. Hopefully Atlas will be able as well.

My read is as C.Sam suggested, they are now evaluating the possibility of plating. I think the folks here have been heard. 

Laid Off Sick is right.  At this point we have no guarantee of how the body will be treated.

When does the pre-order window close?  I would like to buy an ABBA set but I want to have a clearer understanding of what I am getting for my $1300.

 

Mr. Kimble, will you have a sample or a definitive description of how the bodies will be treated before the pre-order window closes?

thank you

I don't think he's ignoring you guys. Realistically, he can't just say "Oh yeah." He needs time to work the thing internally and verify what they can commit to doing. You guys have raised the issue - let them work it.

Given it's a March announcement in the catalog, I'd speculate the first week of April.

Wow,you Santa Fe fans have some real issues to contend with.  Rightfully so,I might add.

I'm glad to be a Pennsy fan.  My choices are simple: Tuscan or DGLE,whiskers or  single stripe,A-B-A,or A-B.  I made my choice awhile back with an A-B set in DGLE,single stripe from 3rd Rail.

Good luck to all of you guys in your quest for fidelity.

Norm

PRR is not as straight forward as you might think.  PRR owned F7s in every major phase of design.  If you look closely there are at least 5 variations across the F7 as the PRR finally went all in on EMD and F7s when they determined steam was basically done.  However, I know the 3rd Rail one will be extremely faithful to the correct phase that is being produced

 

Santa Fe has it's challenges for sure based on what road numbers are assigned and what period of time you are looking at.  With the original units in the 37 and 300 warbonnets, the 200 series freight units and the later 325 dual service warbonnet units.  The numbering alone, the year being modeled and the associated details are enough to make your head spin.

T4TT and All,

 

This will be my final post on this subject. We are currently working with the factory of choosing the decorative method that has the most prototypical appearance for the Santa Fe Warbonnet F7, which will include plating.

 

We are working to have this resolved in time for the March announcement with a deadline to place your order being the second week of April. Look for the March announcement on our Atlas O webpage at this address: http://www.atlaso.com/nowshipping.htm

 

Jerry Kimble

Atlas Model Railroad Company

Coordinator Sales/Marketing/Product Development

Jonathan,

It is simple for me.  You are right though,I have trust that Scott will make the right engine.  That simplifies my choice.  I am just not into taking a "snapshot"  and picking a model for a given time.  I don't believe in making things more difficult for myself with my trains.  My A-B will be correct for me and I will eventually have fun running it on my layout.

By the way,I'm sure that Atlas will do a good job with their product.  I would have ordered theirs if was announced first.  I hope that Atlas will be able to make these and deliver them in a reasonable timeframe.  Atlas products are outstanding,as we all know.

Norm

Thank you Jerry,

I could not expect any more from you our your company.  I appreciate the information you shared I will watch the Atlas homepage for the formal announcement in March.  I did not realize that the catalog was not the "formal announcement".  Sorry for the confusion, but thanks again for clearing it up.  I hope to order the engines from my dealer before the second week in April.

 

thanks again!

Norm - I'm biased since I'm working on final drawing revisions for 3rd Rail F7s now.    A lot of research went into them.  Many, many months.  Atlas makes great products too.  They are my second choice for accurate diesels and their AEM7 of 1999 is still the most accurate one I've seen in O.

Jonathan,

I think that I understand your bias.  You being a GG1 fan and all.  I still remember your photo camparing many GG1's side by side and different scales.  Very impressive.

I really appreciate the work that you guys do to get it right.  Atlas does the same.

Our hobby is enriched when 3rd Rail and Atlas do what it takes to turn out  the very best.  

I happen to have that AEM7.  It is still the standard as you say.

Thank you for all of the work that you do to get correct models for us. I appreciate it.

Norm 

Sorry in advance if this is a stupid question.   Have never bought any Atlas engines and trying to decide if/what/etc. Santa Fe combination I might be interested in.  I have no need, that I know of, for 3 powered ABBA, so I suppose that rules out 37LABC.  That leaves 45LABC as my preferred option, unless I want to mix-and-match numbers.  Can you run 45LA and 45CB as two separate AB trains, independent from each other, then join them for an ABBA?  I didn't think this was possible with MTH or Lionel. 

 

The Lionel units can be run separate, but not MTH. The trailing powered A unit for MTH is a "slave" to the lead unit. You can't run it separately like the Atlas and Lionel engines.... hence the ugly tether between MTH diesels.

Any word on the order cut off date yet?

Actually they should be posted very soon as the March new product announcement with an April [sometime in month] cut off date although I suspect the real window will be a lot longer based on Atlas previous motive power production record.

Well I put my order in anyway. 37LABC... 3 powered units to pull that combine SC-El Cap train 16 to 21 cars :-)

My Warbonnet Wall still has room for more red & silver.

Good evening..... The cutoff date at Atlas is 4/08/15..... Our thanks to all that have ordered from us - we appreciate it..... I am looking forward to receiving pallets of these before Christmas!

 

Steve......

Our orders are due Weds. Get off the fence and order now! No deposit is required. 

 

Thanks.