Williams GP38 with True Blast Plus

To be honest, I've stopped browsing their site or advertisements. If I wanted more expensive engines with better sounds and more scale-like details, I had those options from Lionel, MTH and Atlas. I used to buy Williams because I liked their rugged, postwar-like engines, which came at a fair price for what you got. Nothing new from WBB interests me. I'm mainly shopping the secondary market for the older stuff. 

On the whole, I stay with the used market as well.  The NS Heritage NYC SD90 did appeal to me at first, but I thought I would ask if anyone had purchased it (or the new GP38) and could comment on its sound and value.

I am somewhat disappointed that Bachmann did not change the tooling for the GP38.

This leads me to believe that the return of the E7 (as promised at the TCA presentation by Bachmann) will have upgraded sound and upgraded price only.

Gordon,

I like you remain on the fence. Many years ago I really liked the original early Williams line. Since WbB I've became rather dismayed. The folks at Bachmann say they will reintroduce all of the discontinued items all being upgraded.

Much of my prewar work is completed. A few improved WbB will look nice on my shelves.

It appears the new upgrade might just be the sound board. Which is not all bad as we would like WBB to offer Williams like it was. At least a lot of us would. Upgrades mean higher price. The sound board is not bad but the volume is low. One of the Reps at York says it has a volume pot on the board but I could not find it.

I have 2 pairs of Williams GP38's and GP9's. I do wish the rail's were wire but love them anyway. What I am more excited about is the new GP38 blue and yellow Santa Fe. I hope they sell the shell because I will certainly buy some. I'm also liking the plus sound system which was not bad on YouTube. I put a Lionel sound card in one of my dummy's and it works very well. The engines are easy to work on and look pretty good and run great, no complaints here.

Gary    

Gary, I have an old Williams Chessie GP38 with electronic horn only and an old pair of Williams Canadian National GP9 engines (horn only).  As you say, they all run great.  I bought these at bargain prices, so I am a bit hesitant about paying a lot more only for a sound system that might end up annoying me.  I usually end up turning off engine sound in my MTH diesels, but the new Williams has no such option to use the horn without the engine sounds.

But does anyone have one of the new GP38 or SD90 diesels with True Blast Plus (with engine sounds)?  If so, what do you think of it?