Atlas GP39-2 new release

[milw156]

I haven't seen anyone else mention these so far. I reserved a WSOR 35th anniversary scheme a couple of years ago. The description on the Atlas page probably was a cut and paste of the last release from 2017, so I was expecting as much. Well, it showed up last week and I was in for a surprise. Front and rear ditch lights that were MUCH brighter that the GP40W that I had picked up a couple of years ago.
 



So I opened it up and was pleasantly surprised to find no light pipes, and wires/w/connectors going to LEDS up right behind the pilots








Looks like they put some thought into this one! only wish they had made a keep alive connection available. Maybe Kato should take some notes...
It also came preprogrammed so that the ditch lights went out when the headlight or taillight were dimmed as per the prototype, which is something I might have expected from Scale Trains, but not necessarily Atlas. Now I need to figure out if I can retrofit a few of the GP38-2's I have to the new mechanisms so that they have ditch lights without having to drill holes and add LEDS

[peteski]

Yes, lack of ground and V+ solder pads is really inexcusable.  It ls like manufacturers are not paying attention to what DCC modelers want.

And I'm also pleasantly surprised that American manufacturers are starting to use flexible circuit boards (like here for the ditch lights.)  European manufacturers are still a bit head on their flex circuit boards, but it is still just few examples.  It is not a new technology - it has been extensively used in cell phones and other electronic devices for decades.

[spookshow]

This change was actually introduced in last year's GP38 release -



From what I'm told, models with "pilot mounted" (as opposed to "porch mounted") ditch lights still use the pipes.

-Mark

[basementcalling]

Is it the angle of the photo or are the ditch lights on the front mounted on the walkway and at the rear mounted on the pilot?

How much play do the wires give you to be able to remove the shell from the mechanism for maintenance, and can the user disconnect the wires to the lights for complete removal for painting/weathering. The shell looks tethered to the mechanism to me, unless those connectors are easy to disconnect and reconnect.

[peteski]

The ditch light wiring is terminated in connectors plugged into the light board. They can be disconnected if needed.