NTS mini report

[Atlanticflier]

 "Intermountain - Nothing new to announce at the show.  They had the final pre-production version of the AC12 running at the show; it looked really smooth.  They also had samples of the SD40-2W, and indicated that they would be doing other SD40-2's.  They indicated that they would also be doing the U18B (announced in HO) in N; they learned a lot of things from the HO model that they needed to go back and incorporte into the N scale tooling."

If "indicating"  amounts to a Pre-announcement = then this is the biggest news I have heard so far - The SD-40-2 and the U18B in N scale.
Since, IT IS going to be Intermountain that finally brings us multiple versions of the SD-40-2, and since they are starting with the SD-40-2W, I am sure that they will do multiple versions, I will encourage them to be thorough in the production. The possibility of a Gold Mine exist for them, IF they do them right.
AND the U18B is a Must have for any Southeastern modeler, yea and somewhere up north also !

Maybe there will be samples of the SD-40-2 at Trainfest, later this year !

GREAT NEWS this is

[Atlanticflier]

"BAC-18966   Flat Car w/Container Load: Seaboard System
BAC-18967   Flat Car w/Crated Load: Seaboard System
BAC-18968   Flat Car w/Pipe Load: Seaboard System
BAC-18969   Flat Car w/Steel Load: Seaboard System"

Chuck, the HO versions are lettered for SEABOARD AIR LINE. I would love to see more SBD equipment, but alas, this is SAL. For more modern modelers, we can make one of these part of a work train with some new trucks, etc. added. It is unlikely that we will ever see true SBD flatcars, except in a Special Run, as they were plain black cars with yellow SBD initials for lettering. Only one N scale  model of the sparten paint scheme has ever been made, it was a Special Run on a phosphate hopper..

[Chulvis]

Chuck, the HO versions are lettered for SEABOARD AIR LINE. I would love to see more SBD equipment, but alas, this is SAL. For more modern modelers, we can make one of these part of a work train with some new trucks, etc. added. It is unlikely that we will ever see true SBD flatcars, except in a Special Run, as they were plain black cars with yellow SBD initials for lettering. Only one N scale  model of the sparten paint scheme has ever been made, it was a Special Run on a phosphate hopper..

Thanks for that. SBD was the road listed in the list I received from Horizon Hobby but having looked at the B-Mann HO stuff I now see that.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Can whoever's there talk to Bachmann about DCC for me?

Tell them I LOVE that they're making it standard, thus driving down the costs across the board, but that they really need to step it up in decoder quality.

I saw Sizemore's heavy mountain at Lee's, and while it was a drop dead gorgeous model, the horrendous speed steps built into the decoder meant that it's not that great of a runner.

[wm3798]

I'll second that, Ed.  But consider that the Atlas decoder is pretty much a lowest common denominator board, albeit with 128 speed steps, and it's clear that cost may be a deciding factor.  The benefit to the Bachmann board is that it doesn't really show up in the price, and it's introducing legions of people to DCC.

It doesn't really frustrate them until they know what good performance from a better chip looks like.

Lee

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Right, and I realize that they're taking the bold first steps, but in the NEXT go around, they need to take it one more step.

I wholly believe they can, because, quite frankly, they've been blowing me away lately with their boldness, I think we just need to remind them.

[Sokramiketes]

To someone who knows what it's like to spend literally hundreds of hours doing actual research and design on a project... yes, it does matter. 

You're that slow?

[ljudice]

Some photos - though most of them are HO...

http://www.pbase.com/tom_murray/nmra_2009&page=all

Is that an Athearn MOW truck?

[Robbman]

To someone who knows what it's like to spend literally hundreds of hours doing actual research and design on a project... yes, it does matter. 

You're that slow?
[/quoute]


On just the artwork for the TopGon, we went through 12 revisions until it met are high demands for quality and accuracy.  Some 15,000 photos were used (granted, it was multiple views of several thousand actual cars) to compile a database on class and scheme variations...

[wcfn100]

And people were worried... LOL

http://www.pbase.com/tom_murray/image/114848366


Jason

[Chulvis]

And people were worried... LOL

http://www.pbase.com/tom_murray/image/114848366


Jason

ugghhh...

[ljudice]

Doesn't IMRC use some totally different plastic for the railings?  Seem to remember this from the tunnel motors.

I take it that the railings are a hard thing to design and manufacturer. Atlas seems to get it right  most of the time. Kato had some kind of problem with the SD70MAC's - none of them seem to be right.

[nscalesteve]

And people were worried... LOL

http://www.pbase.com/tom_murray/image/114848366


Jason

c'mon Jason, it's an engineering sample...   :
...nevermind, the production ones will be worst !   ;D ;D

did anyone actually preorder this stuff... ?   ??? ???
did I ... ? 

[One of One-Sixty]

Crazy question, but how did the PCCs look?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

The Bachmann ones? Same shell as far as I can tell. The mechinism was the same lame one from the 80's with the newer non-cracking black gears instead of the white ones.

Where was IMRC? I messed them and Deluxe.