New Atlas Master GP60

[Rossford Yard]

Good to see the Walthers tooling continue to be of use to Atlas.

Would rather see them do totally new product like U Boats. Why we have no U30, 33 or 36 Bs or Cs as applicable is confusing.

I doubt it's confusing from a business prospective.  When Atlas bought the LL tooling, as well as BLMA, they fairly obviously saying that bringing revised tooling to market was a good biz strategy given how low MRR sales are right now.  Not much different than their "repaint" issue strategy from the 2006-9 recession made a lot of sense. 

The cost savings between reusing tooling and making new tooling may make the difference in whether new product can come to market.  In their minds (and I trust their opinion) it was the best way to keep churning out product for their loyal customers.

I say this based on stopping at the Atlas booth at NTS in Salt Lake last year.  Paul and others commented how low sales are compared to some glory days in the past (not sure what time period they were referencing, my guess is about the 2000 recession, but who knows, maybe it was the 2006-2009 one where sales tanked.  Even so, that has been at least 11 years of down sales compared to their peak benchmark.

[squirrelhunter]

Very excited about the Texas Mexican ones!

[Kev1340]

Definitely good news to see these making a come back, I’ll be getting a few NS.

Cheers,

Kev

[mu26aeh]

Per the ditch lights, maybe if they retooled the nose of the frame they can use the alternate circuit board ala the CW40-8.  I thought another recent announcement said they were going that route as well.  Not sure which it was though

[basementcalling]

I doubt it's confusing from a business prospective.  When Atlas bought the LL tooling, as well as BLMA, they fairly obviously saying that bringing revised tooling to market was a good biz strategy given how low MRR sales are right now.  Not much different than their "repaint" issue strategy from the 2006-9 recession made a lot of sense. 

The cost savings between reusing tooling and making new tooling may make the difference in whether new product can come to market.  In their minds (and I trust their opinion) it was the best way to keep churning out product for their loyal customers.

I say this based on stopping at the Atlas booth at NTS in Salt Lake last year.  Paul and others commented how low sales are compared to some glory days in the past (not sure what time period they were referencing, my guess is about the 2000 recession, but who knows, maybe it was the 2006-2009 one where sales tanked.  Even so, that has been at least 11 years of down sales compared to their peak benchmark.

That's as good an explanation as any. But eating left overs every day doesn't bring in new customers or participants.

The production runs are certainly shorter on almost everything, even items that sell out within hours at popular shops. It has to be frustratingly hard to estimate demand for a non essential consumer item in the best of times, and with a new recession looming if not already started, the new product options may decrease before they increase.

[Rossford Yard]

I always wonder if I am the "typical" modeler.  I will probably buy one of each diesel body style offered (although, as I age, maybe not as inclined as I used to be).  What percentage of us is in the same category?  Half model steam, or a specific era.  And, we only comprise the "serious" modeler and how many are out there who buy just one loco, or a cheap one from another mfg?  I guess we don't know.

We have it good.  At one time, no one would put out a limited use loco. IM apparently hit a home run with the tunnel motors, perhaps opening the door a bit.  Later Geeps, like the 50 and 60 had limited proto sales (278 and 195, compared to 312 tunnel motors and would probably fall in the same category of desirability, but they are less iconic than the tunnels.

Even now, Gensets and low nose early geeps seem difficult for the mfgs to justify.  Some modelers love the unique locos, serious modelers probably prefer the generic, see them all the time locos, like the GP 38 and 40.  Just a guess, but again, I trust those doing this for a living to know what sells and what doesn't sell enough to justify satisfying a few of us lusting after some model or the other.  Some things never change, LOL.

Personally regarding Atlas, I have always been surprised at the number of "off" road names, like the Tex Mex/BNSF patch job in this run.  As owner of a mythical Midwest belt line railroad, that is the most likely scheme I will buy, but then, I may be the odd duck.  I get the feeling they do it for the love of modeling as much as anything. I did ask Paul, and he said if they get 23 orders, they can print just 23 of that paint scheme, so there isn't that big a cost to running more schemes in fewer quantities, so it makes sense, I think.  At least, I think most of us buy locos for our favorite road paint scheme and era as much as the actual model of loco, no?

[Steveruger45]

Pretty much, yes.  I do model a specific period in time and area but that doesn’t mean in “my model world” I can’t run loco types or liveries that prototypically we’re either retired/scraped/re-painted a little outside that specific period.
That said, I do try to make it “close to prototype” but I’m not religious about it, as long as I think it could have been possible. MKT is a good example, that show up on my layout even though all the MKT locos were repainted just before my modeled period, in my world a few were late as UP ran out of paint.

[Albert in N]

   I own two of the Walthers/LifeLike GP-60s, UP numbers 1955 and 1964.  For reasons unknown, there are no snowplows on the front, like the prototype UP and SP GP-60s.  From the artist drawings, Atlas has also left off the snowplow.  It is kind of like an egg with no salt.

[peteski]

  I own two of the Walthers/LifeLike GP-60s, UP numbers 1955 and 1964.  For reasons unknown, there are no snowplows on the front, like the prototype UP and SP GP-60s.  From the artist drawings, Atlas has also left off the snowplow.  It is kind of like an egg with no salt.

Are any other roadname GP-60s from Atlas/Walthers/Life-Like equipped with plows?  Or is it that this model never came with plows?

You might have to use a salt-substitute (add your own plows). 
Funny how things change. Nowadays we expect our models to have prototypical details installed. Back in the day we were glad that things like aftermarket plows were available, so we could add them ourselves.

[Albert in N]

Here is a side view of comparable prototype UP GP-60 number 1928.

[Albert in N]

   The Walthers GP-38s had add on snow plows.  Yeah Pete, I know what you mean.  I recall earlier times when I had Horribly Oversized electric trains.  USA-made HO Athearn diesels had unshielded incandescent light bulbs that shown out the windows.  Also, the wire hand rails and other details had to be added.  I had to buy number board decals and build diode bridges and solder these to 1 1/2 volt bulbs for constant lighting (with the bulb sides shielded by metal tubing).  Then I changed horn hook NMRA HO couplers for Kadees.  Lots of old time hobby shops relied on sales of detail components, paint, couplers, and decals for so-called ready to run models.  Oh, remember that you had to paint the wire hand rails.  I forgot how spoiled I am with our current N scale products!

[peteski]

  The Walthers GP-38s had add on snow plows.

Ok, but each model has a separate set of parts molded for it.  If you look at the parts diagram of each loco, it shows all the parts that belong to that particular model.  Unless some models share most parts, manufacturers do not swap parts between models.

I went to the parts diagrams on Atlas' website ( https://shop.atlasrr.com/t-partsdiagrams.aspx ), to see if a plow is one of GP-60's parts, but I don't see a GP-60 there. 

[Albert in N]

Here is the way my Walthers N GP-60 came.  The side cab windows have the yellow plastic showing (I later painted the interior plastic black or used black electrical tape, I forget which).  There is no snow plow pilot (boo hoo).  However on the plus side, this thing runs smoothly, quietly, and will pull anything coupled to it.!  Also, it already had Micro-Trains couplers!

[Albert in N]

Two more GP-60 photos taken 9-19-2014 in Chickasha OK on old Rock Island line.  These give side views plus front with plow.

[C855B]

Three different styles of dynamic brake.