New Atlas Master GP60

[kiwi_bnsf]

I hadn't paid too much attention to the photos posted from Springfield, but I'm going to be VERY disappointed if these don't arrive with porch mounted ditch lights as advertised.

I should probably give Atlas the benefit of the doubt until the models actually ship, but it was the first thing I noticed in the photos of the samples.

[James Costello]

I should probably give Atlas the benefit of the doubt until the models actually ship, but it was the first thing I noticed in the photos of the samples.

I don't think it's unreasonable considering Atlas is telling us these are shipping (or about to). If I squint it kinda appears there's a pilot mounted bulb on the photos from Springfield, but that's not what I'm expecting based on the announcement, but the only thing obvious from those photos is there's nothing on the porch.... 

[daniel_leavitt2000]

It looks like they added pilot mounted ditch lights.

[lock4244]

I hadn't paid too much attention to the photos posted from Springfield, but I'm going to be VERY disappointed if these don't arrive with porch mounted ditch lights as advertised.

The Atlas GP40-2W's have deck mounted ditch lights, so it wouldn't be a first for them and therefore totally within reason to expect them on the GP60.

[tehachapifan]

The Atlas GP40-2W's have deck mounted ditch lights, so it wouldn't be a first for them and therefore totally within reason to expect them on the GP60.

Curious as to how this is accomplished when using old tooling. Unless the whole sill is retooled, how do they cut in ditchlights on existing tooling?

[kiwi_bnsf]

It looks like they added pilot mounted ditch lights.

You are absolutely correct — I didn't spot it in the photos until I looked a bit harder.

So Atlas went to the effort of re-tooling aspects of the ex-Walthers GP60, but opted to do so in a way that's incorrect for the prototype (even though their artwork was correct) 

[lock4244]

Curious as to how this is accomplished when using old tooling. Unless the whole sill is retooled, how do they cut in ditchlights on existing tooling?

The GP40-2W chassis is different from earlier GP40's.

I posted some pics here a few years ago:
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=55061.msg759213#msg759213

[vermonter_railfan]

So I went ahead and zoomed in on my original photos and screenshoted them for your viewing needs.

It does appear the ditchlights are infact pilot mounted and not walkway mounted.

[chessie system fan]

Another mystery with the trucks is LL tooled trucks with snubbers for their GP38-2.  So the correct tooling exists in the Atlas inventory already and is being used in their upcoming GP38-2 run.  They just didn't use it for some reason (but Walthers did in their 2012 GP60 release!).

[tehachapifan]

Many years ago and before I discovered ultra-tiny LED's (or maybe it was before they even existed), I added ditch lights to a handful of N scale locos, including a GP60M bash (avatar pic), SD75i bash (below) and an SD60M, by running fiber optic strands from the giant lightboard LEDs down to ditch light housings I mounted on the pilot face like seen above. In each case the prototypes had them on the porch. I've never been crazy about having them mounted down there but it was the only way that seemed feasible at the time and they worked quite well. I guess what's old is new again...



More recent upgrade to N LifeLike GP60 with tiny SMDs (although this was still done years ago)....

[James Costello]

Just to follow up on this, I emailed Atlas about the ditch light question for the SP units and heard back after almost two weeks - their rep couldn't confirm what was being produced and the R&D Department is looking into it now...

@ryan_wilkerson @kiwi_bnsf

I'll report back when I hear anything more.

[tehachapifan]

I can't imagine they would do the SP units differently from the samples above. That wouldn't make any sense as both the (prototype) DRGW and NS units shown also had porch-mounts.

The SP GP60 was a visually striking loco that I just loved when they hit the rails and had very distinctive features. Besides the beefy look, boxy dynamic brake blister, porch-mount ditchlights and the recessed brakewheel, the flank lettering on the Engineer's side was positioned very precisely so that the center of the "o" in "Southern" was directly over the sight glass. Lifelike nailed this perfectly on their GP60, but I've seen several other SP speed lettered locos from various manufactures where the flank lettering is way out of position on the Engineer's side. It's almost like they just guessed on where it should go. It didn't help that SP was not standard with it even on the same loco type, but some basic research would clear up any positioning questions. Curious to see if Atlas will get this right!

[MetroRedLine]

This doesn't address the GP60 ditchlight issue directly but it may give a clue -

On Atlas' recent livestream for their newest product arrivals, they talked about their latest release of the GP-38 with ditchlights. They showed one model with pilot ditchlights and another with porch ditchlights. They also said that they are gradually revising their tooling to accommodate ditchlights, so you will see them on era-appropriate diesels that did not have ditch lights on earlier runs (GP-38 segment starts at 10:40).

[James Costello]

I'm trying to work out how to adequately express my disappointment in this development, as well as the lack of customer service / communication from Atlas on this issue:

Hello,
Unfortunately, due to tooling issues this run of the GP60’s will not have porch mounted ditch lights, just the pilot mounted ditch lights.
Steve

Steve Millenbach
Customer Service Manager
Atlas Model Railroad Co

@kiwi_bnsf @ryan_wilkerson

[mu26aeh]

Perhaps hold out for next run since they say " this run will not"