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Perhaps hold out for next run since they say " this run will not"
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:@kiwi_bnsf @ryan_wilkerson
....Though (at the risk of being "that guy") I also can't help but recall that just about every road had different styles of dynamic brakes and walkways. Fox Valley tooled multiple variations, but Life Like only tooled one (I forget which road is actually correct). So for almost every railroad, these are generic units in any case.
Hi SteveIt's taken me some time to find the time to adequately deal with this disappointment and find the means to express it respectfully.The new releases of the Atlas GP38 have just been delivered with porch mounted ditch lights.This GP60 release was announced back in 2020 and advertised with porch mounted ditch lights and you'd think 5 years would be an adequate amount of time to not only deal with developing this feature, but also to communicate to customers that there was some sort of issue that was going to prevent this release from being delivered as advertised.So far, there is still no mention of this change in details on social media platforms, atlas newsletters, dealer notifications or otherwise. The only way I know about is due to a public photo taken at a train show and shared on a forum.People are still expecting this release to have porch mounted ditch lights, and this is about to a false advertising disaster. To make matters worse, the way the industry works these days, as you know, is via the reservation system. Whilst customers don't typically have to pay for a deposit or the full purchase price prior to arrival, we generally have no ability to inspect these in person prior to delivery. My online hobby shop where I reserve my products to ensure availability, will charge me for the product as soon as they arrive in stock and then ship them to me automatically - often before they've announced to the world they've received them. Thankfully, the potential discussion around whether these are as advertised or quality issues on delivery don't need to happen very often - but it only forces the issue downstream and on to consumers. To further exacerbate the issue, I'm an international customer which means I'm paying for two lots of postage before I even get to see the issue in person to identify it and then two lots back to return any defective product.... Usually at my own cost! Future tariffs and cost increases aren't your fault, but they're only making the downstream issue worse for consumers.My other local hobby shop here in Australia has also reserved some of these units for me through Walthers and we'll now have to cancel these reservations through them prior to shipment. I'll also have to have a frank conversation with my online dealer.I believe these units are about to arrive at hobby shops, which means the cloak of secrecy around this change and the lack of transparent conversation with consumers and dealers from Atlas is extremely disappointing and believe not befitting a manufacturer of Atlas's standing and reputation.Your loyal customers reserve products in advance based on Atlas' reputation and our desire to ensure we are able to obtain these products - to not miss out when they hit the shops. It's your loyal customers that are going to be hurt most from this failure - both in product and in communication.I think Atlas needs to address this issue publicly and before your customers are hurt. I know I will have to reconsider future advance reservations on Atlas products where details such as ditch light placement are important for my modelling period and purchasing decisions.I hope you consider how you address this issue with you customers.
This was the email I ended up sending to Atlas (Steve and Paul) - two weeks on and no acknowledgement....As posted elsewhere, the silver series are hitting the shops now.
Looking at the model, I wonder if the anti-climber could have been made with PC board material in a multiple-layer sandwich. The top layer being etched tread material with pads to mount two LEDs These pads would be connected to the bottom etched circuit. The bottom layer would also have pads to mount Lower LEDs and pins that push through the pilot and connect to wiring inside. If done correctly, these pins would be socketed for anti-climber removal and be able to hold the part in place without glue.
Great idea in theory, but I doubt any model RR manufacturer would go to these lengths for ditch lights. Well, at last not at this juncture.
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Topic: New Atlas Master GP60 (Read 13432 times)
