it’s time to see what people thimk is better -atlas or proto 2000. i’m in the market for a Gp38-2. at walthers model rr mall it is listed for $135 i think they were $90 at my LHS.(not quiet sure) is p2k better running than atlas? i don’t care much about detail. is P2K worth it? otherwise i’ll go for the trainman (atlas) GP38-2 when it comes out. i do like p2k’s large selection of roadnames.
Both brands are excellent, but I am definitely in the Atlas camp. I think their drives are smoother. Doesn’t seem to matter if they are Roco, Kato, China, or other the Atlas people always seem to make them work better.
Atlas and P2K are both very good. You cant go wrong with either. I say take the cheapest route. BUT, the atlas trainman line is not as good as the normal atlas. If you are going to spend the money, I would go with a good ol regular atlas.
atlas claims their trainman has the same drive as their master series i think the gp38-2 comes out in jan. 2006
That P2K GP38-2 can HAUL! It is so heavy that it could pull more than 2 kato SD40s! Atlas also makes very smooth and quiet drives, but can’t drag as much.
Well,As of now the Atlas Trainman will be in its test period after its release to see how well these engines will sell…So the GP38-2 has limited road names while The P2K comes in several…The Atlas will have the best drive of the two since it will the using the standard Atlas drive…
See http://www.atlastrainman.com/atmhotrainman.htm for the correct information.
JPM335, why do you think trainman is not as good as regular atlas? i don’t care much about detail as long as its a good runner.
Maybe because they had a really horrible marketing campaign?
For those of you that are wondering what trainboy is moanin’ about here is a link…[;)] You be the judge…[:D]
well i have one p2k unit and boy it can haul…smooth as silk and super quiet…as for the atlas I have never had the oppertunity to run one so I cant help ya there…p2k has good detail also …
I have Atlas GP38’s and P2K GP38-2’s. They are all fine runners. As long as you don’t plan to mu the P2K loco with other brands it is an ideal loco to run alone. Due to it’s weight it will pull a longer string of cars up a grade. I will also buy a couple of the Atlas GP38-2’s when they arrive. If you shop carefully and are patient you can get a P2K GP38-2 on that auction site for around $80. If you plan to run DCC digitrax now has a decoder that allows you to leave the original light bulbs in the P2K loco.
Bob DeWoody
And to think, all that time and money spent on that cheesy movie could have been put into grab irons and other stuff for the models. [:(]
No, commercials like that PLEASE! [zzz]
P2K and Atlas are both great makers of loco’s, as far as the new pricing on the Proto series, I beleive it will come down in ahwile. Walthers has not owned it very long, and will bring down the price. Most of the manufactures having the factory installed DCC and Sound built into them are nice, but the price they are putting on them seems pretty high. The Trainman line as I understand is suppose to have the same drive as the better grade, but without all the bells and whistles, the price is compareable to other makers of affordable loco’s. Lets hope the reveiws are good!
I beg to differ. I’ve had 3 Protos and 1 Atlas. The Atlas GP-38 is my favorite engine.
The three Protos:
S1–you have to isolate a pole to install a plug and pray decoder
F2-- A unit had a problem with engine ran at half the speed of the B unit
B unit–had a solder bridge on the DCC socket that fried two decoders.
Maybe if Walther’s has better QA, I might consider the Proto again.
The Altas is Sweeeeeet.
I’ve got a few Proto 2000 GP38-2’s and they are incredibly nice looking loco’s and will pull a ton of cars. I’ve also got 2 Atlas GP40’s that are also very nice. If you plan on installing a decoder in the Proto, if thats the one you choose, you need to either remove the number board lights or relocate them to run the loco.
The P2Ks are good locomotives. As far as MUing them with other brands, removing the PC board on theP2Ks seemed to even out the speeds for me.
Atlas locomotives run well with just about anything, come with a responsive support department, and, with the TrainMan line, an even more affordable range of products to choose from.
As long as Atlas keeps the “bach-manish-king of the hill-like” stuff to a bare minimum, I’d have to choose Atlas! [:D]
i suppose i’ll wait a few months and see what people think of the t-man gp38-2. i’d like a p2k though.how many cars can your p2k gp38-2 pull?
Well the detail was what I was talking about. But if all you want is a runner than save some money[:D]
if it runs great detail doen’t matter much to me. i just want a good runner. after all it’s an ATLAS. i just hope the gp38-2 will be available in more roadnames. i’ll get a BN for sure and maybe a CSX -hopefully the t-man is sucessfull i’m sure lotsa people want a good runner (such as atlas) at an affoarrdable price ,i also want a fleet of the t-man open hoppers which should arrive at dealers VERY soon
let’s forget about details for a minute and focus on the motors and drivelines- are atlas and p2k about the same or does one stand out above the other? i have to say i still like atlas. just since they are a good company and we’ll see about their customer service when i order a new truck for my U33C