Depends who you ask…Some find fault with the paint,handrails to thick,the need to add the details,lack of road specific details etc etc while average modelers like us think they are just fine thank you.
Sadly the last production run was in January, 2003 and many of these road names are readily available.
I suppose with the P2K SD45(hard to find),the Kato SD45 and the Bachmann SD45 the real question that needs ask is: Will the market support another SD45?
Just sayin I don’t like the paint scheme
I would probably paint my own SD45 if I had an air brush. I juts hope it can support it long enough for a WC SD45.
WCfan- when did you email athearn? was this recently? i hope so. cuz i’d love to see a new SD45 line. P2k’s was just way too limited in production. and there’s just no love for WC
Well I emailed them about a month ago. All they said is they still had plans on making one. No road names have yet to be decided or a price range.
I also agree with the P2Ks. I got a ATSF one off of Ebay and I’m hopeing to patch it to WC, or have some one else patch it.
If somebody would produce a High Hood SD45 something tells me that one would sell well. I know that I would buy a couple and would run them with my SD70MAC,SD80MAC and my AC6000.
-Smoke
I am going to be upset if they come out with MRL in either the 45 or the 45-2 since I just bought some undecorated that I’m looking to paint up.
Smoke,
Here is one that I am working on. MRL’s 680
Zgardner: Nice work! I like the high hood 45s. Especally when runnin’ long good forward. I would probably paint my own WC SD45s, but I don’t have an air brush.
I found that booklet in a hobby shop today. There are some items with ETAs of September and Fall 2006, so it was probably made about a year ago. Athearn sent out an e-mail in December 2005 that they listed their planned releases for 2006. The RTR SD40T-2 was in that list. It is scheduled for release in October, so Athearn sometimes significantly delays the release.
I wonder why some people come here, ask a question, and appear to not stick around for an answer.
The new Athearn R-T-R SD45 will be out in the Spring of 2008. This was posted to the Athearn website on 9-18. The first four roadnames will be D&RGW, Espee, N&W, and PRR. No photos were posted when I checked the site this afternoon.
Athearn now has the display up for viewing what paint schemes these new HO additions will be in for the first run.
http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/091807/SD45_new_091807.jpg http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/091807/SD45_new_091807.pdf
Those NW SD45s will fit my chessie era and the early years of my C&HV…[:D][tup]The question is do I really need 'em?
Judging by the other Athearn $99.99 locomotives the street price should be around $64.99-69.99 depending on the on line retailer.
SD45 -2
There are a ton of these available for $99 avalable on Ebay (DC) plus shipping (no tax) right now. DCC/DC/Sound approx. $100 more. These are presumably Genesis/MDC offerings.
CONJECTURE: If these aren’t selling, Athearn may offer a second run with LOK or QSI sound.
GUESSWORK: Indications are they have a surplus of painted shells.
Q. HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE is there between the RTR and Genesis drives - when they run?
Yay! I saw the ad today. Now I just hope they make a WC one.
Don: I think there still might be some confusion. The SD45-2 does not have flared radiators. The SD45 does.
Can I ask why people are bringing up SD45-2’s, SD45T-2’s and SD40T-2’s in this topic when the original post was asking about RTR SD45’s?
OK, BACK ON TOPIC RTR SD45’s. Yes, Athearn has announced the first run of RTR SD45’s and they will retail at $99 like the SD40T-2 announced in early summer. Street price will be around $69. They are listing that they will have prototypical light packages and snow plows among other things. I am a happy camper and YES! Rio Grande is among the first batch of road names! WOOOT!
Who made the SD45 you’re building? I want to build Guilford #ST681, but I can’t find an undecorated Kato or P2K SD45 anywhere except eBay and those get snatched up by snipers in a heartbeat. MRL #680 looks like it came from Guilford.
If Athearn is making an RTR high-nose, than I might just wait. I’m not sure if I will go for the undec. model or wait to see if they make a Guilford model, since they got a few details wrong on the Guilford RTR GP40-2s.
Here is a list of original owners with phases for the SD45: http://users.inna.net/~jaydeet/sd45.htm .
I have to wonder how many of these roads that Athearn will do. The first run suggests quite a slug of potentials.
