Atlas HO Genset
http://www.atlastrainman.com/HOLoco/tmhogenset.htm For those of us who like odd locos, this r cool. Thanks Atlas!
Prototypes:
Q: What is a Trainman® Plus model?
A: Trainman® Plus models feature separately-applied details that are not included with the standard Trainman® line.
So, it’s a regular Atlas engine, then?
It is an Atlas made loco so I am sure it runs better than the prototype. Or did they scale the problems too?
Pete
My bet is that with “Trainman Plus”, you are getting seperately applied detail parts without 100% matching the prototype. IOW, they will all look the same even if the BNSF and the UP versions had different horns in real life.
Or, for lack of a better description, think of the updated Atlas Classic locos. Most of them these days all have been improved with better details and sometimes new tooling, but for the most part they are not road-specific. They are rather generic versions of RS-11’s, RS-3’s, GP7’s, RS-1’s, etc. They might have called this new loco an “Atlas Classic” except for the fact that new locos can hardly be called “Classic”. [:)]
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
I wondered the same thing when I got the email. Do they REALLY need yet another new line? Is it really cheaper ot make a ‘trainman plus’ with pretty much all the characteristics of a Silver? I guess that’s why I didn’t major in Business, some of this stuff just make no common sense. So we have what now, Classic, Trainman, Trainman Plus, Silver, and Gold. Wow.
–Randy
I am majoring in business. If Atlas keeps it up too long, they end up like the car companies and have too many brands and too many models within those brands.
Randy,
IIRC, this is the how and why of Atlas loco names:
First, there was just “Atlas”, the so-called “Yellow Box” era from the 1970’s until the 1990’s. Pretty much all were the same, generic diesel models with drives by Roco (GP40, FP7, S-2/4) or Kato (RS-3, RS-11, C-425/4, RSD-4/5). No longer in use.
Next, they came out with the made in China “Red/Black Box” era locos (no longer in use) like the AEM-7 and U23B, and they rebranded & retooled their older models with the “Atlas Classic” label and started making them in China instead of Austria or Japan.
Right around then, they decided to include DCC decoders in their newest designs. These they called “Atlas Master” locos. These had Lenz decoders factory installed.
People complained about paying for DCC decoders they didn’t want, so Atlas came up with “Silver” locos to designate those that had no DCC decoder.
Next was the arrival of factory installed sound with the Gold line of locos in 2004 with the H24-66.
Naturally, folks complained about the high prices of Atlas locos, so they came up with “Trainman”…basically Atlas drives under less-detailed bodies for under $100.
Folks have complained about having to add detail parts to their Trainman locos, so Atlas has come up with “Trainman Plus”.
Atlas has stated that they may decide to add factory installed sound to their Trainman and Classic lines of locos. Presumably, these will then be known as Trainman Gold and Classic Gold, but that’s far in the future if it happens at all. The majority of responses on their forum were positive.
I don’t think we can criticize Atlas for responding to the market or to their customers. Each level of detail and digital additions are clearly defined, for the most part. There are a
I have no issue tellign them apart, I just question the cost-effectiveness. Let’s leave out the Gold series with sound, since it’s obvious that including a sound decoder that retails seperately for over $100 is going to cost more to produce than the otherwise identical model without the decoder (SIlver). More to the Trainman/Trainman Plus/Silver range if we’re talking new production. OK, Trainmain is less detailed, therefore the tooling costs will be lower. Now they are goign to start with the lower cost tooling but then tool up all the extra detail parts to apply to those shells and make a Trainman Plus model. Outside of maybe the grill and hood latch details on the shell, how different is this REALLY from a Silver series loco?
I’m just specualting, obviously the people that run Atlas feel this IS cost effective to produce and there is room for another price point in between Trainman and Silver.
Athearn - yeah, that’s a mess. I’m rather disappointed in my RS-3, the shell is great but the drive is lacking compared to the MDC kit of the same loco (my MDC kit has a Proto drive). Think I’ll swap the shells to have an instant running version while I wait to build the MDC kit shell.
–Randy
Randy,
Take a look at the latest Atlas Master loco, the GP40-2W. They have tooled different cabs, different hood ends, and moved and added detail parts like the horn for both a CN and a GO version. MSRP of $180.
Look at the Trainman Plus Genset. Five different railroad’s represented, and they are all the same with no detail changes. They are $110 MSRP.
IOW, the Atlas Master line is as close as they can currently get to 100% accuracy at a premium price. The Trainman line is for relatively generic models without many detail parts that are priced under $100. The Trainman Plus has added grabs, etc., for a few dollars more.
Sort of like Proto 1000 vs. Proto 2000. Look at the DL109’s from P1K. They are mutts. They took several design features of various DL’s and combined them to form an inexpensive model that isn’t accurate for anyone. If they had done this in P2K, not only would it have seperate grabs, but they would have had to try to make each paint scheme variant more prototypical.
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
Obsolete? Maybe I’m obsolete because I run DC, but out of my fleet of about 20 engines (mostly Spectrum and Proto products), my one Red Box Atlas U23B stands head and shoulders above the rest as the best performing engine. Not even close, though my old Yellow Box RS11 ain’t no slouch. If anyone’s burdened by an unwanted supply of these obsolete products, I will gladly take them off of your hands.
I couldn’t follow Atlas’ multitude of product lines, either. All I know is ther’re beyond my budget.
mononguy63,
“Obsolete” as in the term is no longer used for current production. Atlas hasn’t made a “yellow box” loco for well over 10 years. They haven’t made “red/black box” locos for almost as long. Both classifications are obsolete when referring to current Atlas product lines. The former “yellow box” locos are all now called “Atlas Classic” and the former “Red/Black Box” locos are now in the Atlas Master product line.
Sheesh.
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
But if they did that what would happen to all the companies making super detailing parts? What would happen to all the people who preffer to super detail? This type of thing was brought up before, I think someone made a post asking why the big companies don’t make more RR specific trains. The simple answer was if they did they wouldn’t be in business long. Not everyone wants a perfectly modeled example of…a well I can’t think of a good example. I just like trains, I don’t care if say BN did so many things to an F7 that it would very different from a CB&Q F7. To me it’s still a gorgeous engine.
Not to mention what would happen to clubs. I’m sure some clubs out there like to buy these “genaric” locomotives and super detail them to fit a specific RR. Looking in MR I know they do it with rail cars.
Are the gensets really that troublesome? Is it with switching on and off the prime movers? You’d think they would be able to do that when a car can shut down a couple cylinders (of the same engine) when the computer says it doesn’t need them. I personally trust that crap about as much as you can see it, and everyone knows it happens inside the engine so you can’t see it [;)] Or at least the way Chrysler does it, I’m not sure how GM operates there multi-displacement syndrom. I have to go look at the link now. I thought the gensets did look kind of neat though.
To bad they aren’t doing one in Canadian Pacific colours. I got the chance to see one up close at GM in Oshawa a few weeks ago and the thing is incredible looking and bigger then I thought they were.