Model Railroading > New Atlas Dash 8's

I see from Trainworld Atlas announced a new run of Dash 8's.  I was looking at the B40-8 in SP paint and wondering what they've updated since the ones I bought 10 years ago.  Atlas seems to have no functioning website and no pics on their facebook page.   Trainworld says they now have operating ditch lights, but SP's didn't have ditch lights.  It looks like ESU select decoder for sound I guess.  Does anyone know anything about the updated models?  I'm honestly not sure where to find out.

Go to the Shop dot AtlasRR dot com website  (put lknk below but will prolly fail to post)
 The Atlas Model Railroad Company Online Store - Model Trains and Track in N, HO, O & Z Scales! (atlasrr.com)
go to production tab, pull down production schedule and click. (pause) scroll past the N scale at the top
down to the HO and then look for your item (prolly at the very bottom of HO  (there is O past that)  click
in the item for details.
Also if you go in and sign up for updates they will send you and E-copy of the paper catalog. Also on website
and another source for details.

I found them on their site. Do a search for Atlasrr.

As-built they didn't have them, but in later years most, if not all got them before the UP takeover.  SP being SP, they weren't consistent with their installation; some had them mounted on the pilot face, some got them on top of the anticlimber.  

Matt_Gidley Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I see from Trainworld Atlas announced a new run of
> Dash 8's.  I was looking at the B40-8 in SP paint
> and wondering what they've updated since the ones
> I bought 10 years ago.  Atlas seems to have no
> functioning website and no pics on their facebook
> page.   Trainworld says they now have operating
> ditch lights, but SP's didn't have ditch lights. 
> It looks like ESU select decoder for sound I
> guess.  Does anyone know anything about the
> updated models?  I'm honestly not sure where to
> find out.

Plenty of the SP B39-8 and SSW B40-8's had ditch lights (not when new, but later in life 1994+).   Some had deck mounted, and some had pilot mounted ditch lights.  See images (not mine)...

Matt_Gidley Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
 Trainworld says they now have operating
> ditch lights, but SP's didn't have ditch lights. 
 

---

---

Great discussion & I have been trying to get info on the ditchlights for SP B39 or B40s units.
The best I have found is SP never put ditchlights on the B39s or B40s. I have not seen any photos or video of ditchlights until a couple of years after the merger.
They received them when UP shopped or painted them.  
As far as the Atlas B39 or B40s I hope Atlas will clean up they site as it is muddy with the descriptions of models. This is true for the 8 40C also.
Some of the new run of B39s & B40s will have Ditchlights but not SP this run but LMX will. 
I think LMX units had a square strobe lights on the deck or received them when they got the red nose. Something about not being seen at crossings. I'm guesing LMX units got ditchlights when on BNSF?
I think it is just a rerun of the unit with no updates on the shell except some will have ditchlights. 
It would be nice if we could have a B39, B40 that is to done to current standards. 
I am not an expert on these units & welcome any corrected info on these units.

Tim
Hanesworth

Thanks for the replies.  After you guys posted about the website I realized their site won't come up on the Firefox browser.  I switched to Chrome and it came right up. 
I checked my picture collection and I didn;t see any ditchlights before the merger.  Looks like UP started putting them on though. 
Looks like maybe the only update is the switch from QSI sound to ESU select sound.

Matt_Gidley Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the replies.  After you guys posted
> about the website I realized their site won't come
> up on the Firefox browser.  I switched to Chrome
> and it came right up. 
> I checked my picture collection and I didn;t see
> any ditchlights before the merger.  Looks like UP
> started putting them on though. 
> Looks like maybe the only update is the switch
> from QSI sound to ESU select sound.

They most definitely started getting them a few years before the merger.  I shot video in 93/94 of units with them.  Not all were retrofitted by 9/11/96, but a number were.

Thanks for the the info!


SP_8299 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> They most definitely started getting them a few
> years before the merger.  I shot video in 93/94
> of units with them.  Not all were retrofitted by
> 9/11/96, but a number were.