Atlas GP39-2

[unittrain]

Atlas has posted pictures of the up coming GP39-2 locomotives here's a few
http://archive.atlasrr.com/Images/NLocomotives/ngp392/40003843.jpg
http://archive.atlasrr.com/Images/NLocomotives/ngp392/40003837.jpg
http://archive.atlasrr.com/Images/NLocomotives/ngp392/40003841.jpg
I'll probably pick a Reading unit for early Conrail trains.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Atlas has posted pictures of the up coming GP39-2 locomotives here's a few
http://archive.atlasrr.com/Images/NLocomotives/ngp392/40003843.jpg
http://archive.atlasrr.com/Images/NLocomotives/ngp392/40003837.jpg
http://archive.atlasrr.com/Images/NLocomotives/ngp392/40003841.jpg
I'll probably pick a Reading unit for early Conrail trains.

They're nice. Beware, the D&H got ALL of the Reading units at the merger, however they tended to show up in Conrail territory quite a bit.

I'm thinking I may grab one of them and do a 1976 "masking tape" re-lettering job on it.

[u18b]

I had to pre-order 3.
A Reading, a D&H and a Guilford.

CSX had them all as patch jobs.

Looking forward to seeing them.

[Mark5]

I might have to get the D&H - here's 7610 in coal country: 

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/203457

[lock4244]

ATSF... perfect for CP mid 1980's.

[Ike the BN Freak]

Hopefully this means the Phase II units will get announced soon.  Need a couple for my F-unit killer fleet

[reinhardtjh]

The Atlas Production Schedule page now has these as having been shipped from China on July 14th, 2018.  This used to mean that they would be at Atlas in NJ in about 5-6 weeks.  These days with tariff tax slowdowns at the pier, who can say.  But it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect them in the stores by early to mid September.  Plan your budgets accordingly.

[packers#1]

Having found some prototype pictures of ATSF ones making it to second hand owners in ATSF paint, I’ll probably be picking an ATSF one up for the layout

[Point353]

Wonder how much less expensive the silver version would be if it wasn't "sound ready"?

Also, the cost differential between a silver and gold (w/ESU LokSound decoder) GP39-2 is about $110.
Given that the silver GP39-2 already has the speaker installed, is that $110 price difference then just for the addition of the ESU LokSound decoder?

[jdcolombo]

Wonder how much less expensive the silver version would be if it wasn't "sound ready"?

Also, the cost differential between a silver and gold (w/ESU LokSound decoder) GP39-2 is about $110.
Given that the silver GP39-2 already has the speaker installed, is that $110 price difference then just for the addition of the ESU LokSound decoder?

Probably about $1.  That's what the speaker probably costs Atlas (maybe less).  Everything else is essentially the same. 

The $110 is a bit more than you'd pay at a place like Streamlined Backshop for a LokSound board (about $90 delivered).  Can't really explain the extra $20 - maybe a bit for labor installing the board, but that wouldn't be $20.  Perhaps some of it is to cover customer service for sound-equipped units.  LokSound decoders are VERY complex, the manuals suck, and I suspect the sound-equipped units generate more than their proportionate share of customer service calls.

John C.

[Point353]

Probably about $1.  That's what the speaker probably costs Atlas (maybe less).  Everything else is essentially the same.

So, probably at least $10 at the retail level.

The $110 is a bit more than you'd pay at a place like Streamlined Backshop for a LokSound board (about $90 delivered).  Can't really explain the extra $20 - maybe a bit for labor installing the board, but that wouldn't be $20.  Perhaps some of it is to cover customer service for sound-equipped units.  LokSound decoders are VERY complex, the manuals suck, and I suspect the sound-equipped units generate more than their proportionate share of customer service calls.

"VERY complex" would seem to be a bit of a stretch.
Best Buy has several 32" LCD TVs available for just under $100, plus some smaller sets for around $70.
Those do sound AND video, plus they include an enclosure and a power supply (and a remote control).

[peteski]

So, probably at least $10 at the retail level.
"VERY complex" would seem to be a bit of a stretch.
Best Buy has several 32" LCD TVs available for just under $100, plus some smaller sets for around $70.
Those do sound AND video, plus they include an enclosure and a power supply (and a remote control).

LOL!  But model railroad manufacturers cater to a much, much smaller group of buyers, and they make their products in much lower quantities. So, they can justify their prices for those decoders.  I would say that a sound decoder is "very complex" when compared to a typical light-board in a DC loco.  And even that is a bit of a stretch when looking at this from your perspective. 

[jdcolombo]

By "very complex" I meant "very complex to program and use for the end user" not "very complex to manufacture."  (They ARE complex to design because of the miniaturization needed, but I'm certain they are all manufactured on a robotic assembly line in China).  Using them, however, is an adventure.  ESU LokSound decoders use an indexed CV system for nearly everything other than the very basics.  Yes, CV's 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 do pretty much what you'd expect, as does CV29.  But after that, everything is difficult.  Changing the volume level on the prime mover, for example, requires programming three different CV's in a certain order, and heaven help you if you get the CV wrong or the order wrong.  I don't know how many times I've been asked either on a public forum or in a private e-mail how to remap function keys; how to change volume levels; how to change the default behavior of F8 from "sound on" to "sound off" or vice versa, how to make the headlight stay on in both directions or dim, etc.  It is, in fact, VERY complex.  I don't know of any TV's that require you to enter programming mode, then change three different values in three different places in the proper order in order to adjust the volume!

The point I was making is that Atlas probably gets a disproportionate number of customer service calls from people buying their first (or second or third) sound-equipped unit and wanting to make some programming change (or having already screwed up some programming change!).  Unless a manufacturer charges for customer service, you have to include that cost as part of the overhead you recover on your margin.  So it wouldn't surprise me if Atlas' price differential for sound-equipped units included some "premium" to amortize customer service costs.

As for end cost, well, I don't know any manufacturer that does a 1000% mark-up ($1 to $10).  I assume that Point353's "$10" comment was facetious, but I'll give you a 50% markup, and we'll call the difference $1.50. 

John C.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

And that $10 price premium?

That's so that the people who make these things that you enjoy can continue to pay their mortgage, health insurance, and food bills.

Nobody's getting rich in the model railroad industry.

[Point353]

By "very complex" I meant "very complex to program and use for the end user" not "very complex to manufacture." 

One could argue that a more complex user interface should cost less since less time was spent making the product easier to use.

As for end cost, well, I don't know any manufacturer that does a 1000% mark-up ($1 to $10).  I assume that Point353's "$10" comment was facetious, but I'll give you a 50% markup, and we'll call the difference $1.50.

A factor of 1000% mark up from bill-of-materials cost to retail price is quite common in the electronics industry - so in no way was my comment meant to be interpreted as being "facetious."