Specifics of the Atlas RS-3 coming out

[sirenwerks]

I’d almost guarantee they aren’t tooling a new shell just to change the headlight.
They probably think there’s still modeling in the hobby.

Well, there are two more phases Atlas could do.

[learmoia]

It does! I think Peter picked and pickled them.

Then a Passel..

[bbussey]

With the sound versions on the shelves, it’s a good time to revisit some of these questions.

Has anyone tried a shell swap of an older RS-3 on the new sound chassis?

What are the overall running characteristics?

Are they heavy enough to handle more than a few cars on a 1% grade?

Are the typical Atlas QC issues apparent in the sound units (bad decoders, bent axles, filthy wheels from the factory, general inconsistencies)?

Yes, both the original circa-1980 bodyshells/walkway and the Classic version fit the new DCC/sound mechanism.

They run great.

They pull similarly to previous versions. I have always run then in pairs so I don’t know what the load limit is of a single unit.

I’ve never encountered QC issues in any Atlas unit I’ve purchased. These use ESU Nano E24 decoders. It took a little effort to add a TCS KA-N1 keep-alive module (in the cab) but they run very well and sound very good.

[robertjohndavis]

Thank you Bryan. Glad to hear you haven’t had the QC issues. Maybe I am snakebit but Atlas and consistent quality are not two things that go together from my experience. I am so hesitant to layout the money for an Atlas loco. - Rob