Atlas GP20? Vaporidium?

[vermonter_railfan]

Whats with that dynamic brake snap-in piece…
Does it really fit as poorly as it looks in that photo?

I honestly don't think they updated the shell from the old LifeLike/Walthers mold. The dynamic section was removable with those and had a similar issue.

There are hardly any tabs for it to hold in place and when in the chassis the shell pushes out slightly. I plan to glue mine in place after I'm done painting/detailing it

[peteski]

This is weird. Seems that Atlas keeps flip-flopping between multiple mechanism designs. This one is going back to split-frame and Kato-style truck pickup strips without wires.  That is like 3rd or 4th different design we have seen on their recent models. It also accepts a light-board replacement decoder, so low-nose shell will be a possibility.

For me the good news is that they are using Kato-style  pickups and I assume pointy axles whth bearing cups in the trucks. Good well-prioven design.

[vermonter_railfan]

This is weird. Seems that Atlas keeps flip-flopping between multiple mechanism designs. This one is going back to split-frame and Kato-style truck pickup strips without wires.  That is like 3rd or 4th different design we have seen on their recent models. It also accepts a light-board replacement decoder, so low-nose shell will be a possibility.

For me the good news is that they are using Kato-style  pickups and I assume pointy axles whth bearing cups in the trucks. Good well-prioven design.

Well I think the reason behind the difference in chassis for this one is the fact that these were announced back in 2018, which was when this style was being used. I suspect if they do a second run if them in the next year or so they'll will get an update like the SD50/60/60E did.

I can also disassemble a truck and post some photos for those who are interested, the unit runs extremely smoothly.

[peteski]

Well I think the reason behind the difference in chassis for this one is the fact that these were announced back in 2018, which was when this style was being used. I suspect if they do a second run if them in the next year or so they'll will get an update like the SD50/60/60E did.

I can also disassemble a truck and post some photos for those who are interested, the unit runs extremely smoothly.

If they are using 2018 design, then it's pretty much guaranteed that the trucks use Kato-style design, but if it is not too much trouble it would be nice to see them disassembled.

[C855B]

What I can tell you, at least, is that the LifeLike chassis (non-DCC) was different from the last Walthers chassis (DCC capable), and swapping bodies forward was not simple. The Walthers chassis was longer, and required milling about 1/8" of the point on each end to accept the early bodies.

IOW, they also messed with the shell tooling somewhere along the line. I also noticed the dynamic brake casting didn't have the same precision fit on the Walthers shell. That makes me wonder if the dynamic brake casting is the original, while the factory modified or even retooled the shell to go with the DCC chassis.

[Mark5]

The variation in design might just be which vendor (factory) they used for a particular model. It seems certain that Atlas is using multiple.

[vermonter_railfan]

Here are some photos of the truck assembly

[vermonter_railfan]

What I can tell you, at least, is that the LifeLike chassis (non-DCC) was different from the last Walthers chassis (DCC capable), and swapping bodies forward was not simple. The Walthers chassis was longer, and required milling about 1/8" of the point on each end to accept the early bodies.

IOW, they also messed with the shell tooling somewhere along the line. I also noticed the dynamic brake casting didn't have the same precision fit on the Walthers shell. That makes me wonder if the dynamic brake casting is the original, while the factory modified or even retooled the shell to go with the DCC chassis.

Couple shots of the dynamic section, let me know if you want more.

[Tad_T]

I ordered two, I am going to see if they work for power on a long stalled GP10 project.

[peteski]

Thanks. While overall design is slightly different from Kato (the bottom-cover/sideframe), at least they did retain the Kato-style axle point/bearing cup low-friction part of the design.

[chessie system fan]

To my eye (without double checking  ) , the trucks look unchanged from the Life-Like tooling.  But the wheel profile is much improved from those flat Life-Like wheels.

[peteski]

To my eye (without double checking  ) , the trucks look unchanged from the Life-Like tooling.  But the wheel profile is much improved from those flat Life-Like wheels.

It's been a while since I seen one of the Life-Like models of that loco, so I guess I didn't remember. It makes sense that they were not redone.  To be honest I think I like this design of the bottom cover better than Kato's. It seems easier to unlock the end latches which hold the bottom plate than the less accessible 4 little hooks in Kato Trucks.

[randgust]

Heard at Altoona from Paul that the fuel tank was the location for the speaker.   Any confirmation on that?

Chassis photo?

[peteski]

Heard at Altoona from Paul that the fuel tank was the location for the speaker.   Any confirmation on that?

Chassis photo?

Randy, reply #3 in this thread had the photo of the speaker (enclosure) in the fuel tank.  Looks like the same method used in other Atlas  models where the (very tiny) enclosure is part of the motor cradle and the speaker is firing up into the chassis.

[Albert in N]

   Just for comparison, I dug out my old LifeLike GP-20.  FYI, I remember buying it on line from TrainWorld some 15 years ago at $40 close out.  Actually, it is a surprisingly a good model and still runs good (similar to Atlas scale speed) and pulls well.  Of course I replaced the original rapido couplers with MTL.