Two killer announcements from this video, in my mind. There are others too but these two (actually three four) are really game changers for me.
1. C44-9W and AC4400's announced (they also called out the C40-9W, but not sure if that is just in deference to an NS painted diesel or specific detail mods)
2. Airslide Covered Hoppers (4180's)
There have been pricey small batch airslides done, and less pricey 3D printed versions, but never a proper plastic and etched metal with modern decoration applied. So it's pretty big for an era spanning about 60 years with the straggler buffer cars. ("I'm not dead yet!" ~thud~)
But burying the lede.... the Dash 9's (and accompanying AC variations) are an important piece tying together a lot of the rolling stock available in Z. AZL has released a dizzying amount of stuff in the last 10 years plus, and a lot of it at a very high level of quality and detail...and with all that, this announcement is Top 3 in my book. Just something about the GE silver warbonnets and even the ubiquitous UP dress. (oh, and CSX and NS and others, too) And of course the BNSF Heritage-I and Heritage-II that defined the newly merged railroad for a majority of its first 20 years. I also have to mention one of my favorites....the SP AC4400s. Too new for my N pursuits, but now I can finally have one of SP's last big displays of powerful modern railroading on my roster.
