Post by wagnersteve on Dec 30, 2023 13:21:51 GMT -8
12/30/23, starting 3:27 p.m., EST (having just now helped my wife some more in our kitchen)
The HO new announcements shown in a prerecorded video 12/29, still on YouTube with a good link to the PDF pages, included Athearn series EMD SD40-2 models as follows, with renderings of the left side, front and rear of each. As with the ones I summarized earlier, orders are posted as due 1/26/24 with ETA May 2025. With the exception of one Primed for Grime loco noted later, each model has an MSRP of $244.99 with DCC decoder with Sound Tract Economy sound. Such models will also operate in DC, and engine, horn and bell sound will also work using DC. Each model without DCC or sound has an MSRP of $174.99.
The four road names are as follows.
Norfolk Southern: Three former Southern units, with no detail variations between the three locos, numbers 3259, 3261 and 3272. All have a bell mounted atop the end of the long hood, which was considered the front. All have Nathan P5 horns at the top of both the long and the short (but high) hood, wo firecracker antennas on top of the cab and the short hood, no footboards on the pilots but plows front and rear, "breakaway" style end handrails and have 4000 gal. fuel tank. All have flashing front and rear ditch lights with horn activation (on DCC units only). All share the same livery: entirely black, with rearing horse flanked by "speed stripes" on the ends , sans serif number of cab sides above small SOU, speed stripes on the long hood sides leading to italic NS touching each other love smaller Norfolk above Southern in smaller sans serif caps. Era is 2005+ for each.
Helm Leasing Corp is "the largest independent locomotive and railcar leasing company in North America. The three HLCX locos share t these features: Mid-production body with corrugated grills, front ditch lights and plow, HTC -- whatever that means -- truck side frames, plus a 4000 gal. fuel tank and reflective stripes spaced along their side sills and all black parts lower down. The 6210 has a dark red body with white lettering, extended range dynamic brake detail, Sinclair antenna, Leslie 5-chime horn, 88" nose with brakewheel. The 6236 has a dark blue cab and hoods with white lettering, a silver or gray cab roof, extended range dynamic brake detail but firecracker antenna, Nathan 5-chime horn and 116" nose with brake wheel. The 8070 has regular dynamic brake detail, firecracker antenna, Nathan 3-chime horn, 88" nose with headlight and ratchet brake. It's in a Primed for Grime faded green livery, likely originally Burlington Northern, with a big white number near the back of the long hood and a black HLCX smaller than on the others centered under the black upper part long hood, which is black as far down as the midpoint of the cab windows, like the cab itself. That one lists for $10 more than all the others in the run.
The Oneida Western name has nothing to do with the Native America tribe in upstate New York or the lake and city there; it hauls coal down South. OWTX 9950 and 9954 have light green hoods with a fairly large black stripe edged with thin white ones white and split by one on the long hood's sides except where the line's name in italic capitals takes its place, with similar stripes on the long hood's end; everything from the side sill down is black. Again, no detail variation between the two locos. Each was mid-production body with corrugated grills, cab mounted gyralight, nose mounted toed headlight, extended range dynamic brake detail, whip antenna, Leslie 5-chime horn, 88" nose with brakewheel and MU hose trays. Era is 1979+. A note says "Coming soon: Oneida & Western Athearn Genesis CA-11 with OWTX specific details." I think that refers to a type of caboose developed by the Union Pacific.
Finally Reading & Northern (RBMN reporting marks) 1983 wears a unique paint scheme applied between August 7 and September 15, 2023 to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of its having started running, originally as the Blue Mountain and Reading (BM&R) on 13 miles of t rack between Temple and Hamburg, PA. The RBMN now operates on more than 400 miles of track in noun counties. The loco, a former BN and NS unit, wears the same blue color used on the first Blue Mountain and Reading diesels in 1983, along with the original BM&R herald on its nose. It has a mid-production body with corrugated grilles, dynamic brake detail, Sinclair antenna, Nathan 3-chime horn, 88" nose with ratchet brake, plus front plow (yellow).
It's now 4:21 p.m.; I'm about to go out for a VERY short walk with a big flashlight for safety.
The HO new announcements shown in a prerecorded video 12/29, still on YouTube with a good link to the PDF pages, included Athearn series EMD SD40-2 models as follows, with renderings of the left side, front and rear of each. As with the ones I summarized earlier, orders are posted as due 1/26/24 with ETA May 2025. With the exception of one Primed for Grime loco noted later, each model has an MSRP of $244.99 with DCC decoder with Sound Tract Economy sound. Such models will also operate in DC, and engine, horn and bell sound will also work using DC. Each model without DCC or sound has an MSRP of $174.99.
The four road names are as follows.
Norfolk Southern: Three former Southern units, with no detail variations between the three locos, numbers 3259, 3261 and 3272. All have a bell mounted atop the end of the long hood, which was considered the front. All have Nathan P5 horns at the top of both the long and the short (but high) hood, wo firecracker antennas on top of the cab and the short hood, no footboards on the pilots but plows front and rear, "breakaway" style end handrails and have 4000 gal. fuel tank. All have flashing front and rear ditch lights with horn activation (on DCC units only). All share the same livery: entirely black, with rearing horse flanked by "speed stripes" on the ends , sans serif number of cab sides above small SOU, speed stripes on the long hood sides leading to italic NS touching each other love smaller Norfolk above Southern in smaller sans serif caps. Era is 2005+ for each.
Helm Leasing Corp is "the largest independent locomotive and railcar leasing company in North America. The three HLCX locos share t these features: Mid-production body with corrugated grills, front ditch lights and plow, HTC -- whatever that means -- truck side frames, plus a 4000 gal. fuel tank and reflective stripes spaced along their side sills and all black parts lower down. The 6210 has a dark red body with white lettering, extended range dynamic brake detail, Sinclair antenna, Leslie 5-chime horn, 88" nose with brakewheel. The 6236 has a dark blue cab and hoods with white lettering, a silver or gray cab roof, extended range dynamic brake detail but firecracker antenna, Nathan 5-chime horn and 116" nose with brake wheel. The 8070 has regular dynamic brake detail, firecracker antenna, Nathan 3-chime horn, 88" nose with headlight and ratchet brake. It's in a Primed for Grime faded green livery, likely originally Burlington Northern, with a big white number near the back of the long hood and a black HLCX smaller than on the others centered under the black upper part long hood, which is black as far down as the midpoint of the cab windows, like the cab itself. That one lists for $10 more than all the others in the run.
The Oneida Western name has nothing to do with the Native America tribe in upstate New York or the lake and city there; it hauls coal down South. OWTX 9950 and 9954 have light green hoods with a fairly large black stripe edged with thin white ones white and split by one on the long hood's sides except where the line's name in italic capitals takes its place, with similar stripes on the long hood's end; everything from the side sill down is black. Again, no detail variation between the two locos. Each was mid-production body with corrugated grills, cab mounted gyralight, nose mounted toed headlight, extended range dynamic brake detail, whip antenna, Leslie 5-chime horn, 88" nose with brakewheel and MU hose trays. Era is 1979+. A note says "Coming soon: Oneida & Western Athearn Genesis CA-11 with OWTX specific details." I think that refers to a type of caboose developed by the Union Pacific.
Finally Reading & Northern (RBMN reporting marks) 1983 wears a unique paint scheme applied between August 7 and September 15, 2023 to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of its having started running, originally as the Blue Mountain and Reading (BM&R) on 13 miles of t rack between Temple and Hamburg, PA. The RBMN now operates on more than 400 miles of track in noun counties. The loco, a former BN and NS unit, wears the same blue color used on the first Blue Mountain and Reading diesels in 1983, along with the original BM&R herald on its nose. It has a mid-production body with corrugated grilles, dynamic brake detail, Sinclair antenna, Nathan 3-chime horn, 88" nose with ratchet brake, plus front plow (yellow).
It's now 4:21 p.m.; I'm about to go out for a VERY short walk with a big flashlight for safety.
