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Post by curtmc on Jul 22, 2013 10:44:44 GMT -8
I just received a reply from Athearn saying that the production GN SDP45s will NOT have the winterization hatch. They apparently received info from a lot of people and recognized their error.
The FaceBook info on the wrong beacon still seems to be what they are going with though... If they paid as much attention to GN units as they do SP ones I bet they would be doing the correct beacon in a heartbeat with no excuses about economics.
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Post by atsfan on Jul 22, 2013 10:55:06 GMT -8
HAL lost out in the end to Dave remember.
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Post by riogrande on Jul 22, 2013 11:09:14 GMT -8
HAL was just doing what he was told, make sure the missioned was accomplished! He did take out 3 three hibernaculums and Frank Pool, but Dave disconnected him until the Russian ship arrived with Dr. Chandra who revived HAL and told him he had performed his mission perfectly. Dave, having "ascended" apparently took HAL to be with him using his powers when the Discovery was destroyed by Jupiter going nova and forming into a small sun in orbit around SOL.
Back on topic ... my impression is that Athearn is west coast centric so I can undertand why they tend to get western prototypes more correctly. But I'm glad they are willing to revamp and correct models. Perhaps you are right about details such as beacons. I'm a little suprised they made an issue over how they are drawing the line in the economic sand over a beacon. If the beacon wasn't lit, then it's just another small part to glue on - that really doesn't sound expensive - they've already done a lot of this already so it's a bit perplexing unless a rep just got mentally fed up with the "just one more detail" argument and it was really just a matter of saying "enough!!!!" and not a matter of it's going to cost alot more and we don't want to raise the price more for that extra detail.
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Post by Spikre on Jul 22, 2013 15:47:13 GMT -8
 James, GN ran from Lake Superior to Puget Sound,that should Qualify them as a "Western Road" even if they arnt in the Southwest Deserts. then there was a line in California even,the Bieber Line that connected with WP near Keddie Wye. rates as Western here. Spikre 
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Post by riogrande on Jul 22, 2013 16:34:05 GMT -8
Dunno, but I'm thinking Lake Superior to Puget Sounds isn't in Athearns "western" category - maybe they are "southwestern".
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Post by JohnJ on Jul 22, 2013 17:55:53 GMT -8
All the Athearn Great Northern passenger power I'll ever need is down in the basement now:  It doesn't have a winterization hatch, and at one point had a reasonably accurate beacon complete with cap that I fashioned out of the remnants of a Details West rotary beacon. |
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Post by Spikre on Jul 23, 2013 12:35:42 GMT -8
James,
GN did have a train named the "Badger",but cant recall them having
a train named the "Coyote".
Athearn really needs to discover the Rest of the North American Continent.
maybe that South West Sand is Habit Forming ?
John,
which Pyramid was that found at ?
Spikre
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Post by riogrande on Jul 23, 2013 13:19:23 GMT -8
That bb Great Northern diesel reminds me of my old bb SD45 back when I was 14! Both were wide bodies as I recall.
Bob, I think John is taking the Mickey with us!
You'll have to let Athearn know how you feel! They already cater to my needs!
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Post by bnsf971 on Jul 24, 2013 8:12:20 GMT -8
Okay, this direct from Athearn's Facebook page:
The production Great Northern SDP45 will NOT include the winterization hatch. We'll be updating our electronic media over the next 24 hours to reflecr the change.
We appreciate this being brought to our attention and your patience while we verified the information with our GN experts.
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Post by calzephyr on Jul 24, 2013 8:31:01 GMT -8
HAL 9000 is the talking computer from the 2001 and 2010 A Space Odyssy movies. I'm glad Athearn is responsive in making corrections to the models announced! It is interesting that HAL was used, but it was a play of letters on the name for the most famous computer company at that time, IBM. The hidden issue is each letter of HAL is one letter prior to IBM. Larry |
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Post by mlehman on Jul 24, 2013 9:06:45 GMT -8
Thanks for the update, bnsf971. Hopefully that allays the trepidation over that.
I know the possibility of them doing undecs was mentioned. Looks like the word on those is they're waiting and seeing how the other undecs they recently announced do. Guess that means that won't happen with the SDP45 until the second run, as I doubt that'll be resolved before orders are due in near the end of August.
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Post by riogrande on Jul 24, 2013 9:18:07 GMT -8
I'll be waiting for a 2nd run or whatever when Genesis does the Southern Pacific version typical of the mid 1970's and into the 80's.
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Post by riogrande on Jul 24, 2013 9:27:59 GMT -8
It is interesting that HAL was used, but it was a play of letters on the name for the most famous computer company at that time, IBM. The hidden issue is each letter of HAL is one letter prior to IBM. Larry Yeppers - way ahead of you on it! I've known about the HAL/IBM thing since my 20's, maybe my teens back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and SDP45's were still wet behind the ears (on topic content!). I actually saw 2001 A Space Odyssy as a kid when it originally shown in the theaters in the 60's (Travis Air Force Base if I recall correctly). As an undergraduate in college I took an English Composition class where we watched movies and wrote papers analyzing movies. I included 2001 among the movies I did papers on - it wasn't really until then that I understood the movie properly down to most of the symbolism including the final scenes after Dave left the lobotomized HAL and Discovery, and took his EVA pod into the star gate and rushed headlong to his destiny, the next step in the evolution of man and all that stuff! I was an avid reader of many of Arthur C Clarke's sci fi novels as a teen in the 1970's including 2001, Earthlight, Islands in the Sky, etc. But I didn't get to Rendezvous With Rama until a year ago. Apparently Morgan Freeman bought the rights to do the film but he is getting pretty long in the tooth now. |
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Post by JohnJ on Jul 24, 2013 9:59:42 GMT -8
That bb Great Northern diesel reminds me of my old bb SD45 back when I was 14! Both were wide bodies as I recall. Yep, that SDP-40 was definitely a wide body. How far we've come; they couldn't even get the road number right in those days (GN 404 was an SD-45, I believe). I also believe my model is the only road name in the Athearn SDP-40 catalog that was prototypical - wasn't National of Mexico the only other SDP-40 operator? Athearn had a good half-dozen or so roads such as B&O, C&NW, New Haven (!), NYC, SP, and Santa Fe in both the blue scheme and Warbonnet. I had a Santa Fe SDP-40 in the overall dark blue scheme for a period of time before I put it on the chopping block to produce a Missouri Pacific SD40-2. So, would the Southern Pacific SDP-45s have been used in freight service in, say, around 1974? Most of the pictures on Fallen Flags show these units in San Francisco commuter service during that period. Also, would units lacking the "SP" lettering on the nose have been used around 1974 or was this change made by then? My son models the SP, so I'll probably get one for him - but will probably wait for another release if the nose lettering was in place by the early 1970s. For myself, I think I'll just have to pick up two EL versions. I primarily model Penn Central, but my goal is to have at least one set of units from each of the major component roads of Conrail - I'm missing EL, L&HR and CNJ at present. Thanks, John |
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Post by mlehman on Jul 24, 2013 10:23:38 GMT -8
John,
Don't remember exactly where I saw in the last week, but I think the SDP-45s saw some limited freight service on weekends. Obviously, they couldn't get too far astray, needing to be in position on Monday morning. Can't recall the years I saw documented, perhaps later in the 70s? They probably would've been there even sooner, if you can't find documentation of that use that early, but underneath all that grime, maybe SP wasn't desperate enough for motive power to need them on freight right away in the early 70s?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2013 10:57:52 GMT -8
John, Don't remember exactly where I saw in the last week, but I think the SDP-45s saw some limited freight service on weekends. Obviously, they couldn't get too far astray, needing to be in position on Monday morning. Can't recall the years I saw documented, perhaps later in the 70s? They probably would've been there even sooner, if you can't find documentation of that use that early, but underneath all that grime, maybe SP wasn't desperate enough for motive power to need them on freight right away in the early 70s? Great source for photos including walk around and roof. Plus information on assignments, etc.. espee.railfan.net/spsdp45.html |
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Post by GP40P-2 on Jul 24, 2013 11:56:44 GMT -8
<<Don't remember exactly where I saw in the last week, but I think the SDP-45s saw some limited freight service on weekends. Obviously, they couldn't get too far astray, needing to be in position on Monday morning. Can't recall the years I saw documented, perhaps later in the 70s? They probably would've been there even sooner, if you can't find documentation of that use that early, but underneath all that grime, maybe SP wasn't desperate enough for motive power to need them on freight right away in the early 70s?[/quote]
Yes, regular freight excursions on weekends along with the GP40P-2s. Sacramento and Roseville were regulars, and frequently to Reno/Sparks in the early 1980's. I have many old KodaChromes of the "fleet" in Sparks on Saturday afternoon. Not exactly "close" to San Jose for Monday morning, but they did it, showing that SP could still be reliable. I have never been able to determine if waether forecasts played into the decision whether to send them "over the hill" on various weekends.
Jim
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Post by mlehman on Jul 24, 2013 12:28:38 GMT -8
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Post by bnsf971 on Jul 24, 2013 16:33:29 GMT -8
I was an avid reader of many of Arthur C Clarke's sci fi novels as a teen in the 1970's including 2001, Earthlight, Islands in the Sky, etc. But I didn't get to Rendezvous With Rama until a year ago. Somewhere, I have Rama II kicking around. Do you want it, if I can find it? |
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Post by riogrande on Jul 24, 2013 17:08:35 GMT -8
Somewhere, I have Rama II kicking around. Do you want it, if I can find it? I did read the synopsis of Rama II - it wasn't actually written by Clarke, but by a differen't author with permission from Clarke. Thanks for the offer but book on tape or CD is all I have time for during my commute to work. I'm just not reading atm. |
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Post by bnsf971 on Jul 25, 2013 3:39:02 GMT -8
I did read the synopsis of Rama II - it wasn't actually written by Clarke, but by a differen't author with permission from Clarke. Thanks for the offer but book on tape or CD is all I have time for during my commute to work. I'm just not reading atm. Yes, I discovered that after I purchased it. It wasn't what I would consider as good as what Clarke would have written, but not bad. We now return you to your regular thread, already in progress.... |
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Post by mlehman on Jul 26, 2013 7:34:09 GMT -8
Looks like Athearn has now updated their facebook page to reflect omission of the winterization hatch, etc on the GN units. Hopefully that is reassuring to those concerned about the initial issues found with the model.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Jul 26, 2013 9:53:09 GMT -8
So, would the Southern Pacific SDP-45s have been used in freight service in, say, around 1974? Most of the pictures on Fallen Flags show these units in San Francisco commuter service during that period. SP's SDP's were frequently seen back then pulling "The Cement Train". This train ran on Sundays pulling, yes, cement cars. I often saw it coming through Oakland. I wasn't an SP fan, so I rarely shot the locos on trains back then. I couldn't resist, though, when I saw 6 SDP's (more than half the fleet) along with the Bicentennial U25B and (I think) an SD39. If you'll wait a year or so, I'll dig up the negative. And, not being an SP fan, I don't know the route of the train. Others will. Except it certainly included Oakland. Also, somewhere in there the SDP's replaced the Trainmasters in commute service. I do not know whether or not the latter were used in cement service on Sundays. Ed PS: And thank you, Athearn. I will be doing my part to aid in significant sales of these models. |
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Post by trebor on Jul 26, 2013 10:51:51 GMT -8
I always thought it inane that the BB SDP40 was only done in one of the 3 correct schemes. I could not fathom even at age 8 why the simplified EB scheme was not done. I had a BSB SDP40 bought new in the day that was the first BB that was a poopy performer. The motor was over amp and heated and the truck would fall off if the unit was picked up by body.
BTW I hope for a Genisis SDP40 and SDP40F. NdeM green/red has attracted my interest also......
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Post by thb401 on Jul 26, 2013 12:09:54 GMT -8
Since the SDP45 ran on the TH&B and through Bayview Juction on Hurricane Agnes detour trains. I will definatly pick up a couple.
Nice to see a new plastic RTR locomotive!
Bill
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Post by Spikre on Jul 30, 2013 12:42:09 GMT -8
Agnes also had a few trains sent to Montreal,then back down the D&H,posiibly to the West Shore ? as EL in Binghamton and Scranton were mostly out of service for awhle. it was the Best of Times,for off liners,but the worst of Times for the Core of EL. Spikre  |
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Post by Judge Doom on Jul 30, 2013 14:36:47 GMT -8
Since the SDP45 ran on the TH&B and through Bayview Juction on Hurricane Agnes detour trains. I will definatly pick up a couple. Nice to see a new plastic RTR locomotive! Bill One of the few Canadian detours with an EL SDP45 on it: www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=8264. |
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Post by brokenrail on Sept 19, 2013 14:01:21 GMT -8
These will be interesting to research and model in the GN/BN period. Besides the GN scheme(GN #326-333)they were quickly renumbered into BN passenger numbers (BN 9856-9863) in GN paint and then in BN paint. Later they were renumbered into BN freight numbers (BN 6592-6599) thus giving us 4 versions (2 blue, 2 green). There may have been one or more that made it to the BN freight numbers in GN blue but I don't recall seeing a photo of one. And I do know that at least 5 of the 8 were painted green before the renumbering.
On a postive note EL modelers can use the GN SDP45 in BSB on EL layouts if modified to BN passenger numbers and removal of the Great Northern side panel that was mounted on the handrails.
I wonder if Athearn will over the SDP45 in BN colors. They were used in freight service in both the passenger numbers and the freight numbers.
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Post by brokenrail on Sept 19, 2013 14:47:52 GMT -8
I too had a GN SDP40 in BSB and an NYC SDP40 when I was too young to know how odd it was that Athearn made a model of a locomotive that sold exactly 6 copies in the U.S. And now I wonder why they didn't do it in GN orange, BN green, BN Bicentennial (#1976) instead of all those other roadnames. MRL still operates one but I imagine Athearn had lost interest in that model by then.
Regarding HAL and IBM I used the IBM mainframe from a terminal in my school near Poughkeepsie back then. We used APL (A Programming Language) and the mainframe's name was ZOK. Like HAL and IBM, ZOK was one letter ahead of APL.
As far as the GN SDP45 goes the only drawback I see is that it was not used in freight service in the GN numbers. I'll be looking forward to BSB patched units and BN painted units if they come. (I can't imagine Athearn not doing at least the BN freight numbers and paint.)
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Post by detroitterminal on Sept 21, 2013 15:19:05 GMT -8
The photo of Erie Lackawanna detour is also neat in that the first car is a former New York Central boxcar painted with the "Early Bird" logo, plus note the two post-1964 Norfolk and Western boxcars painted in different colors. One is boxcar red, the other is blue.
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