As many of you know, Athearn accidentally "announced" SD70ACU's from someone leaking a magazine photo. After a bit of searching, I found the link for these locos.
http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=ATHG+SD70ACU&CatID=THLD
I don't know about others, but $340 is too high for a loco with Tsunami 2 IMO.
Well, that's most likely MSRP. The discount places will probably have them for 10-20% less. You just have to determine what you are willing to pay for one. Everyone has their own price threshold and budget.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Strikes me as odd that they have two of the CPR military units, but not all of them.
At least that's what I'm assuming from the numbers listed.
Their pricing translates into $90 for the decoder and install, which doesn't seem extortionate to me. The question is then whether the DC-only (presumably "DCC ready" with some kind of light board) 'base unit' is worth $250 MSRP.
I'd suspect very few will have to pay full price for many of the variants...
Funny how I just mentioned those engines in other thread of wish to be built. Judging by Trainworld price on SD90mac ($212)....I suspect that to be in the ballpark for a DC version of the SD70acu. I usually buy at least a pair. Decision time will come when they are ready to be purchased. Since I have six Kato NS SD80mac locomotives sitting brand new in the box on the shelf for years, additional purchases of $400-$500 will require careful consideration at that time.
NittanyLion Strikes me as odd that they have two of the CPR military units, but not all of them. At least that's what I'm assuming from the numbers listed.
Cause they will spread them out over time not hard to figure out.
denveroutlaws06 NittanyLion Strikes me as odd that they have two of the CPR military units, but not all of them. At least that's what I'm assuming from the numbers listed. Cause they will spread them out over time not hard to figure out.
Not really. There's not much incentive to do it that way. Commemorative schemes make more sense to release at once because there's less staying power before the novelty wears off. People fell all over themselves to get NS ones and now you can pick them up at a discount. Besides, no one that did the NS ones put out a couple at a time and there were six times as many special schemes for NS heritage versus the CP military. Athearn dropped all of the Amtrak heritage schemes at once too and there were six units there.
I guarantee that whoever runs the CN heritage units will have all 18 available at the same time.
NittanyLionI guarantee that whoever runs the CN heritage units will have all 18 available at the same time.
If they even make both types of units, as the CN schemes are showing up on both SD70M-2 and ET44AC units so far.
There are existing manufacturers out there making both of these units, so the tooling is right there ready to go (vs. the SD70ACU which is a new model), although I'm not sure any single manufacturer currently makes BOTH of those units.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
NittanyLion well your wrong since someone at Athearn seems to think differently " they are being spread out several releases so that people can buy them in phases instead of having to pony up all at once" Janek B
[Other forum link deleted by moderator]
Semi-related to the topic, kind of ironic that as soon as the official Athearn announcement hits, 43 ACU's will be gone from NS. They just put the 2017 rebuilds up for sale.
NS6770fanSemi-related to the topic, kind of ironic that as soon as the official Athearn announcement hits, 43 ACU's will be gone from NS.
I have the SD90 in DC and it is a great model. So I would assume this will be too and hats off to Athearn for still offering these things sans decoder for the likes of me.