I sent a message direct to Channing, will advise if he replies on the status of the project.
Great, thanks.
Anyone know if they manufactured their own motor blocks for the unit?
Here is Channing’s email update to me on the GP60’s. I do believe they made their own truck as it lists the trucks as being diecast metal. None of the Aristo/USA trucks have been this way on the diesels. The side frames on the GP60 are not the exact same as the Blomberg B used on the GP40 and GP38’s we have seen. They are the Blomberg M style with inside brake shoes, exposed rotating roller bearing axle ends along with a few other modifications from the older truck. I emailed him back about making the beacons functional like Rapido is doing in HO scale. There is NO excuse not to make them flash properly in G scale in my opinion. The circuit from Rapido is a whole 25 bucks retail. It would just need a bit larger and brighter LED unit for G scale. Those Rapido circuits actually recreate the Prime Stratolite 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4 rotational flash pattern. I put one in a beacon light on my USA GP38 diesel. Anyhow, here is the email, cut and pasted:
Hi Mike,
We have some of the first batch competed at our factory but haven’t completed the electrical systems for them yet, which has been an ongoing process with our vendors. We hope to get a few production models air mailed to us these coming weeks to examine.
We are going as quick as we can on this.
Thanks,
Channing
Mike, Thanks for posting that response.
Paul A. Torrey said:
Mike, Thanks for posting that response. It looks to me that they are probably 6 months away from full production at this point. Depending on how the electronics are designed and work, they could see several iterations until they get things to work right. I could be wrong but depending on what electronics are still needed, it will probably be a while till they ship these out. A little disappointing. If you reply to Channing tell him it would be good to post some kind of update and timeline to customers so we don’t get too discouraged and rumors don’t start.
And yet here the rumors have been given a stepping off point(they are probably 6 months away from full production), though I’m sure it was unintentional. The simple fact that there is progress being made in a forward direction is never good enough. And most companies have been chastised for guesstamating a projected finished date and having delays beyond their control delay that time. Oh we are a fickle crowd when our hobby interferes with real life.
you’re right, I’ve modified my post.
I remember way back when Bachmann announced the Spectrum GE 8-40C in HO scale with a full page ad in Model Railroader. Then it took over 2 years from that ad to get the model in the hands of modelers and it was underwhelming when it arrived. These same models are seldom seen now as diecast frame was highly prone to zinc pest. Lets hope if and when they project reaches the modeling masses, it has the quality we have seen thus far from Accucraft.