Athearn says no gyra lights - too expensive to tool allegedly. If you are interested, email Athearn at help@Athearn.com and express your opinion. As it is they are offering the same diesel as before with four new road numbers, no apparent changes to the model.
It might as well be nothing: We have 3 runs already from Athearn and a run from Proto 2000. At this point I have 3 SD50's from Athearn so if they did nothing, I wouldn't mind too much because I don't want to add to my backlog of twenty something diesels to hack and equip with gyra lights. If athearn did offer it, I'd feel compelled to buy most or all available new numbers.
I see your point. However, how many "rivet" counters are really out there? If you gave a casual tour of the home layout, how many would poop their pants because a group of D&RGW SD50s didn't have the correct nose light? There is a huge shift into proto-typical and even post dating material... look around the internet at all the individuals painting AC4400 and SD70s for D&RGW. Even Athearn is trying to jump on that band wagon. But the email campaigns I have seen on the Yahoo list and the bickering here will just backfire in my mind. I would rather Athearn at least make "something" than nothing. But I gave up on rivet counting when I switched from modeling HOn3 Durango to standard gauge. Too much anxiety. I do want them to return the 4 stripe F3 and F7s, but whatever. Josh
I'm not worried about rivit counters, but rather pleasing myself. These aren't rivits, they are a signature feature of most of the Rio Grande road units. I am not much into rivit counting but seems its a favorite flag for people to wave around in this hobby. Regardless, Athearn has responded and said tooling costs would be too much to add the nose light. With that I'm probably going to pass this by. I have 3 SD50's already and proportional to the tunnel motors, I probably have enough now. We'll see. I'm going to aim my hobby money at other items for now.
