Looking for most modern diesels

[Orange Irish]

I know it's not popular, but I'm looking for the most modern diesel locos on the market (I have a few steamers for when I want nostalgia). I model HO scale, and am hoping to find a GE ES44/40 series for each of the big four roadnames (CSX, NS, BNSF, UP) with DCC and sound.

Am I correct that the GE Evolution series diesels are the most current? If so, what companies carry those models? All I have seen are versions from Intermountain. While they look very good I was hoping to get feedback on Intermountain's quality and rep, and wondering if there are any models offered from Atlas, Athearn, BLI, etc. Also, can I just email these companies to find out release dates and such, or is there a better way?

Thanks for any knowledge, I'm still a novice.

[akretowicz]

Try looking up Tower 55 locomotives. I believe they are a division of Overland Models.

[PaulB]

Here's two wiki pages listing EMD and GE locos. You can look at production dates to figure out what is newest. In summary, GE 'gevo' locos are still inproduction and EMD SD70's (ACE, ACS and M-2) are still in production. There are some rebuilds around too which would count as latest locomotives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GM-EMD_locomotives

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GE_locomotives

[D&J RailRoad]

Actually, Tower 55 molds were sold to Athearn several years ago. OMI is no longer involved with Tower 55.

[Selector]

Athearn Genesis brand, Mike's Train House, Broadway Limited Imports, and Atlas are the four most popular 'non-brass' importers of modern diesels. You are sure to find all sorts of examples of modern diesels if you go to the e-tailers that market examples of their products.

[ThoroughBreed]

Tower55 is now defunct, you can still find some T55 es44's on ebay.
Athearn Genesis produces the SD70 series, all the way from the original spartan cabs to the current sd70aces. They also have produced the SD50/60's and GP40-60's.
Kato produces the sd70macs, sd80macs, and re-releasing the sd90macs.
MTH produces the sd70aces and m-2's.
Intermountain is producing the current GE GEVO's, ES44's, and the new NS heritage schemes soon, hopefully lol.
P2K is putting out SD60's, GP40-60.
Broadway Limited has been releasing the GE AC6000.

[Orange Irish]

Thanks everyone! Looks like Athearn has a full selection in SD70s, but no ES44s. Intermountain has a full selection of ES44s. MTH has some SD70s, Atlas doesn't have what I want, and BLI's AC6000s are just barely out of date.

I know this can be subjective, but should I have more confidence in Athearn or Intermountain?

[NYSW F45]

If you want an SD70ACE get the Athearn, for the ES44, get the Intermountain.

[Orange Irish]

I just got done reading the LOOONG thread in "Wanted to buy/sell" about the ES44s and SD70s. I was wondering if anyone found a significant difference in performance between the Athearns and IMs. I can live with cosmetic stuff but is the motor, traction, and overall operating quality very different between the two?

[tootnkumin]

As to your question about finding out release dates or what they might have 'on the drawing board', you will have to wait till the various manufacturers decide it's time to let us know.

Performance/reliability differences between makers in the same price/detail bracket? I can't see or tell any great differences. If you're picking 'tween Genesis and IM or BLI Paragon 2. I've recently received a ES44AC and a AC6000 (waiting on SD70Ace). So far I'm only running on DC (also waiting on NCE starter pack), but the BLI has much better sound than the Tsunami in the IM (quite noticable) and powers up from rest better as well. I expect this will change with DCC when I can do some decoder "tuning", and I'll then also be able to speed match them for running in consist. (which I love to do). It will probably be easier to do this consisting, combining the IM and Genesis as they both use Tsunami decoders.

Are you very wealthy? There is a guy that contributes to MR mag (Pele Soeberg) that models modern day UP (in Europe) who not long ago, because UP withdrew some of it's newish locos long before their 'use by date', also withdrew them from his layout roster in order to keep up to date with the prototype. Nice if you can do that.