Atlas Trainman Chicago South Shore/SB question

[dekker]

I just saw on ebay an Atlas TM GP38-2 painted in the orange CSS/SB line. It does not say that it is custom painted and it looks factory. Does anyone know if Atlas offers these painted from the factory and if so is the trainman line junk or alright. Thanks!

 

[ICG/SOU]

Atlas did release a South Shore painted GP38-2. Atlas site with Trainman GP38-2. I don't know what you're looking at on e-Bay, though.

I have two Trainmans (BN and SF), and they run very quietly and very well. The BN runs nicely at low speed (just running analog now). The painting is good, but Trainman locos are also in the trainsets, so you'll see slightly thicker handrails, and less fine detail (no windshield wipers, grabirons, and small decals). The BN did not come with white paint on the stair railings like other BN painted locos come.

 

[UP2CSX]

The Trainman line has the same mechanism as the more expensive Silver line Atlas locos but less detail than the Silver line, enabling Atlas to sell them for less. You will see them in train sets as well but they are still a good engine. Adding details isn't hard once you get the hang of using a pin vise with tiny #80 drill bits. I think the Trainman shells even have dimples to show you where to drill for things like grab irons. This is the way we all had to detail plastic engines 30 years ago and I still buy an Athaern RTR occasionaly and detail it myself so I don't forget the art.