MTH E8's have arrived at MrMuffin'sTrains - these look good!

If I could two rail them easily, I'd order a set!

Hmmm Erie? Southern??? (Amtrak!! )

I just picked up the Southern version. This is the first time that MTH added ditch lights to their E8's! I now own 5 of the Southern E8 engines. I will be running them in a lash-up (multi unit consist). Video to come.........Rogerw.

Never saw a Erie passenger engine with ditch lights. Got to pass..maybe next time....why do they do stuff like that.

John,  I can't speak for the Erie engine, but the Southern engine definitely has ditch lights. The Southern engine is housed at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer NC.........rogerw.

Here is a picture of the Southern E8 in Spencer NC.........rogerw.

I attached the wrong picture (engine 2919). The 6900 is the one with the ditch lights.......rogerw.

Are the A units available w/out motors but with basic lighting and smoke?

Am not familiar with the catalog that there are from...

john f penca jr posted:

Never saw a Erie passenger engine with ditch lights. Got to pass..maybe next time....why do they do stuff like that.

The Erie 833 at the "Streamliner Event" here at NCTM.

On  the prototypical E8s/E9s the ditch-lights are easily added and/or removed.

Ron

c.sam posted:

Are the A units available w/out motors but with basic lighting and smoke?

Am not familiar with the catalog that there are from...

Sam, to the best of my knowledge the now production Cab A-units (E's and F's) Non-Powered have some lighting and that IS it.  They have "operating couplers NOT Proto-Couplers on "front."

Ron

What are the two protrusions with a hole in them on the nose of all but the Wabash unit?  Picture of the real Southern 6900 does not have them!

I was all set to order a set but do not like the protrusion.

Also, I do not think MTH is offering an unpowered A unit for any of the road names.

Don

Also, I do not think MTH is offering an unpowered A unit for any of the road names.

Don

That is correct - no non-powered A's..... So far we have sold the most in Southern....

Engineer-Joe posted:

If I could two rail them easily, I'd order a set!

Hmmm Erie? Southern??? (Amtrak!! )

Joe, 

I talked with mike the last time he was at trainstock, they would have to make a new set of molds to get the "fixed" pilot in front of the trucks. Mike has changed the front of these old weaver molds to get the second headlight in the nose door and he said that was not "cheap", also has to design new trucks to make them 3/2 compatible.

I wonder if he could do what atlas did with there F3 A units in 3 rail, in every powered version atlas added a "fixed pilot". You just unscrewed the front pilot from the truck and screwed the fixed to the chassis, it also came with 2 rail couplers.

Recently rode the Crescent from VA to GA.  Not the same engine of course but it's tempting...

"Southern Serves the South"

Thanks for the nice picture. My point was the original units did not have ditch lights period. Why the wabash managed to escape the wild imaginations of product planners will be a great mystery ! thats all !!  IMHO the worst thing ever to ruin the appearance of any locomotive has been those awfull lights. having said that i feel much better. conrail john

I just picked up the Southern version. This is the first time that MTH added ditch lights to their E8's! 
I now own 5 of the Southern E8 engines. I will be running them in a lash-up (multi unit consist). 
Video to come.........Rogerw.

UH that's not correct. MTH placed Ditch lights back in 2011 for the PRR E8's,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyK7IKjX9Js

Ditch lights were on the Conrail e8 for the  OCS set as well.

john f penca jr posted:

Never saw a Erie passenger engine with ditch lights. Got to pass..maybe next time....why do they do stuff like that.

I would have to agree but I don't know if they were advertised as contemporary engines used today that require ditch lights. If that was not the case, MTH should have made them as built without ditch lights. 

To correct a post that I made about MTH E8 engines. I didn't know that there were ditch lights on Pennsylvania and Conrail E8 engines because I don't model those railroads.This is the first Southern set that has ditch lights and I own every Southern E8 set that MTH has made. I think that MTH was trying to recreate the engines that were displayed at the Streamliners at Spencer show that was held June 1st, 2014. Most of the engines that were in excursion service had ditch lights added on them. On the Southern engine it doesn't have Passenger station sounds. It has someone narrating the history of the Southern E8 6900 engine. I'm going to change the sound files(if I can) to the sound files that is on the 2010 version of the Southern E8. Also the ditch lights are MUCH brighter that the ditch lights on my NS Heritage engines.....................rogerw.

DGJONES posted:

What are the two protrusions with a hole in them on the nose of all but the Wabash unit?  Picture of the real Southern 6900 does not have them!

I was all set to order a set but do not like the protrusion.

Also, I do not think MTH is offering an unpowered A unit for any of the road names.

Don

They are "lift rings".  Some RR's had them, some did not.

Dominic Mazoch posted:

DGJONES posted:

What are the two protrusions with a hole in them on the nose of all but the Wabash unit?  Picture of the real Southern 6900 does not have them!

I was all set to order a set but do not like the protrusion.

Also, I do not think MTH is offering an unpowered A unit for any of the road names.

Don

They are "lift rings".  Some RR's had them, some did not.

Thank you Dominic for the response.  I do not think I would ever be able to get over the unsightly lift rings hanging off the front of a beautiful Southern engine.  Those and Roger's revelation that they do not have passenger announcements will keep me from purchasing a set of the Southerns.

Another time when I am glad I did not preorder and waited to see the finished product.

Happy railroading,

Don

Don

Hello Don, You can go to MTH's website and look up the Southern E8 engine (20-20619-1). If you click on the Support tab, you will see the MP3 tab in purple. Click on the MP3 tab, you can hear the actual announcements for the engine..................rogerw.