The latest Premier locomotive from Atlas has hit the shelves! The P42 Genesis locomotive was developed from a previous MTH tooling that Atlas O acquired during the MTH tooling sale three or so years ago.
This O gauge Premier line model sports some great Amtrak paint schemes
The P42 was expected to be announced in Atlas O’s Winter 2021-22 catalog, since Amtrak had just announced a handful of heritage paint schemes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Amtrak in 2021. Any product produced by Atlas O under the “Premier” line is ex-MTH tooling and when this item is a locomotive it can be expected it will feature MTH’s DCS command technology. If an item is a tooling Atlas O developed, it will be cataloged as a Master or Trainman line product.
The Genesis series was developed by General Electric in the early 1990s and built between 1992 and 2001. The design established a locomotive that was over a foot shorter than its predecessor, the F40PH. This reduction in height allowed the Genesis to travel easily through the shorter tunnels found along the east coast routes. With the newer design came an increase in overall efficiency. The Genesis series was 22% more fuel efficient than the F40PH and overtime Amtrak made adjustments to the design to make it easier to maintain, including easily replaceable nose cones in the event of a front collision. The P42 produces an output of over 4,200 horsepower and can travel up to 110 MPH.
Atlas O added a few new details to the older MTH design, including more roof line detailing and PTC antennas. The models feature a metal chassis with a plastic molded body. There are separately applied details including a metal horn and handrails, free spinning roof vent fans, see-through metal side grills, and a detachable snow plow. Atlas O includes two painted crew figures in the cab. As expected with an Atlas O model, Kadee mounting pads are included. The DCS system includes an onboard DCC decoder and the system runs on scale 1:48 speed steps.
The models are powered by two motors, one per truck. The inner axle on each truck has traction tires and each truck features two pickup rollers. A single speaker is housed inside the ABS body. The lighting is all LED to minimize the amperage draw from your transformer. The also have protocouplers on the front and rear of the locomotive. These models come in at 18 ½ inches in length and with 2-axle trucks, these can run on O-31 curves and weigh in at 4 lbs 14 oz.
One of the surprises upon delivery of these P42’s s was the PFA sequences included. Atlas took theme models a step further by including specific routes on each variation they released. Upon writing this article, only five of the seven P42’s have arrived from Atlas O and of those number 175 features the sounds of “The Crescent,” number 173 features train 43 “The Pennsylvanian,” number 100 features train 350 “The Wolverine,” number 108 features “The Pennsylvanian,” number 203 features “The Wolverine.” The doors are molded into the body and do not open however they do feature plastic windows. A fan driven smoke unit functions as the exhaust for the diesel prime mover and fluid can be easily added directly down the stack. The decals are crisp and each model features a builders plate from GE. The paint looks nice, however, some of the lines between colors isn’t as seamless as expected.
Atlas’s version of the P42 was offered in a variety of heritage paint schemes and in 2-rail and 3-rail options. The Midnight scheme, which stands out as not being a traditional heritage scheme was designed by Amtrak to celebrate their employees.
Atlas O also announced a “special” release in March of 2022 after Amtrak unveiled their Operation Lifesaver P42. Atlas’s version (SKU: 30138137) offers this unique crossing sign paint scheme with cab number 203. Atlas also cataloged Amfleet passenger cars along with these P42s.
Premier P42 Genesis by Atlas O
MSRP: $619.95
Roadnames: Number 161 in a Phase I scheme (30138040), number 160 in a Dash 8 Phase III scheme (30128041), number 46 in a Phase V scheme (30138042), number 108 in a Phase VI scheme (30138043), numbers 173 and 175 in a traditional Phase V scheme (30138045 & 30138046), and number 100 in a Midnight Blue Scheme (SKU: 30138044), Operation Lifesaver (30138137).
Website: shop.atlasrr.com
Get more O gauge action on the Chris’s Trains & Things channel on YouTube.
