N&W Green Machines: Update

Over on the Atlas Rescue Forums a member says he spoke with Athearn representatives while attending the Milwaukee Train Show.  He reports that Athearn does plan on doing the N&W green patched units in a future production run.

So if this is true, it just becomes a question for N&W modelers of "how bad do you want them?".  Wait for October/November" 2016 buy the IT units and patch them yourself (not too difficult of a project), or wait until 2017 and beyond for when Athearn feels like doing a 2nd run of the SD-39 (probably also for the Santa Fe modelers dying for the "Blue Bonnet" paint scheme) and not lift a finger for a true RTR model of these green units.

I personally think turning a couple of the IT units into the faded and patched version would make for an interesting project.  We'll see where my interests or needs lie a year from now, I am modeling the 1950's after all and that "should" be my first priority.

N&W SD-39 2962 switching the Saginaw Mine at St. Clairsville, OH, March 23, 1982

On a side note another Atlas Rescue member who is also excited for this release, said he actually photographed the green SD-39's when they ran around Dillonvale.  He also called them the "Green Weenies". What!?  Not a nickname I would've expected at all!