AMT multilevels and ALP45DP from Atlas!

Atlas must be happy with the pre orders for the NJT models,to announce the AMT models.
Innotrains is an European based trade show,the ALDP-45's were built in Germany by BBD,
but were considered to HEAVY to run on DB rails.
Strange that both couplers were bagged at that show.

I wouldn't practice it on one of these cars, but it begs the question of experimentally masking and spraying Alclad on a decorated car. I'd be nervous because you have to get full coverage of a gloss grey before spraying the metallic finish, which would mean at least 3 full layers of paint on the body.

Kinda wishing I could have gone to Amherst...nobody mentioned these on the Atlas rescue forum list of show announcements.

Well, these arrived this week. I had order a loco, two coaches, and a cab car. I opted not to go with the package set because a) I wanted different road numbers than the set, and b) I didn't want a huge, unwieldy package box for the whole thing - I'd rather have each component in boxes I can store more easily when necessary.

I have to say, my thoughts so far are very positive. The ALP45DP is gorgeous - the paint is crisp and all the little markings are there, the tooling is solid, and the detail is mostly pretty impressive. There are a few things, like some of the underbody detail and the pantographs, that are exceptionally well done. Some other areas leave more to be desired (the scant pilot details, the moulded rad fans). The grab irons being left off the nose is still a disappointment, but the template seems really easy to use and the grabs are all appropriately coloured plastic with bolt-head detail included, so I think they should look good when applied.

I got the silent version (I've been trying to focus on sound for only my main interests - this is more of a side-one) so I can't comment on that aspect, though I'm sure it's supurb (it is ESU afterall). The lighting though looks good, it runs like silk in DC, and it feels like a brick - I only have 3 coaches, but I'm sure it could handle an 8 or 10 car train with no issues.

Now on to the MLVs themselves - they, like the loco, are really beautiful models overall. They roll incredibly well, the tooling is crisp, and the paint is very nice. Yes, the silver is a poor excuse for the real stainless look, but they do look really nice in person. The interior lighting is also quite nice, not too bright at all.

My only qualms with the cars, besides the silver paint, are:
-Interiors in beige, not painted (this can be remedied)
-gaping space between cars - no doubt to allow tight radius curve operation (may also be remedied with different couplers)
-underwhelming end detail
-A little on the light side
-The AMT versions have the incorrect NJT-style step trap details on the vestibule doors. AMT has these as full height doors with fixed steps inside for low-level platforms. Not sure if this is something that can be fixed without mismatched paint touch-ups.

But over all, there are lots and lots of positives. The cab car is especially nice - the lighting (headlights, ditch lights, and marker lights) are directional in DC, and just stay on fully in DCC unless you add a decoder. This is such a nice thing to have, as anyone trying to modify the Athearn bilevels for lighting knows.

Though they didn't do the proper AMT doors, one thing they did do was install the proper dual-horns on the cab of the locomotive (AMT has two sets on all equipment for redundancy, so they can avoid the requirement to do horn tests in residential areas before starting their morning runs). At first I was disappointed to see that they only put a single set on the cab car, but then I discovered that they in fact included the second K5LA in the box, so you can add it yourself.

So, all in all, I'm really happy with these. They have little issues and I feel like Atlas could have done slightly better, but they seem robust, they run beautifully, and it's still amazing to have models of this modern commuter equipment at all.

I'll take and post some pictures once I have a chance to make a few adjustments (mainly adding the grabs on the front end of the loco).

Timberley,Your review jives with Amtrak 207's review,try using short shank couplers to tighten up the spacing between cars if
the layout you run on is 22' radius or more on the curves,if the intention is to run as push-pull,replace the "B" end couplers
with KD-118's to keep from couplers "overriding" each other in "push mode"

If memory serves,just about everything is done in in both langauges in Canada,including the "Environment Canada" weather radio!