Need help - recently saw an O gauge Union Pacific "Dash 8" diesel set - Powered unit cab #9450 & Non-powered unit cab #9451. Can't seem to find out WHEN these were produced and if there is a Williams product number for each or for the set. They WERE packaged individually and in boxes that are identical to the current Red/Silver/White boxes with a window. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks! Tom candlestick_49@yahoo.com
Dear Tom,
Could they have been Dash 9's?
Powered Dash 9 item #DA9-05 Union Pacific cab # 9449 appeared in W.E.T. catalogs around 2003.
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Joe Satnik
On the boxes does it have Williams or Williams by Bachmann?
That will help date it.
Another thing to consider is that although the engines may be lettered or stencilled for a certain series engine, sometime Williams gets it wrong and makes an engine, in your case a Dash 8, for a railroad that never had a Dash 8.
A case I have noticed is that Williams by Bachmann is currently selling an SD-90 for Norfolk Southern in Heritage Series, and Norfolk Southern never did SD-90's in that lettering. The ones that Norfolk Southern did are SD-70Ace diesels.
Second case I know of is the GP-38's, Williams lettered one for the Reading Lines and Reading never had a GP-38(new or used) in their fleet. GP-35's and GP-39-2's and GP40's.
Lee F.
Dear All,
Looking up the UP diesel roster,
UP 9406-9559 (154 units) GE C41-8W (Dash 8 series) would cover the road numbers 9449,9450, and 9451
which are seen on W.E.T. and WBB C44-9W (Dash 9 series) model locos.
Actual UP road numbers for GE C44-9W (Dash 9 series) locos are 9700-9739 (40 units).
So, Williams put Dash 8 cab numbers on its Dash 9 models, hence the confusion......
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Joe Satnik
Thanks for the info Joe!
Bachmann will probally say it keeps production costs down to use a Dash 8 number on a Dash 9. Just like the GP-39 numbers on a GP-38.
But what about the people out there that are looking for a correctly lettered model of any engine? Not everybody will buy an incorrect roadnumber for an engine.
Lee F.
Back in the Jerry Williams era the numbers were wrong in many cases. The Brass K4s had the Juniata Builder plate with a Baldwin cab number. The Brass J1 Hudson had a J3 number and i'm sure there were more. But remember the numbering system Lionel and American Flyer used were the catalog numbers on the cabs and totally protyiically incorect.