SP 4-8-4

[ACY]

I am pretty sure I saw it first appear in the 2003 catalog. If this is the case then the first run would have had the older mechanism. The item number did not change as far as I could tell either.

[spookshow]

I am pretty sure I saw it first appear in the 2003 catalog. If this is the case then the first run would have had the older mechanism. The item number did not change as far as I could tell either.

Not necessarily. Stuff often appears in catalogs prior to its actual release. Also, that 2004 date is just an approximation on my part. Bachmann rarely (if ever) announces changes to their pre-existing models, so I usually just have to guess on the dates.

I think the main clue is the Vandy tender. Apart from the special "UP Overland" version, that tender was never an option on the older Northerns. So, I think it's safe to say that any SP Northern with a Vandy tender is going to have the latest mechanism.

Cheers,
-Mark