GE 44 tonner

[bapguy]

 Hey Mr. Bach-man, any word on when the HO GE44 tonner with sound will be here?

[Yard Master]

Hi bapguy,

The DCC Sound GE 44 Ton switcher is scheduled to ship early next year. We have had to push back the arrival a few times due to lots of development and technical changes to fit a sound decoder and speaker into such a small locomotive. But trust us, it will be worth the wait!

[Ralph S]

That's great, but what really is on most hobbyist minds is will Bachmann bring back this workhorse switcher in DCC (sound or no sound, doesn't matter to me)? 
I believe this model is at least 30 years old, still runs on my layout and can pull 4 weighted cars with no effort.  Moving more than that does cause wheel slippage prior to moving.
If it is going to be made available in DCC in the near future, I won't try to modify my baby from DC to DCC.  Which by the way, has been done.