Bachmann - 86052 - Locomotive, Diesel, GE Dash 8 - Conrail - 6059

Specific Item Information: Previously released in 1996 with this stock number and a different road number, and with this road number and stock number 86070.

Model Information: Bachmann introduced this model in 1996 and then revised it in 2003 (8-40CW) and 2004 (8-40C). The models come in two varieties: Dash 8-40C and Dash 8-40CW. The Dash 8-40CW was revised in 2018 and released with DCC & sound.
Original Retail Price of the 2003-04 version: $135
Be careful if you want to acquire one, as the versions are very different. The 8-40C have been re-released in 2004 with the same stock number and same road names & numbers as in 1996; the 8-40CW have re-released in 2003 with different road numbers or with different stock numbers than the 1996 release:

• The main visual difference between the 1996 and 2003-04 versions are the couplers: truck-mounted in 1996 (no pilot), body-mounted in 2004. The handrails are also thinner on the 2003-04 version. The 2004 Dash 8-40C has sun shades that were missing on the 1996 version. Inside, the mechanism is totally different with the 2003-04 version being a much better runner.
  
• The 1996 packaging is a box with foam, a transparent hinged cover with inscription 'On the leading edge of technology, Spectrum, The master Railroader Series from Bachmann', in a white carboard sleeve with a gold tag on it. The handrails came unmounted.
  
• The 2003-04 packing a more modern jewel case box with a plastic cradle, and label on the side.

DCC Information:
1996 version: no DCC support
2003-04 version: DCC Friendly (but not plug-and-play)
2018 version: factory-equipped DCC & Sound (Soundtraxx Econami)

Prototype History: The Dash 8 Series is a line of diesel-electric freight locomotives built by GE Transportation Systems. It replaced the Dash 7 Series in the mid-1980s, and was superseded by the Dash 9 Series in the mid-1990s. All models of the Dash 8 Series are powered by a 16- or 12-cylinder, turbocharged, GE 7FDL 4-stroke diesel engine.

The design of the Dash 8 Series is based upon that of the Dash 7 Series. The biggest changes introduced during the production of the Dash 8 Series were the first use of a microprocessor-equipped engine control unit in a diesel locomotive, and the adoption of a modular system in the construction of the vehicle body. The Dash 8 locomotive bodies were assembled from several modules, creating a combination to fit the length of the chassis. On models with a traditional narrow short hood, the part of the equipment room immediately behind the cab is taller than the top of the rounded cab roof, giving those models a distinctive appearance. On all models, that part of the equipment room houses the cooling fans for the dynamic braking system. Traction motors of Dash 8 locomotives were powered by direct current.

The "W" suffix used for some models indicates the then-optional wide-nose "North American" safety cab.
The GE Dash 8-32BHW (or Dash 8-32BWH) is a variant built with Head End Power (HEP) and a wide cab for Amtrak service.

From Wikipedia
More on Dash 8-32B on American-Rails.com

Road Name History: The Consolidated Rail Corporation, commonly known as Conrail (reporting mark CR), was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeast U.S. between 1976 and 1999. Conrail is a portmanteau of "consolidated" and "rail" from the name of the company.

The U.S. federal government created Conrail to take over the potentially profitable lines of multiple bankrupt carriers, including the Penn Central Transportation Company and Erie Lackawanna Railway. With the benefit of industry-wide regulatory requirements being reduced (via the 4R Act and the Staggers Act), Conrail began to turn a profit in the 1980s and was turned over to private investors in 1987. The two remaining Class I railroads in the East, CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), agreed in 1997 to split the system approximately equally, returning rail freight competition to the Northeast by essentially undoing the 1968 merger of the Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central Railroad that created Penn Central. Following Surface Transportation Board approval, CSX and NS took control in August 1998, and on June 1, 1999, began operating their portions of Conrail.

Brand/Importer Information: Bachmann Industries (Bachmann Brothers, Inc.) is a Bermuda registered Chinese owned company, globally headquartered in Hong Kong; specializing in model railroading.

Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the home of its North American headquarters, Bachmann is today part of the Kader group, who model products are made at a Chinese Government joint-venture plant in Dongguan, China. Bachmann's brand is the largest seller, in terms of volume, of model trains in the world. Bachmann primarily specializes in entry level train sets, and premium offerings in many scales. The Spectrum line is the high quality, model railroad product line, offered in N, HO, Large Scale, On30, and Williams O gauge all aimed for the hobbyist market. Bachmann is the producer of the famous railroad village product line known as "Plasticville." The turnover for Bachmann model trains for the year ended 31 December 2006 was approximately $46.87 million, a slight increase of 3.36% as compared to 2005.