Consolidation

Aristo has announced a Consolidation style loco, will arrive sometime late 2008 or early 2009, now early 2010.

Here is a prototype picture, notice the blind driver, they will supposedly come with blind drivers, and flanged drivers will be available.

According to Lewis (and we need to understand this is preliminary information), the center 2 drivers will be blind, but (from Lewis) " but we will deliver extra flanged drivers at the time of delivery of the loco if anyone wants to change. They will not be free, but it will be an easy upgrade."

The Aristo socket will be in the tender, so no extra wire for the sound board from the loco to the tender. 

Here's B&O 2527 (from the North East Rails Steam Roster, http://www.northeast.railfan.net) that seems to be pretty darn close: