What's up with Accurail?

[AggroJones]

Okay. On the Accurail website, they've erased all photos of rolling stock displaying UP decorations and some of the roads UP aquired. Walthers, First Hobby, and 1stplacebobbies (the largest carriers of Accurail that I know of) all seem to have almost no Accurail any more. Very few. Like no more are coming to replace the out of stock kits. Plus my LHS just put all Accurail cars on closeout. What is the reason behind this? I wonder.

Is Accurail going R-T-R? Are they being taken over by Horizon? Wat da dilly-o?

[ericsp]

I sent an e-mail to Accurail in 2003(?) asking when they are going to offer SP Center-flow hoppers. He said that they would probablt no longer make cars decorated for UP or any railroads that drowned in the yellow sea (he was not sure at that time). I was talking to a guy who works at a local hobby shop, he said they could not sell Accurail he had in stock, that is too bad, they are good cars.

I saw no UP Center-flows on Accurail's website, however all of the railroads that UP bought that they offer Center-flows decorated for had pictures.

[ericsp]

UP does not list Accurail as a licensed manufacturer.

[twhite]

Aggro--I think that Bruce put all those Accurail cars on sale because they were a big overstock that he's had for several years--I was hanging around when he got them and it was a deal he got from another hobby shop. He does have a new selection (smaller), and I did find a UP swallow-up (C&NW) boxcar, also a rarity--an SP&S boxcar. If you look at the overstock, it's mostly eastern railroads (and a lot of hopper cars for C&O and Virginian). However, I hope that Accurail hangs around--I really like their cars. For a 'shake the box' car, they're beautifully detailed, especially the wood grain on the outside braced boxcars. About twenty years ago or so, there was another manufacturer called Train-Miniature that put out some really fine, unusual prototype freight cars and they got bought out by Walthers and disappeared (except for some not-so-hot re-pressings in the Train Miniature line). I really hope this doesn't happen to Accurail. But if they decide to do non UP or UP related cars, we can still hope for Santa Fe, Frisco and the Jim Hill trio lines (though I'll miss those neat PFE wood reefers!).
Tom

[Anonymous]

The law of supply and demand being what it is, it sounds like a good opportunity for a new manufacturer to step in and pick up this market share. Someone will fill any voids created by those companies who quit.

Wayne

We now turn the floor over to the UP bashers....

[twhite]

Nah, I'm tired of bashing UP, but I'm going to miss those MOPAC, D&RGW, SP, WP cars if Accurail pulls out--it's going to put a real dent in the market for guys like me who go in heavily for pre-merger (1940-50) rolling stock.
Tom [:(][:(]

[trainboyH16-44]

I really like Accurail, and if a CPR-UP merger ever happened, that would make me so unhappy. The price is right, and theyr'e not hard to build.
Trainboy

[tstage]

I would be very disappointed if Accurail went by the wayside. I very much like their kits and the quality of their product.

Tom

[cacole]

Well, in the April 2005 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman Accurail is advertising some new R-T-R Auto Rack cars, so they are obviously are not going out of business. As others have written, they are probably just no longer decorating anything for UP or the names it has inherited through all of the mergers.

[tstage]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cacole

Well, in the April 2005 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman Accurail is advertising some new R-T-R Auto Rack cars, so they are obviously are not going out of business. As others have written, they are probably just no longer decorating anything for UP or the names it has inherited through all of the mergers.

Well, for all of you into UP, I'm sorry for you. However, I am glad to hear that they will still be in business.

Now, if Accurail would just start building some tankers and gondolas. I've already got a dozen or so of their boxcars and reefers. To me, the wood end boxcars are the best looking ones. They're so...earthy and fronter-ish.

Tom

[trolleyboy]

Hopefully they won't leave the market or go RTR ,so far they have avoided the prebuilt bug.I had heard from one LHS owner that they were talking about possibly selling to Bowser.What would appear to be a defence against the Horizon purchases. Time I suppose will tell. Rob

[Hawks05]

Accurail cannot go out of business. those are the only kits i buy because for a beginner they are really nice looking and very easy to put together.

[BR60103]

My LHS (Toronto area) also has a large Accurail clearance, from the wholesaler, I think.

[AggroJones]

Even if they stay in business, I think they are out of the Union Pacific game. They can avoid paying UP by not using the name. That sucks. I'll keep an eye out for Accurail UP transition era boxcars at shows.

[simon1966]

With the Blue boxes getting harder to find. (I know they are still in production, but every LHS I visit has fewer and fewer of them) with Roundhouse now seemingly becoming an R to R line (see the ad in this months MRR), Accurail has been the last bastion of easy kits that my boys and I like to make together. If starter kits basically fade away, a huge part of the enjoyment of this hobby will vanish for all those too young, or not skilled enough to make complex kits. I really hope that the demise of Accurail is not true.

[Anonymous]

I managed to fight off several bidders on ebay for a trio of PRR Boxcars from Accurail. I think or suspect these cars are becoming rather in demand these last few weeks.

[philnrunt]

Just looked at the Accurail ad, and cacole is right, there are no UP related roads being made. The auto racks are pretty sweet looking, so I would guess, depending on the sales, that there might well be more RTR from them soon.
BTW, these are being marketed under the Accuready brand name.

[AggroJones]

QUOTE: Originally posted by philnrunt

Just looked at the Accurail ad, and cacole is right, there are no UP related roads being made. The auto racks are pretty sweet looking, so I would guess, depending on the sales, that there might well be more RTR from them soon.
BTW, these are being marketed under the Accuready brand name.

Awwwwww. [:(]

[AggroJones]

What we can do is bombard Accurail with emails saying we are willing to pay the extra few cents per car. Just don't stop making UP swallowed fallen flag cars. If enough of us want it, they should comply with Union Pacific.
It sucks we will have to pay a little more, but I rather that than no SP, WP, SSW, D&RGW, and MP cars availible anymore.

Who's with me!? Anyone?

[Anonymous]

As what I have found out by var. people they are retooling there line to be ready to roll ( my thoughts ready to roll higher bills from the pocket ). They are planning to release the Center flow hoppers at a 20 some dollar price tag. I don't know about you but I have put a lot of their kits together and it isn’t worth ten buck to me to have them put these things together. I am really hoping that they will still offer the kits because they are just too easy to build except the autoracks (from what I've heard).

Well I guess we'll see here in the near future what their real plans are. I've called them and they tell me their still in the train making biz. I believe the model companies are just seeing what the top dollar amount we're willing to pay to their stuff is. Athearn has lost my vote; a lot of their new stuff is still worth the kit price to me. They are competing against Kato & P2K prices but are still a LONG ways of getting the accurate and quality of there competitors.

Athearn statement is my opinion sorry if it offends you.

Ross

it isn't R-T-R until it's Kadee'd

[CNJ831]

QUOTE: Originally posted by AggroJones

What we can do is bombard Accurail with emails saying we are willing to pay the extra few cents per car. Just don't stop making UP swallowed fallen flag cars. If enough of us want it, they should comply with Union Pacific.
It sucks we will have to pay a little more, but I rather that than no SP, WP, SSW, D&RGW, and MP cars availible anymore.

Who's with me!? Anyone?

As an Eastern modeler I do not run any notable number of the UP fallen flag Accurail cars on my layout (but plenty others from their line), so in that sense I couldn't care less if UP modelers cared to pay extra for these cars.

However, I am unwilling to pay significantly extra across the board, as would most likely be the business decission, for such Accurail cars just to subsidize royalties for UP. As far as I'm concerned various of the prototype are stepping over the reasonable boundaries in asking for such fees, simply out of greed, and I will gladly go without any such cars, no matter what the roadname.

Likewise, if Ross is correct and Accurail plans to offer their line RTR at $20+, they can keep them all, because at such a figure they would be way overpriced for the quaility of the item. Ah for the days in the hobby before greed ran rampant!

CNJ831

[cacole]

An extra few cents per model? If locomotive and other rolling stock prices are any indication, it's more like $5 added to the cost for UP-related items.

Accurail no doubt realizes that a $5 increase in the cost of their products would drive customers away.

[Jetrock]

Accurail still offers undecorated models, and there are plenty of decals out there for SP, WP, and other UP-gobbled roads...not the easiest solution, but not bad. Grab some Decal Set!

I guess I don't feel so bad about my pile of 20-30 unassembled kits in the garage--I grabbed all the WP and SP stuff I wanted when I could find them on sale a few years ago, Quite a few are actually ones I picked up from Bruce's when they were discounted... it's good to be a model railroader in Sacramento!

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cacole

An extra few cents per model? If locomotive and other rolling stock prices are any indication, it's more like $5 added to the cost for UP-related items.

Accurail no doubt realizes that a $5 increase in the cost of their products would drive customers away.

I think you must be used to $100 locomotives. The Athearn Blue Box kits that are decorated for UP swallowed railroads are 25 cents more.

[RedGrey62]

I think one of the earlier post had a good idea. I emailed Accrail today asking them to reconsider about the (gasp) UP and the absorbed roads. Also to ask them to keep making the kits. I think most would agree that paying half as much for an Accurail kit versus RTR is well worth the cost of the very simple assembly. Intermountain and Red Caboose kits take quite a while and patience, they look great, but I think the Accurail looks great too.

Rick

[dinwitty]

I think its rediculous suddenly the prototype roads suddenly demand trademark rights, never had to in the past, its all about money...

its like putting a patent on drinking water


ossssorry, been done...

its really screwing around with the modeling industry who want to model the UP and the restrictions dissallow them.

phoey.

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jetrock

I grabbed all the WP and SP stuff I wanted when I could find them on sale a few years ago

That must be why I could not find any SD40T-2s at Railroad Hobbies.