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What engine would you like to see

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Posted by Darth Santa Fe on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 9:06 PM

CTValleyRR
I play this game in reverse with LifeLike.  I e-mail them and ask them to run a Proto1000 DL-109 in New Haven livery (funny thing, even though 90% of the DL-109s purchased were bought by the NH, LifeLike never ran this paint scheme).  They always reply, "Thank you for the suggestion, but we currently have no plans to do this."

The first run of DL-109s actually were available in New Haven. I don't think it was any rarer than the other first run paint schemes, but it was the most sought after, and became rare almost instantly. I wanted one, but they were gone by then, and I had to settle for Milwaukee (which is still a cool paint scheme on this engine Big Smile). I remember them going for around $100 on eBay after less than a year, and haven't seen one since.

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Posted by danmerkel on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 9:26 PM

twhite

Okay, I'll go with some articulateds (you knew I would, didn't you?Tongue) either a Missabe M3/4, a B&O Em-1 or an SP AC-9 2-8-8-4 (or all three), and one of the handsome Z-class Challengers used by the NP or SP&S.  Z-6, 7, or 8, I'm not picky. 

Tom Big Smile

I'll agree with Tom on this portion of his post.  I'd like to see a nice EM-1 put out by one of the "high end" plastic manufacturers.  While there are an abundance of articulateds, the 2-8-8-4 seems to have been forgotten except for those that run backwards.Clown

Besides, on another thread a while back, someone stated that the mechanism of an EM-1 was virtually the same as one of the EsPee engines.  So a manufacturer making one of those could get a "two-fer" with a different boiler, cab, tender & details.  The mechanism would be reusable/interchangeable.

dlm

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Posted by CTValleyRR on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 9:40 PM

Darth Santa Fe
The first run of DL-109s actually were available in New Haven. I

Must have been a VERY long time ago.  I've been back over 8 years of Walthers catalogs and I don't see it.  Their customer service folks don't seem to remember it either!

Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford

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Posted by ckape on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 10:22 PM

 CNW SD9m or MILW SD10 low-nose conversions, in DME paint

 

MLW M630, in Minnesota Commercial paint

 

Some of those 8-axle Brazilian diesels would be cool, but I'm not sure I'd be able to justify buying them.

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Posted by Darth Santa Fe on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 10:28 PM

CTValleyRR
Darth Santa Fe
The first run of DL-109s actually were available in New Haven. I

Must have been a VERY long time ago.  I've been back over 8 years of Walthers catalogs and I don't see it.  Their customer service folks don't seem to remember it either!

They actually did. There are a couple pictures at the bottom of this page: http://www.trainweb.org/csg/proos/NHDL109.html

I'd forgotten that the second run had the NH orange and black, so there were 2 runs of NH DL-109s.

And here's the original ad from the January '03 MR:

(am I allowed to show that?)

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Posted by nw_fan on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 10:55 PM

 Norfolk & Western  K-1  4-8-2

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Posted by Packer on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 11:20 PM

An Alco C636. Bowser/Stewart probably has the best shot at doing this, since they have a C630 with the high-ad trucks.

Vincent

Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....

2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.

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Posted by Trace Fork on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 3:17 AM

nyflyer

Lets dream for a second.  BLI, Athearns, Atlas, Bowser, Proto 2000, etc. etc. etc. just called you on the phone.  They need you to tell them what new engine you would like to see them make.  You can only choose one and it can't already be offered by another manufacturer, unless it is brass, cause lets face it very few of us can afford brass engines anyway.  Other than that any thing else goes.

There is a great need for higher quality, smaller steam locomotives.  If I am restricted to but one recommendation (sigh of discontent), I would opt for the Southern Pacific C-9 2-8-0 Consolidation.  There were hundreds of these things, and they were the bread & butter of SP's freight operations. There was nowhere one could go on the entire SP system without seeing one.  They are a much needed locomotive, and I don't even model the SP.

After that, if said company wanted to expand their product line, they could use much of the C-9 tooling to make consolidations for other Harriman roads, most notably UP.

I REALLY FEEL MUCH BETTER, NOW THAT I'VE GIVEN UP ALL HOPE
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Posted by nik .n on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 9:17 AM

 Baldwin Centapede, Sharknose, PRR S2 class steam turbine, 2-8-2 camelback in D,L,&W made by the baldwin scranton shops,  ALCo PA in southren with sound, and a Virginian 2-10-10-2 Mallet. 

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Posted by blownout cylinder on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 10:05 AM

andrechapelon

Now that I saw this, I can see why one would want one---can I add my name to the list? I'd like one too.Tongue

Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry

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Posted by andrechapelon on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 11:19 AM

blownout cylinder

andrechapelon

Now that I saw this, I can see why one would want one---can I add my name to the list? I'd like one too.Tongue

I forgot to mention that these are 42" gauge locomotives and would need to be made in S scale to run on HO track and to be compatible with other items procured from New Zealand. You can buy a kit for it.

Andre 

 

It's really kind of hard to support your local hobby shop when the nearest hobby shop that's worth the name is a 150 mile roundtrip.
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Posted by potlatcher on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 12:47 PM

There have been similar topics posted on this forum for many years now, and to a couple of the earlier ones I have replied with my desire to see a decent HH-660 produced in plastic.  At the time, my only other options were brass and an obscure resin kit based on the P2K S-1.  In fact, I had asked the P2K representative at the Seattle NTS back in 2004 about them producing any of the earlier Alco "High Hoods".  He told me that since there were way too many prototype variations and too few railroad that owned them, there was no way P2K would be willing to produce them.  I felt his reasons were bogus, but there was no sense in arguing with the guy.  I just went back to hoping and posting on this forum.

To make a long story short, just last week, my new Atlas HH-660 finally showed up in the mail!!!!  I had to settle for a decorated model (EJ&E - they only had HH-600s, but they are identical to the 660), and one day I will strip the lettering, paint a broad red stripe across the hood, and apply new lettering to match my desired prototype (WI&M #66).  But until then, I'm just enjoying watching it run on the layout in its current paint.  The details are well executed, and the handrails are as close to exact scale as you can get.  My only complaints are first, that Atlas wasn't able to do a sound version for the initial release (when they do release the sound version, I will probably pick one of those up too), and second that although the DC model has an 8-pin plug for a DCC decoder, it is located in a position where only a decoder with the plug on a short wiring harness will fit, and the one I need (Digitrax DZ125-PS) is on backorder at Tony's Train Exchange, so it may be several weeks before I can run it with my DCC system.

Anyway, my point is that dreams do come true (sounds like an ad for Disneyland), so keep on wishing and one day your desired locomotive may actually hit the market.

Tom

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Posted by BerkshireSteam on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 1:45 PM

Pretty much any Alco in N scale. I remember seeing a C420 (maybe 430) and a C636 but that's it. Would love to have an S6 in GB&W paint to match the one that National Rail Road Museum uses. I rode in it and it left a friggen huge impression. My other wish list would have a contents matching the locomotive rost of the NRRM so I could model it.

Oh, and an older trackmobile. NRRM has one that's got to be from the 70's and it just looks slick. Lot more curvey than modern tracks. And a Shay. And there was a stem loco that had the cylinders mounted vertically just in front of the cab. NRRM has one. It would not fit my diesel era, but I'd have it on display somewhere on the layout.

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Posted by ALCOS4EVER on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 1:47 PM

     I would love to see anyone (preferably Bachmann with DCC On Board) do a NYS&W Alco Century 430. It has been done in brass and metal kit form.

"I've spent most of my money and time on trains, the rest I've just wasted."Geeked

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Posted by TBat55 on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 1:54 PM

I'd like to see a 2-truck Shea that's DCC equipped.

Terry

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Posted by Britek on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 3:09 PM

 I would love to see a BN B30-7A cabless unit.  BN has a ton of these locos and no one seems to have one.  Seems easy enough to kitbash one...but I just don't have the time.

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Posted by Autobus Prime on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 3:29 PM

Folks:

I would like to see any modestly sized steam from before the superpower era that isn't USRA.  USRA locos are great; they look really nice, but I think the manufacturers, in trying to treat steam like mass-produced diesels, are missing a major point.  Steam varied a lot.  There is no reason for anybody to get bored with steam.

A lot of the prototypes selected by New One for their crumblebuggies would be great to see again in better form.  Another nice idea would be a small low-driver logging 2-6-2, such as a lot of shortlines used up until the end of steam.

 Currently president of: a slowly upgrading trainset fleet o'doom.
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Posted by blownout cylinder on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 4:40 PM

andrechapelon

blownout cylinder

andrechapelon

Now that I saw this, I can see why one would want one---can I add my name to the list? I'd like one too.Tongue

I forgot to mention that these are 42" gauge locomotives and would need to be made in S scale to run on HO track and to be compatible with other items procured from New Zealand. You can buy a kit for it.

Andre 

 

I have a relative who models in that scale----Xmas present for sure----

Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry

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Posted by twhite on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 6:20 PM

nw_fan

 Norfolk & Western  K-1  4-8-2

Nwfan: 

Just out of curiosity, was the K-1 the 4-8-2 with the main rod connected to the 3rd driver instead of the 2nd?  If so, I know Rio Grande bought five of them from N&W for service in Utah during WWII.  I have one Key model in brass, and it's a terrific little runner. 

If that's the loco, it would certainly be worth it to see it offered in affordable plastic.  Not too many 4-8-2's were built that way--N&W and Rio Grande are the only two railroads that come to mind.  But they must have worked, because Rio Grande had about 40 or so locomotives with that particular configuration from Alco and Baldwin, plus the N&W;'s, and evidently they could pull trees out by their roots, LOL!

Tom Smile 

 

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Posted by andrechapelon on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 7:24 PM

twhite

nw_fan

 Norfolk & Western  K-1  4-8-2

Nwfan: 

Just out of curiosity, was the K-1 the 4-8-2 with the main rod connected to the 3rd driver instead of the 2nd?  If so, I know Rio Grande bought five of them from N&W for service in Utah during WWII.  I have one Key model in brass, and it's a terrific little runner. 

If that's the loco, it would certainly be worth it to see it offered in affordable plastic.  Not too many 4-8-2's were built that way--N&W and Rio Grande are the only two railroads that come to mind.  But they must have worked, because Rio Grande had about 40 or so locomotives with that particular configuration from Alco and Baldwin, plus the N&W;'s, and evidently they could pull trees out by their roots, LOL!

Tom Smile 

 

The K-1 had its main rod connected to the #2 drive axled. It was the 63" driver K-3's that that had the connection at the #3 drive axle.

K-1 as built: http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?//march99/03-21-99/ns752.jpg 

K-1 in final form: http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns750.jpeg

K-3: http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns773.jpeg

K-2's were the USRA Heavies.

Andre 

 

It's really kind of hard to support your local hobby shop when the nearest hobby shop that's worth the name is a 150 mile roundtrip.
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Posted by loathar on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 7:50 PM

All of them in every road name!

Mostly HO Hudsons and GP-7/GP-9's.

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Posted by BHirschi on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 8:42 PM

My guess is I'll get a big "Amen" from AntonioFP45 on this one:

How about a General Electric U36B with a scale-width hood, Blomberg trucks, a decent version of the SCL "bumblebee" paint scheme, and the correct shade of blue on the SCL 1776 version?

Don't get me wrong ... I'm having fun upgrading my old Athearn Blue Box U33B (which is really a U36 -- look, ma, no "winglets!") with Blomberg sideframes and other SCL-specific detail parts, but even with my tight wallet, I might be persuaded to save my pennies and spring for a really good, new U36B model (if you're modeling SCL in Florida in the 1970s, you can never have too many U36Bs).

Sure, only one railroad bought them (okay, two, but c'mon, does AutoTrain really count?). Still, I'll bet there are enough SCL modelers out there to make it worth someone's while to build it.

Hey Intermountain, are you listening? You did a great job on the U18B "Baby Boat" -- how 'bout one of its big brothers?

SCL black, ACL purple, SAL green or cream, FEC yellow and red, Southern green... and that's what I like about the south!
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Posted by tin can on Monday, March 23, 2009 9:31 AM

I'd also like to see a Santa Fe "1000" class 2-6-2

and

Topeka cab GP7 & GP9's

Remember the tin can; the MKT's central Texas branch...
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Posted by Packer on Monday, March 23, 2009 10:00 AM

Britek

 I would love to see a BN B30-7A cabless unit.  BN has a ton of these locos and no one seems to have one.  Seems easy enough to kitbash one...but I just don't have the time.

That's one that I'd like to see too. A kitbash seems easy, but it would be nice if atlas made them since they make B30-7s.

I still want my C636, even if BN only had 10.

Vincent

Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....

2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.

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Posted by dinwitty on Monday, March 23, 2009 1:00 PM

 I agree we need more of the lesser engines to round out the rosters. Locos like the N&W Ms held the roster down till the newer big power came but kept many of the older engines on the roster.

Bachmann did the 2-6-6-2, would love them to make the N&W Z engine.

Bachmann did make the Reading 2-8-0 but you know, pancake motor.

Engines I am shooting for, Virginian 2-8-4 (but made by LL) W&LE 2-8-4. I will give MTH the Kudos for doing the Erie Triplex, and Bachmann for the W&LE 2-6-6-2, 

umm back on topic, I am in the direction to get Illinois Central electric MU's but I know a carmaker now who can make these in resin and fit on RDC chassis.

I think just for jollies tho, first I still want the Virginian triplex, but also the N&W Jawn Henry. 

 

(all these in HO)

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Posted by fwright on Monday, March 23, 2009 1:39 PM

Perhaps a little bit different suggestion.  I've always admired what Penn Line did for their steam locomotive series of kits.  They took one prototype railraod and produced models of most of the key steam locomotives used by that line.  Unfortunately, because PRR steam was distinctive, the models didn't fit very well for other prototypes.  But at the same time, the availablility of a decently complete PRR roster influenced many to model the PRR in HO.

Applying this to my favorite 19th Century universe, how about a series (kits preferred) of models based on Baldwin catalog standard designs with reasonable numbers bought.  For instance, produce the most popular Baldwin 4-4-0, 2-6-0, 4-6-0, and 2-8-0 catalog designs.  Make sure things like domes, stacks, cabs, headlights, etc., can be easily removed and substituted for - that is why a kit might be better than RTR.  Then the modeler customizes the basic Baldwin design for his prototype, just as Baldwin did for its customers.

I realize there were plenty of locomotives built by Rogers, Cooke, Danforth, Pittsburg, and Schenectady, but Baldwin was the biggest, and has the most potential sales to start with. 

Finally, my thoughts on costs.  The fracturing of the HO (and N is probably following the same road) market into many small niches will continue to drive prices upward.  The demand for prototypical accuracy, and the ability of the individual to select only models that his prototype actually used has severely limited potential sales of  a given model - and this is my conclusion for both steam and diesel.  Production runs are much smaller, and tooling has to be amortized over a much smaller sales base.  Based on this, I doubt we will ever see a new accurate model introduced for less than $120 (diesel) or $200 (steam), and for most you can add another $100 (without sound).  When you only sell 1500 of a given locomotive, $100 per locomotive is going to tooling if it is totally new tooling.  In the bad old days when Athearn was about the only consistent maker of non-brass diesels, sales of a given model would be much higher because the market wasn't split across 80 different prototypes and 6 manufacturers.

my thoughts, yours may differ

Fred W

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Posted by Mr. SP on Monday, March 23, 2009 1:42 PM

 Gotta be ALCO for sure. How about a S6 or T6 and the really missing one the Century 636.

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Posted by CAZEPHYR on Monday, March 23, 2009 2:24 PM

twhite

nw_fan

 Norfolk & Western  K-1  4-8-2

Nwfan: 

Just out of curiosity, was the K-1 the 4-8-2 with the main rod connected to the 3rd driver instead of the 2nd?  If so, I know Rio Grande bought five of them from N&W for service in Utah during WWII.  I have one Key model in brass, and it's a terrific little runner. 

If that's the loco, it would certainly be worth it to see it offered in affordable plastic.  Not too many 4-8-2's were built that way--N&W and Rio Grande are the only two railroads that come to mind.  But they must have worked, because Rio Grande had about 40 or so locomotives with that particular configuration from Alco and Baldwin, plus the N&W;'s, and evidently they could pull trees out by their roots, LOL!

Tom Smile 

 

Tom

The ten mountain types built by the Roanoke shops in 1926 were K3 class and had the main rod connected to the third driver like a Berkshire or Texas type would be connected.  They were numbered 200-209 on the N&W.  They were built as freight power with 63" drivers but after the A class was constucted. the K3's were not main line power since their speed was limited. 

The D&RGW got four of those engines in 1945 and numbered them 1550 - 1553.  The RF&P got the other six and numbered them 200-205.   All of the 10 engines were reunited on the W&LE in 1948.  Some of them become NKP engines when the NKP acquired the W&LE. 

 The K3 model would indeed be a model to represent various railroads probably due to WWII. 

Sunset imported a version of the K3 back in 1976, called the "Water Buffalo".

CZ

 

 

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Posted by Maurice on Monday, March 23, 2009 5:44 PM

 An HO scale EMD SW-1 with sound. Walther's models without sound are long out of production making E-bay or swap meets your only choice.

 

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Posted by reklein on Monday, March 23, 2009 6:19 PM

A plastic Milwaukee LITTLE JOE ELECTRIC in HO ,Please

In Lewiston Idaho,where they filmed Breakheart pass.

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