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New Models Needed

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Posted by BRAKIE on Monday, October 28, 2013 1:07 PM

locoi1sa

Larry.

  Didn't Eddystone locomotive works come out with a Lima switcher in plastic?

           Pete

Pete,That's news to me.

Do they have a web page?

Larry

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Posted by ACY Tom on Monday, October 28, 2013 1:16 PM

A couple observations:

The old Bachmann RDG I-10 can be found at swap meets now & then.  I wonder whether a mechanism from the newer Bachmann 2-8-0 could be put under that old boiler.  Driver size is the same or nearly so.  Also, I wonder why RDG guys aren't clamoring for an I-9, which was much more numerous than the I-10.

The suggestion for a UP standard Harriman 2-8-2 is pretty interesting.  It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to have an SP version to appeal to a broader market.  Also, I'll bet there are other straight-boilered Mike prototypes that could be represented by this basic engine.

Glad to hear from the N gaugers. How about you guys in O?  S? 

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Posted by dominic c on Monday, October 28, 2013 1:18 PM

tstage

I'd like to see BLI do a 2nd run of the 4-8-2 Mohawks; this time with the Paragon2 decoders.  I would love to double-head two of them on a friend's huge layout.

Tom

Tom

I believe they have have. The M1?http://www.broadway-limited.com/2213prrm1a4-8-2unletteredunnumberedpost-1946versionparagon2sounddcdccho.aspx

Joe C

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Posted by rrebell on Monday, October 28, 2013 1:25 PM

An NW2 with all the weight milled out of it so you can do what you want inside. You could then fill it with weight if you wanted, add electronics or both to what you want. Basicly it is easier to add weight than take away.

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Posted by ACY Tom on Monday, October 28, 2013 1:27 PM

EL Man:

Don't worry about displaying ignorance.  There's no shame in not knowing something.  Sometimes the correct answer is "I don't know".  The only shame is in an unwillingness to learn.

Tom

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Posted by tstage on Monday, October 28, 2013 1:43 PM

Joe,

I was speaking of the NYC 4-8-2 L-4a Mohawks.  BLI released them in 2009 and they were outfitted with a QSI sound decoder.

Tom

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Posted by markie97 on Monday, October 28, 2013 2:28 PM

I'm hoping BLI or MTH does a true Erie Berkshire also the 0-8-8-0 Erie camelback that MTH does in O scale but in HO

I'm thinking Bachmann may do an older generic version of a Mikado and/or Pacific with the higher domes and maybe an Elesco feedwater heater. Teming them up depending on road name with one of their Vanderbilt tenders would do it for me.

My $.02

Mark

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Posted by NittanyLion on Monday, October 28, 2013 11:46 PM

Right now, I'd settle for the Amtrak gaps like Viewliners and Heritage diners and baggage.  You can get all the Superliners and Amfleets you can handle, but good luck making a whole train!

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Posted by caballorr on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 12:06 AM

I would love to more locomotives with Ditch light  right from the factory and more modern day figures.

~ Tim .

To see photos of my HO scale / 1/64 scale  layout and diorama photos base in the present day .  http://www.flickr.com/photos/icr140/

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Posted by "JaBear" on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 3:07 AM

     "Many --- probably most --- of the suggestions will go unanswered by the manufacturers.  But if we get a positive response from a few, and get some new and/or better products on the hobby shop shelves and on our layouts, then it will have been worthwhile.  It can't hurt to put a bug in a manufacturer's ear." 

Gidday Tom, sounds very much like "Whistling Dixie" to me. Smile, Wink & Grin

However you do have a point.

Back in the May 1955 Model Railroader, Mr. Roger.R.Thomson was asking for more plastic structural shapes, and in Feb 1960, E.Morrell was asking the manufacturers for nickel silver track , "........and sold it at a reasonable price. I'm sure they'd have a shock when they saw how fast it was being bought up. I'll wager that in 3 years, every HO railroad in the country would roll on nickel silver."

Flywheel drive was discussed back in the Nov 1945, June 1951, Oct 1961 and  Dec 1969 Model Railroader,s, all scratch built, but again it paid off when Athearn produced  their flywheel drive in 1973, so "Good things do come to those that wait".

I know that there will be more examples as I only had a very cursory look  but there are also the "Someone should make a Erehwon & Nor Nor Eastern 0-2-0 as fitted out by their workshops , 32nd Jan 19..." examples,usually written in an indignant , almost self righteous manner, Angry At least no one on this thread has adopted that attitude.

peahrens
I just started last year, so may have missed some prior releases of these.

To my mind Paul makes a valid point. Now I know that the pros and cons of prepurchasing and limited runs have been, and will continue to be discussed ad nausem, and yes there is ebay, but I think that the manufacturers are missing the train, regarding new comers to the hobby, seeing Product discontinued  in various catalogs can be some what discouraging. Sigh

If I was to join into a thread like this then a Bachmann ????? DCC ready Whitcomb 65 tonner would be nice. Whistling

Cheers, the Bear. Smile

P.S. I can't find  the article picturing a kit bashed 0-2-0 steam loco.

"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."

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Posted by locoi1sa on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 6:53 AM

BRAKIE

locoi1sa

Larry.

  Didn't Eddystone locomotive works come out with a Lima switcher in plastic?

           Pete

Pete,That's news to me.

Do they have a web page?

   Larry.

 They used too but it seems to be dead. Perhaps they had gone out of business. I think they had the resin Lima switcher shells that fit on someone else s chassis. Here is the link I had bookmarked and I did a google search too and got nothing.

http://www.eddystonelocomotives.com/

    Sorry to get your hopes up.

     Pete

 I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!

 I started with nothing and still have most of it left!

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Posted by locoi1sa on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 7:01 AM

"JaBear"
P.S. I can't find  the article picturing a kit bashed 0-2-0 steam loco.

  Bear.

 Its right after the 0-5-0 switcher article. The April issue of space and rail star date 3039. The same issue with the article about using a transporter to scale operators for brakeman duties.

     Pete

 I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!

 I started with nothing and still have most of it left!

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Posted by steemtrayn on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 7:02 AM

How about weights with removable sections for decoder installations? If you want to add a decoder, just remove the section, no milling nrcessary. If you want more weight, just leave it in place.

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Posted by BRAKIE on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 7:06 AM

locoi1sa

Sorry to get your hopes up.

     Pete

Pete,No worries..

I got this crazy idea of doing a Cincinnati Union Terminal Lima and SW8 switchers.The CUT did the switching chores at Cincinnati Union Station.

BTW.I did a web search yesterday and came up with the real Eddystone locomotive works.Interesting find.

Larry

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Summerset Ry.


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Posted by kbkchooch on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 7:08 AM

richhotrain

I'd like to see Atlas produce flex track.   LaughBowYes

Rich

I was waiting for this to come up, thanks Rich!! Laugh

Karl

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Posted by kbkchooch on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 7:16 AM

ACY

The old Bachmann RDG I-10 can be found at swap meets now & then.  I wonder whether a mechanism from the newer Bachmann 2-8-0 could be put under that old boiler.  

No need to. If you look hard enough, you can find them with the can motor from Bachmann. For a 3 or 4 year period, prior to the "new" 2-8-0, Bachmann produced them under their "Plus" line. From the outside they look identical to the train set version, remove off the shell and there is a split frame chassis with a can motor inside! I've got 2 of them and they run as nice as my newer Consols.  

Bear, I agree with the 65 ton Whitcomb unit, done in brass eons ago. I want this one in particular.Whistling

Karl

NCE über alles! Thumbs Up

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Posted by richhotrain on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 7:17 AM

kbkchooch

richhotrain

I'd like to see Atlas produce flex track.   LaughBowYes

Rich

I was waiting for this to come up, thanks Rich!! Laugh

I tried not to, but I simply could not resist.   Zip it!

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by kbkchooch on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 7:21 AM

steemtrayn

How about weights with removable sections for decoder installations? If you want to add a decoder, just remove the section, no milling nrcessary. If you want more weight, just leave it in place.

Stellar idea Dave, but lets go further (while were dreaming)!!  Removable weights for decoders with fuel tank punch outs for speakers!!! Cool

Ever put sound in a Proto GP9 while retaining as much weight as possible?? It gets ugly! Ick!Bang Head

Especially when the nose gets chopped, you lose even more space. I've done a bunch this way, it's not fun!Sigh

Karl

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Posted by ACY Tom on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 9:06 AM

Omigosh!  did we convert DaBear?   After years of trying to forget the 0-2-0 article,  with the help of some very expensive therapy, I get reminded of it again.  Oh well.....  Back to the head shrinker.  JaBear makes a really god point about the 65T Whitcomb.  I can picture a lot of steel mill guys and shortline operators who would go nuts for that one.

The ditch light idea seems like a natural for modern day guys, and I wonder if Steemtrayn and kbkchooch should have patented their ideas about removable weights and fuel tank punchouts for speakers before they posted them.

Is the Lima switcher idea getting traction?  I think Lima used frames that were dimensionally the same as Baldwin frames, so Bowser would probably be the best bet for that one.  As for the FM H20-44, Atlas would seem to be a natural.  They should still have access to the tooling that was used on their H15/16-44, and a lot of that could be used on the H20.  For that matter, a rerun of the H15/16-44 would be nice.  They were pretty scarce at the last show at Timonium.

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Posted by UP 4-12-2 on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 12:24 PM

The manufacturers actually do look at the online surveys.

A couple years ago the number one most requested diesel in various online surveys was the Alco C-430.

Even though Bowser doesn't have or take time to respond to online forum discussions, they took note of that and are making the C-430.  It didn't hurt that a number of people personally called them about making that particular engine as well.  Even though it has a unique frame length and unique 4 axle hi-ad trucks that can only be used on a C-415, they still chose to do it.

What would I like to see?  How about some "correct" name trains that Walthers or Rapido haven't done.

I think the Rock Island/SP "Golden State Limited", with its bright red and stainless steel finish, would be really neat--and a likely good seller as it would appeal to both Rock Island and SP fans.

I'd like to see the all-purple ACL rebuilt coach done in HO--I think that would be neat and would sell.

I'd like to see the PRR original paint scheme (yellow, silver, Brunswick green roof) "East Wind" in something other than brass.  Some of the cars are standard PRR coaches, and could also be done in the regular, off-season, PRR paint schemes--so there would be considerable cross-over there.  Also some of the cars were from ACL, etc. I think doing a neat name train like the "East Wind" would appeal to eastern road modelers.

Also the Atlantic Coast Line "Champion" or Seaboard Air Line "Silver Meteor".  We already have the motive power to pull these trains readily available.

 

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Posted by Texas Zepher on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 1:03 PM

"JaBear"
in Feb 1960, E.Morrell was asking the manufacturers for nickel silver track , "........and sold it at a reasonable price. I'm sure they'd have a shock when they saw how fast it was being bought up. I'll wager that in 3 years, every HO railroad in the country would roll on nickel silver."

I didn't know that.  I believe he lost his wager though.  It took what, almost 30 years for that to happen?

I knew it had been around a long time before the general MR community discovered it.  I had my first piece of nickel-silver track (Atlas flex on fiber ties) in 1965, but even so I continued to use brass.  Seems like it was 1984 or so when the flood gates were finally opened and it was embraced as the way to go.  I remember when (but not the date) when brass was discontinued and put on the clearance rack of the hobby store.  The #6 turnouts still flew off the shelf.

 

Back to the topic at hand.  After thinking about it for a while ... I still want (of course most of these have the same issues of a very limited market).

1.  CB&Q square end tail car from the last Denver  and Kansas City Zephyrs.
2.  NP Z5 (Yellowstone), Z6, Z7, Z8 (Challengers)
3.  C&S E5
4.  NP pig palace and BIG pig palaces
5.  NCL BUDD 4-4-6 Dome Sleeper (actually I'm guessing Walther's will eventually do this.)
5.  MP RS-3 rebuilds with EMD prime mover such that they had 4 exhaust stacks.
6.  AT&SF heavy Prairie 19xx class.
7.  ANY of the GN steam locos with the Belpair Firebox.
8.  Equivalent of the ubiquitous  Athearn Blue Box - simple model kits that just work well, look OK, priced for the masses, buildable by interested children, and can endure clumsy operators.


 

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Posted by tstage on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 1:55 PM

Texas Zepher
8.  Equivalent of the ubiquitous  Athearn Blue Box - simple model kits that just work well, look OK, priced for the masses, buildable by interested children, and can endure clumsy operators.

Thankfully Accurail is still staying with kits for now.  Proto 2000, Intermountain, and Red Caboose are all starting to get more and more difficult to find in kit form anymore. Sigh  No reason to rehash that topic though...

Tom

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Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by ACY Tom on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 6:24 PM

At last!  We've finally corrupted JaBear to the point that he's actually thrown out nine suggestions!

Seems like a lot of these have merit.  The 2 passenger cars (# 1 and 5A) would be likely candidates for Walthers.  I'm not personally too familiar with the MoPac RS-3 rebuilds.   Maybe this could be done as a refit kit in resin or styrene.  Do they resemble the DeWitt rebuilds that Conrail did?  Is there a possibility that the model could be marketed to a wider market, by making it a match for more than just the MoPac engines?

Seems like any manufacturer who makes a decent E6 (or even an E7) could work up an E5 A&B.  If not, then it could be a project for somebody to do in resin, to slip over an existing E6 chassis.  N scalers can gloat over this one.  It was recently  produced.

As for no. 7, PFM proved in the 1960's that GN was a road with a lot of appeal to customers.  The ATSF Prairie might be a harder sell, but you never know.

If you can afford it, Sunset recently produced the Z-6 and Z-8, but I'm sure you're thinking about something more easily affordable.  The idea has merit.  The engines were drop-dead beautiful and were operated by NP, SP&S, GN, and I think Undec/Freelance had a few too! 

Idea no. 8 sounds good too.  Something along the lines of the Yardmaster series by Branchline (I think Atlas has those patterns now).  

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Posted by ACY Tom on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 6:31 PM

Oops!  That wasn't JaBear.  It was Texas Zephyr.  The E5 suggestion should have told me that.  Sorry.  But the comments still stand.

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Posted by g&gfan on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 7:11 PM

I'm still waiting for a plastic or hybrid R-T-R model of Canadian Pacific's D10g-h-j-k 4-6-0 steamer. They had more in this series (500+) than some railroads had in their entire fleet.

Steve

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Posted by Texas Zepher on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 8:32 PM

ACY
If you can afford it, Sunset recently produced the Z-6 and Z-8, but I'm sure you're thinking about something more easily affordable.

Yes exactly on both counts.  I do have one (a Z6), but for the price I'm thinking I could have 4 die-cast/plastic ones. 

Doesn't pull worth a darn.  Couldn't even get 20 cars up a 2% grade.   Going to try bullfrog snot and see if that makes a difference.

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Posted by Redore on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 11:19 PM

I'd like to see a DMIR version of the Bachman 2-8-8-4 with a Centipede tender for a similar price.  Also BN/BNSF new taconite cars priced so one could afford 60 or so.  Same with the new CN/DMIR taconite cars.

While we're at it a Ford Super Duty crew cab pickup set up for Hy Rail.  Maybe some similar trucks with utility boxes.  This is the one most universal model for modern railroading that is not produced.  They are everywhere.

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Posted by ACY Tom on Wednesday, October 30, 2013 12:28 AM

Poor puller or not, she's beautiful.  I think I'd check weight distribution. That can be a major factor, particularly with Articulateds.  Lots of moving stuff that could affect performance. 

As for a less expensive version, the plastic engines can be nice, pricewise; but they don't always match up to the better brass stuff when it comes to detail.  I got one Bachmann B&O EM-1 and it made me gun-shy.  It needs to have a lot of details added or corrected in order to deserve a roundhouse stall beside my other EM-1's.  Some of the UP and N&W  Artic's from other producers are a lot better in this regard. Back in the '70's, I remember a display at a hobby shop in the Chicago area.  Several state-of-the-art brass SP Cab Forwards were displayed with the then-new AHM SP 4-8-8-2.  Right out of the box, the Plastic engine looked every bit as good as the more expensive brass ones. That was 40 years ago.  It sure isn't true of the Bachmann EM-1 today.  I also dislike Articulateds that don't hinge like the prototype, and that's what you get with the plastic ones.  

So I guess I'm adding another request to manufacturers:  Articulated that are hinged like the real ones, and can pull.  No need to ask for correct proportions & details.  That goes without saying.    

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Posted by UP 4-12-2 on Wednesday, October 30, 2013 1:16 PM

ACY

So I guess I'm adding another request to manufacturers:  Articulated that are hinged like the real ones, and can pull.  No need to ask for correct proportions & details.  That goes without saying.    

Impossible--the real ones had a fixed "rear engine" ie rear set of drivers.  With "correct proportions & details" these models will require a minimum of 48" HO scale radius to operate--just like most of the brass ones require.

To make them go around 24" radius, without the rear drivers pivoting, and without cheating the balance point of the boiler, and other needed compromises--is mathematically impossible unless perhaps you only want a small 2-6-6-2.  The "correct details" of plumbing and fixtures will get in the way, and to pivot like the prototype requires much larger radius than HO scale 24" radius, because the prototype could never in a million years operate on that.

 

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