All Loco's All the time.

[Anonymous]

Hi There.

I have been reading some of the letters you all have been puting up, about different units being done by different companys.
And the fact they do a run of them, than stop.

What a good idear it would be, if Atlas, Kato, Proto 2K and Athearn Gen, would continue to produce (all) the different locos that ever ran? All the time! Weather you want a AC'4400, or a little 2-4-0 from the old west days.
Just to be able to walk in to your local model shop, and choose from any unit in any coloured sceam that ever was.

What do you think? Should you be able to get any loco at any time?

[jsanchez]

I wish it would be that way, from a retailers point of view it would make life a lot easier, I hate telling customers they can't have something.

[Anonymous]

This would be truely expensive for the manufacturer and the retailer. I can hear accountants grabbing thier chests and falling to the ground after they read this post.
If money were no object it would be cool though.

[douginut]

MY accountant would grab for his wallet, then think of it for a second, sit up and ask where the shop was that had this abundance and invite me to go with him.

[jsoderq]

It isn't as much about money as itis time and machinery. I worked 9 years for 2 major U.S. manufacturers. We had a limited number of machines to run and only so many hours to work. Many times different parts are run at different times in the same mold base, another limiting factor. Most manufacturers have the ability to run more product than the market can absorb which is part of the reason for the limited run theory.

[rogerhensley]

Unfortunately, that just doesn't seem to be possible with the same size of even our giant manufacturers. However, I would throw out the 'limited run' mentality in favor of periodic re-runs of product. Athearn operated that way for years. What it means is that you may not be able to get it today, but it will be back in a year or two.

Roger Hensley
== NMRA Beginner's Pages ==
== http://www.nmra.org/beginner/ ==

[Anonymous]

Mine would buy up all the good stuff, than might think about telling me after. LOL

[BRAKIE]

Great idea!! The only problem I see with that is they could no longer change high prices and call it a limited run.Then rerun the same limited run engine again with different road names and still call it a limited run and change the same as the frist run or try to jack the price up.It is a fools game they play and I am foolish enough to play the game like everybody else that wants quaility locomotive.Then what irks me sometimes a flywheel(in my case 3 of 'em) will come loose in these over priced engines.

[Anonymous]

how about at least be able to get undecorated shells and complete units for US to paint, and detail to our fav roads...

[cbq9911a]

How about offering "semi-custom" locomotives. These would be stock units decorated for any road, costing $ 25 - $ 35 more than the price of a stock unit. They wouldn't be detailed to match their prototypes, but that's something I can live with.

To switch the topic, making "everything" just isn't practical. There are some things I'd like to see made, but they won't be made because the market isn't there. An example would be the GTW RS-1. It differs significantly from the stock RS-1, but not enough to be noteworthy.

[BRAKIE]

I am not to sure about not being able to make every thing.I think you forgot the collectors,speculators and those that want and need that given locomotive.

Now if I understand limited runs they was to be a quick turn around in investments so the manufacturers could make new engines. So what are we seeing? Reruns of the old limited runs.

What is wrong with that picture?