Is Bachmann going to ever come out with a White Pass DL535e for On30?
Dear Live,
That is very unlikely at this point.
Sorry!
the Bach-man
I like the idea of On30 WP&Y road-switchers or the older shovel-noses myself, but I've had to come to grips with the fact that those are big engines for the narrow gauge. I also invested in an On30 version of SP's GE-built 55 tonner no. 1, which ran on the SP's former Carson and Colorado in its final years and was upset to learn that it was wider than most Bachmann cars.
I wish I knew more about GMC-EMD's GA-8 narrow-gauge diesel. Height and length-wise, it looks like a much better fit with Bachmann's On30 offerings; the trouble is that I don't know whether it's as wide as SP no. 1 or narrower.
FYI, the GA-8 looks a bit like an SW-type switcher that hatched too early. Pictures can found on the net.
I have come to believe that the best course for me personally would be to build my own body shell and slap it on top of a reliable DCC-equipped HO diesel's power chassis. Since one of the narrow-gauge projects I have in mind dates back to the 1930's and 1940's, I'm thinking of building a free-lance boxcab-style body shell that looks like the early diesels of the 1920's.
If you are not yet familiar with Mount Blue Model Company, visit their website to see the diesel superstructures sized to fit over Athearn SW and similar-sized mechanisms. They also have much On30 rolling stock, most of it designed to make use of Bachmann underframes and trucks. Get to know all of the On30 manufacturers (Wiseman Model Services, Backwoods Miniatures, Boulder Valley Models, Foothill Model Works etc), mix and match their products, and your railroad will look less like the Christmas Special arriving in Dept. 56-Ville.
gmhtrains in Oregon
Some where I have a set of plans for a GA-8, will need to find them and take a few measurements from them post.
With Bachmann following Baldwin prototypes perhaps the Baldwin-Whitcomb units built for the Braden Copper Co in Chile might be in order. 2 Foot 6Inch gauge, 60 Ton, end cabs, not sure if trucks A1A-A1A or C-C though.
Ken Clark
I think that there simply isn't a market for something that specific, among On30 modelers.
I mean, look at the thing:
(http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/7/7/8/2778.1282099973.jpg)
Most On30 types I know are into the older stuff and whimsical at the same time. Frankly, I was very surprised (and equally overjoyed) when they made the 1917 Baldwin 4-6-0s that matched the ET&WNC prototype as that's a pretty big steam locomotive for most On30 modelers.
Something that big is going to be larger (and newer) than what most On30 modelers are into.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the WP&Y, having ridden it twice...