I wish Bachmann would make............How about you??

Started by plint, May 27, 2018, 10:31:47 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

plint

A Green and Yellow Maine Central S4 or S2 DCC with Sound
By the grace of God go I in Amherst NH.

bbmiroku

... some of the "grasshopper"-type of production locomotives (0-4-0, vertical boiler, outside frame) like the Tom Thumb or the Atlantic.  I really enjoy the early years of railroading in America, but all you can get are the "one-off" locomotives like the DeWitt Clinton, Rocket, Best Friend of Charleston, Prussia, etc.  How about some "mass-produced" early ones?  And the type of cars that would run with them.  (A visit to the B&O Museum may be in order, Mr. Bachmann...)

Maybe for a first run, the workings could be cast plastic or resin, and later (or better quality) runs might have moving piston "arms" and such.

And available in DC as well as DCC, for those of us whom it doesn't make economical sense to switch our line of products from one to the other.

Piyer

A retooled and mechanically upgraded BQ23-7 would be nice.

Beyond that niche model, it gets difficult to find new territory that hasn't / isn't / might soon be flooded by other companies. Early steam locomotives (1820s - 1850s) is one area, as someone else mentioned. Another is large industrial locomotives from GE, Baldwin, and Lima (to name three) such as the one below. These are 100+ tonners and would look right switching at steel mills, major coal breakers, and big industry. The one below is a 132-ton GE unit that was part of an order built for the US automaker Ford.


~AJ Kleipass~
Proto-freelance modeling the Tri-State System c.1942
The layout is based upon the operations of the Delaware Valley Railway,
the New York, Susquehanna & Western, the Wilkes-Barre & Eastern,
the Middletown & Unionville, and the New York, Ontario & Western.

Trainman203

Reissue the Russian Decapod with the mechanism issues resolved.  And no molded on piping.   

jonathan

Since we're dreaming big...

The B&O S-1a, 2-10-2 would be a big wish fulfillment.  The Rivarossi model is older than I am! 

A Spectrum version would be just right. I have a brassie, but it's so rare, and expensive, that I don't dare run it.

Please, oh please....

Regards,

Jonathan

bbmiroku

A small 4-2-4T or 2-2-4T in DC would also be nice...

Something like the steam engines that would have been used on the EL in New York City.

J3a-614

Quote from: jonathan on May 30, 2018, 12:15:52 PM
Since we're dreaming big...

The B&O S-1a, 2-10-2 would be a big wish fulfillment.  The Rivarossi model is older than I am! 

A Spectrum version would be just right. I have a brassie, but it's so rare, and expensive, that I don't dare run it.

Please, oh please....

Regards,

Jonathan

At the risk of going with monsters again, an alternate would be an ACCURATE B&O EL-series 2-8-8-0--not a Norfolk & Western Y-6b with a removed trailing truck and a Vanderbilt tank!

Going a little more moderate in size, what about a B&O Q-4 (2-8-2)?  I'm thinking that one could be based on the USRA 2-8-2 mechanism. 

emde5


Trainman203

#8
There is a brass 4-8-4 for the Q ......... if you have the bux.

More small steam engines please. "Everyone" is making Big Boys, articulateds, Dixies, MacArthurs and so on.  You are the only one left standing making smaller engines which were more common in real life, and look better on the average model railroad .

Mr Bach Man , I know you are in the east.  Once upon a time there was a gigantic railroad out west and down south called the Southern Pacific, which has TONS of followers and modelers.  The SP Mogul has been a popular model since time began.  Ever since I've beem seriously into this (early 60's), there's almost always been an SP mogul available .  Not right now though.  

You've already got the molds for the Vanderbilt tender.  Half the work is already done.  Go for it.  And it's a pretty  generic engine too.  Put a square tank behind it and you have something close to a half dozen other roads.

I'm good for five if you do it.


Trainman203

They are not going to do that Roger as much as you and I might want it.  The scale Model railroad market is on decline.  The toy train market is static but in better shape.  Get used to the molded on piping and detail cutback.  Despite all that, the 2-8-2 runs perfectly, the headlights are the best ever, and the starvation diet Sound Value motor performance cv's need no resetting- a big improvement over before.

ebtnut

I for one would vote for the B&O 2-10-2.  I'm trying to mate a Rivarossi superstructure to an IHC mech, and it's slow going.  I also agree that the Harriman stable has been woefully under-represented.  Re:  The B&O Q-4b, the light Mike mech with a Delta trailing truck is "close enough".  The boiler is sort of half-way between a light and heavy USRA, and the Vandy tender would be a nice new addition.  OTOH, the light Mike is offered in B&O, which is a class Q-3.  I would actually like to see something like the heavy Ma and Pa 2-8-0's.  They would fit in almost anywhere.

RAM

Santa fe had some nice 2-10-0s That I think it has the same wheelbase is the same as the Russian, but it is American.   A non usra 0-6-0 & 0-8-0

J3a-614

Quote from: RAM on June 01, 2018, 11:03:42 PM
Santa fe had some nice 2-10-0s That I think it has the same wheelbase is the same as the Russian, but it is American.   A non usra 0-6-0 & 0-8-0


A couple of thoughts to consider--

One is that it helps if a model can use something already existing as the base to reduce tooling costs.  That's addressed here, and also with the B&O Q-4.

The other, which applies to both something already existing and especially to a totally new model (non-USRA switchers in this case) is how well it may sell.  That would be based on a prototype either being widely used (USRA engines, stock industrial locomotives, including a Shay), or a popular prototype road (PRR, ATSF).  Glamorous history (Hudsons on the 20th Century, the Andrews raid, Warbonnets on the Super) would also be a factor. 

There may also be the enthusiasm of fans of certain roads.  I believe a lot of B&O fans, for instance, may have acquired multiple EM-1s, despite their size; Bachmann made the type relatively affordable, and you would normally see multiple examples on a division where they were assigned. 

And that brings up the non-USRA switchers.  What would be your prototypes?  Would they be something widely used?  Might you be considering a stock engine, or perhaps something from an earlier period that would look like a widely used design, such as the Omaha 0-6-0 that was sold in brass for a number of years?

Len

I wish Bachmann would make the #6 Crossovers with jumpers, and clear instructions, to make it easy to convert for use on DC or DCC layouts.

If they'd do that, I'd give up harping for a accurate FL-9.

Len
If at first you don't succeed, throw it in the spare parts box.