just a question for the Bach-man.

[trainmanchris]

what would you thing of making a light road switcher?with DCC? like a RS-11 or a RS-1/2/3 or um a light steamer with DCC/sound for locals like a light 2-8-2 or somethin?


Chris


P.S: i'm just asking........not beging........just a friendly question!:D

plus i know of the 2-8-2 you make but what about an american model?

[Guilford Guy]

Because they are already made by other companies-Atlas makes RS1's, RS3's, and RS11's. Proto 1000 makes RS2's and RS11's. Broadway Limited makes 2-8-2's.
Bachmann makes a 2-8-0 which is a more road-switcher than a 2-8-2. I'd really like to see Spectrum do a well done 4-6-2. Maybe a Southern PS-4 because it survives in D.C., a B&M P4 since one is being rebuilt to operating condition at Steamtown, or a U.S.R.A. model because they were more of a standard model...

[Rashputin]

   I'd love to see a USRA heavy Mike from Bachmann and would need at least a few.  A Southern PS-4 Pacific, though, that's a dangerous product as far as I'm concerned.  I'd have to have at least two to run, one to save in case anything happens to those I run, and a forth to display.  Each of the running trains would need an entire passenger consist, there'd be additional head end traffic to contend with, my stations would need enlarged and upgraded, and I'd have to alter portions of my layout design.  No, they should wait a while to run the PS-4 or a USRA heavy Pacific similar to it.  Their producing one would mean that most or all of a years' RR budget would go straight to passenger train operations.

     Now, I admit that I'd be laughing all the way to my own personal budget crisis, but please.  Bachmann making those Berks already threw things off by a year.  Until those showed up I had been able to resist Berks and stick to heavy Mountains.  With the price/quality ratio of the Berks, though, I had to come up  a reason to swap those Mountains for Berks at the mid-point of the layout, enlarge the engine facilities, redesign portions of the mainline, ...  well as you can see it was a major financial issue.

   Please, I can work Mikes in pretty easily with what I have.  I just replace that nasty diesel power on a few locals and interchange runs, and I'm happy as a pig in mud without any major alterations to anything other than the motive power roster.  This whole passenger thing is already too tempting.  Something like you propose would make it impossible to resist.  Those of us who are already going to the weekly meetings of TAA (Train Adicts Anyonomus) need some kind of breathing space between the irreistable items.   

  Regards

  PS - Executive Summary -

             They'd make a bundle off of me

[Guilford Guy]

Alright, so we have 1 person that would buy PS-4's... Just need another 50,000...

[trainmanchris]

lol yep...........i know about 150 youtubers that would love one though

[Pacific Northern]

I agree that there is a definite market for a Pacific in a good quality offering.

And if there is a demand for a USRA Pacific then Athearn/Roundhouse will be at the right place at the right time - providing the re-tooled Genesis Pacifics are decent quality engines.  I see the release schedule is for October. Can hardly wait.

I would assume then that if the URSA Pacifics are a hit then Athearn/Roundhouse would consider re-releasing the  Genesis Mikes as well.

Too bad for Bachmann, the forum members have been pleading for a new Pacific for years.

[trainmanchris]

yeah i would love if athearn or anyone would make that Nikle Plate road 2-8-2 that athearn made...............i realy need that one for my layout......well not realy.........i just want it.....

[SteamGene]

Athearn made a USRA light Mikado. Nickle Plate had several of them, but so did a lot of other railroads.  The USRA Pacific that Athearn/Roundhouse is going to release is the light version, not the heavy.  The only resemblance between it and the Southern Ps-4 is the number of wheels. 
As pointed out, the 2-8-2 was not a built as a switcher, nor was the 2-8-0.  Stdeam switchers almost always had no pony trucks, though a few big ones had trailing trucks - 0-10-2.  It was fairly common, if a 2-8-0 got downgraded to yard service, to remove the pony trucks, turning it into an 0-8-0.  A few Mikes got the same treatment and became 0-8-2s. 
Gene

[trainmanchris]

well i ment light steam power

[Pacific Northern]

I was lucky a year or so ago one of the on-line model railroad vendors was cleasing out their BLI stock of Mikado's.

I bought 2 of the last DC/DCC Quantum sound equiped steam engines a BLI light and a heavy mike. This was just as the BlueLine was coming out.

I have never seen such low prices on BLI engines since. Wish I had bought a couple of their other models as well at the time.

[Yampa Bob]

"A question for the Bach-mann"?.  Heck, Mr B can't get a word in edgewise. LOL

I'm going "cold turkey" on train stuff, got more than I can use already. Ten locos and 100 cars are still in the box.  I may have to join locos anonymous, still get the shakes every time I visit Caboose Hobbies. 

What is there about this hobby that drives us all to such avarice?  Do I need it?  Can I afford it?  Can I get along without it?   Will my wife leave me if I buy it?  Who cares, I want it!

[SteamGene]

Mikados are normally considered medium steam.  Don't confuse USRA designations with the total population.  Both the USRA light Santa Fe and the USRA light Mallet are classed as heavy steam.  
Gene

[SteamGene]

Bob,
You aren't a serious model railroader unless you have at least 100 unfinished kits waiting for assembly.  This can include Athearn blue boxes and Roundhouse yellow boxes and they don't have to be started.   I have a 1/3 finished C&O interlocking tower sitting on the layout (guarding Noah Junction) which counts towards my 100.
Gene

[Yampa Bob]

I forgot to mention I also have 26 unfinished kits, both blue and yellow box.  I made the mistake of stopping at a small shop in Kansas, had about 150 old kits.  They seemed so lonely, just begging for a home.  Guess I should have bought them all so I could be a "serious modeler".  Darn, I'm still an amateur.   

[trainmanchris]

oh well.........at lest you have some