Just got my unlettered caboose in yellow from a pal over in Port Orford - and what a little beauty it is!! I'll be lettering mine up for the 'Roaring Camp' line in NorCal.
Great job, Bachmann!
tac
www.ovgrs.org
Hi, Terry!
Yeah, the original model, based on Maine prototypes, was made by some hack modeler friend of ours. Some folks on other fora are critical, but I like them.
By the way, his name was Bob something... Oh, yeah- Bob Hayden!
Glad you like them too!
Best,
the Bach-man
tac
its as easy to make something right as well as wrong,
luckily its only based on a maine 2 foot caboose.
Quote from: the Bach-man on February 10, 2010, 10:58:02 PM
Hi, Terry!
Yeah, the original model, based on Maine prototypes, was made by some hack modeler friend of ours. Some folks on other fora are critical, but I like them.
By the way, his name was Bob something... Oh, yeah- Bob Hayden!
Glad you like them too!
Best,
the Bach-man
Hi Mr. Bach-man,
Yes, Bob's kit-bash of the caboose was a fine piece of model work, especially if it is considered within the scope of a kit-bash, which limits certain things due to the original model being 'bashed'. However, since Bachmann was starting with fresh tooling for the caboose, they had the opportunity to side-step the limitations Bob was faced with, such as the too small side windows of the cupola, the centered door on the cupola end, and the extra window under the cupola on one side. They could have even made the car body narrower to closer approximate the SR&RL prototype. Had they done these things, it would have been an excellent model, rather than just a 'nice' model. I bought one of the SR&RL versions to go with my Forneys, and while I really like it, I would have liked it a lot better had Bachmann made the above improvements, instead of just blindly copying Dave's model.
Regards,
Bill
Quote from: the Bach-man on February 10, 2010, 10:58:02 PM
Some folks on other fora are critical, but I like them.
That is EXACTLY the reason I model in On30. Got so sick of the "experts" in HO criticizing every detail.
Ironically, they will brag about their new cab-forward having every detail in exactly the right place. Then, they will hook up 5 boxcars to it and run it around their layout. Prototypical?
I find On30 to be unprototypically prototypical. I switched over because
I don't want my rolling stock to be exactly like any particular road. Makes me feel "locked in" to that roadname.
Great job on the caboose - keep em coming!
Scott
BTW, this caboose is similar (not exact of course) to the caboose owned by the Bellevue & Cascade in eastern Iowa.
I bought two of these jewels in red from the Peterboro Railroad.
tac
theres plenty of people in the uk that know about the sandy river.
i am one of them and know plenty more, join the slim gauge circle if
you havnt already.
I think by 'plenty', he means more than 10, since I'm the 3rd person from the UK to know of these lines on this forum alone!
I like the new caboose, as it adds some variety to the end of the train instead of having each train with a center cupola caboose. It looks great with my Forneys and Pulpwood car too. :)
tac
is that a go at me ?
what deal
i never made any deals.
and no i dont get your drift.
there is a thriving american modelling scene in the UK and i would
guess (a good guess) that most of them know about the main 2 footers.
yes i agree they are probably not hyper popular. but that wasnt the
statement you first made.
Everyone,
A lot of people (including me) really like the new caboose, but quite a few (also including me) have complained that it is less than it could or should be when it comes to representing a prototype SR&RL caboose. There should be no need for argument here, but the point is, if the caboose was closer to the SR&RL prototype, those who complained would have been happy, and those who are currently happy with the model as it is, likely wouldn't be any less so just because it was a more accurate representation of the prototype.
Bachmann's Forney is very close to being accurate for a Maine two footer, other than the gauge. The pulpwood car, because it used existing flat car components, is less than an accurate model of a SR&RL car (too short & too wide), but it still captures much of the feel of the prototype, so is acceptable within the parameter of not requiring all new tooling. The caboose used all new tooling (other than the trucks and couplers) anyway, so it didn't have the same restrictions.
Regards,
Bill
Mr Bachmann,
Kudo's on the new Caboose! Bob Hayden really 8)! Never mind these rivet counters complaining. They would complain if they were hung with a new rope. ;D I think its a very handsome piece of equipment.
Me too! I model a free-lanced midwestern railroad and this caboose works great with my Forney that also wasn't used in the midwest (as far as I know!).
Prototypical, schmototypical....I love it. Great addition to the layout. I especially appreciate the no-flicker lighting system. Go Bachmann!
In the Spirit of ON30 if you don't like the Caboose, kitbash it into what you do like, I think the caboose is great.
NM
I would love to see Bachmann modify this caboose into a wedge plow.
Quote from: railtwister on February 13, 2010, 08:03:56 AM
There should be no need for argument here, but the point is, if the caboose was closer to the SR&RL prototype, those who complained would have been happy, and those who are currently happy with the model as it is, likely wouldn't be any less so just because it was a more accurate representation of the prototype.
Bill
EXACTLY...(and the same could be said of some of the other Bachmann products)
to me, there doesn't seem any point in not making something more accurate, when it won't make it less acceptable to the guys that don't need to be accurate...know what I mean? ;)
Good Morning All,
Great thoughts have been posted here and you can add me to the list of people who love this new caboose! As was said before, it gives a different look to the end of On30 trains.
It was also stated that one of you went to On30 because of all the "expert" nitpickers in HO scale. First of all, you will find them in all scales. Let them shoot their mouths off and then go ahead and have fun with whatever scale you like to model in and just forget them. One thing you can do with an HO expert is let him/her expound on their likes and then ask them what type couplers they use. If they say Kadee 5s then hold your hands about three feet apart and say, " Oh you mean couplers that would be about this big?"
Those SR&RL cabooses were long. I rode in one in Edaville and I remember it being very long and narrow. A scale caboose would not look right with the other Bachmann rolling stock.
Nitpickers can always buy two and join them together to get the six window look of the prototype.
For those whom have to have their SRRL "correct caboose", feast your eyes on this site.
http://mountbluemodelco.com/products.htm
Now quit dogging the new caboose. >:(
Don't like it, don't buy it.
I have mine.
Russ
I also like the new caboose..
but as a Maine 2-foot modeler, I agree with the people who say "why make it wrong on purpose when its just as easy to make it right?" ???
the freelance people wont care either way..if its right or wrong, they will still be happy.
but the people who are interested in more prototype accuracy like the freelance model *less* than they would if it was more accurate...so why annoy half your customers when you dont have to?
I just dont understand the reasoning..
here is the model:
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products/images/uploads/26777.jpg
here is the "prototype"
http://www.srrl-rr.org/caboose557_040718.jpg
What would be so hard about making the windows correct, and a more accurate cupola?
it looks like the overall length of the model is about the same as the prototype..
the model was designed and built from scratch, clearly based on the SR&RL cabooses.
so why not just go the distance? ???
I dont get it..makes no sense to me..
I suppose maybe the proportions of the model are a little more pleasing than the prototype ;)
I will admit the model is a somewhat nicer looking,
but still..its the principal of the thing! ;)
Bachmann really made awesome very accurate Forneys..nearly spot-on for SR&RL #8 and #9..
(except for the gauge of course! ;)
so if it can be done for the forneys, why not the caboose too?
Scot
Quote from: NarrowMinded on February 14, 2010, 12:57:36 PM
In the Spirit of ON30 if you don't like the Caboose, kitbash it into what you do like, I think the caboose is great.
NM
Amen.
tac
www.ovgrs.org
well said scotty
As some great philosopher exclaimed whom name doesn't come to mind;
"You can please some of the people some of the time , But you cant please all of the people all of the time "
In the spirit of 0n30, We all shall agree to disagree no doubt, but be united in the hobby.
*Please note the key phrase; "Its a Hobby"