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Classic Electric locomotives

Started by steamerthesteamtrain, December 18, 2014, 10:45:02 PM

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steamerthesteamtrain

there has been great  locomotives lost to the evil scrapper, of all kinds.
we need these electric locos, i know there are ones in mth and brass that are just too expensive.
Milwaukee Road EP-2, EP-3, EF-4 and EP-4.
Great Northern Railway Y-1

so lets vote for these great electrics so they can be on everyone's layout.

Doneldon

Steamie-

Model locomotives don't get manufactured because a group of modelers has voted for them. And I suppose that's good from your perspective because steam and diesel fans far outnumber electric rail fans. No, model locomotives get built because there is a sufficient demand by people who want a articular model in sufficient numbers and who will express their desire by putting cash on the counter to purchase the model. I'm afraid this makes future electric locomotives long shots. In a more positive vein, many electrics were fairly boxy which should make them excellent scratch building projects. Building your favorite electric loco would teach you new skills of which you can be proud, make you the envied owner of a genuinely unique model and give the piece you want on your layout.
                                                                                                                                 -- D


steamerthesteamtrain

Quote from: Doneldon on December 19, 2014, 02:50:58 AM
Steamie-

Model locomotives don't get manufactured because a group of modelers has voted for them. And I suppose that's good from your perspective because steam and diesel fans far outnumber electric rail fans. No, model locomotives get built because there is a sufficient demand by people who want a articular model in sufficient numbers and who will express their desire by putting cash on the counter to purchase the model. I'm afraid this makes future electric locomotives long shots. In a more positive vein, many electrics were fairly boxy which should make them excellent scratch building projects. Building your favorite electric loco would teach you new skills of which you can be proud, make you the envied owner of a genuinely unique model and give the piece you want on your layout.
                                                                                                                                 -- D


Look how Duck finally made it because of his fans. We could do the same if we just try.

Doneldon

#3
Steamie-

Not a good comparison, though I admire your spirit. The cost of producing a small plastic body, when many of the parts already exist
and the drive train and chassis are already done, is much, much less than tooling up a whole new quality model locomotive, including
the carbody, chassis, drive system and pantographs. I still think your best option is a scratch build.
                                                                                                                                                  -- D


jward

comparing duck to a n obscure electric is like comparing apples and oranges. for one thing, duck is a character on a childrens television series, which is a natural market for seling toys/models. for another thing, he is based upon  a class of british steam locomotive which was probably already being made, thus the costs of retooling would be minimal. to make any of the Milwaukee electrics you would have to start from scratch, for a very limited market. if they ever do get made, they won't be cheap.
Jeffery S Ward Sr
Pittsburgh, PA

ACY

I can see these models getting produced in brass in a limited run with a price tag of $800 or more,  however no company that mass produces locomotives will ever make them and they will never be available for an affordable price, you might even have to pay over a thousand dollars for one.

steamerthesteamtrain

Quote from: jward on December 19, 2014, 10:30:52 AM
comparing duck to a n obscure electric is like comparing apples and oranges. for one thing, duck is a character on a childrens television series, which is a natural market for seling toys/models. for another thing, he is based upon  a class of british steam locomotive which was probably already being made, thus the costs of retooling would be minimal. to make any of the Milwaukee electrics you would have to start from scratch, for a very limited market. if they ever do get made, they won't be cheap.

i know i paid $127.99 for my PRR GG1

ACY

Quote from: steamerthesteamtrain on December 19, 2014, 07:06:19 PM
i know i paid $127.99 for my PRR GG1
And the GG-1 is the most popular and widely known electric locomotive in the United States, 99.999% of Americans have never heard of or are not familiar with any of the electric locomotives you want produced. The PRR also has one of the largest groups of fans in the US, it is up in the top 10 for sure. Great Northern and Milwaukee Road have much less people and some people have probably never heard of either railroad 99% of Americans have at least heard of the Pennsylvania Railroad someway or another. Further, when people think of electric locomotives of that era they think of the Pennsylvania GG-1 in Tuscan red livery.

jward

to put what acy said another way, Bachmann produced the e33 which didn't sell well. they have since indicated they have no plans to produce the e44, which would share the same drive as the e33, the only new tooling would be the body. the e44 would sell to pennsy fans, as it was a very common and for the times, modern electric. there just isn't the market to justify even these minimal modifications to an existing locomotive. quoting the exception to the rule won't change the basic premise: they won't be able to sell enough of them to turn a profit so they won't be made.
Jeffery S Ward Sr
Pittsburgh, PA

steamerthesteamtrain

Quote from: jward on December 19, 2014, 11:53:37 PM
to put what acy said another way, Bachmann produced the e33 which didn't sell well. they have since indicated they have no plans to produce the e44, which would share the same drive as the e33, the only new tooling would be the body. the e44 would sell to pennsy fans, as it was a very common and for the times, modern electric. there just isn't the market to justify even these minimal modifications to an existing locomotive. quoting the exception to the rule won't change the basic premise: they won't be able to sell enough of them to turn a profit so they won't be made.
I know right? The only good electrics are PRR GG1 and VGN E33
we need the others

ACY

Well if you need the others so badly, you can contact some brass manufacturers in China and have them produce some locomotives for you. The minimum run is around 250 units at around $1000-$1200 per locomotive meaning you will need to pay them at least $300,000 for each unique locomotive design you want produced.

electrical whiz kid

Doneldon;
I agree with you completely.  I am a New Haven fan, so guess what...!!  To the uninformed, the New Haven was the predecessor of the GG-1.  Pennsy took an EP-3 to experiment with, called it good, and, with the expertise of Raymond Lowey, came out with the design for the GG-1. 
It is, however, the New Haven, with New York City "clean air" (Circa 1902) ordinance scuffing its heels, came up with the EF-1s, catenary systems, and the voltage component (11,000VAC/25 cycle (hertz), as a power supply.  The rest followed suit nation wide, as well as on the New Haven..
OK; now, it is economically infeasible for a commercial house like Kader, etc, to produce something that is a low-number product.  The exception to this thinking was when PROTO came out with the DL-109.  They hit the "New Haven Mafia"-a lot of rail-fans in this area (CT, MA, RI), who scooped them up.  This is an exception though.  The same might have been said for the EP-5 (Jets), if the electrified fans was bigger-it wasn't.  There are some spots of models like the Brasilian model of same prototype that Fratesa puts out.  Price isn't all that bad, and with some alteration, could be built into the NH EF-3, EP4, EP-5; the Milwaulkee Road electric "Little Joe", etc.
The option Doneldon-and myself-advocates is to build one yourself.  The parts are out there; the bodies are out there; all you would have to do is to get started...
Rich C. 

steamerthesteamtrain

Do you mean to say, you don't care if Bachmann does not manufacture any GN Y-1 or MILW EP-2?
 

electrical whiz kid

Steam;
If you are talking to me, I am merely taking part in a debate concerning the economical plausibility of a company like Kader, et al, to go forth with something that they know will probably be a losing proposition.  IN business, it is not the beauty, or romanticism; it is the ROE  (return on equity) that will determine the end.  It is the stock market, a business  deal between two companies-anything that contains the abovementioned mechanics, this will be true.  Put yourself in their shoes.
Rich C.
PS:  If you wanted it badly enough, you could build just about any model of any prototype out there-I don't care if it is a life-sized dummy of Jayne Mansfield!

steamerthesteamtrain

Quote from: electrical whiz kid on December 20, 2014, 07:40:34 PM
Steam;
If you are talking to me, I am merely taking part in a debate concerning the economical plausibility of a company like Kader, et al, to go forth with something that they know will probably be a losing proposition.  IN business, it is not the beauty, or romanticism; it is the ROE  (return on equity) that will determine the end.  It is the stock market, a business  deal between two companies-anything that contains the abovementioned mechanics, this will be true.  Put yourself in their shoes.
Rich C.
PS:  If you wanted it badly enough, you could build just about any model of any prototype out there-I don't care if it is a life-sized dummy of Jayne Mansfield!
i meant everyone.