what does everybody want after the Heisler?

[rich19]

I'd like to see something I could use on my 1882 layout - the ever-postponed MMI 4-4-0 or a Mason-Bogie.

[Tomcat]

I would vote for a K-27 too. MMI did make them, but they had their negative sides too.
Bachmann could do far better AND make a RGS past-wreck version.

Or, if we stay with D&RGW: C-21 and C-25 plus a RGS version of the 4-6-0: 20 please... =)

Another good tasting sweetie would be the Articulated like in Fn3, never built in Narrow Gauge, but a fine lokie to have in On30. And some day a bigger, more modern Shay - West Side....?

Cheers, Tom

[Dusten Barefoot]

I agree with you whole heartedly Rich! Except my layout's 1890 .  How about a c-16 2-8-0 from the 1880s? I'm not too good at kit bashing, and backdating, so it would be nice to see a RTR engine from the 1800s. I think I may continue to be a squeaky wheel here, and say an 8-18c 4-4-0 or a 8-18d 2-6-0 would be awesome. If you think about it; Bachmann would have a wider variety of options for the engine than MMI would. It seems as if MMI is not going to be producing the little lovelies anytime soon. Lastly the MMI versions don't have sound, yet they're about half a grand....maybe a little more.

Rock On!
Dusten

Nothing against MMI; I'm just inpatient.

[darryl1936]

A three truck Shay or Climax would nice but with metal gearing as I have had enough of the junk plastic gears !

[rich19]

Hi Dusten,
great to read that others also model the 19th century. After I picked 1882, I found out that locomotives like Forneys, most of the Porters, Heislers, etc did not yet exist. And modelling southern Louisiana common carier, I'm confined to locomotives that follow the concept written in a great book about the history of the KCS: ... in flat country, even the smallest locomotive could draw whatever the draft gear of those days could stand...
Thus, even the smallest consolidations like the C16 are way to "unprototypical" for me. That leaves the "standard" 4-4-0 (the Bachmann model unfortunately is a dwarf engine) and the mason bogies...
Richard

[WTierce1]

Honestly, I figure that, because of the Hiesler in Large and On30, Bachmann will make a HO scale vesion of it. I do HO scale but I do have a few On30 trains. One more thing, about the SR&RL trains is that they are two foot gauge, not 30 inch. If you were trying to scale that with something eles in the normal scales, such as O gauge, you would need to create a whole new track gauge for them to work on. If they made them to share a common track, that would bring on a whole new scale. If I was going to guess, that is why they haven't made any of the SR&RL two foot gauge trains.

[max (uk)]

One more thing, about the SR&RL trains is that they are two foot gauge, not 30 inch. If you were trying to scale that with something eles in the normal scales, such as O gauge, you would need to create a whole new track gauge for them to work on. If they made them to share a common track, that would bring on a whole new scale. If I was going to guess, that is why they haven't made any of the SR&RL two foot gauge trains.

You have the same problem with making a 3ft prototype engine like the ET&WNC 4-6-0. As good as the engine looks, it was far to big to be a useful engine on my layout. I would rather an engine that is too small than too big.

Bachmann hasn't made any SR&RL prototype items, but the pulpwood car, long caboose and forneys are all inspired by rolling stock that ran on the SR&RL. That is why I would like to see a 2-6-2 along the same lines.

[Royce Wilson]

It does not matter if you mix the On30 with O scale standard gauge as the standard gauge really comes out to be 5 foot gauge rather than the 4 81/2 unless you opt for proto 48 so why sweat the difference.

As far as 1882 why dont you use the Bachmann mogul and modify it like the D&RG class 45? I have done this and it makes a very attractive engine. If you want to do anything earlier than that you are just going to have to do a lot of scratch or bashing.
I do have a old Janenese 1/50 scale Porter mogul that is waiting on a suitable HO mechanisim for a conversion.

Gloria

[Royce Wilson]

rich19, can you share the name of that book?  I think we are both modeling the same era  and type railroads.

Gloria

[Royce Wilson]

Also in defense of the IF 4-4-0, a great deal of railroads started their life with smaller engines.
The Colorado Central had 2 engines that they nick named "Punch & Judy" and were about half the size of the 4-4-0.

I plan to aquire one of these and shorten the smoke box and add a diamond stack. My railroad only hauls one freight car and a combine much like the silverton Railroad and it is set in the mid west so the only hills are the rough track work and lack of proper grading.

Gloria

[railtwister]

A lot of interesting suggestions, so far. Here are my thoughts:
1) DRGW K's - since they have been done by MMI, the market for new ones would be limited, especially since they are so big.
2) Beyer-Garrett - as long as the prototype chosen was a small 24" or 30" gauge engine I would be interested in one.
3) 4-4-0 & 2-6-0 - Bachmann has already done two different 4-4-0's, plus MMI hasn't had sufficient interest to bring these to fruition, so it's unlikely Bachmann will want to risk the cost of doing another American
4) EBT Mike - another loco that is too big to fit into Bachmann's scheme
5) A 2-4-4-0 is too close to the recently released 2-6-6-2, which is a sweet loco by the way.
6) A two truck diesel - Rich Yoder has one already in brass, SP's "Little Giant", so that particular market is limited like the K's, but of the same size but different prototype would be great. A WP&Y diesel would be nice, but again these are also large and wouldn't fit everyone's layout.
7) D&RGW 2-8-0 - Bachmann already has an excellent 2-8-0, plus Broadway Limited flooded the market with their C-16, which towards the end were selling for under $50 with sound from the factory outlet. A smaller prototype than current 2-8-0's might be nice, though.
An Alco 0-8-0 sounds like a standard gauge engine, unless it is a tank locomotive, in which case, it could be considered along with an 0-6-0T or 2-6-2T. Depending on the prototype chosen, it could fit into the line-up nicely.
9) Mason Bogie - I know several guys that think they want one of these, but if past releases in other scales are any indication, a M-B with it's long rigid wheelbase and long overhangs simply wouldn't work on most On30 layouts. Besides, they look a lot like Forneys, which Bachmann already offers.
10) Excursion Car (in either style as already offered in HO) and/or Open Trolley - Bachmann has done these in other scales, so the research has already been done, and I'd probably buy either or both if offered.
11) Small Forney's from Maine - I'd love to see them happen and would buy 'em if released, but I'm not sure if the market can support more Forneys right now.
12) Class A Climax - I'd like to see one, but ONLY if it has metal gears and parts are made available. I've already had enough headaches with two Shays, a Climax, a Railtruck, and BSGS (Bachmann Splitting Gear Syndrome).
13) Porter 0-6-0 or 0-4-0 saddle tank, or 0-4-0 or 2-4-2 with 4 wheel tender - Might be a real charmer if the right prototype was selected, like one of the Hawaii sugar locos. Also it would need both lead & trailing truck plus tender pickup for reliable operation.
14) 3 Truck Shay - Shays are cool and I love 'em, but a three trucker would be too big, and all the problems with the existing On30 Shay are likely to be repeated. Been there, done that.
15) A SR&RL 2-6-2 would be hard for me to resist, especially if it was close to SR&RL #24. Realistically though, a 2-6-2T might be more likely to be a better seller.


Here's a couple of my own suggestions:
1) A two truck trolley car - it's been a long while since Trolley fans have been tempted by anything On30
2) An Birney - Bachmann already has the research done for these in HO scale.
3) A small electric freight loco, either a boxcab or steeplecab. If it was styled after some of the early Ingersol Rand boxcab diesels, it could be offered as either an electric loco or a diesel/distillate loco just by changing the add-on details.
4) How about an updated version of the loco that put On30 on the map, Bachmann's 2-6-0, improved with both loco AND tender pickup, working front coupler (and also perhaps an optional switcher pilot), along with DCC and Sound. I know I'd be tempted to buy more than one!

More than two cents worth,
Bill in FL

[Royce Wilson]

How about a small Baldwin 2-6-0?  You would have the off  set drivers to give it intrest and a wagon top boiler. Could this be done using the IF 4-4-0?

Gloria

[railtwister]

How about a small Baldwin 2-6-0?  You would have the off  set drivers to give it intrest and a wagon top boiler. Could this be done using the IF 4-4-0?

Gloria

Hi Gloria,

Not likely, since the Bachmann IF 4-4-0 is so small. A 2-6-0 with any offset spacing between the last pair of drivers (to clear the firebox) would likely require new tooling as as well, because the boiler would need to be longer. I don't know if there is a prototype for a 2-6-0 that small, but you can usually find a prototype for just about anything if you look hard enough. Question is why would there be enough demand for a loco like this, yet not enough for MMI to commit production on a similar loco. I think the real situation is that Bachmann may be willing to take a chance with smaller sales numbers where both Broadway Limited and MMI jumped into On30 expecting big sales numbers, and haven't produced anything since, once reality set in. I think in the case of Broadway (BLI), their financing was so tight, and they had so many other products for HO & N in the pipeline, that they had to drop their pants on the pricing of the C-16 and the Goose to keep up the cashflow. This killed the street price of an awful lot of C-16's and Gooses (Geese) that can still be found sitting on dealer's shelves. Many dealers now won't carry BLI products now because of this, which I think has hurt the chances for more new On30 products from them even more. The sound decoders on the K-27 from MMI were so terrible that most people tore them out and put in Tsunami's or Lok Sound's and that has hurt the sales potential for their future On30 items as well. All of this hasn't gone unnoticed by Bachmann, I'm sure, and I'd be willing to bet it has made them more cautious about announcing new On30 products, too.

Bill in FL

[mmiller]

I really don't think you can compare the MMI model's and their success or failure with Bachmann's...MMI is basically making "brass" style locos with cast boiler and some other parts, but still A LOT of brass-like detailing and hand crafting...while Bachmann would be making more of a mass-produced, less intricate model...so I can't see how MMI backing away from a 4-4-0 because it would have had to retail for FAR more they originally planned would effect Bachmann one way or the other

same with the BLI 2-8-0, for the opposite reasons, BLI made a poor, crude model and tried to price it like the more sophisticated Bachmann 2-8-0 (and it's not like Bachmann locos don't go for way less than their original market price sometimes too )

IMO this is still plenty of room in the On30/On3 market for a good quality, reasonably priced C-16-ish 2-8-0 or 1880's 4-4-0 (or 2-6-0)

[ForThemPanzerz]

i read earlier in a few post that people want a mason bogie. that's a great idea how about a smaller 2-8-2 that uses the 
2-8-0 body with an extra back wheel. i tried doing this with my 2-8-0 but... well i afraid to modify because this engine cost me a lot of money and i don't want to ruin it with a hand twitch or something, here are my other thoughts about newer engines.
h.k. porter 2-6-0
Lima shay class a 2 truck vertical boiler or a class c 3 truck
newer 0-4-0t porters with bigger saddle tank like the g scale version
2-4-4-0t saddle tank
silverton northern Casey Jones RR truck
older 4-6-0