Locomotive/rolling stock Suggestion topic. (Maybe for the future of Bachmann)?

[LancerG2]

Hello fellow topic readers.
Recently i have been looking though the Bachmann site in the HO section and realized we have a fair set of nice trains. Usually to 0-6-0's to the 2-6-0's but has anybody ever wondered that there aren't enough locomotives.
I wrote this topic due to the fact that i have been studying on a particular Locomotive known as the C&O Baldwin M-1.

The C&O Baldwin M-1.* A Locomotive nicknamed 'Sacred cow' due to the fact that it was powered with built three unique coal-fired steam turbine-electric engines. This beast had a wheel arrangement of 2-C1+2-C1-2 and had 6,000-horsepower units.

Now i was looking for this locomotive as due to the fact that i have heard you can only get this in O gauge. People said that it was in HO but the brand selling it stopped or something.   And also this locomotive has hardly been heard of much. It looks wonderfully beautiful.

So the point of this post is to suggest trains that could be added to the Bachmann line weather steam, Diesel electric or something electric like from the Amtrak series. The C&O Baldwin M-1* as an example. Also if anybody has other interesting information please share! You can never stop learning and learning.

Also with some though of mind i was thinking of rolling stock. Like a M1 Abraham tank, bell Huey, Emergency supplies (Shipping container with medic cross), or Flak cannon that could all be placed on a flatbed.

1 - (Had to be emphasized as this locomotive was a child of a beast).

2 - Picture of the Baldwin M-1 :

3 - An example of military rolling stock:

[Jerrys HO]

Lancer-

MTH made one I believe it's in their 2000 catalog and Overland also made one. The MTH version is still available. Tony's trains has 1 in stock. If you are interested you may give them a look. Look to pay about  $1,000 on it. Have not seen many Overlands available.

I doubt (could be wrong) that Bachmann will produce this beast. It was a beautiful engine but not very popular.

Speaking for myself I would never own one.

Jerry

[jward]

a more practical suggestion would be a cow and calf set of emd switchers. athearn used to make them but the hoods were too wide and i don't think they are produced anymore. for those new to trains, calves were cabless switchers. they were produced in the 1940s and early 1950s, and many railroads across the country had them. they were used similar to a b unit.

[LancerG2]

Lancer-

MTH made one I believe it's in their 2000 catalog and Overland also made one. The MTH version is still available. Tony's trains has 1 in stock. If you are interested you may give them a look. Look to pay about  $1,000 on it. Have not seen many Overlands available.

I doubt (could be wrong) that Bachmann will produce this beast. It was a beautiful engine but not very popular.

Speaking for myself I would never own one.

Jerry

True but to the point it should be made. As that 2000 catalog would be outdated and a decent price for a type of loco like this should be $300-400 (For a DC non smoke or  sound). This locomotive would do fine in my mountain layout as it just looks beautiful. Also you didn't suggest a locomotive.

Yet maybe another locomotive they should add is a Baldwin Mikado 2-8-2 as seen here:

[LancerG2]

a more practical suggestion would be a cow and calf set of emd switchers. athearn used to make them but the hoods were too wide and i don't think they are produced anymore. for those new to trains, calves were cabless switchers. they were produced in the 1940s and early 1950s, and many railroads across the country had them. they were used similar to a b unit.

Yeah that could work. But i have no idea what they look like. Mind throwing in a picture?

[J3a-614]

Here are some samples:

http://classictrains.deviantart.com/art/Cow-and-calf-50119164

http://www.1chan.net/rail/src/1319979332053.jpg

With an Alco on the ATSF:

http://www.daveswebshop.com/cards/rp973.jpg

As translated in model form:

http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/828/IMG_94422.JPG

http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/828/IMG_94492.JPG

Site for the last two:

http://dieseldetailer.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=old&action=display&thread=8566

http://espee.railfan.net/nonindex/sw_photos/1109-1151_sp-sw8-tr6b-john_rodgers.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow-calf

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/diesel133.html

The Chesapeake and Ohio had a unique model, its two TR-3s--an NW-2 with two "b-units," nicknamed "the herd:"

http://yardlimit.railfan.net/emd/tr3/index.html

http://www.cohs.org/repository/Archives/cohs/web/cohs-32095.jpg

Have fun.

[jward]

interesting that you should mention the tr3s. as a teen i spent alot of time at connellsville, pa on the b&o. they used a set of tr3s on the hump, but one of the calves had been replaced by a standard nw2 switcher, which resulted in a calf between two cows. one of the interesting features of the calves, which the athearn models didn't have, was the full set of guages mounted on the end of the calf unit where the cab would normally be. presumably, there was also a hostler control there for moving the calf by itself around a servicing area. this would be a neat feature to have on the model.

[ForThemPanzerz]

2 truck shays and climaxes and a "westernized" spectrum quality 4-4-0

[J3a-614]

J. Ward, and interesting thing about the TR-3's you saw was that you couldn't have easily changed the configuration on those units as built.  Such transfer engines from EMD were usually coupled with drawbars; note that the B-units do not have steps were the cab end would be.  The cab of the A-units was a little different, too, with the lower windows blanked out with metal (no need to look down to a coupling at the cab end), and no pilots or footboards between units.  When the TR-3s were broken up, all this was taken into account, and new steps and other modifications were made in addition to the installation of couplers.

The area of the step wells, by the way, was filled with very heavy steel plates (actually an extension of the frame).  I can't help but think part of this was to add weight for traction, replacing weight lost by not having a cab. 

I second Mr. Shay's nomination of two-truck Shays and Climaxes.  The 2-42/2-50 was the most common Shay built, though of course there must have been a hundred variations.  In regard to a Climax, it would be nice just to see the return of Bachmann's first HO model.  This was was based on Middle Fork No. 3, which still runs, and was a running mate to Middle Fork No. 6, which is the prototype for Bachmann's three trucker that is under restoration at Cass.

My own choices, being a C&O fan?

C&O K-2 or K-3 (K-3 illustrated):

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/mikado/co2338.jpg

C&O F-18 or F-19 4-6-2 (F-19 illustrated)

http://www.markkarvon.com/fastflyingvirginian.html

(Hmm, note the tenders behind both of those engines.  They look a little familiar.  Doesn't Bachmann make something that looks like that?)

How tough would it be to make either an early or a late H-6 2-6-6-2?

Late (1949, one of the last steam engines built for an American railroad by Baldwin; the very last engines of this last order, No. 1308 and 1309, survive today).

http://www.brasstrains.com/images/products/030482-Unpainted/CO%20USRA.jpg

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=955121

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/Locopicture.aspx?id=126786

Early:

http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/1636/H-6_16-VC.jpg

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/co1512.jpg

Note that the main difference is in piston-valve low-pressure cylinders, and a couple of different tenders.  Bachmann makes all of the tenders.

[sparkyjay31]

Okay.  I'll put in my 2 cents.  A Spectrum 4-8-2 Mastadon.

[RAM]

Shouldn't that be a 4-8-0

[blwfish]

Oo-oo!!  F-19, please!  Or a K-3.  Or both.    How about an H-7 2-8-8-2?

But aside from them, a Southern PS-4 Pacific (eg 1401), an Ms-2 (4501) Mikado, or Ts-1 4-8-2...

I doubt it would be popular enough to be successful, but I'd love an ACL R-1 4-8-4.

I can dream, I guess  

And yes, I probably would buy at least one of all of these. More than one of each the C&O ones, in fact.

[Doneldon]

All-

Please don't forget that Bachmann is doing business, not making models for fun. Accordingly, they have to be confident of selling thousands of examples of the things they make, just to recover tooling costs. And don't think that just-a-little-change will give birth to a new model. They have to do whole new masters or the ones they modify will no longer be usable for the source model.

So ... don't expect models of obscure prototypes, specialized engines or highly unique ones. The C&O M-1 loco is a great example. There weren't 200 originals in the first place, and, no offense, but the great majority of model railroaders don't model the C&O. That's true for every railroad, of course, but it's especially true for a relatively obscure regional railroad, at least in comparison to giants like the Pennsy, NYC, AT&SF, UP, SP and a few others. And, the C&O doesn't have the funky factor that draws people to smaller railroads like the D&RGW or some of the narrow gauge and mountain lines. The sad truth is that the rare, specialty items are only made in small numbers, generally by brass masters at predictably high prices. Bachmann could make a plastic M-1, sell a few dozen examples for several thousand dollars each, and still probably lose money. Would you pay, say $3500 for a plastic M-1? Me neither. So spring for brass or scratch build one. That will show how much you really want one.
                                                                  -- D

[blwfish]

Well of course. I fully understand that it's a business. But then again, there are a surprising number of relatively obscure models being produced today. The PRR Q-2, for example - it's very much a specialty item, even though it's PRR. Baldwin Centipedes are another good example - again, PRR, but still a very limited scope. Milwaukee Bipolars - there are many models that are popular that may not reflect the success of the prototypes. U50B's are SP, but aren't exactly the most popular items out there. Same goes for DD35's - but I bet Athearn made a pretty fair amount of money on that model, nonetheless.

One might think, though, that a Ps-4 might be popular, despite the fact that Southern seems not to be one of the top-drawing fan railroads. And 4501 might draw well too, for the same reasons if not more. Especially if 4501 is going to

For reference, all of the above C&O have been built in brass, at one time or another. And yes, I do have several of them. But they're a lot of work to bring up to current standards. They don't even have lights, let alone can motors, DCC, sound, etc. My K2 is on the bench right now with its guts hanging out as I try to put in a can motor, new gears, plumb fiber optics for lights, a sound decoder and one (or even two) speakers. The point being that even given the availability of brass, the entry price is even higher than it might appear. The parts alone are nearly the price of plastic models, if available.

[Steam is King]

Respectfully, before we do anything else, can we please have a Baldwin Spectrum 2-6-2 like Ventura County No. 2?

The market is desperately in need of a good quality 2-6-2!!!!