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[Steam555]

Hi mr b

Would  bachmann interested in producing a bigboy or a 2-10-10-2 or a 2-8-8-8-4

Cheers

Quentin

[sd24b]

Hi mr b

Would  bachmann interested in producing a bigboy or a 2-10-10-2 or a 2-8-8-8-4

Cheers

Quentin

this has been asked before.  There are several Big Boys out there in plastic or diecast metal.  Erie Triplex was done several years ago. 

[Doneldon]

Quentin-

I'd be shocked if they do. There is a lot of competition out there already which means many, and probably most, potential buyers
already have a Big Boy. Throw in the massive cost of the tooling and the fact that such a large loco needs really broad curves to
look like anything other than a bad joke, and I'm sure you can see why such a model is so unlikely.

                                                                                                                                                       -- D

[Steam555]

I see mth did the 2-8-8-8-2 in g gauge a few years ago

[jward]

i think they'd probably rather do something which isn't currently done to death.  if you put out a big boy, you are sompeting with several other makers for sales. the em1 was unique to bachmann, as are most of the small gearede steamers and the russian decapod.

personally, i'd love to see them upgrade the old f9 and u36b the way they did with the gp40.  and as both of those diesels already have a chassis in production (f7 and b23-7) the only modifications to be made would be to the bodies themselves, say better handrails, etc.

[ryeguyisme]

Hi mr b

Would  bachmann interested in producing a bigboy or a 2-10-10-2 or a 2-8-8-8-4

Cheers

Quentin

this has been asked before.  There are several Big Boys out there in plastic or diecast metal.  Erie Triplex was done several years ago. 

Alas the Virginian triplex is noticeably different and no one has done a 2-10-10-2 in plastic either Which the Virginian ALSO had. So he's not talking big boys or erie's triplexes

[lvrr325]

The key to getting something new in production is they need to be able to sell lots of them, not just a few hundred.   

Now a Big Boy fits that bill, except... it's been done to death. 

An obscure Virginian engine, not so much. 

This is why with a few exceptions, the Spectrum line has either been designs used by multiple railroads, generic engines, or if they're a specific engine they're still generic enough to be acceptable in multiple roadnames. 

[Doneldon]

The key to getting something new in production is they need to be able to sell lots of them, not just a few hundred.   

Now a Big Boy fits that bill, except... it's been done to death. 

An obscure Virginian engine, not so much. 

Lehigh-

The same is true for the 2-10-10-2. The Santa Fe built ten of them for heavy hauling on the worst grades but they couldn't generate
enough steam to make them go more than about 10 mph. That speed was unsatisfactory on a western railroad where the distances
were far greater than what was found in the east. Had they purpose built the locomotive from the ground up they might have been
able to make it work; trying to adapt it from existing 2-10-2s was foolish. Interestingly, the double Santa Fes were converted back to
conventional 2-10-2s, productively finishing their lives as helpers on Raton, Cajon and Tehachapi.

                                                                                                                                                        -- D

[ryeguyisme]

now the SMARTEST idea I can see bachmann doing, is creating engines with EXISTING TOOLING

A perfect idea is to take the tooling from the auxiliary tender and the 2-6-6-2 and make Norfolk and western Z-1a and Z-1b's since the locomotive wheelbase is identical to the C&O 2-6-6-2's considering they were built with next to the SAME characteristics. It can be made for two roads, the N&W and the D&RGW as they owned two of them

PLUS a Norfolk and Western 16,000 Gallon tender is in HIGH Demand for those modeling N&W and the Rio Grande

With that tender in mind, a Norfolk and Western K-3 Water Buffalo 4-8-2 could made as well with possibilities of up to 11 ROADNAMES, such as the N&W, D&RGW, W&LE, C&O and NKP

WHY either hasn't happened yet is enough to make my brain explode, the marketing value is tremendous...


Among other things is we all want a Non-USRA Pacific/Mikado, preferably a harriman style that would work for the western roads. But bachmann seems to mostly only cater to eastern roads when there's beautiful western locomotives that could be done in HO and sell like HOT CAKES

[jward]

rye

you have soem good ideas there. steam is not standardized the way diesels are, therefore models of most steam will have limited interest. rather than some obscure prototype, common locomotives on major railroads would seem to have a better chance of selling. the harriman standard designs would be a great addition to what's available.

for those not in the know, harriman controlled both the sp and up in the early part of the 20th century, before being forced to divest one of the lines due to antitrust concerns. the harriman designs were thus used on both railroads.

[Doneldon]

Among other things is we all want a Non-USRA Pacific/Mikado, preferably a harriman style that would work for the western roads. But bachmann seems to mostly only cater to eastern roads when there's beautiful western locomotives that could be done in HO and sell like HOT CAKES

Rye-

Great ideas. Bachmann is nuts if they don't at least explore your ideas and give you serial
number one if they go ahead with the project.

I have to say, I think the western railroads are lucky to have as many models as they do.
Model railroaders are far more numerous in the east than anywhere else, with the exception
of California. Lots of the California modelers are from the east but few Californians have
reverse migrated to the east. California may be the most populated state but it doesn't have any
where near the numbers as pile up in the east with New York, Pennsylvania, Massechusetts,
New Jersey, Maryland and the rest. Between the larger population and the California modelers
who like the eastern roads which they remember from their earlier years, there is a hugely
greater demand for eastern railroads than western ones.

                                                                                                             -- D