do you think bachmann will ever make a big boy?

[rogertra]

Roger,

I can't personally tell if what you said about American vs. foreign practice of marketing model locomotives is true, but I think I know why that is likely the case.  Before the mega-mergers started eating up the smaller Class One Railroads, there were a great many railroads in this country, but only a very few manufacturers and models.  So it would stand to reason that a model manufacturer would market a handful of locomotives in a variety of paint schemes, geared to what would sell best, not to what is the most accurate.  This problem is worse with Diesel locomotives than with steam, that tended to be a least a bit individualistic.

For example, everyone's F-units looked pretty much alike.  So take a common prototype (F7?) and letter it for a bunch of common railroads, regardless of whether or not they used them.  The modeler can detail them to represent a particular railroad's units.

This isn't a matter of liking or not liking American railroads.  It is a good thing, because the more units sold, the stronger it makes the hobby for all of us.

Les

I understand the above but for us Canadian modellers, an "American" diesel painted in Canadian colours isn't accurate.  Depending on which of the Big Three diesels builders model we are discussing, Canadian diesels usually have one more step in the step wells than the equivalent American version, different headlight placement, different handrail arrangements, different length noses, different sandbox placement different placement of air filters etc., etc., which are sometimes not easy to duplicate as they may involve carving up the body.   I know, I've done done diesel kitbashing myself to get RS-11 and RS-18 diesels, for example. Of course, bell, horn, radio gear etc., etc., are easy to replace.  But, then again, how many Canadian "modellers" really care?  Not that many it seems.   

I was just pointing out the different approach that even Bachmann has to its European markets Vs Bachmann North American market.

Cheers

Roger T.