A request to B-mann on a possible future N scale product

[brokemoto]

Dear B-mann:

I noticed the announcement of a USRA light 2-8-2 in HO scale.   I looked at the list of available road names, and noticed that BALTIMORE AND OHIO was not one of them.  Often, when B-mann issues a product in HO scale, the product appears in N scale a little later.

This request is for the N scale version of this, assuming that it appears.  Please include BALTIMORE AND OHIO as an available road name in N scale.  The first USRA locomotive was a light 2-8-2 assigned to the BALTIMORE AND OHIO.  This locomotive still exists.  It is on display at the B&O Museum in Baltimore.   It does not run (at least not that I know), but it does exist.    BALTIMORE AND OHIO had one hundred of these things.  They ran everywhere on the B&O, including into Philadelphia, where B-mann is based.

I suppose that I could buy one of the others and remove the lettering, prepare the surface and re-letter with one of the Microscale sets, as Microscale does have a set for these locomotives.  This would assume that I could get the tender shell off the chassis and at least the cab, if not the whole locomotive shell off its chassis.  This would assume, further, that the factory in China does not use the same sort of superglue that it has used on other locomotive windows, which precludes their intact removal.  Instead, you must either tape over the windows or, if you must strip the shell to re-paint, you must destroy the glazing (as the stripper will ruin it) and replace with the Microkristallkleer.

I have liked your latest issues of small to average sized steam in N scale (as well as the B&O EM-1), so I do look forward to seeing this one in N scale.  While it is true that Model Power, under the auspices of Model Rectifier Corporation, has re-issued its USRA lights, the detailing is not as good as the latest B-manns.  In addition, the B-manns have up to date construction, particullarly when it comes to electrical contact.  While MRC/MP has made some alterations to address the contact problems, the construction employed by B-mann is up-to-date and therefore superior to the modification of an archaic construction method.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

--PL

[kewatin]

i fully agree with your thought train,normally they release in N what has been done in HO,but with the already announced GG1 electric,we will be hard pressed to see this before next yr or later.i have been waiting for their upgraded northern,which i see has just had the motor along with the peter witt and one other loco to now have the new can coreless installed in them,i read on another forum or 2 that this was the case and i believe MARK from SPOOKSHOW did a comment about this.perhaps YARDMASTER could confirm this.they have been upgrading this northern for yrs and with a new boiler with all the detail bachmann is exceptionally good at doing would be my choice ,although the mikado would also  fill a niche for smaller steam.it also looks like anything they release now will have basic sound installed.personally i can live with it or without.Bachmann does do small steam very well and would love to see their 2-8-0 connie re released with sound.i have 4 of them &are great runners&pullers and i believe this was the loco that raised the bar to a new level for bachmann to compete  with kato etc.just my thoughts&imput.
regards&later KEWATIN

[gatrhumpy]

Probably won't happen. Model Power (now MRC) already has a 2-8-2 with DCC and sound, so this is a pipe dream.

[ryeguyisme]

Probably won't happen. Model Power (now MRC) already has a 2-8-2 with DCC and sound, so this is a pipe dream.

Not necessarily. I do not like the mechanism breakdown of the other USRA mike on the market, it makes it difficult to kitbash, the boiler is the main housing unit for the motor, which is really preventing me from buying one. The whole lack of separation of boiler from motor is why I prefer Bachmann. All my steam is Bachmann for this reason  MRC isn't known for great decoders either which also leave me skeptical. Bachmann also has dual wheel pickup on their tenders which is also very important.

So sign me up for a few of the Bachmann engines.

The only excuse I'd have for the MP steam is the vanderbilt tender which isn't offered anywhere else. Which if I were to buy it, I would simply cannibalize the tender from the engine, sell the engine off and put Bachmann trucks on it.

But that's just me.

[Desertdweller]

I am not a Pennsy fan, nor do I model a part of the country that the PRR ran in.  But I like the fact that Bachmann is producing two Pennsy icons, the K4s and the GG1.

These are classic locomotives, loved and wanted by many N-scalers, and an important addition to the available N scale models.

Les

[kewatin]

desertdweller, you are correct about the k4 pacific,a model waited for &wanted for yrs but remember kato has done them to the point that there are still a lot of unsold stock begging to be bought.the only advantage to owning the bachmann version when released will be for the sound card added,and i will bet it will be cheaper to install sound in the kato unit along with the purchase price then all out purchase price of the bachmann unit where we seen price points continue to climb.i believe they made a mistake on this specific gg1 loco other than appease pensy fans.no pun intended.i really like there new heavy weight passenger cars but the price point is redickulous, i can buy 2 micro train cars for the same price point as one bachmann.i do give bachmann credit for doing them,so will wait till there stream liners come out,but again the price point is critical for me personally.
regards&later KEWATIN

[kewatin]

DESERTDWELLER. my mistake iwas taking point with the kato gg1 versus the upcoming bachmann release of there gg1 ,somehow at my old age part of my post disappaered.must have had a brain fart & hit the wrong key.
my apology  regards&later KEWATIN

[brokemoto]

Probably won't happen. Model Power (now MRC) already has a 2-8-2 with DCC and sound, so this is a pipe dream.

I did mention the MRC/MP.  This has not necessarily stopped B-mann in the past.  Kato did an NW-2, as did Bachpersonn.  Atlas did a GP-7 and RS-3, as did Bachmann.  Kato and Arnold have done a GG-1; B-mann has announced one.  Kato and Intermountain did F-7s as did B-mann.  MP did a mogul as did B-mann.  The moguls are different, but moguls they are.  B-mann continued to improve its nineteenth century 4-4-0, even though Atlas has issued one.


What many manufacturers issue in HO, they issue subsequently in N.  All that it takes is a few keystrokes to get the blueprints down to N scale and the process starts.  You save on costs for a new design.

B-mann's selling point will be its superior design and detailing, as I cited in my Original Post.

To be sure, the MPs perform well with appropriate modifications, such as swapping out the MP stock tender for a B-mann SPECTRUM or Kato USRA tenders of the SPECTRUM slopeback.  In fact, with a minimum of work, the stock tender shell from the MP eight wheeler and mogul will go onto the SPECTRUM slopeback chassis.

In fact, I have one MP eight wheeler that I acquired from someone who had tried to do something to it and had ruined the driver wipers in the process.  I swapped out the stock MP tender for a SPECTRUM USRA short, thus it collects its current solely from the tender (similar to the Con-Cor USRA heavy 2-10-2).  It operates well.

[brokemoto]

The only excuse I'd have for the MP steam is the vanderbilt tender which isn't offered anywhere else. Which if I were to buy it, I would simply cannibalize the tender from the engine, sell the engine off and put Bachmann trucks on it .

[emphasis mine]


I agree with what I did not quote, as well.


The emphasis reflects the necessary upgrade to the model to remedy  the results of using archaic, half wheels live, construction methods that MP utilised originally and that MRC has retained.  To be sure, MRC has added some additional contact points, but those contact points are merely modifications to an archaic construction method.   The addition of live idler trucks have helped some, but they are not as reliable as the needlepoint all wheels live tender trucks.   My experience with bashing JNR tank engines with live idler trucks has demonstrated this.  Those live idler trucks just ain't as reliable as live tender trucks.

[brokemoto]

i really like there new heavy weight passenger cars but the price point is redickulous, i can buy 2 micro train cars for the same price point as one bachmann.i do give bachmann credit for doing them,

The four axle standard length passenger car is a first for N scale, thus a needed model.  Cars of this type were the most prevalent for use on commuter trains from the 1920s to the very early 1980s.  A great idea, but far too expensive.  I do not understand why B-mann wants so much more for theirs than MT wants for theirs.  MTs are made mostly in the United States, while B-mann's come from China.

Yes, the old Bmann shorty standards were also commuter cars, but unique to the Northwestern.  Many roads had these paired window commuter coaches.  Many had single windows, as well.  No one has done a full length, single window HW/Standard coach in N scale, be it four or six axle.  Many roads had those.  Most NYCS coaches were single window.  NYC is a "first tier road", oddly enough.

[Bucksco]

Tooling and manufacturing costs have increased over the years. Also remember that the prices that we list are MSRP - manufacturer SUGGESTED retail price. Dealers usually apply a generous discount on these SUGGESTED retail prices.

[ryeguyisme]

Tooling and manufacturing costs have increased over the years. Also remember that the prices that we list are MSRP - manufacturer SUGGESTED retail price. Dealers usually apply a generous discount on these SUGGESTED retail prices.

Another thing on  Bachmann's heavyweight cars is they have stock lighting, which MT does not. I am extremely happy with all the new N-scale releases, the heavyweights help because now we have more to choose from. I'm not a PRR, B&O nor a Berkshire roads fan but the fact that Bachmann is coming out with new steam as rapid as they've been doing the last few years is something to be happy about.

At the very moment Bachmann is the leader in innovative N-scale steam in the N-scale marketplace. Long gone are the days of flimsy rail-pickup and cracked axles. I will continue to look forward to more and more of Bachmann's investment in N gauge

[Desertdweller]

Kewatin:

Those brain farts happen to me, too.  Don't feel bad.

Those GG-1's might appeal to more than just Pennsy fans.  They were used by Penn Central (anybody model them?) and AMTRAK, and may be by a commuter authority.

But the best use I saw for a GG-1 was in a magazine article I read in the 1970's.  Someone used the GG-1 chassis (I think it was a Rapido) to model a Milwaukee Road Bi-polar electric.  The center (cab) portion was modeled using a caboose with the cupola removed.  The curved hoods at each end were modeled by draping a sheet of plastic over a metal tube with a heating element inside.  The pantographs were re-used from the GG-1.  It really looked good!

Les

[Bucksco]

P.S. No concerns here about how well the K4 will sell. They came into the warehouse and were gone in a matter of days. We are currently waiting for the second production run and demand is still very high. We are sure the GG1 will do just as well!

[Maletrain]

I will second the motions for Bachmann to make both the USRA Light Mikado and to reissue the Consolidation with or without sound.  I am NOT buying the MP/MRC version Mike because I so much prefer how Bachmann would do it.  The B&O took delivery of that first USRA Mike, with its headlight centerd on smokebox, but MOVED the headlight to the top of the smokebox, as they did with all of their steam.  Bachmann could make the high headlight version and still make it distinctive from the MP version, even for those buyers who don't know about the mechanism advantages or the prototype distinctions.

My estimate is that Bachmann could sell-out the first run of Mikes and another run of Consolidations with no problem. I guarantee I will help them disappear.

And, with the K4 mechanism now available, how about some NON-Pennsy Pacifics?