HO dreyfuss hudson

[HOplasserem80c]

wouldn't that be a good idea for a spectrum engine

[Nigel]

No, it would not.  Rivarossi and BLI have NYC Hudsons.  It would take either less than half the tooling to produced a Dreyfuss, that it would take Bachmann.

[Mark F.]

A couple of months ago BLI had announced a 20th Century Ltd. Hudson, but now it is gone from their web site.  I believe they instead went with a 3rd run of the J-1e Hudsons, the last ones built, with roller bearings and with the long distance PT/Centipede tenders.
I tried to put the bug in Bachmann's head a long time ago to do a streamlined Dreyfuss Hudson with the 1938 20th Century Ltd. consist, along the competing Broadway Ltd. consist of 1938 with a Torpedo 4-6-2; a la what BLI is doing with the California Zephyr, Daylight Ltd. etc.

We can only suggest, as the manufacturers have their own marketing departments, do their own market research, and allot their new product development budgets according to what they believe will sell.

[SteamGene]

Streamlining a steam locomotive is like putting plate armor on a table dancer.
Gene

[Mark F.]

You don't feel that the 1938 NYC Dreyfuss Hudson looked like an imposing armored Roman warrior with the "helmet" over the smokebox ?  I thought that looked pretty cool, and the fact that the drivers were not covered with "armor plating" meant that it still retained it's traditional steam locomotive appearance, from the side, anyway.   This and the streamlined N&W Class J were the finest looking jobs, IMO (sleek but not overdone).  Getting back to the Hudson, it could have been worse, you know - Henry Dreyfuss could have finished off the look with the "garage broom head" sticking out of the top, near where the stack would be.....

[HOplasserem80c]

well does anyone make a HO dreyfuss hudson?

[Mark F.]

Rivarossi made one, up until about 10 years ago.  I have one from the last run (late 1990's), never ran it, sitting in it's box - I never bought any matching coaches for it, almost going for the Con Cor 72 footers but never pulling the trigger.  Since Hornby took over what was left of the Riv/Jouef/Lima/Poucher they've only re-released a few US products.

It's hard to, in good conscience, push Bachmann Industries to produce this locomotive, since it has extremely limited appeal (i.e. it was a special iteration, one road had it, a northeast railroad to boot, only ten were streamlined to this extent, etc.).  Also, the Empire State Express Hudson of 1941 (also done by Rivarossi in HO) was a beautiful locomotive, IMO.  Never cared for the Commodore Vanderbilt (but I did like the Reading Crusader of 1937, which is quite similar to the CV).

Mark

[r.cprmier]

Mark;
Have you considered perhaps taking a look at the I-5 Hudson Precicion is coming out with this year?  Yeah.....I know it is New Haven, but just think:  It might just be the excuse you are looking for to rebuild your layout...and imagine doing all that catenery...

Seriously, I don't see any logical reason Bachmann would even entertain the idea.  As was aforestated, too many in what is probably a limited/locale market-even though Frank Sinatra had one...(And to think he grew up in Hoboken...CNJ country).

Rich