Update: Patience may be a virtue but the phone does work pretty well too. I called WRP and they are sending me my (replacement) 2018 On30 Annual and confirmed as much via email. Very friendly and courteous people to work with and  I couldn't be happier. Now what the USPS does with the mail is another thing I guess.

Stranger things have happened trust me. I had one annual turn up (several years ago) at my dog's veterinarians office with my name and address on it. I'd love to know where on the east coast these have been delivered so far as I cannot possibly get much closer with out a wet suit. Florida, BTW is on the east coast as well as having an east coast. Time will tell I suspect and I know my order was charged as my credit card was billed and paid back in February. Patience is a virtue so they say.

Sorry guys, Didn't mean to start an argument about scale this and that. 


    Simply asked what prototype 30 inch gauge locomotive you would like to see produced.So far it seems nobody wants anything.
    For those who care there is now available a model of the K-1 ready made and painted in WHR livery, but the cost might be a bit high. There are five left if you look for them.  I know that they should be 2 foot gauge but they are making these available in On30.
    I saw the last two production models of the Garratt 2-6-2+2-6-2 numbers 49 and 50 and they were beautiful. The price charged by the hobby shop that ordered them was bit much considering that you could call and order it yourself for at least a thousand less.  He sold one but buggered off with the other when the shop closed I assume.

Anyway, if anyone cares to post an answer I'm sure that someone will respond to it. Possibly even Bachmann themselves?
On30 or rather 30 inch prototype if you will.

Cheers,
Chatham

Jerry, I think you've hit the nail on the head.

Question for everyone. What prototype 30 inch locomotive would you like to see Bachmann produce. Note that I wrote 30, NOT 3, NOT 2 but 30.

Think about it and remember that they need to make a profit from it as well.  If you look you can find some On2 stuff available and On3 is readily available. Some even convert the larger Bachmann locos to On3. After all, they were 3 foot prototypes and just squeezed the wheels closer together. ( slightly more involved than that but you get the point.)

So what 30 inch gauge prototype would you like to see made next?  I myself would love to see a nice little Prairie 2-6-2 with a new tender.

Just sittin n' thinkin' again.

Maybe, just maybe, the entire development team is sitting in a remote cabin out in the wilderness sucking their thumbs and rocking gently back and forth. All trying to recover before releasing anything new. That's a "Maybe" remember?

They've learned and probably dread the inevitable first question.

"What is the minimum radius" the new South Kohlrabi and Corncob 2-12-4T will negotiate on a 20 percent grade?

Enough to make me think about another career. 
I think On30 will stay around long after all of us are long gone. It's always been there and as long as there is a piece of track someone will find a way to make something move on it.

Jes sitin' and thinkin' is all.

I think that some of the blame belongs with ourselves. As POGO once said, "We have met the enemy and he is us"

Who wanted bigger and bigger locomotives? (why build narrow gauge and want big?)
Who wanted everything to be DCC? Who asked for sound included?
 
Bachmann gave us all that and more and then we complain about the cost?

There have been some great suggestions for future locomotives and rolling stock. Lets hope it isn't too late and that we haven't shot ourselves in the foot already.

Go back to basics and make everything DCC and/or sound READY and see if that changes anything. Does anyone build anything themselves any longer?

Just an old man's thoughts is all, just sayin"

Quote from: [email protected] on April 25, 2015, 09:41:23 AM
I may be kicking a dead horse, but I'm trying to restore some old rail cars I bought on eBay.  (I'm beginning to see why they wanted to get rid of them.)  Anyway, I thought I saw somewhere that there is such a thing as tools for reshaping the axle sockets on the trucks and the ends of plastic axles.  Do any of you know whether there is such a thing, and where I can find them?  I know I could buy new wheels and trucks, but I like to tinker a little, if I can.  I think some of these old wheels would work if they had pointed axles instead of rounded.

I got to where I'm pretty good at changing the couplers and adjusting their height.  I'm still learning how to deal with unsprung turnouts.  Now I'm trying to learn how to deal with trucks and wheels.  I discovered they are causing some of my derailing and dragging.  And unwanted uncoupling.

Give Micro-Mark a try as they sell all manner of things related to weight, coupler height and a tool called a truck tuner that does a great job on the reshaping or polishing of the axle boxes on HO trucks. Works with metal or plastic.
http://www.micromark.com/more-model-railroad-items.html?page=3  should be the last one at the bottom of that page. But search for it otherwise.


Cheers,
Chatham

I really have no idea  but if you are talking about the real one's then here would be a great place to start.
http://www.shaylocomotives.com/index.html

Good luck.
Rich R

Quote from: mabloodhound on November 15, 2014, 09:50:28 AM
That's great Chris.   Looking forward to it.
By the way, who has the 2014 Annuals for sale?   I wrote WR last week but no reply.   Are there any left?

I was wondering the same thing and so I did few laps around the web and located this.
https://www.whiteriverproductions.com/shopexd.asp?id=353

Hope that answers the question.

Good to have it back again.

Best
chatham

Quote from: ScottyB on September 28, 2014, 07:40:01 PM
Good luck,

Hard enough to find On30 in the USA! Hope you find some!

Scott

Scott,

Glad I'm not the only one who noticed this. LHS have nothing and online not much better. The largest dealer online has lots of Bachmann HO but little in on30 and shrinking daily.  Same for the second and third dealers online and those that do have On30 are not offering any deals whatsoever. ( By deals I mean simply affordable prices, not give aways) Everyone is entitled to make a decent profit.

I haven't seen any trucks or other parts available in ages.

Bachmann has said that their warehouse is full of stock so why aren't the dealers reordering ?

Just asking is all. Any thoughts or ideas other than too expensive? WE wanted DCC not simply DCC ready, we then wanted sound and all that comes with a price. Bachmann made a step in that direction with a few of their latest offerings. Sound could be ordered as an option or added later.

It will be interesting to see what happens as more and more of us are priced out of the market. Lets face it, if you're just starting out in On30 and want the whole nine yards, DCC and sound you are looking at a large price tag up front and the locomotives are only the beginning.   How is this helping to bring younger people into the hobby or keeping us old geezers in it?. I can afford the stuff, just don't run trains as I'd rather build.
This is meant as a question, possibly part of an answer and in no way a criticism.

Did I just hijack this thread? If so I apologize.

Chatham

Quote from: Lemurien on July 26, 2014, 05:08:32 AM
Yes, impossible to buy 18 ft cars every where....

Not really unless MM 's web page is wrong. They have both types on there and they say they are available. Well at least they don't say on back order. Just sayin' is all.

Cheers,
Chatham

I don't have a dog in this hunt so what I say may or may not mean much. I'm now on a fixed income so with the higher prices I am out.
The problem as I see it isn't so much about the modelers, rather it's all the after market companies that I feel sorry for. Lets hope that Bachmann is falling back to regroup and not bailing on On30.
The pickings are scarce out there if you go looking at the usual places and stock is low.
Keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best. I think that Bachmann will be honest about what's going on sooner, not later


Rich R

Hi guys,

I have noticed that a lot of things are changing and I have heard more than one or two complaints about this and that. Check Google search and that might just tip you off as to what seems to be going on.
The swing might be toward the touch screen and mobile devices? Tablets, smart phone etc?  Google is at least workable once you understand what they are doing. Yahoo I simply avoid.

Just sayin'.

Chatham

Jumping back in once more.

I must have been out sick that day and missed the removed posts and that's probably all for the best. I think the original poster who started this (Kernow) was more or less correct and asked a fair question and made some very good points.

Hamish also was right on the mark as well with his first post and Harold gave us something to think about.

The only constants in the On30 field is the 2-6-0 which hasn't changed in all these years and is still the best bang for the buck to start out with . The Porters are something else again. They have become  ...well I don't quite know what they have become but I know I can't afford them any longer. I say that because I cannot for the life on me find any without sound which is what places them out of my reach pricewise. I did locate one out in one of our western states that was ordered with sound but what came in was DCC only and so I jumped on that like a sailor on shore leave! 

What I feel we do need is another entry level loco to rekindle the fire and bring more people back to, or newly into the On30 hobby, niche though it may be.

The 2-6-0 was a stroke of educated luck and maybe, just maybe, lightning will strike the same place twice? 

I'm finished and I now return you to your original programming. Thanks for the input everyone.

Chatham

Harold,

Your many contributions to the On30 sector of the hobby are almost the stuff of legend. I thank you for your input as well as your sharing of information so freely.

I did not realize that you had been out of it for that long as I myself had to leave as well for almost that time due to medical reasons. I'm now just getting my feet back into the water and I'm surprised at some of the things that have changed.

What if anything, would re kindle your interest in On30 or is it that you have lost interest in NG itself? No need to answer as I am only curious and it's none of my business anyway.

The cost is a drawback for me now so I have to be very selective as to where and how I spend my money.  But I am willing to spend it if it's something I want. I seem to be looking for a 2-6-2 in a 4-8-8-4 world however. :-)

I first started out in On30 because of the small size of the equipment and now it seems that everyone wants bigger. But I'll stay in it as long as my eye sight holds out and hope for the best.

Chatham