potential locomotives for BACHMANN to consider for future mfg.

[brokemoto]

I have a pair of the C-C/V-line Eries custom painted in NYC passenger by Dave Thurston (RIP).  Mine run well, at least the last time that I ran them, they ran well.  C-C did issue these in NYC and PRR passenger colors, but, for some reason, Dave and Fred (of Obie's Trains) told me that they could not find any of the shells in NYC, not at the time, at least.

The most frequent complaint that I have heard about these is that they tend to derail on curves sharper than fifteen inches.  This is due to the truck mounted couplers' not having room to swivel in the small pilot coupler opening on the A units (I understand the V-line did issue Bs, but they are the hardest to find of all the Eries out there).  As mine ran on curves of seventeen and nineteen inches, I never experienced the derailing problem. 

I do see the C-C Eries from time to time, at shows.  Usually, they are the PRRs, but I have seen an occasional NYC.  NYC did not have any passenger Bs, but it did have both in freight.  I do not know if PRR had any passenger Bs, but it did have both in freight.  It has been some time since I saw a LL Erie anywhere, other than the A-B-A NYC freight set and  A-B PRR freight set that I have.  I bought those shortly after their release.  The A-B PRR set was all that I could get for PRR.  The others had been snapped up that fast.  I got one of the last A-B-A NYC sets that Fred had.  I do not run them much, as they are rather large and my pike is too small.

I do have one other still untouched undecorated A and another A-B pair lettered for my non-historic, but, I rarely run them, as well.  I forget where I found them.  Those things look best in front of a long train.  My pike is too small for a long train.

As I understand it, the hardest one to find is the V-line B
Any LL is supposed to be a close second to the V-line B.
Of all of them, the V-line A is supposed to be the easiest to find, but even it ain't all that easy.

[dtpowell]

Now that Bachmann is producing the K4s Pacific 4-6-2. I would think the PRR L1 Mikado might be in the future. The boiler is nearly the same except for the sand dome I believe. And there may be another PRR loco that shares the boiler too, but I'm not certain. Perhaps a Mikado would be a nice starting point. Personally I'd like a T1 4-4-4-4. A far off dream. Make one in B&O paint too just to be different.

[TJ]

What about the ALCO C415 ? I believe this ALCO would qualify .

TJ