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Realtrack Models looking for suggestions!


charliepetty

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what about a decent 101 DMU.The old lima model(now done by Hornby) is hardly up to todays standards and has carried many liveries.The selling point is of course that they were seen country-wide and lasted a long time.

I think you'll find that the body moulding is exquisite - the glazing amoung the best on any RTR I've seen.

 

If it had a revised underframe moulding the result would be a top drawer model. But for many 'modellers' because it lacks blinding LED head lights they probably aren't interested in it....

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Guest maxthemapman

I've been lurking for a while, but I couldn't resist this one. First, some general observations.

 

1) The need for bang for buck: not having to tool up several different carriages to get one single (long, expensive-to-buy) train; not having to create something that is incredibly intricate.

2) The problem with doing something that the big boys will never touch: unless they have misjudged the situation, it won't sell very much. Ideally, the prototype would be something that the big boys are going to turn to in three or four years time, when they have exhausted their current ideas. Only, they won't be able to turn to it if someone else got there first.

3) Coaches and trucks are useful, but will always be less popular because they don't appeal to the collectors market so much. The biggest sellers come with motors.

 

The 14x family fits in with all of these perfectly?

 

Plenty of suggestions from other posts also fit the above observations, but I'm just going to add something really left field. Can you get much more iconic than the London Underground? As the manufacturers have shown, iconic things sell, even if the prototypes are obscure and short-lived, such as diesel prototypes. If the model is designed well-enough, it can also create its own demand.

 

The Metropolitan Bo-Bo locomotive has a cult status, and runs under its own power today on specials. It is limited though, it is not really possible to base a layout around it. I'm going to suggest the OPQR stock EMU family. This ran from 1937 to 1983 in its various formations. O stock was first delivered in 1937 as two car units, with very small differences between cars (underframes differ), it has nice smooth bodywork. If you design one car, you have your complete train (prototypically, two units would be the minimum formation).

 

New stock can be created by tooling up new single carriages (the trick that Bachmann can do with their BR design EPB). Trailer coaches were later added to create three car sets because all-motor two car sets were consuming too much power. Add a centre car with slightly different bodywork, and you have R stock. Add one of the early District Line pre-1935 cars, and now you have Q stock. Change the underframe, and you have CO/CP stock.

 

Advantages:

 

Over 40 years of operation, ran on District, Circle, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan Lines.

Shared stations with BR and predecessors in many places, some inter-working.

Shared many stations with EFE 1938/59/62 tube stock.

All carriages still in existence.

LT museum currently restoring operational Q stock train, likely to be interested (LT museum shops sell model railway stuff).

4-rail operation, no pantographs to get right.

If successful, points towards A Stock, T Stock, and F stock.

Oh yes, and the most beautiful EMU constructed, in the world, ever.

 

http://www.ltmcollection.org/photos/photo/link.html?IXinv=1999/20211

 

Disadvantages:

 

Only four liveries in service: train red/gold leaf decals; bus red/white decals; aluminium/red decals; alumnium/go-faster stripe. BUT some converted to departmental stock, so yellow and maroon also possible.

 

Original equipment replaced, will need drawings to get the original underframe right.

 

Seems specialist on the surface, but so did Southern electrics, and suddenly they are everywhere.

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The Metropolitan Bo-Bo locomotive has a cult status, and runs under its own power today on specials. It is limited though, it is not really possible to base a layout around it.

I would have thought that the Met Growlers offer a particular opportunity at Rickmansworth, in their day the limit of electric operations, with kettles taking the train forward, in a famously slick operation to change motive power. Add in the Great Central services on the same rails, and you have a truly interesting mix of trains, be it the '20s or the '50s.

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Guest maxthemapman

I would have thought that the Met Growlers offer a particular opportunity at Rickmansworth, in their day the limit of electric operations, with kettles taking the train forward, in a famously slick operation to change motive power. Add in the Great Central services on the same rails, and you have a truly interesting mix of trains, be it the '20s or the '50s.

 

Good point, but T Stock would be needed too for the local trains that turned round at Rickmansworth. Two motor coaches have been preserved.

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If it's a question of cost of R&D against sales, then I'm sorry but I can't see that any of the multiple units are going to win this one.

 

A small tank engine, the J50, which remained mostly unchanged for 50 years, coming in GNR apple green, LNER apple green, LNER goods black, LNER wartime black, British Railways unlined black, British Railways unlined black with cycling lion, British Railways unlined black with late crest, and Departmental liveries to boot, seems an extremely attractive choice, and it will sell. Every Eastern region modeller worth his salt needs at the bare minimum, two or three knocking about to create an authentic scene.

 

Charlie, you asked for something with loads of liveries that would sell - may I suggest (not too subtly!) that a small steam engine - as seen with Model Rail's sentinel - is the way to go, and the best one aside from one of the plethora of GWR pannier tanks, is the Gresley J50 tank engine.

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Looks like the J50 is getting lots of votes. Even if the livery variations aren't that wide ie many black versions with different lettering, it's a bit like LMS Jinty which sells well (I assume).

 

You don't have to model LNER to use one, anyone in the Home Counties could justify a visitor on a short goods (dunno about places north of Watford but I guess they strayed beyond area boundaries in some other places?)

 

I would have thought anyone who's bought the Hornby L1 or Heljan Class 15 recently could justify a J50 alongside?

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Quite easily! And lets be honest, I really can't see Hornby re-releasing the Lima version as part of the Railroad range so it'd be a clear field!

 

You know you want to ;) Guaranteed sales from this particular RMwebber! :lol: As I say, I'd have four. Copley Hill had twelve of the blighters at one point...!

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Industrial steam is definitely an area that needs covering and something like an AB 0-4-0 or equally ubquitous loco would sell like the last issue of the NOTW.

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How about a Pressed steel Railcar? something like the 115/116/117/121 Although latter exists from Hornby the former are only availiable in kit form and bet thered could be a market for them possibly

 

Modern unit wise how about the Turbostar derived units eg. 171/172/377/378

 

NL

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The dropping of spanners onto a concrete floor should do the trick! ;)

 

 

 

Perhaps a sound chip could be offered with a built in random swearing fit as well as dropped spanner effect. In fact why not go the whole hog and offer a de-motored 175 and 180 complete with repair depot building, complete with sweary fitter sound effects. I know they are better now but when new they spent more time in sheds being fiddled with by brawny blokes than Lady Chatterley.

 

Sorry, off topic!

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Not sure if anyones said this already but,an Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 or other small industrial shunter type thingy would be great :D. As the only thing we really have like that at the moment is the Hornby 0-4-0 and Pug.

 

Matt

 

Not entirely true. DJH do a 4mm 'beginners kit' which is really simple to build, so simple its almost RTR.

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Not entirely true. DJH do a 4mm 'beginners kit' which is really simple to build, so simple its almost RTR.

 

Yes but is £121, though it does come with everything. The problem I've realised for industrials is liveries, theres as many of them as there is locos and variations.

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Confining myself to the items already discussed, I'd go for a Derby suburban DMU (116) a Swindon or Gloucester cross-country DMU (120/119) and the warflats and warwells. I'd buy these and I also think that they would be commercially viable.

Purely wishlisting for myself, I'll have a brace of 2BILs please. :pleasantry:

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........Likewise with the Class 185 Desiro, Bachmann will nodoubt get around to this within the next 5 years. .......

.....a 185. love em! Id certainly have a mini fleet of the models. But as Bachmann have the Class 350 coming up and there are only two possiable liveries. ...........a pretty certain model for Bachmann in the future?

Whilst anything's possible in future years, especially if manufacturers start scratching for the diminishing number of prototypes not yet covered, there's no "certainty" that a Bachmann Class 185 will follow a Class 350.

 

Because of the significant differences between these two members of the Desiro family, the Class 185 will require completely different tooling, as if it was any other completely new model.

It would require a new bodyshell (it's longer, with different window and door spacing), a new longer roof, new non-gangway ends, a new cast chassis and new underfloor equipment (due to there being a diesel engine, fuel tanks and other diesel'y type paraphernalia under there).

In fact there's probably very little that can be used from a Class 350 other than (possibly?) any licensing arrangements from Seimens, if indeed the current arrangements allow for that?

 

I'm not saying that Bachmann won't do the 185, but it's worth pointing out that it's not just a follow on from the 350 and would have to be almost a completely new model.

 

I agree that it's more likely RealTrack will stick to more niche subjects and I can't see HornBachJanPol doing something like a Coradia/Juniper just yet. The problem with doing 4, 5 and 6 car MU's is the cost. Maybe Charlie can enlighten us on how "do-able" such units are for "small operators", so to speak?

 

 

 

 

 

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