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mdvle

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    HO North American Product News

    in USA & Canadian Railroads

    Posted

    Tangent - October release - available now

     

    new run of General American 8,000 Gallon 1917-Design Radial Course Tank Cars. 

     

    DMSX "Dunbar Molasses New Orleans 1919+" , CONX "Continental Oil 1923+ Lease", CSOX "Cities Service Oil (Penn)" 1937+,  DRX "Deep Rock - Cushing" 1940+”, UTLX "Black Repaint 1948+", GATX " Union Starch and Refining Company 1950+",  VENX "1964 North American Lease",  Spokane, Portland, and Seattle "Water Service 1964+” X-405,  SP&S "BN Era 1972+" X-385, BN MWM Water Car 1973+ 973084

     

    https://www.tangentscalemodels.com/general-american-8000-gallon-1917-design-radial-course-tank-car/

     

     

    • Thanks 1

    British outline 1:120 TT from Heljan

    in Heljan

    Posted · Edited by mdvle

    10 minutes ago, britishcolumbian said:

    Sure, but that still puts a question mark next to their assertion that they were "excited by the possibilities of TT". If they genuinely had been, they would've simply said okay, and designed something else that Hornby isn't soon likely to do (i.e. something not in Hornby's 00 range).

     

    This is where being aware of what has been happening in the UK hobby market (in OO) for the last several years helps to explain things.

     

    Hornby has seriously annoyed their retail network (cancelling confirmed orders due to "shortages" yet the product remains available from Hornby direct), deliberately duplicating a model (Terrier) because it was a "Hornby" product, deliberately trying to intimidate a new(ish) company to the UK market despite legal ramifications (Titfield Thunderbolt), etc.

     

    With Hornby's large announcement, and its availability only through direct sales, retailers won't want to stock it anymore (because they can't offer 99% of the available product and won't want to help send potential revenue to Hornby who they are already annoyed with) and thus the financial risk to anyone else - Heljan or otherwise - has increased dramatically.  Thus it is no longer feasible - from a risk perspective - for Heljan to continue in TT:120 even with a different prototype.

    • Like 1
    • Agree 3

    British outline 1:120 TT from Heljan

    in Heljan

    Posted

    1 hour ago, britishcolumbian said:

    I think if they had asked retailers to stock an entirely new line, in large enough quantities to matter, and to *push the product*, I don't think many would have agreed to do it.

     

    Same things said when Peco announced their range - nobody would carry it.

     

    Yet retailers did carry and sell the Peco stuff, and retailers did list and do pre-orders for Heljan's announced loco.

     

    So that indicates your belief is incorrect.

     

    Because retailers are in the end in the business of providing what their customers - both existing and potential new ones - want.

     

    You may be right on the quantities - but that would simply mean any manufacturer would need to commit to having a warehouse of product for retailers to order from as they felt demand justified.

     

    1 hour ago, britishcolumbian said:

    Someone elsewhere suggested that this is Heljan's way of admitting that their product was much too far away from ready to appear in time, now that a bigger name is involved; their "support the retailers" claim is just a convenient excuse.

     

    It is doubtful the OO market could support 2 brand new Class 31 models - the TT:120 market certainly can't.

     

    Yes, Heljan's model was still in it's early stages - but Heljan is grateful for that because it means they won't be writing off a significant amount of money they would lose bringing a duplicate model to market in a brand new scale.

     

    1 hour ago, britishcolumbian said:

    Now please note that I'm not a "Hornby fanboy" in any way - I've been working in 1:120 scale for 20 years now and the only reason I'm here at all and planning to model British outline is the announcements from Peco and Heljan; Hornby's announcement was as much a surprise to me as anyone else, and a very welcome one. Going big right away with a (more or less) full range is the *only* chance a new scale can succeed.

     

    Yet Heljan built up RTR 7mm/O without a full range...

     

    The problem isn't the breadth of product announced, the problem is that it is all coming from 1 company.

    • Like 1
    • Agree 2

    What locomotives and rolling stock should be produced first?

    in 2.5mm Scale - TT:120

    Posted

    On 14/10/2022 at 07:59, Taigatrommel said:

    Now the Hornby announcement is out and has been discussed at length, I don't feel quite so bad wishlisting.  Personally, I think they've made good choices in terms of making a splash and launching the scale, a much bolder program than I imagined it would be

     

    The problem is that it is too bold.

     

    It is too much product all at once for a scale with no market (yet) in the UK.

     

    The decision to launch such an extensive range, and to only sell direct, has already caused Heljan to withdraw from TT:120 and it is doubtful at this point if anyone else will enter the market.

     

    If you are a retailer you won't be interested in stocking anything TT:120 going forward - because 99% of the product is only available from Hornby direct.

     

    So while we will need to wait and see how this plays out my feeling is this has killed UK outline TT:120 - at least in terms of what many of us here on RMweb were hoping for.

     

    British outline 1:120 TT from Heljan

    in Heljan

    Posted

    On 14/10/2022 at 08:12, britishcolumbian said:

    If they were as "excited about the possibilities" in TT then instead of cancelling they'd have started work instead on something else that's not in the Hornby 00 range. They're throwing their toys out the pram, basically.

     

    Hornby have effectively poisoned the UK outline TT:120 well by announcing such a wide range of models and by refusing to sell through retailers.  Working on something else doesn't help if the retailers won't be interested in carrying it because 99% of the product is only available through Hornby.com ...

    • Agree 1

    40 years of North American photography

    in USA & Canadian Railroads

    Posted

    6 hours ago, Johann Marsbar said:

    r13-1049.jpg.4ecbfaecea77fc8e24e9eb5023673556.jpg

     

    Last stop was Franklin Park, a new location to me and one worth returning to on a future trip to the area.

     

    r13-1053.jpg.d7e17dae197c450b44de2335756680bc.jpg

     

    r13-1056.jpg.86492864fe2fc597152825e35f3b67b4.jpg

     

     

     

    For anyone who hasn't followed the announcement thread modeling Metra in HO is suddenly an option.

     

    A couple of months back Atlas announced a new run of the MP36 units (former True Line Trains tooling) as well as tooling up one of the versions of the gallery cars that Metra uses and then last week Rapido announced they will be doing the Metra Budd gallery cars.

    • Like 2

    Rapido North American Newsletter

    in USA & Canadian Railroads

    Posted

    Rapido News - 157 - October 3rd 2022

    • NEW! HO Scale F40PHM-2 Locomotive - the Most Lovable F40!
    • Re-Run! HO Scale Atrak NPCUs
    • NEW! HO Scale "Head End Power" E-units
    • NEW! HO Scale Budd Gallery Cars - CB&Q/BN/Metra versions
    • NEW! N Scale ATSF RR-56/60/61 Reefer
    • NEW! N Scale Procor 5820 Covered Hopper Car

    https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Rapido-News-157---Big-Product-Launch-Email.html?soid=1101318906379&aid=Ds9htNIPKBw

    • Like 2

    HO North American Product News

    in USA & Canadian Railroads

    Posted

    Rapido - from their US Dealer open house

     

    NEW - F40PHM-2 "Winnebago" - 4 Metra paint schemes

     

    https://rapidotrains.com/ho-scale/diesel-locomotives/f40phm-2.html

     

    Re-run - NPCU "Cabbage" - 4 Amtrak paint schemes

    https://rapidotrains.com/ho-scale/diesel-locomotives/npcu-cabbage-second-run.html

     

    NEW - "Head-end Power" E-units - full details later

     

    NEW - CB&Q/BN/Metra Budd Gallery Cars - full details later

    • Like 3

    HO North American Product News

    in USA & Canadian Railroads

    Posted

    Athearn - October 2022 - preorders due October 28th, eta November 2023

     

    Genesis - GE Dash 9-44CW - UP, BC Rail, BNSF, KCS (patched ex-BNSF), GECX, , NS

    http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/01_GENHO_Dash9_093022.pdf

     

    Genesis - GP38-2 - NS, EMD, BNSF, UP, Chehalis Western, Milwaukee Road

    http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/02_GENHO_GP38-2_093022.pdf

     

    Auto-Max Carrier - KCS, BNSF, BNSF, UP, Arkansas & Oklahoma, Ferro Sur

    http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/03_ATHHO_Auto-Max_093022.pdf

     

    200-Ton Crane and Boom Car - CB&Q, Rio Grande, Milwaukee Road, N&W, MKT, IC, C&NW, Duluth Missabe and Iron Range

    http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/04_ATHHO_200-Ton_Crane_Boom_Car_093022.pdf

     

    50ft Superior Plug Door Box Car - BNSF, C&NW, Conrail, BCR, NW, WP/FGE

    http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/05_ATHHO_50ft_Superior_Plug_Door_Boxcar_093022.pdf

     

    Maxi-III Well Car - APL, SF, Northwest Container, SP, Trailer Train

    http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/06_ATHHO_Maxi-III_Well_093022.pdf

     

    Yard Tractor - SF, JB Hunt, Conrail, SP, UPS

    http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/07_ATHHO_Yard_Tractor_093022.pdf

     

    48ft Container - JB Hunt, Conrail, SF, SP, NYK

    http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/08_ATHHO_48ft Container_093022.pdf

     

    48ft Container and Chassis - JB Hunt, Conrail, SF, SP, NYK

    http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/093022/09_ATHHO_48ft Chassis_093022.pdf

     

     

     

     

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1

    Dapol announce O gauge GWR Toad

    in Dapol

    Posted

    On 26/09/2022 at 13:02, Hippel said:

    Curious, but I signed up for Dapol newsletters many moons ago, but have not seen any newsletters. Would have expected something like this to be in such a newsletter. Just in case I hadn't signed up I tried re-signing but it told me I was already signed up!

    Ho-hum, I'll just have to keep watching their website instead.

     

    I have no idea if Dapol sends out newsletters (not signed up) but I have found my newsletters from other companies seem to often get caught in Google's spam filters so it may be worth periodically checking your spam/junk/etc folder.

    The Edwards Hotel, Attica

    in USA & Canadian Railroads

    Posted

    Can't help with a kit idea, but given a lack of other responses some rambling ideas that may be useful.

     

    Based on the pictures of your blog post the siding has changed several times over the years - eliminating the fancy corners would make scratchbuilding with some styrene siding product/wood product appear to be reasonably easy.  Suitable windows could likely be found in the Walthers catalog, if price is an issue getting into the UK perhaps even making using L shaped styrene would be possible if tedious.

     

    The only difficult thing would appear to be the porch and its fancy embellishments - taken care of in one picture on your blog by simply having the vegetation hide it but that I would guess may not fit in with your chosen era.  The easy choice would be to simplify (or even omit) the porch but failing that finding someone willing to help who has access to a 3D printer or laser cutter may be the best option for the ornamental parts.

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