mdvle

Drawings and a prototype to measure and/or scan make things a lot easier. If neither is available doesn't make a project insurmountable but does complicate things enough that it will often simply be easier (and less expensive in development costs) to move onto a different project.

It's an Advanced Notice (as the title on the flyer states) that they were starting to work on it as a project. But as noted by Ben Heljan never published any details (aka prices, product codes, liveries, etc.) that would be an official announcement.

I think it depends on who is running the model train shop and thus how they run it. My local store is Credit Valley Railway and it is a large store located in an industrial area (hence cheaper rent) and stocks a large variety of items to browse on the shelves and display cases (there about us page(*) on their website indicates 5,000+ square feet of space and 35,000 items). A store like that is often worth visiting and will be a very different experience then a smaller store without the space or capital to stock a variety of items. * - https://www.cvrco.ca/whopage

Pretty much nothing in this hobby is in production consistently, almost everything is made in batch mode and inventory is stocked for the rest of the year (or whatever period is applicable). The fact that O and HO have truck stocked as separate parts simply reflects that at some point in the past people who wanted trucks actually contacted the manufacturers to request them - if no one requests them then there will be no perceived demand to stock an item, particularly in the case where ScaleTrains is new to S scale.

As noted lots of discussion in the TT:120 section and in the Peco section, but the short version is that the track can be sold to those in TT in Europe (which presumably is a bigger market than the 3mm market).

Sadly quite common in North American politics. Here in Ontario they are currently building a LRT in Mississauga. It was supposed to also go through part of Brampton but Brampton council didn't want it on the proposed route and so blocked it - thus the LRT now will end just inside Brampton. Also much wrangling in Quebec City regarding transit. And of course Toronto's struggles with building transit is legendary. Again, sadly quite common.

True Mon-Fri for transit but on Saturdays there is a bus that stops right in front of their location (the 38A, as Miway doesn't serve the industrial area north of the 401 on weekends). But also worth mentioning to check the opening hours of any of these things before heading out - Credit Valley currently is only open 10am to 3pm Tuesday to Saturday.

ScaleTrains had EP samples at the National Train Show of some of the S scale stuff they bought from MTH (boxcar, hopper, caboose) and apparently stated they hoped to have the first models out by the end of this year - though I wonder if they really meant announced to order. My suggestion if you do want to pursue S would be to contact ScaleTrains and ask them about making the trucks they have available separately - if enough people request it they may well do it. A couple of images of the S scale product at the NTS here (you will need to find the ScaleTrains stuff down the page) https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/2022-national-train-show-day-1-12422216?pid=1333223516

There is a nice shopping multi-level shopping mall in downtown Toronto - The Eaton Centre - located on the west side of Yonge Street between Queen and Dundas. Added bonus is a large Hudson Bay store across Queen Street from the Eaton Centre. This is all a short subway ride (2 stops) or 20 minute walk from Union Station if one wants to split up. (also nearby - 5 minute walk from the Eaton Centre - is Toronto City Hall/Nathan Phillips Square with the popular "Toronto" sign people like to take pictures/selfies of.

Amtrak has announced the resumption of service to Vancouver starting September 26th with one round trip daily. https://media.amtrak.com/2022/08/amtrak-cascades-resumes-service-to-vancouver-bc/ Service to Montreal remains suspended.

More likely Tuesday, Monday is a holiday (Labour/Labor day) in the US and Canada.

This is something of a key point I think - to go beyond the conventional prevailing wisdom requires someone with enough authority inside a company to push the agenda. As an example in the Accurascale section Islesy recently commented(*) he had to push hard to get Hornby to do the Pecketts. Without that person there can be little appetite for risk despite the potential reward. Can't comment about Europe but I would agree about N and the UK. Full credit to the guys behind Revolution (without whom N in the UK would really be dead) but Bachmann and Dapol really aren't very interested in tooling new stuff in N. It is very different in the US with Athearn, Rapido, Microtrains and others supporting N. Lionel bought out American Flyer (S), I think MTH bought out a different S scale company, but both focused mainly on their O scale lines to the detriment of S scale. Which is why ScaleTrains getting the MTH S stuff could potentially be interesting. And of course Blackstone in HOn3, though they too seem to be struggling these days. My guess, whether O or S, is you are on the right track though perhaps with some behind the scenes communication with other manufacturers to get products from multiple companies out. I suspect the reasoning is correct - that 3-rail is so dominant and still thriving that attempting 2-rail O would be difficult. But I will note that Rapido had little appetite for doing freight cars until a bunch of employees at Rapido pushed it enough and changed the minds of those in charge and Rapido is now investing in a lot of freight cars. The likes of Model Railroader promote that view but I don't think it is a standard mindset. Freemo has become very popular and smaller shelf layouts are also quite popular - rumour has it that the most popular layout is still the traditional 4x8. Rapido's biggest selling freight car is the AutoFlood III (post 2000). Both Athearn and ScaleTrains tooled and sell a lot of modern GE locos. The modern era is very popular despite what some of the media would make you think. It's the inherent compromises made to allow a 3-rail O model negotiate really tight curves. This means issues on the lower parts of models and has (at least in the past) also meant that some of the stuff haven't been to scale but rather made smaller. These sorts of compromises are all things of the past in HO as HO has moved to more realism. As noted by jasond Atlas attempted to do more "scale" in O but has failed and with their MTH acquisition appears so far to have thrown in the towel and is more interested in 3-rail O gauge for the future. The hobby is diverse and there are young people into 3-rail O - whether there are enough of them to maintain Lionel/Atlas remains to be seen. * - https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/155786-more-model-ideas/page/86/#comment-4906405

The majority of the market is that way - they want the ability to buy most of the stuff and simply operate it - either as is or then use the time saved to do other things in the hobby like scenery or operations. Minor point - Peco's TT track is proper TT (1:120) and not 3mm TT. Thus it is effectively a new scale in the UK. I don't think there are too many scales/gauges - there will always be people who want a hobby that is less mainstream. I do think though there is a limit to how many different scales can support the necessary revenue for mainstream support of RTR stuff though. My feeling is that it is about 3 scales. As far as the North American model market I don't think TT stands a chance - N scale in the US has too much support compared to the UK market.

There won't be a lot compared to the UK, and what does exist will be inconvenient to get to by transit in most cases if not car only. Whether driving or taking transit Google Maps will be your friend in planning either routes or transit options. Toronto area stuff. Hobby Shops. Credit Valley Railway (Mississauga) https://www.cvrco.ca/ Georges Trains (Markham) https://www.georgestrains.com/ If you go to Georges Trains then note that Rapido Trains Galactic HQ is across the street from them. Museum. Not a lot of choice. The Toronto Railway Museum tries but the city doesn't really help - most of the former CP John Street Roundhouse has been leased out to the above mentioned brewery and a restaurant/entertainment venue. The good news is that they are surrounded by other things that may be of interest depending on family/etc. like the CN Tower. Skywalk is an enclosed walkway that take your over the west end throat of Union Station and can be useful for some GO Train watching (but not for photography). If you have access to a car the Halton County Radial Railway may be of interest though it has been decades since I have visited. https://hcry.org/ Trains Can't help with good places for railfanning. If you are in Toronto on a weekend and if they still offer it GO Transit have day/weekend passes that are a good deal (requires a smart phone with data access to activate/show the e-ticket) - $10 for the day or $15 for a weekend for unlimited travel between 2 points. During the summer this can get you to/from Niagara Falls from Toronto for example and there are also bus passes available at Niagara Falls. If kids are with currently kids 12 and under travel free on GO Transit. https://www.gotransit.com/en/travelling-with-us/promotions-and-events/weekend-passes-with-go https://www.gotransit.com/en/travelling-with-us/promotions-and-events/kidsgofree Kids 12 and under also travel for free on the TTC. TTC. Number of surface routes using streetcars. Subway Line 2 (Bloor/Danforth) uses older trains that have a view out the front of the train (driver cab is half width) so you can watch the track/signals as the train operates.

Duplicates pre-announced on Facebook, details to come later. The NSC 6400 Gondola is coming from both Athearn (Genesis line) and from Ontario retailer Otter Valley Models. Both have released some info on Facebook, Athearn with a drawing and Otter Valley with pre-production samples.

https://www.archertransfers.com/ArcherMain2 CLOSING.html

Lots to ponder and reply to when I have more time, but one quick response 6' may be pushing it, but a lot of people could come up with 10'. A 40' boxcar is 10" in O and there are prototype locos shorter than a GP - GE 44-toner, Boxcab or even the steeple cabs like Trevor is now pursuing in S (and some of these would likely be welcomed in HO as well for a short bookshelf style layout). So yes, the short goods wagons of the UK offer an advantage but things can still be achievable even for a US prototype.

Given the time it often takes to make these kits it may help if you don't have to buy them all at once. But another possible option is to look into playing around with a drawing program and see if you can design your own building(s) and then get a local UK company/person to laser cut it locally - this potentially may be more cost effective.

The classic (potentially ominous) cliffhanger ending to bring readers back wanting more...

(note - by scale models I mean the prototypically accurate highly detailed items that have become the norm in HO and OO) A couple of comments that seem unrelated brought some thoughts and I didn't want to disturb the 40 years of photos topic. The first, by myself, was about needing a new well funded operation to shake up the American market. The second post, by @F-UnitMad, was about a hope for items in O scale... I think there is an untapped market for something larger than HO. The additional internal space for speakers/batteries plus the advantages of being physically bigger would seem to be attractive and the movements around less is more (see: Lance Mindheim and others) combined with many in the US having larger spaces would seem to play well into something larger than HO. The problem of course is 3-rail and its dominance, which scares at least one manufacturer from considering it. It is also worth noting how Atlas seems to be tending towards 3-rail O going forward though the jury might still be out on that. I think the more likely option would be S - American Flyer stuff is a dwindling market at this point unlike Lionel and the ex-MTH now Atlas O stuff and thus poses less of an issue to an attempt at moving towards a more scale market. The wild-card with S is ScaleTrains and what their thinking/plans are regarding their MTH purchase longer term. But at the end of the day the biggest problem isn't Lionel or American Flyer but the lack of serious competition in the US market. There isn't that hunger/need to create new opportunities the way Heljan did with RTR 7mm/O or the new attempt at TT:120. At the current rate of progress the Athearn/Rapido/ScaleTrains probably have 5+ years before they run out of mainstream Alco/GE/EMD stuff to do. So the result is we aren't seeing anyone make a serious push into S or O - or even for that matter a serious push into smaller bookshelf friendly switching layout locos like the current industrial boom in the UK market. Because why take the risk. US outline modellers are worse off as a result. Hence my comment about the need for someone like an Accurascale to shake things up.

It would really be nice if someone would start to make modern tooled models of many of these Alco and other models - we really need an American equivalent of Accurascale to shake things up.

Be interesting to see how you go with this. There is a lot to like with those old steam era branch lines - small locos, short cars, the mixed train to add passenger stuff without needing space for a big train and towns back then really did have multiple customers in a (relatively) small space.

August update

Can't help with that late, but this website (with a track plan for a largish room) indicates in the 60s they used a pair of GP9's https://appalachianrailroadmodeling.com/nw-abingdon-branch-va-nc-track-plan-ho/

Yes, the flange takes the weight - the design is such that the minor route actually lifts the wheels above the rails for the major route. This image shows such a diamond (actually 2 of them) in Brampton ON - the VIA train is on the major route that sees frequent passenger and freight traffic while the minor route (the former Orangeville Brampton Railway (OBRY) shortline, abandoned at the end of 2021) has the speed restriction to allow the wheels to be lifted. https://seanmarshall1.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/img_8523.jpg In this case the OBRY only operated Tuesday/Fridays so a total of 4 crossings a week. Given that it made sense from a maintenance perspective to essentially eliminate the diamond from the major route traffic. This video demonstrates the Brampton diamond in action - eastbound VIA train, westbound GO train on the major route and then a southbound OBRY train crosses the diamond slowly and you can see the wheels being "lifted" to cross the diamonds.