Clearly, anything I have to say would be a waste of time........... 11 pages, much of it "full of sound and fury........"
Never gonna happen. Why would they tell the entire world their stance on how they run a business? And capitalism = profitability. More money in HO, I'd be biased toward that scale too. That's the one thing I don't understand. Their structures are so well done (with a few exceptions), and popular. They really need to keep those coming out on a regular basis. As for the LL purchase, that was tooling that they may of had to absorb with the the HO stuff, and really had no idea what to do with it. SD7s and GP38-2s were already being run by Atlas so, those were pretty much a waste. I think getting the HO steamers down to N, would have done them well, but someone must have run the numbers of developmental costs, and said no. I do agree adding a widecab version to the GP60 may have been a good addition due to Santa Fe being a large modelers population, but after a run or two, would it again be worth the tooling costs, etc? Especially on a model that didn't sell well originally? I'd be skitish too. Can you imagine how many people would be up in arms about not having their structures???
Your right. I crossed the line on that one. Their Cornerstone Structures are to be reckoned with ( My bad ), still there are a lot of cottage industries with some quality un-plastic structures too. Maybe supporting our cottage folks who depend on producing quality work in 9mm isn't the end of the world. Remember how many tried to use the Walthers catalog to get their name out ? Where are they now? They have their own website to separate themselves. Walthers was just advertising their product. I'm not upset with Walthers nor do I wish to bash them at all, it is just what has developed over time on my side of the tracks. It's all good, Cliff
These have to be some of the smoothest quietest locos I have, and 1 of them was a "trainset" loco........Mike Lifelike C-Liner set
If this is the formula that Walthers goes by their management needs to get out of the piddly model RR market and go work for Goldman-Sachs or Bain Capital --- where the ONLY consideration is MAKE LOTS OF MONEY. I would hope that companies that make model RR stuff have SOME love or interest in the product -- that it's not just a name attached to an Excel spreadsheet profit/loss ratio. Otherwise, as I said, they should be in the big money making (out of nothing) business of Wall Street. BLMA, Rapido Trains, MTL, Atlas -- it's pretty clear that the people in those companies making N scale stuff have a real devotion to trains both prototypical and model. And I hardly think Walthers letting N scalers know their attitude and commitment to N is "telling the entire world their stance on how they run a business". Other model railroad companies do it, without detriment to themselves. Or is announcing a new model they are going to produce is a bad thing because now other companies will know? What is happening at Walthers is like what is happening with a certain RR magazine's N product reviews. They don't have any deep-experienced N scalers doing the work on N scale stuff. It's obvious that it's HO guys making quick impressions and being amazed by aspects of the product that N scalers already know -- aspects sometimes known for years. Both of these companies could use a long-time N scaler like Gordon Odegard was and actually get in step with modern N scale, by having on staff somebody knowing a lot about its 50-year history. But as mcjaco said above "Never gonna happen". I assume because nobody likes admitting they're wrong.
It could just be that they do not feel they can return a profit on retooling the frame. Kato could have an SW9 waiting in the wings (they already have the mechanism) or Bachmann has been making significant inroads recently and it is quite conceivable that their new Alco S4 mechanism could provide the basis for them to do an SW9. Or maybe they are just banking on the modelers that have decided against DCC. It would be interesting to hear it from the horse's mouth, but we know that won't happen. I think the aggravation is the result of waiting an extended period of time for the release of this switcher, only to experience a difference between what was delivered versus what was promised/inferred/expected. I understand this as I had great expectations as well and share the sentiment to some degree.
I just got the email today that mine is on the way. So I guess we will see when I open the box!! By the way, who edited my flippen subject line??
As for MR, I think David Popp fills that void. As for Walthers' I know one of their product developers, and HO is his scale, so it's something he's more familiar with, as is Walther's as a whole. It's how they got their start. That would be the most likely answer. Or that word on the street is another manufacturer is going to do a run, and Walther's decided to get at least one more production run in to hopefully make back some costs. There's too much no one will know on the decisions that are made, so to pontificate, and lambast people and manufacturers is as silly waste of time. They're still just toy trains, and it's a hobby.
Again...it's a shame. I own and have owned a host of, SW-9's, Erie builts and FA...and least we forget SD-9's and E-7.Allunder the LL name....and all ofmine are still running...perfectly. My E-7's and FA1 (rebuilt from FA2's but with the dual flywheel) are smooth, quiet and will pull TEETH!!!!
Wasn't talking about MR. Popp doesn't do the majority of their reviews, in any case. I'm fond of David because apparently some time back he was diverted off the lockstep HO highway onto the paths of N scale, and now is quite engrossed with the N layout he's growing. Hopefully MR will realize that a compilation of his articles, along with new supplemental material, of the Naughatuck line of the New Haven is a viable choice for a popular book.
Thats what I did...reduced the length by 2', Painted them SP&S, added large number boards,............Run and pull GREAT.....
In a related story... my copy of the January/February 2013 issue of N-Scale Magazine came in today's mail. And what to my wondering eyes should appear... The full-page Walthers ad for the SW9/1200 is directly opposite the Kato full page ad for the NW-2. As soon as you open the magazine, even...
Hmm. It's going to take a lot of advertising to overwhelm the negative vibes surrounding this project. Jim
