I have been on travel for a week so if this has been discussed, please ignore this post.
BLI is coming out with the AC-12 CAB Forward in G scale??? It is on their web page and they have decided to use the 1:29 scale instead of 1:32 like my other # 1 scale engines.
Sorry about the fact they are going to 1:29 like Aristo Craft is using, but some may really like the larger scale.
What is your opinion of BLI doing G scale Brass???
They also announced more HO. A Brass New Haven Hudson. Both of the new items are in the Museum series.
My first reaction was, you must have the wrong company in mind, but it’s true; Broadway Limited is coming out with a brass Cab Forward in G Scale.
But who is going to be able to afford one? Considering the prices of plastic G-scale models, this thing must be over $5 grand, maybe closer to $10k. I sure won’t be ordering one.
I don’t know if any of you saw or noticed the advertisement in this month’s MR magazine. The PCM brass Big Boy will have an MSRP of $3,000. Makes the Division Point NYC Mohawk (that is supposed to come out next year) seem like a bargain, in comparision.
That isn’t as bad as it sounds. For 1:29th scale that would be the equivalent of a 32" radius curve in HO scale. Which as I recall is about normal for large brass locomotives. That is still officially a conventional curve, one doesn’t hit broad curves until 9 foot radius. My big G-gauge curves are 10 foot radius.
The Division Point Mohawk will be around $1600 but with discounts, you might get one for $1200 or so. When the NKP Berkshires came out, I skipped them because of the $1550 price tag, but finally got one for $1000 on Ebay. That was about forty dollars below the normal dealer cost.
It paid to wait! It just depends on how popular the model is and how long it has been since anyone has made the model available. Key has made several nice Mohawks but they have not made all of the versions.
Personally, I don’t give a hoot about BLI “G” scale, but…
That New Haven I-5 4-6-4? People are practically jumping for joy over on the NHRHTA’s New Haven Forum. There was an initial bout of “Is this real?” And now people, like me, are drooling over the possibilities…
Yea, I think it was a Key Mohawk that was for sale on eBay last week that, when I last checked, was going for over $600 - used. It was painted and VERY nice looking. I hope that it ran as nicely as it looked.
You can’t be sure about the running qualities, but I have many different Key models and most run very well. The coasting drive models normally are flawless runners on flat surfaces, but they do not do well on downgrades.
I have one of the latest Key models that was built by the group of engineers that used to work for the Samhongsa company. The latest models are as good as it gets, both for running and details.
BLI and PCM seem to be the best new model manufactures to invade the model railroad industry. they’re pleasing the crowd with really good stuff. I hope they keep the trend going.
And people ask me why I buy plastic steam and heavily kitbash it to get what I want…$1000 for a brass NKP Berk, or $250 for a P2K version with a few added details?
$1600 for an NYC Mohawk…I’ll stick to my plans of kitbashing a Spectrum USRA heavy.
It is great to kitbash and get what others have to pay lots of money to get about the same overall look. I normally do some changes and detail certain models to a certain numbered locomotive, but not a complete makeover. No two steamers were exactly alike after a few times in the backshop if you look at detail closely, and kitbashing is the only way to get them right.
The Division Point Berkshire I purchased was the S model ALCO built engine. They were the ones I watched around Neogo and have many pictures from the 1954 and 1955 era. As far as I am aware, the DVP model is the only one of the S class available in HO and it is as nice in detail as any model today. I was able to get two of the PSC Bershires for less money than one of the DVP Berkshires, but older brass is a bargain in some respects. I also added some of the new P2K sound versions since they are very nice.
The funny thing about this is, my PFM Bershires from the late sixties look rather plain now. At the time, there was nothing better than the PFM models.
