WOOHOO! These will be the best K4s ever. They will be made of diecast metal and will be part of BLI’s new Paragon Ultra Platinum series. They’re also making RSD15s.
4884Bigboy
I checked the BLI page and the K4 is not listed. Please let us know where you got this information and can it be verified. I agree this is great news and hope it is true.!!!
Thank you
Nfmisso
Thank you for that information.
Do you model N&W? I have some pictures from that era, but have not been able to post anything on this forum.
I got the e-mail direct from BLI stating this. This “super K-4” will cost $450! Wow! Kinda steep for being a non-articulated.
A K4 is a pretty good choice, but I would have rather seen a H9 or H10 consolidation. Oh well, time to bang off ANOTHER email to BLI.
Oh (insert relevant scatalogical comment)!!! Not a K-4. The Pennsy guys have it waaayyyy too easy.
Now a Southern Pacific P-10 complete with Worthington BL FWH and a skyline casing - that’s a Pacific. http://www.yesteryeardepot.com/SP2487.JPG .
Andre
Yeah, they’re makin’ a K-4 allright, but like Aggro said, $450 bucks is about $100 overpriced, IMHO.
And yeah, Pennsy guys in the steam era have it waaaayyy too easy. Give em a challenge, BLI, the PRR’s steam isn’t the only thing out there. And it make me mad that no one is making Midwestern steam, save for Life-Like’s upcoming Wabash L-1 2-10-2.
Yes, though I still have a few diesels, including a Bicentennial SD45.
You think you got problems? How about the modelers of New Zealand Government Railways? You think BLI would deign to make an HOn3 1/2 or Sn3 1/2 model of a J or Ja class 4-8-2 http://www.steaminc.org.nz/images/jpeg/j1234w.jpg ?
Seriously, though. Pennsy modelers have always been spoiled. Even back in the old cast metal days, they had PennLine, which made the E6, H9, I1, K4, L1, T1. And then Bowser bought the tooling and produced the M1, A5, and now the B6 in addition. All BLI did was gild the lily with sound.
Christ. If they were going to produce a Pacific, why not a Erie K5a in its full glory? Elesco FWH, deck mounted compressors, disc drivers on all axles and that big 22,000 gallon tender. I’m not a Erie fan, but I would have bought one (or 2) just because they look soooo good.
Another attractive Pacific was the Santa Fe 3400 class after rebuilding with disc drivers and the 20,000 gallon tender.
Boston & Maine’s Lima built P-4a and P-4b 4-6-2’s are downright winsome.
C&NW E-2’s after rebuiding for “400” service were also quite fetching.
Andre
I did just that, asking BLI to PLEASE KNOCK SOME SENSE INTO THEIR HEADS AND MAKE A CB&Q O-5 ALREADY!!![:0]
Well, I didn’t really say that, but this is about the 3rd time this year that I have asked them to produce one…
You know, after thinking this over and reading what everyone else had to say. Why the heck to Pennsy modelers get all the models!? I mean they have this K4, The T1 Duplex, the M1a and M1b 4-8-2s, and the J1e 2-10-4s, JUST FROM BLI! Imagine all the other models they have out there! BLI needs to start focusing on Midwestern and Western roads, the eastern modelers have always had it easy. Think about it, if the manufacturers could model a ATSF, SP, CB&Q, or UP 4-8-4, or an NYC Niagra, which one do you think they’d pick?
I rest my case (rant over[:D])
Well I have to say 3 things:
A, nobody has made a great K4 yet (Bachman has a pretty nice model)
B, it is called Broadway Limited Imports, not “Western Limited Imports”
C, I can go on and on about how many midwestern and western locos are made and how few northeastern steamers have been produced (IE Athearn not making a D&H 4-6-6-4, no one making RDG 4-8-4’s, ect.) [;)][;)][;)]
Yeah but try to find an Illinois Central steamer in plastic. Outside of a few generic cheap locomotives you can’t find 'em.
4884Bigboy
BLI did make an ATSF 4-8-4 and is coming out with an ATSF 2-10-2 and 2-10-4 and some of their USRA Mikados come lettered for midwestern roads that had them. I’m sure in the future they will be bringing out more midwestern and western steam as well as southern and New England models. And, if their K-4 is as good as their announcement says it will be, I think it will be a very welcome addition. I remember being skeptical when they first described their NYC J1e (their first locomotive) but I found that they delivered what they promised (and I think a little more) and I’m sure they will now deliver on their K4. Also, their products, because of competion, are bringing about improvements in the products of other manufacturers, just as P2k and Bachmann Spectrum has done.
I know BLI is making ATSF 2-10-2s and 2-10-4s, and that they made a ATSF 4-8-4. But that’s about it for western steamers (and the UP MT-73 4-8-2, and the Espee Cab-Forward).
That’s 5 out of 13 (14 if you count the Powerhouse series) announced or issued HO steam locomotives. That’s not a bad percentage, especially considering that one of the 13 (or 2 of the 14) engines is/are USRA prototype(s) which are appropriate for Western roads as well as Eastern roads.
I have not been able to find out any details on the Paragon Ultra Platin K4 model… Only the dealers seem to know it is coming, but my dealer cannot tell me anything about it except it is cast metal and very expensive. He is sure about that. Like $ 450 list price. This should set new standards as my PFM models sold for 179.
If anyone knows details, please post them so we can all find out.