I’ve been trying to prod Rapido Trains to make a museum quality Pennsy N5-c caboose similar to their wide-vision caboose. They seem to feel that Bowser has that market tied up (even though the Bowser versions have no interior, interior lighting or lit directional marker lights).
I’m sure there are some Penn Central fans out there that would like to see something similar too.
If you’re interested in showing support for this kind of product please help me in suggesting this product to Rapido.
Good luck in your quest. However, I think I agree with Rapido. I’m a PC/Conrail modeler and have several of the Bowser models that I’ve painted/repainted and added wire handrails. I personally have no interest in the interior details/lighting thing since one cannot see the interior from a foot away. But that’s my opinion, and there are many who will have an opposing viewpoint.
The latest iteration of the ubiquitous Bowser N5c, just made available in the last week or so, has been updated and now has separate handrails, better lettering, glazing and for a few extra dollars, the Trainphone antenna installed. Years ago you had to buy the glazing and trainphone separately that brought the cost up a bit.
All of these improvements and the price is still pretty reasonable. Rapido or anyone else would have a pretty tough time cutting into Bowser’s market share.
It seems that not all of the photos have been updated and some retailers certainly have older stock with the molded-on handrails, so choose wisely if you are in the market for one.
I could see Rapido doing the “North-East” NE-5 or NE-6 caboose since they are working closely with the New Haven Historical Society.
Ed,
As Maxman said, Atlas did a darn good NE-6 caboose in 2004 with 6 more runs afterwards (the latest in 2015) and it would be very difficult to improve upon it. All you have to do to make it an accurate NH version is to pull off the re-railing frogs (the NH didn’t have 'em) and add underbody detail (but don’t add an axle-hung generator because all NH cabooses had no electricity right 'til the end in 1969).
Also, InterMountain has done an excellent NE-5 caboose, and they’re in the queue for a new run right now. This version is even better than Overland brass (because OMI forgot to put the roof panels on it). Ok, the end windows could be the right size, but few even notice that.
The Parlor and Parlor-Lounges are in pre-production right now (due out late next year), and the EP-5 is still in the “gathering information” stage. After both the Parlors (2017) and the EP-5’s (2018), we hope that the next Rapido/NHRHTA project will be another passenger car (2019). Personally, I’m pulling for the Diner and Grill cars. It’s not a NH train without a food service car. A typical NH train would be made up of coaches, parlors, diners/grills, and a single “County” (combine) car. The only trick is that due to the all-new tooling the diners/grills would require (even the trucks), and the expected lack of orders (a train could have 8 coaches but only 2 diners at most), the diner/grill might be 50% more in price. We’ll see. And maybe, just maybe, if we sell enough diners/grills, we might get the “County” combines in 2020.
After all that, the item of NH rolling stock I’d most want would be head end equipment like converted troop sleepers (the Walthers ones are wrong for NH) or heavyweight baggage cars. They would help make a full NH passenger train for any year or season.
I agree with Rapido Trains Bowser has the PRR cabin market sewed up at affordable prices.
For that museum quality Pennsy N5-c cabin Rapido would need to invest thousands of tooling dollars on a high risk move… They would be smarter to invest that tooling money into a new model.
Remember Rapido isn’t a large corporation operation with deep pockets.
I just wish that Bowser had made the roofs w/o roofwalks so I didn’t have to fill the roofwalk mounting holes. I asked someone at Bowser why they just didn’t make the roof with the holes cored on the bottom side so that they could be drilled out by the folks that wanted the walks. The answer was along the lines that some modelers either wouldn’t figure this out or were not capable enough to drill a couple holes. But no need to start that discussion again.
Rapido is a great company with great products, unfortunately they have yet to make anything I need.
A PRR cabin would be one more thing on the list that would not be of interest to me.
I think it is bad policy for any company to invest in tooling for models that other manufacturers already have done a credible job with.
The idea that every prototype should be done in multiple detail levels and/or multiple manufacturers is simply unrealistic.
I cannot help but think that the hobby would be better off if we did not have a half dozen companies making UP BIG BOYS, or whatever else.
Think of all the alternate models that could have been tooled. And if only one or two companies made BIG BOYS, there would be more profit and less redundant tooling and production costs, allowing even greater variety and greater profits.
The more profit the manufacturers make, the more able and willing they will be to bring even more products to market.
Back in the day, Athearn and Roundhouse purposely focused on different eras and areas of the market, with very little overlap in their product lines, and the hobby and their businesses were better for it.
For years Bachmann has followed a similar path, while offering some items in direct competition with others, they have offered a large selection of models not available from anyone else.
Bowser also has avoided excessive duplication of existing products, and Rapido would be wise to stay on that path as well, leaving the “male ego contest” to the likes of MTH and Broadway Limited…
Big boys are big dollar items and are easier for a manufacturer to justify producing because they sell. I would love more Texas & Pacific steam, as would maybe 50 other people, but the simple fact is many guys just must have a big boy and that is all there is to it. They SELL.
From what Lee English of Bowser has told me, most of their cabooses and freight cars actually do not make much money. Once the tooling is paid for, hopefully after the first couple runs, the sales plummet. They keep offering new paint schemes, but the profit is in locomotives and not freight cars. He did say through the years the N5c has done better than all their other cabooses.
There will not be enough sales to justify a brand new one with interiors and lights.
There are tons of brass N5c cabooses out on the market, and some have actually been pretty nice. Some turn up at very affordable prices if you watch for them.
With the exception of Kadee, who has created their own collector niche, most manufacturers find that they have to have a constant stream of new freight cars to keep cash flowing. It is becoming easier to generate the necessary cash flow with bigger ticket items ie engines in lieu of freight cars. Obviously you have to sell a lot more freight cars to make the same money as just one locomotive. For some manufacturers the economics favor new engines.
Scaletrains, Tangent, Exactrail, Moloco, and Rapido all have their place and make wonderful stuff, which I do buy, but not everyone else can afford them or that level of detail. Some have certain companies on a pedestal but they have angered dealers by cutting the standard discount in half thus making it hard for dealers to make any money…
Bowser makes a pick-up wiper #74060 that fits their trucks. You don’t often see much in the way of interior lighting** but I have put markers on some of my cabin cars. Cabooses, too!
I have a bunch of the Life-Like and Walthers Proto cabooses with interiors. A really detailed caboose stove is in there, too. You’d never know it though. Can’t see a thing through the windows. A few partitions is about all you need for an interior in these things.
** edit: What I’m trying to say here is that the crew kept the caboose dark while on the road so night vision is not impaired.
