I freely admit I don’t know what the total market is, but I SWEAR there are some steam locos that just seem to cry out for someone to make them in a good quality plastic model. I’m glad I don’t model Milwaukee, because I think an F-7 is a great looking loco, and they have never had an accurate model of those or the As in plastic (The Rivarossi looks okay at 10 feet, but it is no where close to accurate), and the brass version(s) are going thru the roof. And people are still snapping up Sante Fe 2900s on ebay even thought the mechanism stinks and they are repowering them and detailing them as fast as they come available it would appear. And there seem to be plenty of other similar examples.
And yet, we now have really good N&W Class A’s, and two Class J’s available. Locos whose total prototype number was a smashing 57. And there is a new Y6b coming, too. I’m NOT complaining because I am an N&W guy. Yeah, I know the J and the A were preserved, and run in the ‘90s, and all that. But, we also have a real good Virginian BA from P2K, and there were 5 prototypes of those babies, and none were preserved.
I really don’t understand the manufacturers’ logic is what I am saying. I suppose I should just be quietly real grateful they have such good taste.[:D]
It would be nice to know how they do their market research to determine what will sell. It’s a wise manufacturer that consults a historical society as to what is accurate.
Right, just who decides what locomotives to make, are there polls ? I’ve never been asked, is it the guy who owns the company? the secretary? a designer on a consulting basis? the accountant? who really makes the decision? will a company respond to this direct question? someone out there MUST make the decision to produce a certain product, now we have to find out who this person is. If it is left up to model railroad fans there would be 5,000 new different models made every year ( or 20 new different “Big Boy models”) So get out there and find out just WHO is making these decisions.
Eenie Meenie Minie Moe
I suspect they look at what other brands sell most of - I can’t see why else they keep producing locos that have already been well covered by other brands. Having said that, nobody seems to produce the “definitive” model of any locos - they all have a flaw of one sort or another. Witness the Genesis F-unit with some owners reporting mechanical problems - I’m in the market for a decent F-unit or two but have no idea whose is the best model, so for now I’m sticking with a Bachmann Plus F7 and a pair of E R Models FP7s!
It seems amazing to me what manufacturers “think” are popular engines. We’ve got articulateds coming out of our ears, but only one decent 2-8-0 is on the market. We’ve got truly oddball engines like the USRA 2-6-6-2 and Ma & Pa 4-6-0, but no Harriman engines at all.
You would think that at least every mainline steam excursion engine that’s run over the past 30 years would have come out in plastic, but we’ve only got five (NKP 765, UP 844, UP 3985, Reading 2101, SP 4449). Where’s Milwaukee 261? Where’s Soo 1003? Heck, were are all the Canadian steamers?
I personally think manufacturers are biased doofuses. They either produce whatever the head of marketing likes, or build what they “think” were numerous engines, like the USRA series. In some cases these decisions are sound (the Baldwin 2-8-0 and USRA 0-8-0s ARE sound decisions), but then we end up with oddball engines (USRA 2-10-2s with SOUTHERN valve gear?) or engines that are too large to fit on 95% of the layouts ever built (UP Big Boys).
What we steam guys NEED is a high-quality modular steam system, where we can pick and choose our chassis, boilers, valve gears, cabs and tenders. Unfortunately, that will never happen; if modelers won’t build a friggin’ BOXCAR, where’s the market for a steam kit?
What we steam guys could live with are more generic engines, and no more USRA. Harriman engines were all over the country, as were catalog Baldwin, Lima and Alco engines. NYC-pattern smaller engines were all over the place, and were usually FAR more numerous than anything but the USRA 0-8-0.
And do we really need five USRA light Mikes on the market?
I’m in the market for good steam kits. The one’s that I can get on eBay pretty much have to be regeared and remotored. (I prefer kit rolling stock, too.)
So am I Chip, but 99% of the modelers out there aren’t. We’ve got Bowser, and that’s probably as many steam kits as we’re likely to ever see again. Heck, Bowser’s a conglomeration of Penn Line, Bowser, Cary, Arbour, Varney, Selley, and Pittmann: if seven engine kit manufacturers from “back in the day” couldn’t survive as seperate companies, what chance does a new startup have these days?
As it is, I treat modern RTR steam as kits. I look for items I can use from each new offering, and if it fits my needs, buy them and disassemble them for parts. A good example is my desire to have an IC/Harriman 2-8-2. The Bachmann 2-8-0 is VERY close, but it’s too short. So I’m working on a plan to stretch it to become a 2-8-2, by adding more material between the fourth and fifth boiler courses, and by lengthening the frame to accept a trailing truck. Good thing I don’t need a FLEET of these things!
It did happen, briefly - there was a company called (if memory serves) the Locomotive Works that offered modular kits. They didn’t last long, but the kits sometimes pop up on Ebay.
I’m still trying to figure out how many big steam engines (Challengers, Big Boys, etc.) we really need. I wouldn’t mind seeing something different, even though I’m not really into steam. Other than Waynesburg & Washington #4, that is 
Why don’t they make say, an NH I-5, or even one of those “fireless” switchers? Some narrow-gauge 6-cylinder Plymouths would be nice too 
Do people think that the problem, for steam at least, is a lack of readily available drawings of the original?
In the pile resulting from two moves in ,2 years I have loads of copies of drawings of US locos from c1890 to c1920 including Harrimans. I have stock as well.
This was the era I modelled until I went American H0. It doesn’t seem to be a much modelled era but the locos at least would have lasted some years.
When it comes to artics some of the drawings include articulated boilers… scarey!
If anyone can find who makes the decisions and there is interest contact me.
I thought the company was Baldwin… or was it Alco?[}:)]
One more thing. I want them to stay “eccentric” or whatever you want to call it until after they’ve made an N&W Class M, 4-8-0.
Model manufacturers most likely take a lot of different factors into consideration before the decision to spend money on tooling is made. Everything from reader polls in magazines and online polls to what the owners grandson wants for Christmas.
But I bet the bean counters have the most persuasive power in the loop. Can we make a profit if we release a (enter your favorite here). A base model that can be released in as many paint schemes as possible and remain reasonably accurate is probably the most likely candidate. Exceptions seem to be locos and rolling stock that belonged to a certain few extremely popular railroads, ie. Pennsylvania, Santa Fe, Union Pacific New York Central and a few others.
Nothing (other than money) is stopping the rest of us from starting our own business and taking the risk of manufacturing a model of something no one else has done in the hope that it will sell enough units to make a profit. Of course as soon as it’s released someone will pick it apart in a forum like this and then the business owner will watch sales die and end his business venture.
How’s that for random thoughts?
Considering that the plastic locomotive manufacturers that have recently come to the forefront in the hobby were previously brass importers, it is likely that they are deciding what to run based on what sold well in brass…where customers were indeed often asked directly what they liked, definitely wanted, or felt would sell well. Big, articulated, famous engines, logging roads, or locos from the largest class 1 railroads is what sold/sells big time in brass. Based on that scenario, you will likely never see any wide and diverse selection of steam locomotives from secondary roads, or oddities like camelbacks, suburbans, etc. done in quality plastic.
CNJ831
Pessimistic?/ [}:)]
The thing that I find interesting is the massive range of specialised lines in the UK market compared to both the relatively limited range from a massive choice in the US and the extreme costs in Europe. Some UK Railways had only a few unique locos but someone, somewhere is probably quietly turning out kits for them. The US RR mostly had a policy of buying stock or near stock locos from major builders (unless like the PRR they were big enough to build their own)… Diesels are almost all builder not RR built. The real number of variants is fairly small but the model choice (and livery choice) is even smaller compared to the UK.
Since privateisation the UK loco users repaint frantically… only just ahead of the model makers bringing out a copy.
Something else I don’t understand… why can you only get runs of 6 hopper numbers… sometimes run# 2 or #3 from Walthers… if they want to sell cars that ran by the hundred why not no number, part number and decals or more numbers? the same goes for tank cars… a train of tanks looks superb… it’s a swine to model from kits let alone RTR.
Have fun[8D][8D][8D]
I have always favored the idea of leaving the numbers off of rolling stock and supplying a decal sheet from which alternative numbers could be applied. This could be in addition to the normal release of a car with 3 to 6 numbered units factory applied.
This is a true story. Only the names have been omitted to protect the guilty.
Once upon a time, when the only steam locos available in the US were metal castings with rather primitive DC open-motor drives, a luxury automobile dealer decided he would like to have some custom-built models of steam locos operated by his favorite prototype railroad. When he contacted a well-known model building firm in the Far East, he was informed that he would have to buy his hand-fabricated brass HO locos in lots of fifty!
After some soul-searching, he decided to do it.
Now you know why so many early Pacific Fast Mail offerings were of Northern Pacific origin.
Now all you need to do is persuade The Donald to model your favorite railroad in your preferred scale. Rotsa Ruck!
Chuck
Ive a set of BLI F units arriving at the warehouse to ship to the LHS soon. Give me a few weeks and I might answer your question. =)