Is there a prototype road that you wanted to model and have not due to a lack of available and appropriately decorated models? My best guess is the list would be dominated by Midwestern roads. Maybe not. My nominee is the TP&W
There were many railroads out west and even in the eastern USA that are not being modelled or have models made because they were really small or their roadname don’t sell that good. Pennsylvania is a case inpoint because there were over 20 railroads that operated at some time between 1833 and present, in that state, that are not modellled by the major companies. Examples could be; Blue Mountain & Reading(early to mid 1980’s), Philadelphia & Reading that later became the Reading railroad, and absorbed or bought out many small railroads. Mt. Penn traction company, a very small RR just outside of Reading PA, operated for only a few years.
I am as nostalgic as the next guy. that being said, how many decades have gone by since the PRR, NYC or Santa Fe vanished into the ether? What kid has even a faint connection to these roads? They are now as obscure and and as overexposed in the past as a faint memory, while I keep thinking give the people what they want…What is this Las Vegas thing of pre-orders without asking us what we want? Then to compound this…shoot first ask questions later business plan…production runs fall by the wayside. Seems more than a goofy strategy…no wonder some are moving to the greener pastures of a Euro market…while they have not fully tilled the field…Is this a lack of common sense? .
Yep, numerous short lines out west including dozens of logging RR’s.
Bill
One glimmer of hope I noticed is RMT aka Aristocraft that deserves some kudos for taking the road less traveled…I was just at their website and I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of road names, especially in the freight car department…I saw the Waddell hoppers off the NYO&W and was tempted. Although they seem to focus on eastern roads, I was surprised to see the M&E, and other short lines represented…I suspect RMT is the sleeper of the hour and their website is really worth a gander…maybe they can move on to doing the same for the West and Midwest…
I see they have a Great Northern Boxcab due this coming year…you might consider the electrification of that great yard…
Bruce
I see they have a Great Northern Boxcab due this coming year…you might consider the electrification of that great yard…
Bruce
Hi Bruce, already have the K-Line version of the Great Northern boxcab. But would like to see RMT do a Northern Pacific or Spokane Portland & Seattle Boxcab, Beep or Bang S-4 switcher. RMT for some reason has ignored the Northern Pacific.
Has anybody gone to the RMT website recently and seen what they have for sale in some of the less popular railroad names? Look at their boxcars for example.
Some terrific bargains
TH&B Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo
I fell in love with this railroad when I saw a 2 issue article about an HO pike based on the TH&B in the 70’s in Model Railoader. I am especially fond of the scenery of mid century Toronto and Buffalo, with the big grain elevators and the steel industry.
There is very little rolling stock out there and even very few decals (I model in S), but I’ve done the best I can to duplicate the scenery. I’m not about to repaint and decal my vintage Flyer.
LittleTommy
I would love to see some EJ&E stuff like engines for O gauge but now it is part of CN so not holding my breath
kev.
I have been amused by the grandiosity of the name, “Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific”, ever since I first saw that railroad: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roscoe,_Snyder_and_Pacific_Railway
The Southeast is where the roads have been ignored. Southern Railway had nearly 100 subsidiary lines operating under their own roadname during the first half othe 20th century. They ran 4-4-0s, 4-6-0s and 2-8-0s primarily, and yet none of the Importers have even issued a undecorated 0-gauge engine in those wheel arrangements that could have been decorated for so many roads.
HO brass Importers issued them all and many modelers, including me, decorated them for those short and branch lines.
Then there is the Aberdeen & Rockfish in North Carolina which is the only road that had a woman as its Chairman.
For O Gauge and O Scale the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo has not had many items, up until about 2004 to the present day with freight cars and locomotives still wating to be produced delivered from recent catalog announcements. I even got a TH&B Box car from ATLAS O. I am considering getting a new release of a TH&B gondola from Atlas O or MTH.
Andrew
Lionel and MTH have to offer classic 1940’s-1960’s era items from Elgin, Joliet & Eastern.
Modern EJE items can be made by buying undecorated ATLAS O locos and cars to paint them in the final, sparse paint schemes used by EJE.
Andrew
Akron, Canton & Youngstown items have been produced, but in very limited quanties over the past 20 years.
The Toledo, Peoria & Western decorated models have been spread thinly since the 1970’s.
It also helps to have a decade of operation of the TP&W in mind before choosing to model it and lobby the manufacturers for the models.
The ATLAS O TP&W ACF Cylindrical Hopper was a 1960’s TP&W orphan that might still be available on sale somewhere. They did not produce any supporting locos and cars from the same time period.
What is needed for roads like TP&W, TH&B, and AC&Y are great big train sets from Atlas O, Lionel, and MTH that have Locomotives, many freight cars all from the same railroad, and a caboose so that there is a complete train made available at one time.
Andrew
Detroit & Toledo ShoreLine and Monon rolling stock and locomotive have been made, in very small quantities. There are still several more DT&S and MON locos and cars to be mass produced and decorated by companies like Atlas O, Lionel, and MTH. Weaver Models made a few box cars decorated in the DT&S scheme.
Andrew Falconer
Suddenly in the past 5 years there has been a surge of Chicago Great Western from Lionel, Atlas O, and MTH.The trick is to get all of them together on one track. I wonder what CGW will be made next.
Andrew
L.I.R.R. “Dashing Dan” on the Long Island Railroad
traindaddy1,
Let’s not forget: L.I.RR’s. “Dashing Dotty!”
Ralph
How could I. She’s the person who got the last seat!