Anyone have one are are familiar with these units. My LHS has a sale on and these units are available at a major discount for the next week.
I know there was some sort of link between LifeLike and Hobby Craft before Walthers took over the Proto Line.
The C-Liner with the 5 axle engines certainly look impressive, but how do they run?
I have a bunch of the 4 axle C Liners and they are very nice. I would expect that the 5 axle would be similar.
And if the price is right, what have you got to lose?
I have seen one, and it runs great! I wish I had one, but I’m not sure why a shortline RR would have one…[;)]
My dealer is holding on to mine because he has not gotten the promised replacement shells for the US roads yet. Others (on other forums) are still waiting, too.
(The Canadian road names were fine, I believe)
http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=40639
http://www.freewebs.com/newhavenrailroad1959/ => work in progress (bottom)
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20031&start=19
indirect
http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=40825
and for me: see above, I’m a future owner [;)]
Grab it while you can. They aren’t easy to come by and they look and run good. There aren’t many truly rare prototypes modeled in plastic but this is one of them.
I wish I had a logical reason to run one. Hmmm maybe CP was testing the CN units CN offered to sell them? Yup, good enough for me!
I am very surprised by the comment that they were somewhat hard to come by. The LHS only has one or two of any item usually. However in the case of the C-Liners there must be about a dozen and a half. Most of them are without sound but some have the sound units installed as well. As one would expect they are CN units, the red and white striped units and the green, black and yellow point schemes.
The units are only A units, but the engine sure would look good hauling the matching Rapido coaches in the green and black livery.
At the suggested prices the regular units are about $85 each, the sound units units are still somewhat pricey around $135 if memory serves me correctly.
Their ads were very odd to me: they didn’t show the back truck! Seems strange to me, to obscure the quality that makes these engines unique.
CMT has posted pix from early Aug (I presume production models):
http://www.modeltrains.com/WEB%20-%20CMT/True%20Line%20Trains/HO/true-line-trains-new-york-central.htm
http://www.modeltrains.com/WEB%20-%20CMT/True%20Line%20Trains/HO/true-line-trains-long-island.htm
http://www.modeltrains.com/WEB%20-%20CMT/True%20Line%20Trains/HO/true-line-trains-new-haven.htm
or go from here (note: there I found only pre-prod pix)
http://www.modeltrains.com/WEB%20-%20CMT/True%20Line%20Trains/HO/true-line-trains-allroads.htm
A fellow club member bought four of these CPA24-5’s, all in New Haven paint. There have been a couple reviews, and quite frankly, IMHO TLT messed up big time on the paint job for NH (and who knows how badly they did for NYC, LIRR, and others). A little history…
True Line Trains (formally Hobby Craft of Canada) announced these models back in 2005 or so as an extension of their 4-axle C-Liners they did for Proto 1000 several years ago. Canadian Model Trains (CMT) is their primary interface with the public, apparently. At the 2006 Springfield (MA) show (Jan.), I pre-ordered one of each for NH from CMT after being told that the 4-fan model should be coming. Around this time, I had heard that the New Haven Railroad Historical & Technical Association (NHRHTA) had given copies of NH Painting & Lettering Diagrams to TLT, along with paint chips, pictures, and more.
At the 2006 NMRA show (July), I saw the pre-production model (undec.) on display for the CPA16-5 (three fans = Canadian version), and was told that the 4-fan model is coming. By December, 2006 (Marlboro, MA show), the Canadian models were out. Around January, 2007, they started posting pre-production shots of the American version (CPA24-5 = four fans)…and the shocking thing was TLT had major paint problems even after the NHRHTA’s input (and you couldn’t see the fans in any of the pre-producton shots, leaving one to wonder). After a flurry of e-mails and postings on the NH Forum to CMT and TLT, another batch of pre-production models were shown. However, they only fixed a couple minor problems and made no effort to improve any of the major problems. Then I talked to CMT at Springfield this year, and was told that all the problems would be fixed when the NH models came out.
After the show, new pre-production shots were shown online…still wrong. More complaints were sent. Heck, I even sent them prototype pictures comparing the
Painting your own units has it’s benifits…no waiting time.
David B
True, if there wasn’t that fan issue … roof fan #4, where art thou [;)]
Paul…a bit picky, aren’t we? You are upset because a Canadian MFG has missed the boat with your precious NH paint scheme. Us Canadain modelers have had this issue for as long as I have been in the hobby. All our units are based on American prototypes.
Geesh…I should put a call into Atlas, Athearn, Kato, Walthers etc…for messing up the Canadian paint schemes and details. In fact the only MFG to produce a Canadian apporpriate prototype is LL Canada…now known as TLT.
Now, us Canadian are waiting for TLT to release some Canadian Cabooses (supposed to be released some time last year)…but you are taking up their time with your “paint scheme”.
David B
Thou are south of the border. This is a Canadian Prototype, and hence, proper for the CN…not for NH. We dont need the extra fan up north.
You could actually add one…
David B
I received mine last week and they are GORGEOUS!
Yes, the Chinese painted the NH colors on the Canadian style bodies. But they are in the process of being replaced.
Even so, 3 fans or no, and the brake cylinder missing. They are going to look fabulous pulling my PRR consist of the 1953 Washington-Boston Federal on the Shore Line to Boston even as is.
Of interest to both Pennsy and New Haven modelers, Union Station Products has notified me that they have produced the sides for the entire PRR Congressional-Federal consist per my request a year ago.
davidmbedard,
Ah yes, it’s the whine of, “For decades, companies from your country screwed up models from my country, so you have no right to complain when a company from my country screws up on your models!” Huh? You do realize that makes zero sense, right? If you are for accurate models, these inaccurate TLT’s should tick you off no matter the road modeled. If you don’t care about accuracy, then you shouldn’t care if Athearn or Atlas makes a “real” CN or CP unit or not. Which is it?
Demanding accurate models for yourself while dismissing calls for accurate models for everyone else strikes me as totally selfish. They should get the paint right, no matter the road.
And as far as “messing up” my “precious paint scheme”, they put passenger car lettering on the green/gold C-Liner, and made a lopsided “NH” logo on the black/white/orange C-Liner. These are hardly minor problems. Easy for TLT to fix, but in their arrogance they decided they did not need to. And yes, I can say arrogance due to this question & answer on TLT’s own website FAQ:
Q: There is something not prototypical with my locomotive, FIX IT!
A: No. We strive to make the most accurate locomotives we can. We research for hours and hours and consult many different professionals for road names, colours, options, etc. We have brought you the best locomotive we could produce, for the most affordable price.
That’s obviously a bunch of hooey. Sort of like Athearn’s old “Scaled from real railroad blueprints” or some such nonsense they put on those blue boxes of theirs for decades.
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
If you do not like what TLT has produced, come out with a competing, more prototypical for US product. And make the paint suit you.
Spoken like a true shake-and-baker.
David B
JonathonS,
I’ve got an easier plan. If TLT comes out with something I don’t like, I don’t buy it. When someone asks about their product (that I don’t like) on public discussion model railroad forum, I will explain why. It’s a long, long tradition both in this hobby and the rest of the world. I sure hope you are this vigilant in other topics here. Pssst… Did you hear that MTH is making an HO Triplex? They are getting a lot of heat about it on that topic thread. You should go over there and chastise these MTH critics to start their own company, too. Also, someone is ranting that MR should bring back Student Fare. I hope you’re telling those people to start their own magazine…
davidmbedard wrote:
Spoken like a true hypocrite.
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
Will the Triplex be done in NH, CP and CN, I hope so, it would be an awesome loco in those schemes, I just hope they get the colours right.
If all else fails in this day of R-T-R
Buy a kit and have some fun
Teditor