C’mon BLI! They announced their K4 a little over 2 months ago and it’s already on the LHS shelves. They announced the MT-73 over a year ago and there’s still not even a sound byte on the BLI site![:(!][V]
Is anyone else as anxious for this fine looking 4-8-2 as I am[?]
I feel the way you do about getting one of these engines and I had emailed BLI and talked to them about it last June. They indicated it was being built by Ajin, which built some of their early engines. They are also indicated the engines would be here last August, so who knows what is really going on.
They lost one of their chief pardners recently and I know some money problems have caused them to raise money by selling off many engines recently on their blowout sale.
The UP mountain is still on their schedule and I am sure it will be here in the sping, but from China, not Ajin. Most of the recent models have been built in China and are still good and acceptable models.
Jonathan–seems you and I are in about the same boat, buddy–you’re anxiously awaiting your UP 4-8-2, and I’m anxiously awaiting their ATSF 2-10-2-- both of them have been announced for over a year now, and last I heard, the ATSF had been postponed until April. Let’s hope that BOTH our locos come out then, okay? Keep the faith—
Tom
I hope so Tom. I’m getting really antsy over here!
That ATSF 2-10-2 looks nice too. I may just have to get both…
I hear ya… I had one of the MT-73’s on order when they were first announced… but after several months of waiting i gave up, canceled the order and bought a proto 2-8-8-2.
Speaking of the P2K 2-8-8-2, I was browsing ebay and found one in UP paint![:0] I wonder if it’s a custom paint or if P2K actually produced it? Either way, I might have to buy it and make a UP 2-8-8-0 Bull Moose out of it.[:p][}:)]
Jonathan–I’m not sure, but I think that UP actually bought some USRA 2-8-8-2’s for the traffic surges during WWII from the N&W. I know that they bought some H-7 2-8-8-2’s from the C&O (minus those neat Elesco feed-water heaters). But converting one of them into a 2-8-8-0 ‘Bull Moose’ sounds like a neat kitbash. Believe it or not, SP leased some Bull Meese during the War and used them as helpers on their Shasta division. it dropped a few jaws up around Dunsmiur, CA when people actually saw an articulated with the cab in the BACK, LOL!
Tom[:D]
It may have been from the 3rd run of the first production of the P2K mallets froom a few years ago. They came in N&W, UP, Virginian, and Undec if memory serves me right.
You’re right Tom, it would make for a neat kit bash. But, correct me if I’m wrong, the UP 2-8-8-0s were rebuilt as simple articulateds in the 1930s, so you’d have to swap out some cylinders on the P2K 2-8-8-2. Nevertheless, it’d be one cool loco to have running around.[^]
Some of the locomotive lead times between announcement to arrival on the hobby shop shelves is getting a bit much. What is scary is that more and more products are arriving later and later. Eventually we all might get used to ordering something and actually forget about order until 3 years later the store calls you that your new 400 dollar engine has arrived.
You may laugh but it is already starting to happen when some of my microscale decals finaly arrived after 2 years on order.
I have one of the P2k 2-8-8-2’s on order with the QSI sound. that one should have been out in december and it is almost march.