<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:12pt"><div>I'll chime in on the CF cabin cars. (notice my tricky sidestep of trying to figure out the pluralization of the word caboose). The AMB laser kits are very nice, although a bit of a time consumer. I chose to build 3 at once. Really made it seem not-so-bad, but I can't imagine doing more than that. It took a long time to complete. If BLI would have put out RTR versions that were as nice looking as their locos for around $50, I would buy 10. Perhaps we should inundate Bachmann Spectrum with requests. They made an incredible aux water tender when you consider they were had for under $30. I probably have 3 for each articulated loco I own.<br><br>I have 2 A's and 2 PCM Y6b's. I have not had one problem with any of them. One issue I don't
care for is the driver treads on the A's are not a shiny, smooth, nickel-plating, like the Y6b's. I haven't really noticed them getting dirtier, but seems likely to happen. I keep my track pretty clean though.<br><br>I, too, look at the local hobby store as a place that needs supported. Buying online is incredibly easy, and often less expensive. But when you need something right now, there is nothing like a good local hobby store. I was fortunate to have such a hobby store in Columbus (shameless thumbs-up for The Train Station), and I tried to buy from them whenever possible. Not only is the loss of a hobby store an inconvenince in terms of availability, it is a loss of information, and a loss of exposure of the hobby. now I live in Dayton, and have not found a good hobby store yet. There are some, but they are small and poorly stocked.<br><br>Another side effect of the loss of hobby stores is that there are
less buyers of new products, which leads manufacturers to run smaller and smaller runs. In old days, if Athearn made an engine, they bilt thousands because every hobby store in the country was going to buy a couple. Who here wishes that PCM Y6b's were still readily available for under $400? Now, you are lucky to find one on eBay for less than $450.<br><br>Mike Rector<br></div><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">From:</span></b> NW Modeling List <nw-modeling-list@nwhs.org><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> nw-modeling-list@nwhs.org<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Saturday, February 14, 2009 10:40:42 AM<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: NW-Modeling-List
Digest, Vol 62, Issue 19<br></font><br>
<div class="gmail_quote"><div>I am disappointed in Broadway/PCM. Granted I love their steamers and have two J's a Y6b and an A. I also bought 16 of their coal hoppers to run behind either the A or the Y6b. Passenger cars for the J has been more of a problem. I currently use pull a Walthers lightweight coach and a diner, and two chair cars from Rapido. They may not be 100 percent accurate but they do look good and I get nice comments on them when I run with my modular HO group at trainshows. I digressed a little.<br>
<br>Broadway has kept putting off the hi-hood SD40-2 since late 2006. Their latest date is now July 2009, but I am not counting on that either. I believe Atlas will have the hi-hood U30b out before then. I had pre-ordered the caboose that Broadway was promoting. Maybe I should have pre-ordered two. I was disappointed when I saw that Broadway no longer listed them on their web site. They kept leading us along and leading us along, like they are doing with the hi-hood SD40-2. It is frustrating what Broadway is doing. I had put a deposit it down for both the caboose and a SD40-2. I got frustrated and had my deposit money go towards the Athearn SD45 hi-hoods. My local hobby shop said he would still keep the order active as he knew me and knew I was good for it. I just wonder how many other people have cancelled their orders. <br>
<br>It is ridiculous that a company sets a delivery date and then keeps moving it back and moving back or puts TBD. I believe when Broadway first put out the SD40-2 hh announcement they stated winter 06-07, then it was April 07, then June, then fall. etc. etc. Now it is July 09 which will probably turn into January 2010 before the next change. 3.5 years and counting. That is poor business. I know a couple of local modelers openly discussed that may Broadway was having financial problems. I know it costs a lot to tool up for a plastic model. I like it when a company states that it is taking orders and then has a pretty firm delivery date, even if they have to close the ordering dates, like Atlas does. I feel a company once it announces something, should have it in the hobby shop within 9 months. Not lead us along like Broadway has done with the SD40-2 hh and the caboose<br>
<br> Anyway there are some appropriate steam era cabooses. I was fortunate enough to pick up a brass one of a steel steam era caboose made by Division Point. I picked this up at the Springfield, MA show about 3 or 4 years ago. I also check eBay and managed to pick up two wooden kits which are awaiting their turn on my work bench. <br>
<br>A.J. Gemperline<br><br><br><br><br> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">.At the recent show in Springfield, Broadway was asked what happened to the CF caboose to go with the locos; "not enough interest" was the response. They were asked to reconsider.Russ Goodwin has great contacts within the major manufacturers and has worked hard to interest them in N&W/NS projects. But again, the manufacturers have their own agendas. The late Jim Gillum worked tirelessly on model projects; Jim Brewer produced beautiful resin kits of two N&W cars. And no one has worked harder on the subject of accuracy than Jim Nichols. I am sure there are others who have worked behind the scenes to get stuff done. My point is that the NWHS modeling community has accomplished quite a bit; that it has not satisfied every desire, or responded to every fleeting idea should
not diminish the efforts of a number of dedicated members.Now, how about an HU hopper!! Been trying for years, in plastic, resin and brass, alas.... Bill McClure<br>
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