All this talk about more modern stuff in S, was, is and will be a moot
thing---until a market for it is developed from the wider model
railroading community! It takes a lot of work, cash and promotional
effort over years for that to happen. We can only hope that Lionel will
stick with the Scale side with their recent modern motive power
offerings. That is the only way to develop a market--get the big stuff
and the demand for good quality RTR equipment will be coming.
Unfortunately, as Jim indicated many of us have too many kits on the
shelf. So kits will likely be the step-children of any modern era surge
in popularity if it ever happens. Bill's bad luck with his products
further indicates a lack of a large enough market in the kit market.
It's more common to purchase a RTR Evans boxcar than to construct resin
kit, especially if only S guys know about it.
I once owned a couple of really nice Rio Grande SD40's (long ago
Dispatch cover photo), but had little to pull with them. Tom Marsh at
Overland made several runs of them in a variety of styles plus the
GP-38's; later he made the SD50/60s too. Most of those found permanent
homes but maybe too many are still in boxes or shelves not pulling
trains. My Rio Grande's are long gone now replaced with BN and UP power
but I now have about 50-70 modernish freight cars. So overall I'm more
than happy except I've got to finish Jim's waffle sided boxcar--it's on
my bucket list someplace! I want to thank those who put out those
modern diesels and the freight cars that keep me happy when I get a
chance to run them.
Bob Werre
PhotoTraxx
On 9/14/13 8:38 AM, Bill & Diane, B.T.S. wrote:
(snip)
>>
>> Well the American Models car is now that only "modern" gondola that is
>> on the market. There was a great gondola kit of the Evans 100 ton
>> Gondola, produced by BTS, but for some insane reason he decided to pull
>> the plug on the project and they are no longer available.
>>
(snip)
Michael, gotta love that 'insane reason' comment. Just because I now
have a brain tumor does not mean I am insane!!
A decade ago, I really had a good feeling about doing a line of 'modern'
equipment in S scale, and figured this gon would be a key piece on just
about every layout, and most layouts would use multiples since it was
owned by a group of railroads. So in 2008 we spent the money to get the
patterns made, and ran 50 kits in early 2009.
We sold 22 in 2009, 6 in 2010, and NONE for the next 16 months! So I
'insanely' decided to clean off the shelf and told folks to buy them or
they would be scrapped for a tax deduction. The rest sold in less than
a month, but my money had been tied up for years, and my arm got tired
of dusting the boxes!
So if I am insane for discontinuing products that do not sell, and for
not producing similar products that probably would not sell either, then
so be it.
Take care
Bill
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