CN in miniature

[Yvan-Martin Levesque]

Hi folks!

A simple question: why manufacturers of model train seems to "avoid" doing CN stuff?

I model modern CN. I've been an HO modeler for 10 years. In HO, It was not so bad to get modern CN. Then I switch to N scale. Just try to find any SD75, modern boxcar (they made a few. I'm speaking about a reasonable variety) and so in CN... And I'm a G scaler since 3 years: What a pain in the &?$!

USA Trains made a SD40-2 in Amtrak (!!! :rolleyes: ) but no CN... As far as I know, CN is part of the "big 6" (the 6 Class I rr of Americas).

The same thing happen with VIA. Why good compagnies such as Kato, Atlas and Life-Like didn't made an F40 VIA? And streamliner car lettered with the VIA paint scheme? After all, it's the second largest passenger network of North America, and VIA own near 70 F40, and 300 streamliner cars...

(I know Life-Like did made an F40 VIA, but it was in their "toy era" smile.gif)

My suggestion is: Every company who cares about their customers (ie: Aristo-Craft, USA Trains and Bachmann in Large scale; Kato, Atlas, Life-Like and MDC in small scale) should put in EVERY box a small survey about what the customer want (type of loco or car, roadname and era).

This could prevent thing such as: NO F59 in any scale and tons and tons of wooden braced boxcar in every scale.

Your thought?

Yvan-Martin L.

The Champlain & St. Lawrence RR http://www.trainweb.com/montreal/g-scale

[rsn48]

I posted a reply to you on this but it didn't take....sorry.........

[E&NRailway]

Yvan,


Life-Like does make VIA Rail F40PH's in HO scale. So does Bachman, in there spectrum series. Like Like also came out with Proto 1000 RDC-2's in VIA and CN paint. VIA numbers 6200 and 6206, and CN (olive green ends, and the wet noodle schemes) numbered D-200, D-201, and D-202.

In december of this year Life-like is bringing out RDC-3's in BCR, CN, CP, and VIA paint.

[ 26 April 2001: Message edited by: E&NRailway ]

[E&NRailway]

To further add to that, here's the list of paint schemes and numbers that the new RDC-3's are going to have, the Canadian roads only.

Canadian Pacific - Maroon & yellow with yellow end stripes.
433-239726 Road Number #9020
433-239727 Road Number #9022
CP Rail - silver with action red stripes.
433-239728 Road Number #9021
433-239729 Road Number #9023
Canadian National - silver with olive & yellow ends.
433-239730 Road Number D300
433-239731 Road Number D350
Canadian National - silver with Black stripe with red ends.
433-239732 Road Number 6350
433-239733 Road Number 6355
VIA Rail - silver with blue VIA Rail stripes and yellow ends.
433-239734 Road Number 6216
433-239735 Road Number 6222
PGE - Green and Orange
433-239736 Road Number BC-32
433-239737 Road Number BC-33
BC Rail - red, white & blue.
433-239738 Road Number BC-23
This number is incorrect. We are waiting for a correction from the importer.
British Columbia Railway - Green with Dogwood
433-239739 Road Number BC-33

[ 26 April 2001: Message edited by: E&NRailway ]

[yankinoz]

here's a guy who gave up and is now scratchbuilding canadian boxcars.
http://www.ideal.net.au/~akeller/index~1.htm

[Yvan-Martin Levesque]

Thank you E&NR to send me the list of canadian material. But I was not clear in my first post. My feeling is that American manufacturers (and I count Kato part of them) seem to "forget" sometime canadian roadname.

Take any add in Model Railroader and look at the most popular roadname: GN, NYC, Penn, B&O... All fallen flags and US rr.

I have absolutly nothing against these roadname, but a lot of guys out there are doing modern railroad... Specially young guy like (I'm 27) who never knows the era of the above mentionned railroads.

Every day I cross the Victoria Bridge to go waork (in Montreal). I want to model (N and G scale) the cars I see on this double tracked bridge. They hard to find. And the word "scratchbuilt" is used very often. Unfortunatly, my hands are very skilled to do that :( !

Maybe the "canadian roadname" market is not appealing to US manufacturers...

If any one out there knows how a company choose which roadname they will put on their cars and locos, please explain to me :cool: !

Yvan-Martin (feeling something between :mad: and :( )

[Hytec]

Yvan-Martin, N-Scale magazine lists ads for suppliers of Canadian equipment.

I believe that Life-Like has a Canadian division that manufactures only Canadian equipment. There have been posts in TrainBoard's "N-Scale" forum that have refered to a train store in Vancouver(?) that handles the Life-Like/Canada products. There may be stores in the Montreal area that do also. Why don't you ask your question in that forum?

Hank

[ 27 April 2001: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]

[E&NRailway]

Check this
HO Scale

http://www.katousa.com/images/SD40-2CN_1005.jpg

N Scale
http://www.katousa.com/images/N_SD-40_Photos/176-4701a_610.jpg

[ 27 April 2001: Message edited by: E&NRailway ]

[Yvan-Martin Levesque]

I got 3 of them in N-scale...

My problem is: Can't find any more Autorack 80' TTX or CN cars, reasonable diversity of CN boxcar, reasonable diversity of Procor Tank car and flat car (with bulk end) to put behind them... :(

The only modern canadian cars I got to do a "nice train", are intermodal cars and "wheat hopper car" (made by PWRS- Intermountain).

In our club, 80% of the memberships model modern era. Train made of 5 locos and 100 cars are NOT unusual... :D

I don't want to think about CN and G scale... Only the orange hopper MoW, and 2 or 3 paintscheme with the old maple leaf on it... :rolleyes:

Thank you anyway!

Yvan-Martin

(Our n-scale web site is: http://trainweb.com/montreal/n-trak)

[DaveCN5710]

Looks great E&N smile.gif SD40 , thanks for posting it !

[Dave Winter]

This subject came up in a G Scale forum and in the end all manufactures will produce what sells. As a result, every new product will be issued in UP, Santa Fe in the red/silver war bonnet, Conrail and Amtrak even if those roads never actually used that engine or car. One manufacture noted that the 1/29 scale SD40-2 would look good in Milwaukee but it would sit on the shelf for years. Can't run a business that way.

I expect things will change in the next ten years (you got that long?) because CN is becoming such a presence in the US now. USA Trains' modern container flats come in CN and they even made a beautiful 40 can for it. Things are looking up.

Dave Winter

[Yvan-Martin Levesque]

I totaly agree with you, Dave!

I said earlier, people love to model what they see. I live in Montreal and I'm 27. So I see lots of CN "modern". That's what I love to model. I don't want to make people feels "old" here, but when CN was running passenger train for the last time, I was 5 years-old... And I never knew the grey-marron scheme of CP!

I'm sure I'm not alone in the situation. If compagnies (no matter the scale) wants to built their long-term futur, they must attract new, young modeler into the hobby. And listen to their needs.
;)
Yvan-Martin.

[E&NRailway]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/budd-rdc-spv/files/Model%20shots/433-239714-1.jpg

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/budd-rdc-spv/files/Model%20shots/433-239720-4.jpg

[E&NRailway]

Also, Life-like has done one E&N RDC-2(CP 9102) and is coming out with an E&N RDC-3(CP 9023).