I wonder why the main manufacturers of N scale loco's don't release painted and numbered leased units as part of every locomotive release? I can deal with leased power on my road but, foreign roads not so much. Am I way off base on this ?
They want the product to appeal to the widest possible consumer base, which is comprised of the vast number of people who want to run trains in a loop and not be serious modelers. If I was one of the casuals, I wouldn't want a bright shiney car out of the box with messed up decals.
There have been some - Kato did GECX, GMTX (?) or CEFX for the SD90, SD40-2 and C449 and Atlas has done some GP 38 or 40 in GMTX, Rail America, etc. I don't think they are as popular as regular road names, even if more realistic and necessary for modern modelers. For that matter, reporting marks only frieght cars and cars with graffitti don't sell as well as colorful ones. Look at any model train and the rolling stock is very colorful and loco consists very consistent. Either most modelers aren't very observant, or they like to clean up the look of the typical proto train on their layouts.
Lease paint schemes tend to be pretty easy for the do-it-yourselfer even if the manufacturers don't release many of them.
Atlas also did SD60s in HLCX and MP15s in GATX. I agree that the lease schemes tend to be fairly simple to do as custom paints. One of the "someday" projects I want to do is a GP15-1 in LTEX red.
I think there have been a great deal of lease units. Most would be fairly easy badge overs to make...
That's because the reporting marks only cars don't justify the price (why get that when you can get one with a roadname logo on it for the same price?) And those graffiti cars ain't cheap.
Atlas offers leaser schemes on lots of freight cars. I bought some patched HPJX boxcars that way. I was the only one, apparently, who pre-ordered a pair through my LHS.
I agree on the graffitti cars being too expensive, unless you do them yourself with the Blair Line decals. I can't say I ever thought of not buying a freight car based on not being cheaper because of no logo! I think my fleet needs a few more plain janes to look like the prototype post 2000, so I buy the lease fleet cars whenever I see them to replace the more standard road names. But, dealers tell me they don't sell as well as cars that are "more purty" and I have to admit, my collection trends towards the entirely too colorful.
Myself, I see new releases of loco's and the majority are class 1 paint schemes. I would think a leaser or three would sell to the people, like myself, who are adverse to painting loco's. I just thought there would be a better market out there for a a leaser paint job with new loco's.
I've been out railfanning in Oxford, Ohio and Decatur, Alabama the last ten days and, owned or leased, the locos were so filthy it mattered little whether they were owned or leased. But weathered locos, no matter the origin, probably don't sell as well as fresh clean ones. The buyers of fresh clean ones wouldn't know a leased loco from a leased grain carrier. I can just imagine a marketing manager saying, in 2010, "OK, make 3000 Santa Fe, 1000 BNSF, 1000 CSX, 500 NS, and 20 leased for my buddies."
Lots of "lease" units are "patched" paint jobs anyway (eg. I ran lots of LMS units - Conrail Blue - on Conrail !). We're Railroad modelers, aren't we ? Manufacturers can't produce everyone's (your) fave/wanted/needed loco/box/hopper/caboose in every correct/fantasy paint/equipment variation/scale and still make a buck ! That, it seems, is why it's "modeling" - not collecting. The variety and quality of models is fantastic compared with only a few years back. Where's all the PRR steam engines in "N", so I can build the whole Pittsburgh-Chicago Mainline, Huh ? :zip: Bob C.
Don't forget the lease 8-39B LMX units Atlas did. Also, have the SD35 lease (Soo "bricks") been released yet?
What I'd like to see are more patch jobs - SP, CNW and DRGW to UP, BN and ATSF to BNSF, CR to NS and CSX, and for that matter the earlier era equivalents: BN renumberings, CR patches, CSX renumberings with or without CSX lettering. Many engines have operated patched for a longer time than they did "pure".
Actually, there have been a fair number of patch job paint schemes, too, esp. for the BNSF patches. Not so many for the CR repaints to CSX and NS. But, those are easy enough to do as Micro Scale has the decals for all of them.
Putting Laser LEDs into the headlights or ditch lights of our locomotives could entail substantial lawsuits from people being blinded by. . I’m sorry what did you say? . . .The word was "Leasers"? Never mind. Seems to me there has been several recent locos released with one or more of the leasing companies paint schems. Look on the Atlas web site at their past loco realeases.
