There have been some new threads on Athearn's rerun of their F59PH1. If you want an MP36/40 instead, Trueline Trains is doing them in HO. We may not succeed in N, but unless we try, we are doomed to failure. The website is Welcome to True Line Trains and the contact person is Darren at darren@hobbycraft.com. I have sent my request in, and the reasons why I think it should by done. We need noise from both Americans and Canadians (and any off-continent modellers) who want a modern commuter locomotive. Since the HO version will have DCC/sound, there is no reason an N version need be different (for those using DCC). Please speak up and let your wants be known!
Their website is one of the most tedious ones I have seen in a long time. No way to get a quick overview of their products. Or of the status of those products. I have been interested in a HO engine (NM Railrunner), but it seemed to be available with sound only. That puts it out of reach for me as I don't want sound anyway.
I can see the niche for this model. There are at least 1/2 a dozen commuter lines using MP36/MP40s with more coming on line. The problems as I see it is that there are not a lot of folks modeling commuter operations and the dearth of good passenger cars in N scale. I noticed Kato did commuter cars in HO scale but not N. My Concors are okay but I'd like more detail.
Are the truck centers the same? Would the company just need to make a shell? Aren't these locos longer?
The truck centers are nowhere near the same as anything we have a model of with similar trucks. I think that at one point I thought of trying to use a Kato P42 chassis for a kitbash. Problem is you'd need to come up with some different trucks.
There are a lot more cars available for N scale than HO and consistently too. Yes, I have seen the HOs come and go but the Ns keep selling. I have bought every variation of the Bi-Level gallery cars, both smooth and corrugated sided. Arnold....................(LONG OOP) Athearn..................(Still being sold) ConCor...................(Still being sold) Look Models............(Etched Brass and Stainless - Custom Made) NGI ......................(Kit - Etched Brass walls with ConCor roofs and trucks ..............................with cast details and plastic or wood chassis - LONG OOP) Wheels of Time.......(Early Version - OOP) If anyone knows of another manufacturer, please let me know. What we need is the MPxpress series locomotive to pull these cars. Every six months another commuter railroad buys a batch.
i vote for a mp36 too! so is the plan just to bombard them with emails? gosh if trueline released their caltrain mp36 in n...id be all over that
Many commuter systems who have F9PH/PHIs in their fleet have or are ordering these MPs as supplemental locos or are replacing their retired power with them. There are more than a few systems that use them to make them more than just a "niche product."
Here is a list of other railroads and cities that use the MPXpress locomotive. Operators Model.................System...............................Locale MP36PH-3S.......Metra...................................Chicago, Illinois MP36PH-3C.......Caltrain................................San Francisco, California ...........................FrontRunner.........................Salt Lake City, Utah ...........................MARC..................................Washington D.C./Baltimore, Maryland ...........................Metrolink..............................Los Angeles, California ...........................Northstar Line......................Minneapolis, Minnesota ...........................Rail Runner Express............Albuquerque, New Mexico ...........................Virginia Railway Express......Washington D.C. ...........................West Coast Express.............Vancouver, British Columbia MP40PH-3C.......GO Transit............................Toronto, Ontario To get the locomotive built we need to write to True Line Trains/Hobbycraft, from what I understand they have exclusive rights to produce the model. Here is there contact information: True Line Trains 445 Edgeley Blvd Unit #1 L4K 4G1 Canada info@hobbycraft.com 905-738-6556 http://www.truelinetrains.ca Please remind then it is easier to make up a commuter train in N scale. More companies are currently making passenger cars for these locos. And if they make even a generic MPX and paint it in the paint schemes as listed above they would sell more locos.
The Look Nippon Sharyo cars are great but pricey. When you say Athearn N scale bilevel gallery car are you talking about the Bombardier car? I wrote that comment 6 months ago. In that time, just off the top of my head, I can think of three more commuter services adding MP36/40s - VRE, MARC, and MBTA. Believe me, I would love MP36s (in Metra and VRE, please) and I've contacted Trueline Trains about it. Regardless of the number of commuter services using MP36s however, I believe the limited number of us modelling commuter operations still limits this to a "niche" within the N scale modelling community.
Yes the Bombardier cars. And yet how many of us has a use for a Big Boy, Centennial, Cab Forward, Challenger, GG1, Turbine (Two Major Body Types), PCC, Peter Witt, Brill Sedan, etc. on our layouts. The big manufacturers still make these. Niche products are some of the best sellers. Look at Atheran they sell the F59 to the niche buyers. They know as long as True Lines trains does not sell an N scale MPX they have the market sewn up, even if it is the wrong loco. Niche market trains do get made. I model Chicagoland. I can get away with E units (including a Crandal Cab), F units and various versions of the F40 to pull my commuter cars. But many are stuck with a loco that doesn't exist. I would love to see a Metra MP36 pulling those etched stainless steel cars. A GEVO may be thrilling to watch and hear but it's not graceful. The MPXs are good looking locomotives that the kids of today can relate to. Just the kind of thing that sells trains. How many of us started with a Santa Fe Warbonnet with a circle of track. It doesn't have to be perfect just an MPX not a F59. True Line has done all the hard work to design the HO version. In today's world it is not that hard to make something a different scale. Each version is not hand done. Yes, there are some differences between scales, but, it is not like starting from scratch. You want niche, I model N scale streetcars with working overhead wire.
Perhaps you didn't notice the part where I wrote, "Believe me, I would love MP36s (in Metra and VRE, please) and I've contacted Trueline Trains about it" but you've convinced me. Modelling commuter operations in N scale is not a niche. (Which is what I originally said. I did not say that MP36s are niche models.) Maybe we should include Challengers, tunnel motors, Hiawatha passenger cars, and Milwaukee road ribside boxcars on that, "And yet how many of us has a use for" list, too. Manufacturers should build models based on the number of prototype, not consumer demand due to the iconic status (deserved or undeserved) of the prototype or the number of folks who, for whatever reason, might be modelling or just want that particular prototype. I mean, VRE alone probably has almost the same number of Nippon Sharyo cars as the total number of California Zephyr cars produced but Kato made four sets of those. Nippon Sharyo cars are all easily less than 10 years old, too. That seriously sounds very cool. I know of some guys in Japan doing both streetcar and mainline with working catanary and I think it's facinating. But, and I must ask, how's the RTR market for that?
What our discussion boils down to is if you are interested in this locomotive is to contact True Line Trains and tell them so. Many models are made on demand. So, let's demand it. When they produce it we will shut up. Here is there contact information: True Line Trains 445 Edgeley Blvd Unit #1 L4K 4G1 Canada info@hobbycraft.com 905-738-6556 http://www.truelinetrains.ca Remember that realistic couplers used to be a niche. The RTR streetcars are made by Bachmann. They have just introduced a new design the Peter Witt. There are also European and Japanese designs available. The European trains can operate off the wire from the factory. They also sell catenary. Those of us that want to get tangled into the overhead convert them ourselves. I use brass and jewelry bits to make my trolley poles. I buy my wire hanging poles. You can buy poles and pantographs from several manufacturers. If you are interested check out nscaletraction : Nscaletraction The Chicago "Green Hornets" are not made by Bachmann but a bunch of othe cities are. Write or call True Line trains and tell them you want a MPPXpress locomotive in N scale.
Thank you for you suggestions! We will pass them to the appropriate people. Customer Service Well, I did my bit. At least they responded, but you can only do so much. As an alternative that I personally would accept but probably not many others, a limited-run resin and etched stainless steel kit could probably be produced by an outfit like Kaslo Shops, who do an F59PH (not the F59PH1). Canadian Model Locomotive Works is another outfit that could do it. They usually require at least 100 firm orders. They are admittedly not the easiest kits and require decals but once built ( I have done a CN SD60F and a GO Transit F59PH Phase II), they blow any mass-produced model outta the water. I also know a professional builder/painter who kind of specializes in these kits and is both fast and good, can build, paint and make custom decals with an Alps. I wouldn't care to speculate whether he would build and paint 100 engines (which would take several months), but it's possible. Even better, why not Athearn itself? I've never heard of a model RR manufacturer having "exclusive rights" to a specific model--or is there such a thing? --and how could it be legally enforced?
Any other manufacturer would have to start the design work from scratch. Costing much money. True Line will just have to make adjustments to the design for N scale. That is why the same manufacturer will offer piece of equipment in multiple scales. I've written to Athearn, Kato and True Line Trains. No Response. Anything that is designed or created by a one person or a company is copyrighted material. Motive Power owns the rights to the design to the MPXpress series of locomotives. The artwork painted on the body is owned by the agency that runs the railroad. Permission to copy those items must be gotten or trouble will follow especially if money is involved. The enforcement of these rights are done by a vicious bloodsucking group called lawyers (Note: Not all lawyers suck blood or are vicious). The government may get involved if copyright laws are violated. Then even more lawyers get involved. Until the beginning of this century the railroads and manufacturers of equipment thought it was good advertising to have the products promoted in the form of "toys." That is why almost every company made a warbonnet painted locomotive. Then the greedy corporate ideamen thought why should we just get free publicity for our company we can charge the hobby industry for it. Thus the infamous UP surcharge was born. Exclusive rights can be granted by a copyright holder to any single manufacturer they wish to.
Sounds like your up against the same thing that I am with the N Scale GP-60M & B campaign. I have written, called, e-mailed all the big names over and over, I have asked others to follow in my footsteps, and as of now, nothing that gives me any hope. Manufacturers are only interested in what THEY want to produce, not what the customers want. Meanwhile, we still buy the same old stuff over and over. fatalxsunrider43
How about Trueline's HO quality??? Talking about a niche product... Trueline could sell just undec engines as commuter schemes are generally basic and easy to reproduce with microscale decals.
I've sent my email too. We'll see what happens. I like what they did with the newsprint box cars though I don't own any myself. Hey ChicagoNW, any chance you can post photos of these? I have the Wheels of Time cars, some Con-cor new and old, and one Look Model car. I haven't see these and though they are probably all but unattainable now, I'd like to see them.
