intermountain SD40-2 In N Scale

I received an e- mail from Inter Mountain and they said they have no plans on doing an SD40-2 in N Scale,and that any confirmation of an SD40-2 in N Scale was a mis understanding. Please feel free to comment on this. Steve Church Milwaukee Road Iowa Division

 

Well, I was surprised that they were doing it, based on reports I saw on various forums and I am surprised now that they aren't, but just not as much. Maybe Kato sent the ¤¤¤¤¤¤ after them! Just kidding, but really, Kato could make sure their life was miserable if they wanted.

But why call it a misunderstanding? Didn't we actually see some announcement at a train show somewhere or am I dreaming? Say that "after further review....." and don't insult intelligence. All is presuming that there was some kind of representation that there would be many, many versions, etc.

 

I agree,If they are not going to produce one then why confirm that they are at a train show? It makes no business sense.If they are going to confirm that they are doing a product they should either follow through with doing that product or not confirm that are not.That just makes people trust the company less.i wish Micro Trains would do the SD40-2 in N Scale since they are doing it in NZ Scale,the tooling would be easier than it would be in Z Scale. Steve Church Milwaukee Road Iowa Division

 

Why don't Kato do more SD40-2's? These were the most common diesel from the 70's to the present day with just about every class one road owning them, yet unless you want ATSF, BNSF or UP, you're out of luck. If IM did them in the same range of road names they do everything else surely they'd sell, even with lesser quality than Kato.

 

Kato is doing just the mid production SD40-2's right now mostly BN,CN.ATSF,BNSF,I don't know if Kato will do another run of early version ans snoot SD40-2's? That's why I mentioned Micro Trains or Athearn,the last time I talked to Inter Mountain they said they were looking into doing a shell for the SD40-2.may Inter Mountain said what they said so they wouldn't jepordize sales,since there have been issues with the SD45-2. Steve Church Milwaukee Road Iowa Division

 

There was never an announcement of plans or intentions to produce this loco at any show. I am also confident that nobody with any authority at IMRC "confirmed" to anyone any plans to do this or any other locomotive that was not ready for announcement.

I have had several very long discussions with the President of IMRC. He indicated that it was discussed and they had looked at doing this model but passed due to the presence of another company already doing 4 versions of that loco in N and several companies doing them in HO.

 

Kato has consistently "dropped the ball" on the SD40-2 (and other models they've tooled up). I'd really like to see a quality company step in and release a N scale SD40-2 (in at least one phase!) to compete with Kato's sporadic releases. Then maybe we'd see them in roadnames other than BNSF, UP, etc.

Hopefully that manufacturer would improve on Katos model by making the hoods scale width, have number boards on the long hood of the proper height, etc. As a bonus, maybe they'll be able to close couple (another gripe I have about Kato's SD40-2).

Whoever can do this will make a killing (there is a lot of demand for SD40-2s, especially in eastern roads). Availability is a key thing here.

Cheers,

Mark

 

it would be nice if someone made a conrail sd-40-2 i would proberly buy 12, they rode on on flexicoil trucks,anticlimer,brake wheel on the nose, there's no way to swap kato flexicoil trucks on there mid production 40-2

 

Didn't stop them doing FT's, F3's and F7's:tb-biggrin:

 

OK I should chime in here. I was at the Springfield show. I was the one who popped off the shell of the SD45-2 and asked why the frame was so short. They told me it (SD40-2) is a future project and they have nothing to anounce yet. I don't remember exact quote, but it was that they will be making an SD40-2 in the future after some other projects (FP7, FL9, U18B, Cab Forward) were further along.

 

hey Daniel, could it be that they missinformed you on purpose because they know that you can't keep your mouth shut and you have to spread info every now and then ? remember big GE engine in the make ? does it ring a bell... ?

but you're right, the drive itself screams SD40-2 very loudly...

 

IM has always been more open with us than other companies. Frank even shared sales figures with modelers at the recent train show. So, I figure they just told Daniel that they made the frame with that possibility in mind. Just guessing. Sorry for my contributions to any misunderstandings, but I guess there never was a firm announcement. We all remember what we read, but not the context, I suppose.

I do think Kato is the logical choice to keep making those in more proto correct varieties. That said, I wonder if a Mark IV or similar might make shells that fit on either the Kato (or more likely to be available IM) frames that would be in different versions?

 

Kato has proven they are NOT the ones to meet the demand. They've had the SD40-2 for over a decade and they've come up severely short in terms of meeting the demand.

Now the tooling is dated, and it's time for someone else to do what Kato isn't willing to do.

Personally, I'm hoping Atlas will take it on.

 

That's for sure.Hopefully someone will do the SD40-2 in all versions. Steve Church Milwaukee Road Iowa Division

 

I e mailed Micro Trains and Leon from Kayo USA and am waiting to hear back from these twp manufacturers.Steve Church Milwaukee Road Iowa Division

 

It'll be eight years since the original Kato release and we've all got along fine without a second manufacturer up to this point. Asking someone else to do this is no different than any other wish list for any locomotive.

I'll take a DS-4-4-10 and a TR-2 transfer set.

(Milwaukee had both of those too, let's gets the ball rolling).


Jason

 

Speak for yourself. Everyone I know wants available SD40-2s, and in roads other than the handful of mainly western roads that Kato has seen fit to do in recent years.

What are people just now coming into the hobby supposed to do? Try finding some of the early releases.

To get the early ones I have was a bit of a holy grail effort.

 

What are they to do about the other several dozens of locomotives that have never been offered?


Jason

 

Perhaps common items that every modeller can use like SD40-2's, and similar engines from other eras, eg;2-8-0, GP7, SD70, should always be available in a basic selection of roadnames, just to get newcomers started, just as other staples like track and scenery items are always on the LHS shelves. Getting people into N scale by having the basics always available could increase the potential market for the rarer engines like Baldwin roadswitchers.