If I remember correctly, there was only one Silver Streak consist with only one locomotive assigned to it. So it would have to be the same.
Kato's tactic on this is interesting-- they are reissuing some selected items where (I guess) they feel demand warrants. If I put my Ruthless MBA hat on, that enables them to take the money out of the Aftermarket and keep it for themselves-- who's going to pay Collector Prices for the Silver Streak now that they know another run is forthcoming? The relative collapse of the secondary market price for the California Zephyr sets is probably the best example I can think of here-- three sets and little to no "market premium." Contrast this with, for example, the strict Limited Run/Too Bad philosophy that they had previously-- anyone remember the Wisconsin Central SD-45 fiasco (and a rant issued by a large New Jersey-based e-tailer that used to be in Brooklyn)?
UMTRR, Ahh, no I don't remember the SD 45 Fiasco, so please refresh my memory. I guess there are too many N scale MFG fiascos for me to keep track of! I was cleaning the wheels of one of mine last night, and I know I got it without a pre-order....... Also, not sure what you mean by the secondary market collapse of the Cal Z? You mean the third run didn't sell well, or do you think the mfgs. have some concern about how things sell used after hey get them out of the warehouse?
Timing is everything and I missed it. And that's "All There Is." Darn why have I had that darn tune running around in my head since the first time I heard it back in....oh now we don't. I don't know what to say. As far as model railroading is concerned it was over the minute the prices went up and my budget went down. It is what it is. Now who said that?
Sounds like it could be a Yogi-ism but not sure. We just lost Yogi to eternity and the world is poorer for it. The man had a command of the English language like no other. You might have not liked the Yankees but you had to love Yogi.
Folks on the radio have been quoting a lot of his statements, yesterday and today. Baseball in his era was wonderful. *Sigh*.
I mean mostly what the CZ is now getting on That Internet Auction Community. First run once sold above MSRP, now it's a non-trivial amount below MSRP. I think the third run was the saturation point for the market. The second question is more interesting. Used product, not so much, but certainly a quick sellout of new product vs. a slow one would/could be more of an impetus to run more product, should the rest of the numbers work out-- the ones we mostly don't get to see.
I'm just surprised that Kato hasn't looked into all of the body styles they have created thus far; research other passenger consists that use the same passenger equipment they've already tooled, and just make brand new consists for those roads. There must be enough different body styles already tooled to do some eastern railroad consists. Even the Silver Streak Zephyr set had a few new cars... but used some existing tooling. They could do a Twin Cities Zephyr in a bookcase set with their E8's... or even have an excuse to tool up a new E7 diesel. I'm sure there would be a market for a Nebraska Zephyr or a Denver Zephyr too. I'm disappointed that Kato is re-issuing the same E5 with the same Silver Streak Zephyr consist. I'm one of those that feel re-issuing is something that should be done 15 to 20 years after the original set is released. It gives a secondary market enough time to evolve and clear out existing inventories. The question that has me befuddled... are they doing this because they are going to release another Zephyr set soon after they release this again? Are they going to make a new run of E5A' and perhaps and E5B? The California Zephyr set were actually NOT re-issues... they were different road names and that is enough to separate them from each 'release'. I felt that Kato did the right thing with the California Zephyr sets... BUT... they were released to close to each other. I think it was 5 sets released in a 7 year period. I bought 3 of the original sets... NOT because I wanted to re-sell them... but rather I planned to re-letter the cars on two sets. Fortunately... I never got around to it... unfortunately the value of the 1st set only slightly above the discounted price I purchased them for and I have no need to re-letter them now.
The only new tooling was the E5A, the coaches were all the old (and prototypically correct) non-CZ Budd cars that they already had tooling for. There was only one Silver Streak Zephyr consist, so they have to do the same set again. I presume that they see enough demand to justify a new run - they have no real concern about the secondary market. Adrian
There are other similar trains they could do using the same cars and just changing the names. The Silver Streak only lasted a few years before it was broken up. The locomotive, the Silver Bullet, and the baggage car, Silver Light, went to the Sam Houston Zephyr where they ran out most of the rest of their carrier in combination with some different named coaches and an identical observation car, the Silver Hours. The locomotive did have the new train name painted on the nose and wore a Sam Houston Zephyr badge under the headlight so they would have to change that too.
I think you may be right. Russell, I didn't realize there was a Zephyr that ran to Houston. Interesting what you learn when you tune in here. That would be a cool train. Silver Streak is that an official name or one the Railfans gave it?
It was the official name. This is the drum head that Kato put on their train. The Sam Houston Zephyr started out with one of the reassigned Twin City Zephyr articulated train sets. During WWII it caught fire and burned so was replaced by the E5 Silver Bullet, baggage car Silver light, three coaches and the observation car Silver Hours. Here is my Sam Houston Zephyr that I put together back when the Kato Budd cars first came out. I had to kit bash a Life Like E6 for my Silver Bullet.
While I am on the subject of the "Sam" a few notes on the chair cars. Two of the cars were modified before being sent to Texas in order to conform with its Jim Crow laws. CB&Q added an extra bathroom and a partition to the Silver Crown at their shops so that the blacks were confined to the front of the car. The second chair had the seats turned around so the vestibule was at the back. This allowed the vestibules for the Silver Chariot and the last chair car, the Silver Trail, to be adjacent to each other. This enabled "segregated" boarding where the black patrons boarded at the front of the train right behind the baggage car while the white patrons boarded toward the rear. Some of the details are covered on this web page. http://archives.nauer.org/archives/BRHSLIST/2004-07/msg00118.html
