I found a stack of these in a LHS in Melbourne, Australia on vacation last year and bought all he had. But we need track to run them on. The MTL Z scale track works well and it looks good for Z scale main line track but not Nn3 narrow gauge, at least narrow gauge as it was in the U.S. Its no good having good, off the shelf RTR narrow gauge equipment to encourage newcomers if you've got to hand lay track to run it. I believe some specialist manufacturers may make track, but its got to be readily available in the hobby shop with the trains.
Joe, Don't know if anyone has mentioned these: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/misc-k/kccx3284asb.jpg I need about 100 for my Kennecott interchange..LOL 2slim
What, you don't like undersized ties spaced too close? What we need is for Kato to do dual gauge Unitrack, complete with switches and separators.
Well, working on 09 development and can say some of these suggestions made the short list...especially the Heavyweights. I have a number of new ideas but keep these coming, I can see a few of these making the cut. Cheers Joe MTL
How about a Cement hopper? Not a very good photo but it's one of the cement hoppers with pipes along the outlets. I don't think anyone makes these?....dave
I know this would be a new one for MicroTrains, but how about a two part heavyweight? One part would be roof, floor and ends (core), and the other would be the sides. Snap in sides, easy to put together. You would buy one core and the side you wish. Even with 5 or so core kits (roof line variations) , you would drive down development costs and maybe create a cottage painting industry if you put out undecorated sides.
Passenger Core Kit Roof Variations: Clerestory Clerestory with full AC vents added Clerestory with 1/2 AC vents added Round Top Harriman roof Round Top Bread Loaf (D&RGW) Any others?
One thing is certain, a lot of people believe that Heavyweight passenger cars would be a great choice for MT to do, but I also have to say that a really good center cupola wood caboose would also be welcome. MT to do passenger cars... what are the odds? N-scale Varnish know... Now, for some old business. Curious George, way back in April of last year said: "You cannot, I repeat you cannot model late to end era SOUTHERN without a bay window," Wanna bet??? I present to you the evidence of Southern's cupola caboose fleet, used in western Virginia on the former Interstate Railway. SOU X253, Chattanooga, Tn. scrapline, November 1986, photo by Robert Harpe. SOU X255, Chattanooga, Tn. scrapline, November 1986, photo by Robert Harpe. SOU X256, Chattanooga, Tn. scrapline, November 1986, photo by Robert Harpe. SOU X257, Norton, Va., 1982, photographer unknown. X251 - X253 were ex-S&A homebuilt steel cabs, which were famous for operating all over the system in the early-70s in S&A lettering and bright red paint with a yellow band lined up with the cupola. X255, X256 were ex-S&A, nee-RDG cabooses, which also had the S&A lettering and bright red paint with a yellow band lined up with the cupola. X257 was the rarest of the rare... the ONLY Norfolk Southern Railway Magor caboose to actually be painted in SOU lettering and "N.S." sublettering... all the others were sold, donated or scrapped (Algers Winslow and Western and Detroit Toledo and Ironton both purchased some, and another one was sold to a port road in New Jersey). One remains on display in Lincolnton, N.C. at the former Carolina & Northwestern freight depot while another is on display, in faux Central of Georgia lettering, at the Savannah (Ga.) Roundhouse Museum. And, yes, the operation was quite modern, with unit coal trains using the newest of the new power wise into the mid-80s.
Hey guys, I don't want to take this off in a another direction, but I stumbled onto Southern X253 Friday night. I got back to take a picture yesterday. She's looking a little rough these days. I thought it was neat how "Atlanta" is showing through the rust and paint. X253 is being stored on an industrial siding off the CSX line that runs through Knoxville. Cheers, Dan
New Car ideas for I would like to see the Military series continue with a Air Force Set. It's the only branch of service not to have been acknowledged as yet.
Joe On the cover of the July 08 MR are 2 cars that are right up MT alley of specialty railcars, a 90T depressed-center flatcar and a 195T Heavy Duty four truck depressed-center flat car. You guy already made the excellent PRR 140T car so this 2 are perfect for you guys since most modelers will only need 2 or 3 different numbers since they are not many running around in the real world. Thanks
I would like to see correct paint schemes on the correct body style, a lower ride height, and low pro wheels standard.
Suggestion for new MTL body style How about a series of Crayola cars for us baby boomer collectors?! You could offer 8-packs, 12-packs, 20-packs, 32-packs, 64-packs!!!
Aw-right! Mexican stock - NdeM boxes, caboose, stock and gons (transition era - roof walks). Same in SPdeMexico and FCP (Ferrocarril del Pacifico). These are/were major North American carriers. MTL currently offers a Conasupo box, but I can't find anything else that's available in N. Ed, are you out there? Help me out with this!! Joe, do you take bribes? Scott
You rang? Hey, I'd love to see some transition era stuff too. But you always have to wonder just how big a market there is for it. There's a litle N scale Mexican stuff out there. MTL also has a 50' box (no roof walks) in the NdeM 'noodle' scheme. I think that MDC came out with a pair of almost the same car, just different road numbers and roof color. Roundhouse also issued a pair of 50' gondolas in the same release. All these are post-transition, and too late for my layout, but I have them all anyway. MDC also released a 4 pack of cars (stock, caboose, 36' reefer, and I forget what the 4th car was) in KCM&O scheme. What's missing is something in between. Unfortunately, the MTL Conasupo car isn't really a general merchandise car. There was only a small number of them and they served as mobile stores, bringing basic commodities to remotely located m-o-w camps and a few remote towns. But hey, I've got one. In fact, I have another oldie Conasupo car, in an orange paint scheme, made years ago by Arnold. There are a small number of privately made decal sets available down here (not where I live) and I have simply taken to trying to convert normal 40' boxcars into a few Mexican road names. In locomotives, Atlas came out with a nice Alco C-628. I have it, but with body mounted couplers it's really too long for my tight curves. Kato issued an SD70-MAC in TFM colors about 6 years ago. I also have one of those, even though it's about 50 years too late for my railroad. I may have missed something, but that's what comes to mind quickly. Regards Ed
Ed, a problem with some of the past-issued MX equipment is that it's no longer available or harder than heck to find. Could there be an en-Mexican market for generic stuff, like a transition era NdM box? Could there be a market (besides you and me) for an NdM caboose (I know MTL doesn't currently have a centered cupola). Scott
I would like to see a re-run of the high cube rebuilds, SP for sure. I did not have the abillity to order when they came out before.
