East Wind (ALM) Pennsy 2D-P5 trucks - what next?

[muktown128]

No wheels for me either.  I have stockpiled quite a few sets of 2D-P5 trucks and need to count how many more I need to finish off the P70's and B60's that I have.  My rough guess would be at least 5 or 6 sets.

Scott

[Snark45]

Bryan - thanks so much for jump-starting this project! Always need more PRR-specific trucks.

No wheels and std. axle length = great idea.     Harry

[Lemosteam]

I'm in, and I am curios as to the proposed price point.  I am also thankful that you considered this project on behalf of all of us!

[bbussey]

Spoke with MBK, they sold a pathetic amount annually for the six-year period preceding the product's disappearance from the market.  So this will be a short 500-set run, if all the other aspects work out.  There is a verbal agreement in place with all parties.  But the tooling has been dormant and must be tested — multiple tools actually, because the bolster beam is a separate tool — and none of it has been fired up since the ALM assets were transferred to SJC.  The 2D-P5 tool also will have to be transferred back to SJC.  So, the tooling will be tested this coming spring — April/May I'm guessing — and then we'll see where everything stands.

I'll be expecting the Railwire peeps to step-up and at least cover the nut of getting these back on the market.    If they blow out, we'll make more immediately, but I wouldn't count on an initial blow out happening.  If they don't sell, well, there's no need to finish the sentence. 

[thomasjmdavis]

Wondering if anyone has a list of the cars these were used on- or were they exclusive to B-60s and P-70s?

Just wondering if they found their way under cars for other railroads, or were more widely used by PRR than is usually talked about.  Were there other similar designs?

I'm good for a couple pair for "inventory," assuming I will build a couple more B-60s at some point in the future, but wondering how close these are to trucks under some other railroads baggage or RPO cars.

Tom D

[peteski]

When these are manufactured, it might be beneficial to mention the availability of few other model RR forums. That should aid in sales.

Since I assume these trucks are PRR specific, this might be an interesting experiment to see just how many interested Pennsy modelers are out there ( sort of a loose market survey to get an idea is making one of those often requested PRR steam locos would be viable).

[pjm20]

2D-P5s were found under the R50b too. I'm sure they found their way into some of the variants of the P70 and B60 too.

[bbussey]

When these are manufactured, it might be beneficial to mention the availability of few other model RR forums. That should aid in sales.

Since I assume these trucks are PRR specific, this might be an interesting experiment to see just how many interested Pennsy modelers are out there ( sort of a loose market survey to get an idea is making one of those often requested PRR steam locos would be viable).

They will be advertised when the time comes, online and in the two magazines, so most N scale PRR modelers should be aware of them after that occurs.

[Ike the BN Freak]

I'm down for 3 sets, probably get 4, incase I screw one up, and no wheels is fine with me

[chicken45]

2D-P5s were found under the R50b too. I'm sure they found their way into some of the variants of the P70 and B60 too.

Weren't they a roller bearing version, though?

[chicken45]

Spoke with MBK, they sold a pathetic amount annually for the six-year period preceding the product's disappearance from the market.  So this will be a short 500-set run, if all the other aspects work out.  There is a verbal agreement in place with all parties.  But the tooling has been dormant and must be tested — multiple tools actually, because the bolster beam is a separate tool — and none of it has been fired up since the ALM assets were transferred to SJC.  The 2D-P5 tool also will have to be transferred back to SJC.  So, the tooling will be tested this coming spring — April/May I'm guessing — and then we'll see where everything stands.

I'll be expecting the Railwire peeps to step-up and at least cover the nut of getting these back on the market.    If they blow out, we'll make more immediately, but I wouldn't count on an initial blow out happening.  If they don't sell, well, there's no need to finish the sentence. 

By the time I "came of age" to seek them out, Jeff Faulkner's PRR Parts was the only place I could find them.

[bbussey]

That happens to every prototype modeler, where by the time he/she decides to refine his/her focus, there is at least one discontinued product that would have filled an important need.  It isn't unique to the 2D-P5 trucks.  However, the support overall was weak during the decade the product was active, so resurrecting it on a small scale to test the waters makes sense.  It also makes sense because any non-recouped tooling costs are not being absorbed by me.  Yes, it would be nice to make a profit on it and continue to reissue it.  But as long as it doesn't lose money, I'm willing to have it in inventory if it doesn't blow out.

[chicken45]

That happens to every prototype modeler, where by the time he/she decides to refine his/her focus, there is at least one discontinued product that would have filled an important need.  It isn't unique to the 2D-P5 trucks.  However, the support overall was weak during the decade the product was active, so resurrecting it on a small scale to test the waters makes sense.  It also makes sense because any non-recouped tooling costs are not being absorbed by me.  Yes, it would be nice to make a profit on it and continue to reissue it.  But as long as it doesn't lose money, I'm willing to have it in inventory if it doesn't blow out.

I liked that Jeff's site was a "one stop shop," more or less. We had to buy the cars, but he had everything else. It encouraged me to take that important first step.