Con Cor's New Web Site

[Nato]

                        I went to Con Cor's new web site. Well it may not be entirely new, but it was the first time I have visited, it replaces their All Railroads page. Lots of sales going on, although Con Cor is a distributer of other lines now like BLI locomotives, Con Cor is having a sale of a lot of their own items. War Baby un skirted GS locomotive one road number only and Foob War Baby GS locomotives with coal tenders, Rio Grande, Santa Fe, and NP for $127.97, passenger and freight cars on sale prices from around the fourteen dollar to sixteen dollar range on freight cars. No more Ridged Jaw Couplers, only cars with MT couplers, they took a bath on the GM Arrow  Train still UP, PRR, and Santa Fe sets in stock and add on cars. The Twin headlight Burlington Zephyr appears to be sold out, but the original single headlight version still available, add on cars for both versions available. The most interesting find Rivarossi Undecorated Heavy Mikes for $160.00. Motors for the last generation Kato/Con Cor PA,E-8/9 and DL109.   Down loadable instruction manuals for just about every HO and N locomotive or in some cases trains like Pioneer Zephyr. There does not seem to be a parts department listing at least I could not find a link. Nate Goodman (Nato). 

[peteski]

Any mention of the long-awaited N scale UP Gas Turbine with sound?  I think that has been announced about the same time Rapido announced the N scale Osgood-Bradley cars. 

[brokemoto]

Those RR USRA heavy 2-8-2s have been up there at that, or a similar, price for some time.  I always did wonder about that, especially when you consider how much better the Kato is and how much less you pay for one.   Even if they priced them at fifty bananas, I would expect that they would have a hard time selling them.   If they knocked down the price to, maybe, thirty potatoes, they might sell a few.

[JMaurer1]

Peteski: You HAD to go there, didn't you. No turbines on the new website but they are still on the old one (really, come up with a new website and you keep the old one as well???). Turbines still showing that they should be here soon...in either 2015 or 2013 depending on where you look

The 'new' website...Give me a day and I could create a better site.

Best part: they are crying about how Walthers is 'dropping the ball' when it comes to carrying the Concor line...pot/kettle.

[mmagliaro]

That Rivarossi 2-8-2 at $160 is just plain being stubborn.   It is a 1970s engine.  I wonder if they do actually sell them at that price, and therefore keep the price up there?  I guess it's possible.

The one thing that really stood out to me, and I'm afraid it is very negative, is that
the opening page of their website still has that big "Walthers Dropped the Ball" banner at the very top, along with a long-winded bash against Walthers for mishandling their product line.  I'm not going to take sides in that battle.   It doesn't matter,  Even if ConCor has a legitimate beef, putting a banner like that on their page just looks like an angry unprofessional rant.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

It just reminds me of how weird Con-cor is.

[C855B]

It just reminds me of how weird Con-cor is.

I've mentioned before in knowing (of) Jim Conway for 50 years that he was and apparently still is a colorful character - the uncle that is so entertaining at Thanksgiving dinner but your parents always argue over whether to invite. He apparently reminded the industry about this at a manufacturers' breakfast a few years back.

His different way of doing things IMO brought great things to early N scale, including fostering the relationship with Kato. His PA (1967) and U50 (1973) projects completely changed the N scale quality landscape, especially in terms of operability. Sure, he's been behind some major klinkers along the way, too (Mehano anything), but it's my assertion N scale would have withered and died if not for his efforts especially on the Kato front. At the time, Atlas' and the others' reliance on the European makers were not doing much for N's reputation as a non-serious "toy".

We will not see a reissued turbine, or U50. Based on what NIB/old-stock versions are going for on and off eBay, there's not enough market to support the price point Con-Cor needs for a new run.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Oh yeah, I'm not saying they're necessarily bad, just weird, just like you describe.

I also agree, if it weren't for their early involvement, well, N scale certainly would be a different thing.

[JMaurer1]

There was a time when Concor was on the cutting edge of N scale...and they did a lot of good things for N scale, but at some point when you do nothing for long enough the people who knew what you had done in the past either forget or new people come who don't know what they did and they just become a (not so funny) joke. It's almost worse that this has happened to them. They have become the Dennis Rodman of N scale...

[up1950s]

Any mention of the long-awaited N scale UP Gas Turbine with sound?  I think that has been announced about the same time Rapido announced the N scale Osgood-Bradley cars. 

The one thing good about that Veranda is its heft , thus yank . Add sound and subtract cars pulled .

[nkalanaga]

I wish they'd bring back their early freight cars.  The 40 ft boxcar is a very nice beginners car, and the gon and flatcar are good for kitbashing.  All compare favorably with most of the Atlas Trainman cars, and would be excellent, with a good locomotive and some roadbed-style track, as a train set.

[Nato]

      I had forgotten about the Turbine with sound, apparently in the tender as the U50 with sound was to be sold with the turbine tender. No mention on the new site of this project, nor the New Haven Goodyear Zeppelin Blue Comet train done in HO and suppose to be in N as well. I would kill for an N Electroliner , but they only did one in HO. I was looking forward to my first E-8 in N Gauge from Con Cor, that was an early announcement, but when Atlas announced their Rivarossi E-8 Con Cor's first locomotive became the PA 1 we have all grown to love. Nate Goodman (Nato).