Micro Trains....Canada Calling....

[Big Train]

For the longest of while....I'm thinking mid 1980's....MicroTrains has always including a Canadian road name every month with their new releases. Since January, MT hasn't released any. Hmmm?

Being a typical Canadian, my first reaction is we've done something to displease Micro Trains and I have this overwhelming need to apologize for some unknown transgression. Whatever it was, I'm sorry.

Or, it just could be a business decision? Is Prairie Shadows/Rapido taking a bite out MT sales for Canadian road names?

If MT is running out of ideas for Canadian rolling stock, I'm sure we can come up with a list. Like a new road number for the Algoma Central Outside Braced Boxcar AC 318 (28260) that came out in the early 1970's.

BTW, that was the "gateway" car that got me hooked on N Scale.

A new run of ACR Ortner ore cars (125 00 130) would be nice. Just sayin'.

It was sure neat to scope out the monthly releases to see what Canadian equipment MT has issued.

Cheers,

[nkalanaga]

I have an AC outside-braced boxcar. but it's #3102.  If it's the same model, you might be able to find one, and you'd have two numbers.

[Big Train]

nkalanaga

You're right it's 3102. I had it wrong in my Excel spreadsheet.

Funny thing, Atlas produced two ACR outside braced boxcars about 10 years ago, 3118 (probably where the error came from....) and 3102, the exact same number as the Kadee/Micro Trains version!

I could never figure out why the ACR, primarily relying on iron ore for most of its freight revenue had almost 100 of these boxcars. About two years ago I found a photo showing rolls of newsprint being off-loaded from boxcars to a lake boat. They were the early forerunners of newsprint cars.

Thanks for correction

[mu26aeh]

If you missed any, or want extras, there are quite a few Canadian (CN, CP etc) cars listed in the discontinued files over at BLW

[dougnelson]

Perhaps they are preparing to have and all Canadian month to honor the Canada sesquicentennial?

[johnb]

Perhaps they are preparing to have and all Canadian month to honor the Canada sesquicentennial?

1. They have been releasing Z stuff
2. Half of the Canadian population is currently in Arizona....damn snowbirds

[nkalanaga]

Big Train:  Darn!  I was hoping, for your sake, that there actually WERE two of them!

[Atlas Paul]

Don't worry if MTL abandons you, we'll keep making Canadian stuff.

[jmlaboda - RIP]

You all musta missed the announcements PWRS announcements towards the bottom of MT's .pdf file... at least some Canadian love there...

https://www.micro-trains.com/publicfiles/monthly/MN1704.pdf

[JoeD]

we are trying to provoke Canada into building a wall

Joe

[John]

we are trying to provoke Canada into building a wall

Joe

Naughty!!!

[Paradise275]

 Joe, many vendors already believe there is a "wall" as they refuse to ship North of the Border!
I guess their business of selling Chinese product"only to Americans" is so good they don't need any extra.
Perhaps when Trump stops the imports of model train stuff from China and Canada has to import it, many of my fellow Railwire friends will actually have to drive up north to pick up the hard to get product.

[JoeD]

Do you know who's refusing to ship?  We do every month...twice as a matter of fact.  There has been a serious decline in dealers and hobby shops in Canada over the years but I don't think it has to do with not being able to get product rather the exchange rate being so out of wack. 

Cheers

Joe

[OldEastRR]

Maybe MTL isn't hearing the alluring moose calls from north of the border  but Atlas has -- every single road on the 50' NSC car releases is Canadian/Canadien.

[cv_acr]

Maybe MTL isn't hearing the alluring moose calls from north of the border  but Atlas has -- every single road on the 50' NSC car releases is Canadian/Canadien.

The fact that no US roads bought them new might have something to do with that.

Atlas did do one US road name though - YARR (ex BCOL patch).