Atlas’s Walthers tooling Dec 18 edition.

[peteski]

Except Walthers doesn't sell brass locos, so there has to be some anti-N bias at Walthers. From my dealings with their management and what others have reported from their reps at train shows, Walthers basically thinks N scale is a toy, a fad, nothing worth investing in. This blindness keeps them from seeing all the profit they could make doing N versions of their HO buildings.

That is funny. A toy train which was introduced around 60 years ago, which is still going full-full steam ahead?  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that it is a viable model RR scale.  I really don't know what they have for a reason not to better embrace  N scale. It has to be more than them thinking that it is a toy. Hey, even toys can bring huge profits.  There's gotta be something else in their mind.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I have talked to a few reps at Walthers who said it was about profits. Making a run of n scale cars takes the same factory space and skilled workers as those in HO, but the markup is less and the pool of customers smaller.

Walthers have up on n scale for the same reason Ford discontinued cars: why use the same factory space for something that will produce smaller margins and lower sales? That's not to say n scale is unprofitable, but the margins just aren't there for Walthers to justify it. So those who do it for the love of the models and the scale fill in the holes.

And that's ok.

My point earlier wasn't that Walthers dislikes the scale, just that their ambivalence is such a level that they lost tooling to an entire line of locomotives - ones that were well liked and highly regarded. And that sucks. I can only hope that Atlas has poached the talent behind Proto N steam.

I am just really happy that all this stuff five a good home.

And I hope Atlas will contribute to the tooling as well. The NE caboose could use new end results and window glass. The PD5000 needs new etched end cages and roof walks. Lord knows that those ballast hoppers need better end cages.

I also wonder if Atlas received any unfinished projects or tooling that was never run.

[basementcalling]

Atlas was definitely a good landing place for the Walthers tooling, and if they improve it, the new pricing is worth it. Saw the Greenville 2 bays reservation page at Hogtrainz and they are discounted to about $20 each. Not unreasonable given prices these days.

I wonder if anyone in the industry is in a position to buy the N scale rights to the Cornerstone line and offer some of the wonderful industrial buildings they have in HO that we pine for in N scale?

[gelboy45]

Does anyone know if the old Life-Like BL2 is included in the mix? I have always loved this off beat loco but probably no-one else does!

Thanks

Gerry

[peteski]

Does anyone know if the old Life-Like BL2 is included in the mix? I have always loved this off beat loco but probably no-one else does!

Thanks

Gerry

Boston & Maine loved them too. Well, at least they were willing to try few of them. I  have couple myself.  They are strange-looking beasts (for good reasons).

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Yes, they were included. All LL/Walthers engines were included except for the steam, which was "lost".

I imagine the old GP38-2, F-Something and 0-6-0T where permanently retired. I would guess we will never see the SD7/9 tooling wither since Atlas already has their version.

The F40PH is another hard call - the chassis was never updated and the roof details a bit crude. BUT... refinish the radiator fans, add flush fitting glass and a full pilot, the model would actually look pretty good. And a sound equipped F40PH might be a good addition to their commuter car line.

We will probably see the E series again at some point, but i was never a fan of the E7 or E8 nose. the geometry is all messed up and not easily corrected. The E6 appears better. I would also point out the E8 radiator area is not all that well molded. It was OK for the 90's, but wouldn't hold up well to BLI and Kato.

The GP38-2 can probably be folded into the current range pretty easily as it is a different phase. Wonder what they would do with the GP60? It's a good model, but not as good as FVM. Keep as is? Just add sound? Retool? Punt?

As I recall, Heljan tooled some of the early Walthers rolling stock. Specifically I believe the single sheathed box cars and the CO2 refrigerated cars. I hope these are with Atlas as well.

[High Hood]

Was talking to an HO guy and he said in regards to the new Tangent coal hoppers that the average HO scaler buys 50 cars  I bought 2 in N but I don't model UP either. I'm not sure where he got his data on the sales

  If that’s true, that’s insane!