BLMA 70 ton trucks available

[bbussey]

Also, N Scale Supply is showing all ESM trucks/wheels products as in stock.

https://www.nscalesupply.com/esm/esm-wheels.html

[ednadolski]

@bbussey i may have missed the discussion, but any plan for an ESM 100T RB w/36"wheels?   (Seeing as the BLMAs always sell out so fast there would seem to be a consistent demand.)

Ed

[bbussey]

@bbussey i may have missed the discussion, but any plan for an ESM 100T RB w/36"wheels?   (Seeing as the BLMAs always sell out so fast there would seem to be a consistent demand.)

Ed

http://www.esmc.com/9200/Item9202.html

Oops ... you’re referring to the 100-ton Ride Control truck frame. Not at this time because we don’t have any models that utilize it. Not that it won’t happen, but it won’t be a priority. Our truck frames primarily will be for any models we release, as it’s less costly to do that for a common truck frame, and we have total control over availability for production runs. From 2011 through 2019, every delay in our rolling stock releases was caused by waiting for truck frames that weren’t delivered as promised. That is no longer an issue and was the primary reason for tooling the 70-ton Ride Control frame and machining the wheels. The color variations are an experiment to see if they would be popular. They are not so far, but they remain available for sale.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Any chance of seeing a Barber S2 100T roller bearing truck designed the same way as the BLMA ASF 100T truck?

[bbussey]

Not from me.  The trucks are proving that it only make sense to tool when needed for a model.  The wheels as a stand-alone item are selling very well.  The trucks not so much, even though the Atlas/BLMA version was unavailable for long stretches the past 18 months.

[ednadolski]

The wheels as a stand-alone item are selling very well.  The trucks not so much, even though the Atlas/BLMA version was unavailable for long stretches the past 18 months.

Are the ESM products as well-known among N-scale modelers as the Atlas/BLMA trucks?  They are every bit as good, competitively priced, and available [1], so it seems odd to me that they should not sell so well (esp. when the competition has left an unfilled gap in the market).

Noting how the BLMA 100Ts have sold out almost immediately, yet there are still 70Ts, evidences the greater demand for a 100T.  Perhaps one reason behind that is MT does not offer an equivalent 100T.

Ed

[1] is there any difference in the required bolster pin?

[bbussey]

Are the ESM products as well-known among N-scale modelers as the Atlas/BLMA trucks?  They are every bit as good, competitively priced, and available [1], so it seems odd to me that they should not sell so well (esp. when the competition has left an unfilled gap in the market).

Noting how the BLMA 100Ts have sold out almost immediately, yet there are still 70Ts, evidences the greater demand for a 100T.  Perhaps one reason behind that is MT does not offer an equivalent 100T.

Ed

[1] is there any difference in the required bolster pin?

With the HO project in progress the budget is tight, so no spending of precious funds on promotional advertising for trucks and wheels.  Word of mouth is starting to spread, and the retail dealers are pushing them, so demand has been increasing steadily.

Again, there are no ESM models currently that require 100-ton trucks, so from a business standpoint there is no upside in burning tooling dollars for a truck frame strictly for a stand-alone offering.  The majority of the truck/wheels we make go into our models and kits, although the 33" wheels demand might come close to tipping or equalizing that ratio by the end of this year.

The best bolster pin for ESM trucks is the MTL standard pin.

Isn't the 100-ton truck on the MTL 60' Greenville boxcar a Barber S-2?  And aren't they now available as a stand-alone item?

[nkalanaga]

MT does have a Barber 100-ton truck available, and I have a bunch of them.  They don't have the low bolsters of the BLMA trucks, but they do have centered bolster holes, and 36 inch wheels, plastic, of course, but they roll well.

[ednadolski]

Again, there are no ESM models currently that require 100-ton trucks, so from a business standpoint there is no upside in burning tooling dollars for a truck frame strictly for a stand-alone offering. 

Makes total sense.   Perhaps some day ESM will offer a model that uses a 100T truck 

Ed

[bbussey]

Lots of other manufacturers are going head-to-head in the modern era so we're going to stay in the mid-20th century for the next few releases, in both scales.

[nickelplate759]

Lots of other manufacturers are going head-to-head in the modern era so we're going to stay in the mid-20th century for the next few releases, in both scales.

Huzzah!    I'm glad someone is doing that with terrific models (and yes, I've bought quite a few ESM products).