BLI 2-8-0 Consolidations

[mike_lawyer]

BLI announced today that they will be releasing 2-8-0 Consolidations for many roads in the fall of 2026.  The email I received had some renderings.  Looks like a USRA design or variant.

For us PRR modelers, I am hoping this might lead to an H10 down the line, now that they will have tooling for the mechanism.

[bbussey]

The initial group appears to contain some fantasy schemes as well.

[Kentuckian]

According to the announcement, the order deadline was six months ago.

[bbunge]

Popcorn anyone? 

[garethashenden]

According to the announcement, the order deadline was six months ago.

What’s wrong with that? Is your time machine acting up? 

[Mark5]

Looks like a USRA design or variant.

There is no USRA 2-8-0 

Assuming this is the same design as the HO model from a few years back,

And, if you assume the following quote is genuine, it's a conglomeration:
"From the designer at BLI:
Haha, this must be the 20th email asking this. I didn't expect this response when we announced this model - it's definitely interesting.
The model isn't based on a specific prototype. It will have the H10 chassis, USRA Mikado Tender, and a new boiler. The features on the boiler/smokebox are modeled after features we found common among various railroads' 2-8-0's.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,3388361

Mark

[reinhardtjh]

And, if you assume the following quote is genuine, it's a conglomeration:
"From the designer at BLI:
Haha, this must be the 20th email asking this. I didn't expect this response when we announced this model - it's definitely interesting.
The model isn't based on a specific prototype. It will have the H10 chassis, USRA Mikado Tender, and a new boiler. The features on the boiler/smokebox are modeled after features we found common among various railroads' 2-8-0's.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,3388361

Mark

Since BLI doesn't have an H10 in N-Scale I wonder how accurate that could be for this model.  They do have a Mikado tender.  If they tool a new 2-8-0 chassis for this I hope they do make it an H10 otherwise I would expect that to put a real PRR H8/9/10 back by many years or else they might use a "close enough" approach and put an H10 on whatever this is.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

An H-10 mechanism.

That's the tricky and expensive part.

I'm stoked this likely means there will actually be an H10 coming down the road sooner rather than later.

Awesome.

In the meantime, I'm thinking one of these with Maryland & Pennsylvania on the tender will look RIGHT at home.

[Mark5]

For reference purposes, the BLI HO 2-8-0: https://broadway-limited.com/collections/paragon4-2-8-0-consolidation-ho

[nickelplate759]

Info on the N-scale version is on the BLI website.
https://broadway-limited.com/collections/2-8-0-consolidation-n-2026

The biggest issue for me is that they all seem to have high-mounted headlights.   That much money for something I'll need to somehow make a new smokebox for doesn't excite me.

[mike_lawyer]

Since BLI doesn't have an H10 in N-Scale I wonder how accurate that could be for this model.  They do have a Mikado tender.  If they tool a new 2-8-0 chassis for this I hope they do make it an H10 otherwise I would expect that to put a real PRR H8/9/10 back by many years or else they might use a "close enough" approach and put an H10 on whatever this is.

Of note, they didn't try and slap a Pennsy logo on a tender and call it a day.  That gives me hope that an H10 might be in the pipeline.

[robertjohndavis]

The email says one more N scale announcement is coming this year. Let’s hope it’s the H10.

Also let’s hope all the 2-8-0’s have spoked drivers and the pancakes on the USRA models. They look like pancakes in the renderings, but…

I welcome a generic and non-USRA locomotive. Will definitely be getting a few.

Rob

[Rasputen]

The drivers look like @peteski 's favorite non-see through spoked design. 

[squirrelhunter]

Looking at the renders in the email, it clearly has a cab like a Pennsy H10.

 Hopefully the smokebox door/headlight for the USRA 2-8-2 or 4-6-2 can be swapped without much trouble. Given that if you do any searching for info on the HO version the fact it is a fantasy design comes up pretty quickly and these don't seem to have been stellar sellers in HO, I'm not sure what possessed them to do this.

They could have made a Harriman 2-8-0 and covered UP, SP, IC, and I think Erie with a pretty accurate loco. Also I think the Gould lines may have had a fairly standard

[Chris333]

Cool now you guys will have a decoder to pull out and replace.