MT just posted this on Facebook regarding MT1500

[jagged ben]

Factories and tooling ownership discussions is reminiscent of Deluxe Innovations 

Atlas and their C55 delays, too.  I wasn't going to name names but let's just say it isn't limited to one company.

[jagged ben]

Well, it turns out SP 2539 (Kodachrome) was assigned to my hometown.  So I'll be buying that one, price be damned.   

[sundowner]

I've kind of reached that point already .. very few things in the queue to purchase .. and the only loco I'm going to get is the AMTRAK veterans unit

Amtrak's store now has it at a reasonable price of $85.

http://store.amtrak.com/ProductDetail.aspx?did=17265&pid=160217

[Ken Ford]

I tried to order the Undec shell kits a while back when I got my True scale Couplers... (in case this happened) but my dealer was told (by MT) they weren't out yet..??... maybe they meant sold out...  Either way, hopefully as this production ramps up, I can get my shells..

I should throw in an order for a couple more..

I still say just produce decorated shells... Or at least keep producing Undec Shells.

There are still alot of Life Like SW units out there...

~Ian

Does the M-T shell kit drop right on the LL SW?

[JoeD]

So the statement on the bottom of this ad is just a marketing ploy?

Nope...when we order again the prices will go up even more...folks are concerned about the pricing now...I doubt we will sell to many sw-1500's at $300. 

Joe

[JoeD]

Does the M-T shell kit drop right on the LL SW?

Yes Ken, it will

Joe

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Joe, any possibility of selling just shells in the future? There are tons of old SW1200 stock sitting around.

I know it may be a lost cause for the SW1500, but maybe a few US manufacturers could get together and find chassis components from friendlier sources. I would think you could get motors/worms/gears from the US, Japan or S Korea.

[Chris333]

I thought MTL already released SW1500 body shells and trucks. Can't find them now though, but remember seeing them sold in raw plastic parts.

Found it: https://www.pwrs.ca/view_product.php?ProductID=257678

[cjm413]

Nope...when we order again the prices will go up even more...folks are concerned about the pricing now...I doubt we will sell to many sw-1500's at $300. 

Joe

One way to keep the prices down is to sell them without the drives....

Intermountain sold decorated and assembled HO F7 shells before they had their own powered drive to sell them with, and I recall they were a drop fit on the Stewart Hobbies drive, and could fit other manufacturers drives (e.g. Athearn "Blue Box" F7 or Life-Like Proto 1000 F3) with a few minor modifications.

Front Range also sold decorated HO GP7 and GP9 shells for the Athearn "Blue Box" GP7 (with a scale-width motor), also a frame that was designed to accept the Athearn motor mounts and powered trucks for those who didn't want to go through the trouble of milling the stock Athearn frame.

[cjm413]

Joe, any possibility of selling just shells in the future? There are tons of old SW1200 stock sitting around.

I know it may be a lost cause for the SW1500, but maybe a few US manufacturers could get together and find chassis components from friendlier sources. I would think you could get motors/worms/gears from the US, Japan or S Korea.

I could think of multiple companies that shifted from Kato production in Japan to China.

If you count HO manufacturers, some of those locomotives with Kato drives were formerly "domestic" drives with Athearn drive components.

[peteski]

The last 2 posts cite H0 scale examples. You can't really apply those to N scale - the market is quite different.

[cjm413]

The last 2 posts cite H0 scale examples. You can't really apply those to N scale - the market is quite different.

It is a different market, but when you look at the circumstances of the MTL SW1500, they may not be relevant.

The MTL SW1500 is a relatively new product, which means that: 1) they haven't had as much of an opportunity to get as much of a return on their investment as they anticipated; and 2) it's not a product that anyone would consider to be obsolete.

The sale of individual shells may not be as lucrative as selling complete locomotives, but it will at least mitigate the loss of the returns that they expected from the sale of complete locomotives.  With no competing SW1500 that comes with a powered chassis, they really have nothing to lose.

[peteski]

It is a different market, but when you look at the circumstances of the MTL SW1500, they may not be relevant.

The MTL SW1500 is a relatively new product, which means that: 1) they haven't had as much of an opportunity to get as much of a return on their investment as they anticipated; and 2) it's not a product that anyone would consider to be obsolete.

The sale of individual shells may not be as lucrative as selling complete locomotives, but it will at least mitigate the loss of the returns that they expected from the sale of complete locomotives.  With no competing SW1500 that comes with a powered chassis, they really have nothing to lose.

MTL currently offers kits of undecorated shells including the truck sideframes For $20: https://www.micro-trains.com/index.php?route=product/isearch&search=sw1500&category_id=104&sub_category=true&description=true

You think that decorated shells would sell well?  At what price? $50? $60?  $70?  Decorating shells costs money (especially with multiple colors and lettering).

I'm not sure if there are enough N scale modelers out there who want a SW-1500 shell already decorated for their favorite roadname who would be willing to go through the trouble of finding a Life Like SW-1200 and retrofitting the MTL shell and truck frames onto it.  But OTOH I can easily see more advanced modelers who would  do the Life Like chassis swap and who are willing to custom-paint their own $20 undecorated shell from MTL.

[cjm413]

MTL currently offers kits of undecorated shells including the truck sideframes For $20: https://www.micro-trains.com/index.php?route=product/isearch&search=sw1500&category_id=104&sub_category=true&description=true

You think that decorated shells would sell well?  At what price? $50? $60?  $70?  Decorating shells costs money (especially with multiple colors and lettering).

I'm not sure if there are enough N scale modelers out there who want a SW-1500 shell already decorated for their favorite roadname who would be willing to go through the trouble of finding a Life Like SW-1200 and retrofitting the MTL shell and truck frames onto it.  But OTOH I can easily see more advanced modelers who would  do the Life Like chassis swap and who are willing to custom-paint their own $20 undecorated shell from MTL.

Based on some of the pre-owned stuff that I've seen, there are plenty of knuckleheads out there that wouldn't hesitate to buy a SW1500 shell and put it on a Life-Like drive without giving a second thought about the appropriate trucks.   In fairness, the rule that a broken clock is right at least twice per day would be applicable to any SW1500's that did have AAR-A trucks with plain bearings.

On the other hand, I'm at a loss to explain atrocities such as an Atlas GP9 with "Torpedo Tubes" and a standard GP fuel tank, an Intermountain NSC 4550 cuft covered hopper with MTL 50T Bettendorf trucks, etc.

[wcfn100]

In fairness, the rule that a broken clock is right at least twice per day would be applicable to any SW1500's that did have AAR-A trucks with plain bearings.

You just reminded me that I wanted to do a Minnesota Transfer unit. 

Jason