BLI Light and Heavy Southern Pacific Pacifics...WTF?!!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Maybe they will do Conrail if/when they do a Reading T1

I'm surprised Walthers didn't do Penn Central with the Life Like Berkshire.

I'd be tempted by a Conrail T1.

https://crhscollection.omeka.net/items/show/8809

[Englewood]

Well, I got started in this wonderful hobby when I was 6 years old with a Marx 0-4-0 lettered for Penn Central. Foobies have never bothered me, I just like to run trains.

[Maletrain]

It seems that the problem isn't BLI making foobies so much as nobody making the locos that are prototypical for so many railroads that we want to model.  You don't have to buy the foobie, so I fail to see how the situation is any worse than BLI not offering the foobie at all.

The up side of the situation is that this is a new mechanism for a 4-6-2.  So, people who want a prototypical 4-6-2 that isn't a USRA model could use it to kit bash a model that is at least closer to the one they want.

In my case, the B&O did have USRA light Pacifics (P5) and also made close clones with Vandy tenders (P6).  In addition, they had a series of home-built heavy Pacifics (P1d) that have similar driver size and spacing to the USRA models (74" diameter and 13' between end axles).  So, I am happy to see BLI make these.

My pet peeve is the headlights centered on the smoke box doors of so many models.  The B&O received locos like that, but quickly remounted the headlights on the top of the smoke box front. When Bachmann came out with the K4 and high-mounted headlight, I was hoping that they would make a B&O version with a high headlight.  But, the K4 had 80" diameter drivers, like the B&O class P7 "President Class" locomotives, and some of those had low-mounted headlights (the P7d and P7e). 

Do the manufacturers really just love to tease us B&O modelers?  Probably not, but sometimes it seems like it.

[jdcolombo]

I'd be tempted by a Conrail T1.

https://crhscollection.omeka.net/items/show/8809

Except that the original T1 for one of Conrail's predecessor roads (the C&O) was a 2-10-4, not a 4-8-4.  I don't recall any predecessor Conrail roads having a "T1" that was a 4-8-4.  The Pennsy's T1 was the 4-4-4-4 duplex.  If you're going to do a Conrail T1 steamer, at least get the wheel arrangement correct!   

John C.

[wazzou]

Wasn’t the Reading 4-8-4 a T-1?

[Angus Shops]

No doubt whatever steam locomotive BLI picked for their next project would have enthusiastic supporters and, well, the opposite. Overall it’s nice to see another mid size ‘high quality’ (although opinions on the ‘high quality’ aspect seems to vary based stated opinions on previous BLI products...) steam loco on the market.  At $350.00 (US) it’s yard to see it being adopted as a ‘train set’ engine but for those looking for a good looking Pacific type, this will be a good choice. Many will see this as good kitbash material. That’s what I see; currently I have no steam on my layout, although I have a Bachman 2-8-0  and 2-6-0 in a drawer as potential for rebuilding as CP engines. The Pacific might be what I need to venture into the steam world. This and a 2-10-4 with 63” drivers, which, on the CP, was also a T class...
Geoff

[squirrelhunter]

Really, the point is that they're reusing the USRA Mikado boilers and putting them on a 4-6-2 chassis.  So they stretch the tooling (Rock Island only one that's prototype?) and maybe we get a Pacific that's better for shell swaps than the Model Power one. 

There were so few USRA Pacifics that this is where they land on producing a model.

Is there any proof of this? Per MR, in HO they tooled the correct boilers for each type.

There were not that many "true" USRA pacifics but the vast majority of post 1920 4-6-2's were either fairly close copies of the USRA light or were USRA heavy ones with 73 instead of 79 inch drivers. And a lot of Alco built 4-6-2's in the 1910 to 1916 era are not too far from the USRA light either.

If I recall correctly the USRA light shared a fire box with the light 2-8-2. And the light 2-8-2 shared a boilers with the heavy pacific.

[jdcolombo]

Wasn’t the Reading 4-8-4 a T-1?

OOPS.  Yep.  Forgot about the Reading.  Been a while since I played Monopoly!   

John C.

[Sokramiketes]

The boilers themselves are the same size, but all the walk ways and other details are different.

Are you talking about the walkways and other details being different on the prototype (probably) or on the model (the art shows the same as the Mikado, at least the fireman's side)?

[brokemoto]

The green B&O  heavy is a paint scheme that is out of my era, but, the lights would work.  Three hundred fifty bananas apiece list, though............................................

[randgust]

I like to see an accurate enough model that those of us that really want to take it to the next level can do so, which means it really has to run well, you can actually get it apart without breaking it, and that it's made in such a way that you can work with it.  And it would be kinda nice if it were affordable, and parts were available as well.

If the manufacturer ends up painting it in Santa Fe warbonnet to help sell enough to make a profit, well, that's OK with me, as long as the paint strips off without destroying the shell.    If this sounds like a mild swipe at Intermountain for gluing everything on, well, maybe it is.

I think I've probably reached the point where I'd rather work with old iron and improve it than expect perfection from anything new.   I really enjoyed upgrading that old Jamco, and that's the oldest iron I own.

My doctor has me off everything fried, including decoders, for my own health.

[reinhardtjh]

The green B&O  heavy is a paint scheme that is out of my era, but, the lights would work.  Three hundred fifty bananas apiece list, though............................................

Well, that's MSRP.  You know they will be cheaper at various online sites.  Probably around $250-$270 (which still isn't cheap!) and, if the Mikados are any indication, under or near $200 at special sales like Black Friday and such.  As an example. Factory Direct Hobbies has many Mikados on sale for $199.95 though today, I believe.

[JMaurer1]

I guess part of my point is that I can understand a foobie at under $100 price point. Unless I've just entirely missed the boat, I just don't see spending $350 (or $265+/- street price) for a locomotive that I'm going to strip and have to heavily modify. If I wanted to do that, there's the Model Power USRAs. I can sure do a lot of work on one of those (actually 2-3 of them for the same price as the BLI), and I have done just that. I didn't even think about knocking MP for their 'streamlined' version of the Pacific in foobie SP Daylight paint. It was reasonably priced and they were trying to sell them however they needed to. Just for $350 I expect more. It should run like a swiss watch and be reasonably accurate...and it kind of misses the mark on both (at LEAST give us a oil cover for the coal load for RR's that didn't use coal as fuel...even MP did this). In fact, for that price point, I don't understand why they didn't come out with a great mech and DIGITALLY PRINT a semi accurate boiler for the various roads (I don't understand why no MFRs have done this yet other than not many steam locos have come out recently). If we don't expect better, then we will continue to get more of the same, just at ever increasing price points.

[JMaurer1]

Almost forgot: They come out with a generic USRA locomotive in N scale while they are taking pre-orders for a HO NYC 20th Century Limited Dreyfuss Hudson...

[Chris333]

Are you talking about the walkways and other details being different on the prototype (probably) or on the model (the art shows the same as the Mikado, at least the fireman's side)?

Mostly seems like above the cylinders. Mikado's had 3 steps going up from the pilot and Pacific's had 4 steps. The platform over the cylinders was higher. I dunno thought Charlie said this was why Kato didn't use their Heavy Mike to make a Pacific. Maybe it is railroad specific.