you know what would be awesome in N scale...

[wm3798]

And then spend another small fortune milling out the body, or having Chris etch one for you...  Pass.

[sirenwerks]

So what's the probability of Arnold waking up to realize the cash cow they're sitting on, redesign and update the mech, and releasing a new batch with a reasonable price point? In my best Richard Dawson - "Survey says..."

[wm3798]

Arnold Who?  Didn't they go tits up some time ago?  And don't even TRY to kiss me, there Dicky...

[sirenwerks]

And don't even TRY to kiss me, there Dicky...

Ew. Survey says "XXX"!!!

In all seriousness, ifin' someone isn't going to resurrect the Arnold model, I support the idea of another manufacturer making the moves and, though no one has asked for my opinion, my vote gets cast for Atlas; with an N version of their HO S2/4. Considering Life Like is lost to the devil; there's just too many paint schemes needed to be released before the next ice age, leaving Kato out; and Bachmann just shot their 70-ton wod, Atlas is our only hope.

[Philip H]

or, in the spirit of entrepeneurship, it would be nice to see someone start pulling some of the smaller brands together into a new giant, who can then buy up the tooling for stuff like this.  I'd be willing to bet that Arnold's tooling is still out ther and can be had for the right price.  Then you could do it in plastic not zinc . . . I'm just saying . . .

[asciibaron]

i'd be very happy with a Trainman series S2 from Atlas.  very happy.

[sizemore]

I did one decoder install in this dog, and quickly raised my price to do the next.  Yes, it looks nice, but by the time you pay for all the replacement parts you NEED to make it even a halfway decent runner, you might as well pay $100 for an Atlas VO1000 with a decoder.  It's damn near impossible to put lighting in it, and way the shell is attached to the frame almost requires you to break it to get it apart.

Out of the box it's a bonafide POS.  Nice looking, but a POS nonetheless.

I stand with Steve on this one.

Lee

When (keyword there) I finish mine I'll make you jealous.

 ;D
The S.

[Sokramiketes]

... and way the shell is attached to the frame almost requires you to break it to get it apart.

Out of the box it's a bonafide POS.  Nice looking, but a POS nonetheless.

Lee

Pop off the fuel tank, slide the brackets holding the trucks on toward the center, trucks drop out.  Pop the cab (one tab at rear) and then the shell just slides back off the frame.  It's seriously a 30 second job.  And a genius design.  Execution of materials selection might not have worked out on the gears, OK, but it wasn't the last time a manufacturer made a mistake there. 

Marc Starmans was once telling me how great the design theory behind the spring drive was.  Maybe not the best execution, but something about the axis of the worm spring being an advantage on small motors. 

[Sokramiketes]

Then you could do it in plastic not zinc . . . I'm just saying . . .

The weight of the shell is part of the genius design. 

[FrankCampagna]

I'm not sure how well a plastic version of an S-2 would pull. That may be the crux of the problem.

Frank

[Mr. G]

I don't doubt that there were great elements to the design of the Arnold S-2.  It's arguably a great design ruined by some weak materials under the hood.  The cab is totally see-through.  The weight is substantial for an engine of its size and the pulling power is surprisingly good.  The glazing is remarkably thin for its time and the rivet detail is phenomenal.  At the time it came out, it was something of a revelation, hinting at what was possible in N scale with further development and refinement. 

Unfortunately, that didn't happen.  These engines deserve to be returned to the market with new motor, gears, body-mounted couplers, decoders, and flanges that aren't pie pans.  As it stands though, that's a pretty big investment of time and money for a modeler to do to individual models. 

They were reviewed in the first subscriber issue of MR I ever received and were one of the key things that pushed me into N scale.  I keep them out of nostalgia and a hope that at some point I'll have the budget and time to bring them up to snuff.  I just hope that in the mean time, the existence of the Arnold models in the second-hand market doesn't dissuade manufacturers from producing their own Alco switchers.   

[Philip H]

I'm not sure how well a plastic version of an S-2 would pull. That may be the crux of the problem.

Frank

With all due respect if Bachman can make a 44 tonner that pulls way more then the prototype, someone can do a retooled S that pulls in a plastic shell . . .

[wm3798]

Agreed that the design is good, but certainly not ground breaking.  Somewhere in the stacks I've got the corpse of an early 60's FA that's a solid chunk of zinc that employed the same basic set up.  i.e., the design is/was obsolete before the S2 was ever released.

I think the problem I had with mine was something was out of place, either the lightboard or the slidy clippy thing, and it required a slight twist to pull the shell.  Of course, white metal tabs don't twist, they break.  The children added several colorful words to their vocabulary that day, I assure you.  I ended up fixing with with a blob of CA gel, a wing, and a prayer.

The Arnold model could be successful again, but only if it is modified to employ a drive train that's minimally 1000 times better than the crap that's under the hood now.  i.e., better pickup, flywheels, brass worms and plastic gears.

Lee

[Sokramiketes]

I'm not sure how well a plastic version of an S-2 would pull. That may be the crux of the problem.

Frank

With all due respect if Bachman can make a 44 tonner that pulls way more then the prototype, someone can do a retooled S that pulls in a plastic shell . . .

Careful there, the Bachman 44 tonner is extremely wide as compared to the prototype...  A wide bodied plastic hooded S2 would be a step back no matter how well it runs compared to a stock Arnold S2.

[sizemore]

I'm not sure how well a plastic version of an S-2 would pull. That may be the crux of the problem.

Frank

With all due respect if Bachman can make a 44 tonner that pulls way more then the prototype, someone can do a retooled S that pulls in a plastic shell . . .

Careful there, the Bachman 44 tonner is extremely wide as compared to the prototype...  A wide bodied plastic hooded S2 would be a step back no matter how well it runs compared to a stock Arnold S2.

But ya know that 44T motor might just fit inside the S2 shell...maybe? Anyone got dimensions?

The S.