BLI Baldwin Centipedes: Pre-production pictures posted on Facebook

[Dave V]

Caboose Hobbies has a street price of $379.25 for the A-A pair.  Damn, they are pretty bad-a$$ looking.

[C855B]

Yeah, Brooklyn Loco Works lists them for $367.49. I forgot how pricey they were. That crosses my pain threshold for a "just for fun" almost-happened-but-didn't foobie.

More power to 'em, though. Glad to see BLI ramping it up in N.

[muktown128]

I'm also glad to see all the Pennsy love coming from BLI recently.  I can't wait to get the 2 M1's I have on reserve.  I got a 6 pack each of PRR and N&W H2a hoppers and have a 4 pack of each PPR H32 scheme on reserve.  I didn't bite on the Centipedes.  They do look good, so I may reconsider...  I really need to start unloading stuff on the 'bay.

[tom mann]

"Minimum Operating Radius: 9.75 in" From BLI's website.

I would need to see this to believe it.  Even with articulation, the car body would overhang the curves so much nothing could be coupled to it.

[Leggy]

Couplers are on the underframe sections are they not? You'd just need to have everything 3' away from the track. Like a real 3', not a scale 3'.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Well, one of you locals needs to get one. They definitely made appearances on the NCR back during the PRR era, but I don't want a set enough to get my own.

[peteski]

Yeah, Brooklyn Loco Works lists them for $367.49. I forgot how pricey they were. That crosses my pain threshold for a "just for fun" almost-happened-but-didn't foobie.

More power to 'em, though. Glad to see BLI ramping it up in N.

Yes, but that is for 2 powered and DCC sound-equipped models: $184 per locomotive.  That is not all that bad for what you get (especially for a model of such an esoteric locomotive).  This is no run of a mill diesel (construction-wise).

Still, too bad that BLI doesn't offer A-A set with one dummy model.

[C855B]

Agreed relative to the rest of the market, but sound is worth <$0 to me. I paid the sound premium on a recent BLI PA A-B set (B dummy) because the details were mostly correct for my prototype versus old Kato and Life-Like, but I run it with the sound off. Not my intention to initiate yet another debate about sound, just putting it out there that it's not everybody's cup of tea. So being asked to pay the sound premium for a desirable model has to factor into the purchase/not purchase equation.

[peteski]

Agreed relative to the rest of the market, but sound is worth <$0 to me. I paid the sound premium on a recent BLI PA A-B set (B dummy) because the details were mostly correct for my prototype versus old Kato and Life-Like, but I run it with the sound off.  So being asked to pay the sound premium for a desirable model has to factor into the purchase/not purchase equation.

In that case (your preference is quite reasonable) looks like BLI lost a customer.  It would be nice if they sold DC-only and sound-free models.

[Chris333]

It would be nice if they sold DC-only and sound-free models.

True dat!

[Bob Bufkin]

Well, one of you locals needs to get one. They definitely made appearances on the NCR back during the PRR era, but I don't want a set enough to get my own.

I'm tempted Ed.  Would look weird and stupid on my small layout.  But there are plenty of large layouts close I could run them on where they would not look that bad.

[CBQ Fan]

In that case (your preference is quite reasonable) looks like BLI lost a customer.  It would be nice if they sold DC-only and sound-free models.

If they did offer straight DC with no sound I would most likely get one set.

[CodyO]

I'm up in the air
Very cool unique engines
But they are big
It will all come down to what the $$ looks like when they come out and if the CFO will approve

[C855B]

In that case (your preference is quite reasonable) looks like BLI lost a customer.  It would be nice if they sold DC-only and sound-free models.

Yes, but not holding my breath. I think they very carefully considered the ramifications and have committed to "all sound, all the time". I also got the impression from their E-unit development that sound is a big selling point for them in the overall market, where they have the factory-installed no-hassle DCC+sound for the modelers who want it, and Kato owns the no-sound, no-DCC market. Their earlier E production offered the "without" option (of which I bought each UP number offered), but the second or third production round was all sound-equipped. Maybe it turned out "no sound" didn't sell for them, or wasn't worth the dual inventory. Hmm.

Unfortunately, there's no Kato (or other modern) equivalent for the Centipede, so this is more or less testing the market for pain threshold.

I may eventually relent on this particular model. The historical information was that UP was interested in the Centipede as a diesel equivalent to the Big Boy expressly for running between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, which is what I'm mostly modeling, and I expect to have a layout large enough for it to look decent. Anyway, the sole reason UP didn't have them is the Baldwin salesman sold them a promise and nothing more. After a second missed delivery commitment a year after the first, the UP purchasing manager visited the Baldwin factory and discovered there was absolutely nothing on the floor related to the "committed" production... there weren't even erection drawings yet. It was at this point UP said "Enough!", took control of motive power R&D and started the turbine program.

[eric220]

Couplers are on the underframe sections are they not? You'd just need to have everything 3' away from the track. Like a real 3', not a scale 3'.

I would need to see this to believe it.  Even with articulation, the car body would overhang the curves so much nothing could be coupled to it.

Here's the HO version.