ScaleTrains Announces SD45X in HO. Say what?

[C855B]

OK. This is a real oddity. SP-only (I can stand to be corrected if there were re-engined carbodies), and only seven (7) ever built. It's truly a handsome locomotive (to me and my SP-ness), but... really?

My take is if they can make a market of something so incredibly RR-specfic, low in number in real life and even that for a short period of time, then where in the heck is my N scale DD35, U50C, DDA35, C855A & B. You know what I mean. Heck. There were 40 U50Cs and ScaleTrains already has the tooling for the trucks, so where's the love?

 

[jargonlet]

Well it is a little easier when you already have the mechanism and sd45 shell at your disposal. Although I could be wrong, I don’t think there’s a ton of differences between the 45 and the 45x. I’m assuming this means minimal changes to the tooling. Since it is ho and SP I would figure these will sell well

[lock4244]

OK. This is a real oddity. SP-only (I can stand to be corrected if there were re-engined carbodies), and only seven (7) ever built. It's truly a handsome locomotive (to me and my SP-ness), but... really?

My take is if they can make a market of something so incredibly RR-specfic, low in number in real life and even that for a short period of time, then where in the heck is my N scale DD35, U50C, DDA35, C855A & B. You know what I mean. Heck. There were 40 U50Cs and ScaleTrains already has the tooling for the trucks, so where's the love?

 

Makes you think, doesn't it? I mean, Atlas already has the trucks for the C-855 AND the U50 

[C855B]

Well it is a little easier when you already have the mechanism and sd45 shell at your disposal. Although I could be wrong, I don’t think there’s a ton of differences between the 45 and the 45x. I’m assuming this means minimal changes to the tooling. Since it is ho and SP I would figure these will sell well

45X is longer, on the SDP45 frame. So they have to tool a new frame and bits of mechanical linkage. Now that could easily infer they are planning an SDP45 at some point - SP had 10 of those, GN 8. Erie-Lackawanna had 34 in a non-passenger configuration with different treatment at the back of the long hood where the steam generator would have been.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

OK. This is a real oddity. SP-only (I can stand to be corrected if there were re-engined carbodies), and only seven (7) ever built. It's truly a handsome locomotive (to me and my SP-ness), but... really?

My take is if they can make a market of something so incredibly RR-specfic, low in number in real life and even that for a short period of time, then where in the heck is my N scale DD35, U50C, DDA35, C855A & B. You know what I mean. Heck. There were 40 U50Cs and ScaleTrains already has the tooling for the trucks, so where's the love?

 

My theory is that, thanks to the capabilities of modern manufacturing, there's a convergence going on between brass and plastic models.

I mean, *****, watch this video about 3D printing injection molding tooling in a home shop.

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If you're actually a professional manufacturer, I bet you can now do all sorts of cool stuff (especially if it's low volume).

I'm guessing it's advances like that that make limited appeal stuff like this possible.

Now, will that trickle down to N scale? Who knows.

But if I wanted to make a small fortune in model trains, this might be the direction I'd point the requisite large fortune in.

[C855B]

Makes you think, doesn't it? I mean, Atlas already has the trucks for the C-855 AND the U50 

Uh... ScaleTrains already has the B+B-B+B running gear for those! From the "standard" GTEL4500. They just screwed-up in machining a full-body frame. If they had done the frame to accommodate hood-style bodies like the Veranda turbine and the U50, they'd have had those, too. It makes me wonder what they were thinking (or smoking).

[sundowner]

This is are the rare overpowered beast that UP did not get, I dont think UP like the 20 cylinder 645
This were the pre -2’s SD45 prototypes and the frame was later used on the sd45-2.
I think EMD had one at LaGrange for load testing
Scaletrains has the history on there website.

[basementcalling]

Meanwhile no one has offered an N scale CF-7.

[milw12]

Meanwhile no one has offered an N scale CF-7.

http://www.randgust.com/prod07.htm

Can't forget to support local business 

[lock4244]

Uh... ScaleTrains already has the B+B-B+B running gear for those! From the "standard" GTEL4500. They just screwed-up in machining a full-body frame. If they had done the frame to accommodate hood-style bodies like the Veranda turbine and the U50, they'd have had those, too. It makes me wonder what they were thinking (or smoking).

Right, but Atlas has them too. You have double the odds of seeing them, lol.

Some of the choices mfg's make do seem odd. HO's running out of prototypes while n scale can often seem like a dartboard is used.

[Spades]

OK. This is a real oddity. SP-only (I can stand to be corrected if there were re-engined carbodies), and only seven (7) ever built. It's truly a handsome locomotive (to me and my SP-ness), but... really?

My take is if they can make a market of something so incredibly RR-specfic, low in number in real life and even that for a short period of time, then where in the heck is my N scale DD35, U50C, DDA35, C855A & B. You know what I mean. Heck. There were 40 U50Cs and ScaleTrains already has the tooling for the trucks, so where's the love?

 

 
I think SP sells. 

While only 7 were made. Which turns out to be 7 less than the Veranda Turbine made.

I didn't find frame length of the SD45X but it must be close to that of the SD40T-2.  The Body is basically a SD45 with a fourth radiator fan.

GP40X,  Veranda turbine, GS-4 Big Boy all had less than 30 units produced

[JMaurer1]

I really like the dart board analogy...

Still waiting on an N scale Baldwin AS-616 (214 A units, 7 B units) and/or DRS-6-6-1500 (83 A units). Pretty much the only difference is the frame thickness (and some AS-616s had the thick DRS-6-6-1500 frames), and as of yet, that hasn't been hit on the dart board. SP, UP, Pennsy, Milw, C&O, C&NW, Erie, and NP all had at least one...just saying.

Thread drift returned to its original topic...

[C855B]

I think SP sells. 

Probably a valid observation. Now given that I grew-up in the middle of SP territory (does Tehachapi count?), I was absolutely surrounded by SP modelers in HO. More like smothered. The sense I have of N scale is that UP is the big'un in that community, witness Kato's usual whipping boy on product releases.

And that, in a way, indicates the probability of ScaleTrains porting an SD45X to N scale is somewhere between 0.0-0.01%, especially now that Atlas has taken-up the SD45 baton.

Interesting footnote - I saw an SD45X being cut-up for scrap at Chrome Crankshaft in Los Angeles back in the day. '80 or '81, IIRC.

[lock4244]

I wonder when we'll get an SD40 other than the Kato model? A solid seller, the straight SD40 slightly edged the SD45 in sales and was sold to 20+ original buyers, plus four Canadian roads and they wound up on may other roads via mergers and second hand sales (plus lease fleets). There's probably a pent up demand for more than a few roads, more so if road specific models are done. Operated in pretty much every region on the continent with exception of the far north, and came in a few variations - low or high nose, with or without DB, etc.

I think there's a possibility that Atlas might do them since they share the frame with the upcoming SD45, though I suspect the roads I'd love to see them in, CN & CP, will get high mounted headlights which sucks... but maybe Atlas will embrace the road specific philosophy? It seems to be supported buy n scalers in general.

ATSF, B&O, BN, C&O, CBQ, CGW, Chessie, CN, CNW, CP, CR, CRR, CSX, GMO, GTW, KCS, L&N, MP, N&W, NS, PC, PRR, SBD, SOO, SOU, SP, UP, WM.

That's a lot of possibilities.

[Sokramiketes]

OK. This is a real oddity. SP-only (I can stand to be corrected if there were re-engined carbodies), and only seven (7) ever built. It's truly a handsome locomotive (to me and my SP-ness), but... really?

My take is if they can make a market of something so incredibly RR-specfic, low in number in real life and even that for a short period of time, then where in the heck is my N scale DD35, U50C, DDA35, C855A & B. You know what I mean. Heck. There were 40 U50Cs and ScaleTrains already has the tooling for the trucks, so where's the love?

 

In case you wondered how disparate the sales are between HO and N scales still... you answered you're own question!