A Diesel Mfr.'s Will Never Offer

Out of curiosity I found this picture of the AB6.  Is it correct.  Interesting unit...

 

 

Another we will never see the big 3 offer????

Krauss Maffei ML4000 IIRC....made in HO by AHM/Rivirossi back in the 60's. I think it's a cool loco.....

 

Wow, Love that ML4000.  Imagine driving that baby from its unique cockpit.... 

The Milwaukee Road built a pair of units similar to the EMD/Rock Island units in 1948. Like the Rock Island units, each had a single 567 engine and the rest of the unit was a baggage section. They would pull up to three passenger cars on flat terrain. They turned out to be somewhat underpowered in service, but they survived until 1961. If nothing else, they were good looking with the paint scheme derived from the original Olympian Hiawatha. 

You are right, the big mfgs will never do that.   It probably takes a couple of thousand pieces to justify the cost of the tooling, and I don't think you could find that many buyers for so obscure a diesel.  

 

On the other hand, the brass importers might be willing to do 50 to a 100 if they had advance orders.    And that is a typical, or used to be typical, run for handbuilt brass.    Of the course the cost would be higher than mass produced.  

coloradohiraile:

 

This sounds like the "old negative sell" approach, and quite frankly it is rather refreshing to see you use it in this fashion. By saying never, impossible, won't ever happen, etc., when in fact you are telling the manufacturing community that you want the item produced, does send a message.

 

Probably won't happen, but I applaud your approach.

 

 

Wasn't there a post here a while back.... "A face only a mother could love"?  Ha ha.

 

Ok those are fascinating engines though!  But how many would sell and would it ever cover the cost of new molds and such?  

Kinda cool Southwest......thanks for posting....love the odd balls!

Will probably never see this Alco DH643 made either; only 3 were ever made, only one railroad had them, were experimental engines as an American alternative to the Krauss Maffei ML4000s that AMCDave mentioned previously, and downright ugly.  But I like 'em!

 

Quite a few of the locomotives appearing in this thread https://ogrforum.com/t...-a-mother-could-love

will never be made as well.

Here are a couple more that probably won't get built:

I would by one in a heart beat.  My grandfather worked in the Englewood Yard in Houston when they were delivered.  He told me the story of these often.  They pulled loads out of Englewood on it's way to work in California.

While the appearance is that of a cabbed B-unit, they may have been based on these which preceded it. All were 4-axle 1800HP units designed for passenger service. What I found interesting is that the superstructures for the customer units were customized. Almost gives them "honorary" steam status for being unique to each road. Of course, this was during the time when you if you bought a Duesenburg, you bought the chassis then had a coach builder construct the rest of the car.

 

Personally, I'd like to see all four of these offered -- just not in the same catalog.

 

ATSF Class 1 (1935)

 

 

Burlington Zephyrus (pulling the Zephyr here in 1950) built in 1936. This was different from the unit that pulled the articulated trainset.

 

 

B&O #50 (1939)

 

EMC Demonstrator #511 (1935)

 

Yes, Mr. Wood, that is the AB6.  The Rock Island Hist. Soc. article on it said GM had

to be cajoled into building it, as they wanted out of custom building.  That later Milwaukee unit posted by SW. Hia. would indicate they were again cajoled into a similar build, even if styling is different. No, Pass. Trn. Collector, I do not think these will appear in three rail, unless somebody kit bashes one.  Not much Rock Island has appeared, even though there are a lot of train collectors in Chicago, the area of

origin, some of whom may have ridden behind these during their commuter lives.

Rock Island, during its early diesel years, had some striking colors.

In my HO youth, I remember those Krauss-Maffei models in the hobby shops and MR

magazine a lot.  Never saw the prototype.  I have not heard of other roads than the

S.P. and the D&RGW trying them out?  I was surprised to get this much interest in the

post.

 

The Milwaukee Road unit in the picture was built in the Milwaukee Shops. The trucks were from Fairbanks Morse, the diesel was a 567, and the rest of it was homemade from whatever was available. 

Hello everyone, first post so bear with me. When the mfgs don't build them, that's where the hobby comes on. Here's a scratch-built AB6 I did a few years back. I started with a Weaver E8B. Lionel running gear and sounds.

Never say never. Someday, maybe not too far away, 3D printing will make this practical, possible and less expensive than you think.

 

Gerry

 

I would love to see some more pics of the AB6

That is beautiful.  Really nice work.  The windows look particularly well done, too: they are often not quite realistic enough on factory-made locos.

I'd like to know more about that intriguing triangular train. 

This Ingalls has actually been available in HO brass, and in the last few years. Had a

successful life; not saved. As is was a GM&O unit, and that road name sells well, maybe...

I keep hoping that WBB will make it and offer it in All the Road Names Ever Recorded!

After all, they do offer a well-done BL-2, which is also a bit exotic in appearance.

 

 

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So far as the so-called B&O (it did start out that way) #50 goes - certainly. It became

an Alton loco then a GM&O loco after they bought the Alton. I've seen it in St Louis

where it is preserved (the shovel-nose was removed while in service decades ago),

but it has unfortunately been repainted (inappropriately, to me) in the B&O scheme.

It spent most of its life as an Alton and then GM&O loco, so it should still bear the red/

maroon GM&O (Alton-derived) scheme it wore when retired.

 

Being essentially the same EMD unit as the Santa Fe box cabs, a manufacturer could

get some multi-road bang for his buck. 

We came close on the CRIP AB6's and still might. It depends on reservations.

The GOD's were done. Both variations with two prime movers and the delivery version with the baggage room in back.

As far as the King/Queen/Pegasus EA's in CBQ that would be dreamy for me. In time I may be able to pull this off.

Love the scratch built AB6. Nice work!

Some E5's by Key Model Imports

That picture has been around for awhile and it is not real. It was photo shopped.

I would buy one in a heart beat. It is Hideous in a really cool way.  

Southern Pacific 9010 is being restored by the Niles Canyon Railway.  The restoration is pretty far along with most of the cosmetic work done.  It still needs to be powered.  This engine will be a star attraction once it is running.

 

Here is a link to the restoration website:   http://sp9010.ncry.org

Depending upon the manufacturer and how it was equipped, so would I -- but only if it was offered in a variety of roadnames.  Yes, I know, it wouldn't be prototypical.  But I'd still like to see one factory-painted in NYC or PRR.

 

 

Wow! These are some of the dumbest-looking and ugliest diesel locomotives I've ever seen.  No wonder the manufacturers never made them. 

Lee, Nice job on that AB6

Looks like a Lee project....but think it's 'RAILS EAST'....

Has any maker done an EMC TA loco?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMC_TA

Yeah, me too. Turns out it's a Photoshop job with a BS story behind it.

 

Triangular train

 

... ‘where the tunnels were built so pointy that special rolling stock is required with straighter sides than usual, as standard curved-sided stock provides insufficient clearance of the tunnel walls… the “pointiness” of the tunnel profile varies with the weight of earth… It occurred to me that this might also be the reason for the Japanese triangular tunnels.’ ‘It’s the tilting version of the bullet train. If they weren’t narrower at the top, two trains would hit each other as they passed ...

 

 

On the original topic, we should be thankful that we really have had a huge diversity of hobby items produced through the decades, compared to what is available in most other countries. And the creative folks can kit-bash or scratch-build unique custom items.

Mike Slater, here are a few pics of the AB6 for you. Lee, thanks for the kind comment. As a kid growing up in Colorado Springs in the 50's and 60's, I saw 750 and her sister 751 daily. I rode the CRI&P trains to Chicago numerous times. I've also enclosed a shot of a brass AB6 I've been at for way too long.

That IS nice work!!!!!

AMC Dave, you're too kind. I'm sure you can do the same.

Joe. You did a great job. Looks like "The Rock's" B-unit cab addition turned out much prettier than CNW's version.

 

The Rock Island locomotives were also custom built by EMD per the order of the Rock Island.

 

The Crandal-cabs were a C&NW chop-shop job.

 

Rusty

Joe of Rails East.  That is splendid work.  Thank you for sharing...