A O GAUGE LOCOMOTIVE KIT WOUD YOU BUY IT?

This has come up in the past, most think there's not enough demand to make it economically viable. But yes, I would like to build a locomotive. Something along the lines of the 700K would be great.

I'm not going to hold my breath, though.

They do exist.  Stevenson Preservation Models produces a Mikado, an 0-6-0, and a Climax logging locomotive.  Up until a couple years ago one could purchase screw driver assembly kits for ten wheelers, Pacifics, Atlantics, and a giant Mountain, and they could be delivered with Hi Rail wheelsets.

The problem is, there are plenty of untouched kits out there, at a fraction of the price of these new ones.  Anybody who wants to compete with that has my admiration for their dedication to the hobby.  They have to be doing it for some reason not related to profit.

Mostly opinion.

The 700K was a great idea, but it no doubt cost the same as a finished locomotive.  The 700 is easy to disassemble to its K- configuration.  Some grey primer, and you have your kit.  Ten minutes later, it is all assembled again.

"instant gratification"

the big thing you are not getting today Q/C, it would now be in your hands. I would buy that way always if it was available. Lionel and MTH are kits, just built by someone else.

Kits would make sense for locomotives that were purchased by many roads and evolved over the years. I am thinking in particular of all of the USRA designs. No manufacturer is going to produce every variation but if available as a kit with detail parts that could be applied to create a particular prototype I think there could be a market big enough to justify the effort.

A kit just for the few that prefer to build their own won't have the same appeal given the  current price difference between kits and ready built which is almost nothing.

Pete

There is that as well - lots of unbuilt kits are available for the same old engines at cheap prices that show up on eBay, swap meets, and the various shows.  But why compete with the existing secondary market offerings in the 1st place?  Making kits for other engines might be more palatible but then again, the numbers game of who this market is becomes very relevant. 

I got a rather old kit for a small early 4-4-0 at the Chicago meet this year that I should be getting into trouble with later this year.

I'd try a few if available, but frankly I would be looking at them mostly as supplies for bashing/scratch-building projects rather than to build as intended.  That is the way I've gone with all the building kits I've bought - its a lot more fun.

You are talking to a guy here who (somewhat shamefully) doesn't even build his own buildings. Set it out and plug it in. In fact, the more detailed and ready to go the better. An engine kit might be challenging but I am such a klutz. My answer is probably not. (in G I might)

Absolutely!  I'd love to do a few of these.

For me, the cost would have to be well below a RTR model.  Doubt that'll happen.

I didn't know any kits were out there.  If I could find aethern type freight cars to build in O gauge I would definitely do so, assuming the cost savings was there.   I had no idea that any three rail loco kits were out there.  The lack of such kits is LHS with $20.  My brother would get 4 or 5 cars and get to build them when we got home and I would end up with a magazine and havce to save up more before  could get one car.

I will have to research the above mentioned sources for kit locos and see if I can find them for a price I'm willing to pay!

To answer your question.....NO.  My quality control sucks.  I'll take mine ready-to-run and add on detailed parts if necessary.

Steve, Lady and Tex

"Build-a-Loco"

Hmmmmmm that sounds familiar!!!!!!!!!

I would be in favor of build-it-yourself kits for modern rolling stock that is not currently made by Lionel/MTH/Atlas. (Maybe spine cars and other intermodal stuff?)

It seems like most locos are available and the kits would be unnecessary.  I vote no on the loco kit idea.

Did that......I did it as the RTR were expensive and not exactly what I wanted. As close to a kit as there is........

Stevenson is all that's active right now....

...most locos are available...

Not even close to scratching the surface of the prototypes that existed.... 

Ok count me in, but lets start small, I like the engine below in O 3 rail.  Including the electronic ERR board with sound would be a plus. Then after I had one of these under my belt I could move up to bigger and better...

I'd buy a locomotive kit, if I could get it without DCC.  Anyone who really wants that could add it later, as an option.

The problem from the manufacturer's standpoint might be that most model railroaders are attracted to specific roads and specific locomotives.  A PRR prototype, for example, would be unlikely to interest someone who models the Southern. 

The real end-user advantages of a kit over a RTR model would be (1) lower initial cost and (2) from-the-ground-up customization.  But if the manufacturers can't produce kits at an attractive price, I can't see it happening.

Maybe; although if it's a shake the box kit, I'd pass.  I like a challenge, so it has to be an interesting model, lots of detail parts, and requires time and patience to build.  I'm probably in the minority on this one, so I doubt that manufacturer's will be jumping to the start gate to produce one of these. 

I think nowadays, if you want to really build a locomotive, you're probably going to have to go the live steam route.  Very interesting and challenging, but expensive, and the learning curve is steep.

On a secondary note, it would be nice to be able to purchase reasonalby priced lost wax castings and other items to super-detail a Lionel or MTH locomotive or car. I'm reminiscing about days gone by (70's ad 80's) where you could get almost any part for any loco or car at your local hobby shop. There were walls of detail parts, and you could reproduce any piece of railroad hardware you could see trackside or get a picture of. Of course this was in HO scale, and those halcyon days are long gone.

r0d

Clear to me that many posters have not yet discovered eBay.  Right this minute there are at least ten Athearn box cars or the equivalent at reasonable prices, kit and built up, listed and ready for bid.  I almost bought a WP "Feather" box car yesterday, but have way too many already.

The Stevenson kits are indeed Craftsman style, and are of popular prototypes. With only a little effort, they could be converted to 3- rail.  I will dig up a photo of a completed switcher.

I didn't know any kits were out there.  If I could find aethern type freight cars to build in O gauge I would definitely do so, assuming the cost savings was there.   

I will have to research the above mentioned sources for kit locos and see if I can find them for a price I'm willing to pay!

I am betting that HO 2-4-4-0 from Roundhouse in the ad posted by "J Daddy" was not a big seller, because the words NON-POWERED and STATIC appear in the ad.  Now I would jump on one, kit, or whatever, in three rail, POWERED!, that should be in

tank, and, tendered versions.  I could not see this coming from anybody but

WBB, and Bachman just wants to fool around with On30.

The one in the foreground is a Stevenson kit.  Behind it is the 1950 Lobaugh version.  The problem is, one can find the 1950 kit for about half the price of the new Stevenson kit.  That is some stiff competition in a very thin market.

I had the same thoughts as Bob2 about O scale car kits, and have too many to build,

but if an interesting to me road name appeared at auction, I'd check it out.  Seems

that after Athearn there were seveal different makers that carried on offering those

car kits.  And Intermountain and maybe others offered plastic ones.  The biggie now

is finding the three rail trucks and couplers.

Most Roundhouse kits were powered. I built a couple back in the '60s. Most detail was cast on and had to be removed if you wanted to add 3D detail. 

As for lost wax castings, Precision Scale and Stephenson makes just about anything you could want. Bowser still has some Cal Scale Brass parts in addition to their own line of die cast detail parts.

Pete

I don't know the sales figures for that kit....I bought one!! Those kits were 'kitbashers' boxes of parts. It was a fantastic idea and I think I bought one of each.....maybe 20 different kits!!! The first few were around $5 and the loco posted was maybe $9 at my LHS back in the day.  I built a lot of cool stuff and still have boxes full of odds and ends of MDC/Roundhouse goodies!! If someone did something like that in O scale I'd miss a few meals buying them.....maybe a good idea! (both the kits and missing a meal!)

Great concept but in these days of instant gratification I doubt it would fly with the ultra conservative corporate marketing departments ( ie: the same models year after year with fantasy or variegated schemes) and anyway, no one is asking our opinions on much of anything ( lol) and beyond that there's no general consensus of what anyone wants. 

It is a great concept but at this stage of the game, no one will stick their neck out due to the above. The market is pretty saturated as well.

In O traction there are quite a few kits..by small entrepreneurs at a reasonable cost. However when you add the drives, you might as well have bought them assembled. 

Being brought up on AMT 3 in 1 car kits, I've always thought this would be a good idea. Produce a kit with enough parts that the engine could be built in varying stages of its lifetime as it was modified over the years.

If you want to start small, take the USRA 0-8-0 for example.

Add enough parts to turn it into this:

If they were made as static model kits like model airplanes and in that price range I am in for quite a roster of steam engines. I could see a long line of rusty engines on a side track waiting for the cutting torch. As long as I am dreaming produce them in the USA

I forgot all about Henry Pearce.  How could I - he was a friend!  He produced an 0-8-0 kit for literally decades, and Hines Lines produced it before that.  I have three . . .

And don't forget - Central Locomotive Works made steam and Diesel kits for almost a half century.  Their H10 is a classic, dating from 1939.  I bought my first one in 1979 brand new.

I believe IHB made an O scale 0-8-0 static kit that could be powered. Remember seeing one on eBay about a year ago. The locomotive superstructure was plastic. Don't think it was a real big seller.

I've spent a lot of time in those 2 catalogs lately.  Beautiful stuff and the folks at Precision Scale are top notch to deal with.  If it isn't in one of those catalogs, especially the PS catalog, you have to make it!

Imagine the possibilities!  I've thought the same thing many time, a long siding of locomotives waiting to meet their destiny.  I would love to have a few for a locomotive back shop-1 torn down for maintenance and another hanging from a crane!

For years I've wished for plastic model kits of O Scale engines.  Probably not enough people would buy them to break even for the model companies.

No your not. Nothing is better than making something yourself with tons of detail, time and effort in the project.  I started my first scratch built steamer recently and I look forward to the day when someone asks me "who made it?"  No other compliment would be better.

bob2, you sure have some beautiful locomotives!

Think that was AHM and that IHB was the road name - Indian Harbor Belt. 

Lots were built up by modelers using the powering kit that was available and many were converted to 2-8-0, 2-8-2, 2-6-0, 0-6-0, and even 2-8-8-0 and others yet.  Several articles were published on these variants.  Problem was the stock motor and gearbox were rubbish - and so there's even article on totally re-powering it....

Still available on the secondary market with some popularity...

Anybody remember these, Rivirossi O gauge kits marketed by AHM in the late '60.

They were a static model but a 2 rail powering kit was available.

Illinois Central 4-6-0 (Casey Jones)

Indiana Harbor Belt 0-8-0

It would be nice to see these kits re-released.

Somewhere I have one of those plastic AHM kits, the one with 382 on the tender

shown above.  Seemed like fragile plastic and I just bought it to kitbash into something, but did not get around to it.  Interesting that people kitbashed them

into all those versions.  I would not be interested in a kit of that quality. 

The dies for plastic models last a very long time.  There just is not a market for plastic steam models.  It would cost very little to inject some more 0-8-0s, but the folks who own the dies probably won't bother - they dumped them at $12.95, and you could have the power kit for another $12.95.  

I had two - one in running condition.  They had exquisite detail - far better than the then-$800 version on the used market made from brass.  So ask yourself - why did hobbyists turn their nose up at twelve bucks for a beautifully detailed plastic model when they could have a brass version with not so hot detail parts for $800?

The market is not there.  Opinion.