Finally! The 1951-1953 Super Chief Set! Thanks 3rd Rail

Yessss!

And now, if Atlas will just be kind enough to announce late F3's ("F5's") to pull these cars . . .

Yes! Will have to get both sets. that will probly be a cool grand worth I bet. And now (not that they would pull the Super Chief) if we can just get Scott to do a SF prairie. 

Check that... You're gonna need a cool $1200 PER set if I read the reservation form right!  

Start savings those pennies now!!!

David

WOW.   Nice.   However, the wallet is going to override the I gotta have it unfortunately.

The Bi-level El Cap next?

Nice...but yikes...

Although the prices are going up, the cars are getting better with each new release.  Scott Mann always pays attention to feedback, and his products always incorporate improvements based on this.

For those of us who have fondness for Santa Fe's unique passenger equipment, this is an opportunity we cannot ignore.  I doubt that these cars will be showing up on the re-sale market later.

What adds interest to the Super Chief consist are the very visible differences in the bodies  (roof style and side fluting) between the Budd, ACF, and Pullman Standard built cars.  This really complicates the model construction as they can't be made using the same aluminum extrusion for all the cars - thus added cost to get it right.  I believe the only prior correct models of the Super Chief were the $700+/car 2 rail Pecose River Brass ones done in the 1990's.

Ed Rappe

Outside of head end cars, why did SF go to the three major car makers for cars for the SC?  I would think they would have selected ONE for the train?  SF did order NEW trainsets for it in 1951?

In the early postwar years railroads invested millions of dollars in upgrading their premier passenger trains.  At times orders exceeded production capacity leading to stretched out delivery schedules and higher prices.  To get the cars they wanted within a tight time frame and at the best price many railroads spread their orders among the builders. Follow up orders tended to go to the builder whose product performed best.  On the PRR later orders trended away from Pullman Standard and toward Budd.

Re Marker's comment on the scarcity of the PRB Super, I would agree.

I have a friend who has the whole train.  He's not in the best of financial condition, himself, and I've assisted him in selling off much of his train collection...mostly HO, to date.  But his comment re the O2R Super Chief by PRB was "They'll be peeling my cold dead fingers off that set before it leaves me!"   About 5 years ago he and I were musing on it's market value, to which he replied '10G's, minimum'...Probably right, for a complete train, MIB.

As nice as it was/is, it did not have the interiors/lighting/ridership we've all come to expect in today's products...O2R and O3R.  I wouldn't count out Atlas at all on this possible project.  Their approach and resources/suppliers are different than Scott's.  Taking nothing whatsoever away from either of them, I believe there's enough market interest for the both of them to be players.  As Ed pointed out the cost of tooling will be a killer for either, though, just because of the variations the prototype cars.  Today's market is what comedians refer to as "a tough crowd to play to", just because of their demand for perfection and prototypical accuracy.

While I spurned (with no small measure of regret, albeit compassion for the budget) the opportunity to buy the PRB Super when it came out, I had already sprung for the PRB El Capitan 9-car set.  Again, it's really nice, but not as nice as Scott's latest efforts.  I've never gotten around to adding the interiors and lighting that I had hoped just because of the time/expense.  Rather, I've been majorly 'derailed' into the O3R realm!!

On the other side of the Mississippi, I keep wishing, wishing, wishing for someone to do a credible B&O Cincinnatian.  Yes, it was unique...not a product of Budd, ACF, or P-S...but it was a major 5-car (plus) train that served the D.C.-Cincinnati, Detroit-Cincinnati makets for some time.  Besides that, behind Weaver's long-ago-available-but-awesome-anyway P7D, it would be a class act. Haven't even been successful getting some of the HO/N people to do a version in those scales (e.g., Fox Valley Models, as with their Hiawatha or GHB with their newly released/shipped Reading Crusader).

Sigh.

KD 

While I'm "somewhat" happy for you Santa Fe guys, I'm with Dave, where's the southeastern stuff???

At the prices things are going for these days I can barely afford to get what I want, never mind frivolous "off-road" cars no matter how nice they are.

If I start savings my pennies now, MAYBE one of these days (there's only so many left in this lifetime) I'll be ready when Scott announces a 5-car Silver Meteor/Silver Star/Silver Comet set

Hey Dave, maybe this is Scott's way of working out all the kinks and smaller details before he announces the "perfect" southeastern passenger train

I believe that KEY did the Cincinnatian in N scale. A friend of  mine purchased it  several years ago. I'm not sure if they did it in any other scale.

Frank

Yes, they did.  Key also did two runs of the train in HO scale.  The first run was, unfortunately, the 'wrong' blue, the second, better, closer.  I have one of the HO sets.

HOWEVER, they're brass, they're gone, they were expensive, they ARE expensive on the secondary market, and the Key sets wouldn't compare to the Fox Valley, Broadway LImited, MTH HO, Walthers, GHB, etc. products of today...interiors, lighting, DCC/Sound in the engine....just all around a better product/value.  Of course, Key could do yet another run of their brass versions with all of these improvements...and you'll pay a king's ransom for them...if you pre-order and have the patience of Job.

So, my comment re Fox Valley, GHB, et al, is that they've chosen neat, complete trains...engine and all the cars.  The Cincinnatian is of similar nature...and, IMHO, familiar to a large eastern market. 

But, I've talked to the bottom of an empty barrel on this topic enough. The manufacturers just don't seem to share the same opinion.  I even talked with a customer who is a member of the B&O historical group.  Having them endorse/sponsor a mfr. to do this train would be a good fund-raiser if a few bucks were added to the price towards, say, the museum in Baltimore...the one that had devastating damage during a winter not too long ago.  Gee, come to think of it, that's in MTH's backyard!!!!

Too bad.

KD

KD,

In reference to the B&O Cincinnatian, you and I have had this discussion at York. This would make a great 5 car train - perfect size for most layouts and some budgets.The Weaver P-7d is crying for the correct accurate scale length cars to pull.

The Columbian was not as successful obtaining reservations as I thought it would be, but, fortunately, there was an opening in a GGD run of passenger equipment for 300 cars and it was decided to do The Columbian coaches which had 75 reservations for the 4 car set. The other 4 Columbian cars will be added to another GGD project - most likely later this year. Total Columbian cars produced will be 600.

Considering the normal minimum run of GGD passenger equipment is 1000-1200 cars that would mean there would have to be 200 Cincinnatian set reservations - a virtual impossibility considering how many folks already have some kind of Cincinnatian train to run behind their Weaver P-7d's.

Th obvious answer is to see if The Cincinnatian could obtain maybe 100 +/-  5 car set reservations and be combined with another passenger project in the future. I believe you will see The Cincinnatian announced by GGD at some point but not just yet.

Like you, I model the B&O and am always trying to pick good B&O projects for Sunset/GGD. Surprisingly, the Sunset/3rd Rail P-7e project has not been well received with less than 50 reservations - about half of what is necessary to move forward.

If you come to York again I hope you bring your Goldens.

Bob, thanks for the update on the P-7e's. I'm also a B&O fan and find this engine as the final purchase for me to complete my B&O roster. 

The Cincinnatian is a must for most of us I'm sure, I can only hope that Scott can find a way to build this 5 car set. No one has come close to producing a true scale set of this train.

Come on B&O fans place your pre-order for the P-7e's so Scott can get this project started. I want this engine. BF

Bob...

I should have clarified my comments above.  My reference to unresponsive manufacturers was primarily targeted at the HO/N folks.  I know it didn't come across that way...my apologies.  Working at the LHS, I fully understand that those scales are supported by a much larger market.  Yes, I do indeed remember our York discussion.  I am 'at peace' with the prospects of an O scale Cincinnatian based on your supportive comments.  I also know that the overall buyer economy and market for ALL scales at this time is a problem for a major tooling investment...coupled with rising costs and labor instability in China.

BTW, Daisy and Millie (the Goldens) would definitely be at York.  Not sure it will work for April, but we're trying.  Right now they're wagging their tails in anticipation of the Westminster Dog Show...hoping for the improbable: that their breed will win at least its class.

Thanks to you and Scott for all you do to support this hobby.

KD

Very good news! 

$3000 for 10 cars is still a heck of a lot better than $7500-$9000!

Thanks Scott!

We are very excited about the 51 Super Chief. Orders are coming in at a pace that tells me to put it into production immediately. I handed the drawings to our designer yesterday. It will take 6 - 9 months from now.

So Currently the Schedule of things are:

1. C&NW H-1: Production Finished in March, April Delivery

2. N&W TE-1 Jawn Henry: May/June

3. PRR L-1: Valve Gear Correction Made. Production this Spring, Delivery Summer

4. SP Lark: Spring

5. Modern HW Coaches GGD - Spring/Summer

6. NYC T-3 Electrics: Summer

7. The Canadian Train:  Summer

8. GN 08: Fall

9. Erie S3/S4: Fall/Winter

10. N&W Mollies: Fall/Winter

11. FP7A / F7B: Winter

12. SF Super Chief: Late 2013

13. SP AC9  Late 2013

14. B&O Columbian: Late 2013

15. Horse/Theater/BM70M Cars: Sometime 2013

Whewwww...

Again, thank all of you that are supporting us with information and orders.

Scott Mann

Wow, bummer that the N&W Mollies aren't coming until Fall/Winter!

Note that the GGD SC will not have any Budd cars.  It will have P-S Diner, Dome and lounge cars along with ACF 10-6 Palm Sleepers, 4-4-2 Regal sleepers, baggage, RPO and Vista observation cars.

We love you man! 

Scott your one of the O scale guys! 

I do have a suggestion for this set..... MORE THAN 6 people per car!