Originally Posted by scale rail:
Wouldn't it be great if Williams came out with a nice plastic steeple cab. They would sell a ton of them. No one has ever mass produced them. Don
Oh yeah, a nice CA&E class C steeple cab would be great!
Originally Posted by phillyreading:
Originally Posted by falconservice:
I am not too interested in the old Williams models because they have very few roadnames that fit my themes, and there graphics for the CNW DASH 9 were just an approximation.
I hope that they get the O Scale GP38-2 diesel Loco into production in the original 1970's paint schemes and road numbers for the Grand Trunk Western and the Soo Line.
Andrew
I don't think that WBB will come out with a GP-38-2. I mentioned about a GP-39 to one of the administrators and his reply was; "There were not enough of the original GP-39's made to warrent recovery costs for us." Honestly I doubt that WBB will do anything other than the main-line models and major railroads for O gauge.
Lee Fritz
You are mixing apples and oranges, and the moderator sounds grumpy.
The K-Line GP38-2 diesel was produced on and off for several years, but not in very many graphics. The details are on the same level as the new Bachmann O Scale GP30. It would be easy to put the GP39-2 paint schemes on the nearly identical GP38-2.
Lee, please do more diesel research on-line and debate this grumpy guy on the Bachmann forum.
Andrew
The F40PH, F59PHI and Bombardier Passenger cars can be made in even more paint schemes than when they originally were offered. If they do some research.
Andrew
As stated above, the GP39-2 is very similar to the GP38-2. The primary spotting feature of the 39 series is the substitution of a single exhaust stack behind the cab to reflect the turbocharged construction of the 39's primer mover versus the two stacks of the 38's normally aspirated engine. Perhaps a modular concept can be employed in the design of a newly tooled 38/39 series shell so both types can be represented. Atlas has accomplished this with its HO Trainman GP38/39-2 and Athearn has indicated the same can be done utilizing the tooling for its Genesis GP38-2, the first models of which were recently released.
Bob
I've also noticed the great pricing by Williams of late but here are a few possible scenerios for the blowout sale. Williams has a distinct advantage in selling the stuff cheap as they are the only large O Gauge manufacturer. When the company IS the factory they have complete control. On the other hand Lionel and MTH are importers and marketeers that have their products manufactured and branded for them by a subcontractor (the same one at that). Williams sells cheap because their cost points are lower and as a result they have the ability to rapidly react to a changing market.
The blowouts could possibly signal a change in direction for Williams. After years of making only conventional trains did anyone notice the new remote control operating cars??? They have the technology and if they wanted to, could make a remote control engine operating system. Will they?
There is no doubt that these are challenging times for retailing and if I read the signals correctly, I expect that we will see a massive realignment of the train market this year.
On the other hand Lionel and MTH are importers and marketeers that have their products manufactured and branded for them by a subcontractor (the same one at that).
I don't think Lionel and MTH are made by the same manufacture.
Originally Posted by Bill T:
I don't think Lionel and MTH are made by the same manufacture.
You are correct. They are not made by the same manufacturer.
Originally Posted by Dennis LaGrua:
Williams sells cheap because their cost points are lower and as a result they have the ability to rapidly react to a changing market.
Jerry Williams had low overhead. Bachmann has high overhead.
Rusty
Another possibility re inventory reductions....taxes. For many retail/wholesale/manufacturing businesses you don't want a lot of inventory ahead of their annual count for tax calculations.
I'm sure the WBB announcement will be stellar. But, I doubt that the announcement, alone, will explain the sell-off of inventory.
To those who bemoan WBB's price point and occasional/annual rising thereof...So, to whom else will you now run to?? The world 'news' is inescapable...economies are in trouble, prices are going to continue to rise....until they begin to collapse precipitously....and, then, who really cares about trains? They'll be the least of your worries.
It's a conspiracy.
The radio when I drive to work tells me the economy is raging. The prosperity that was gaining momentum is now running full blast. Once at work however, I see our partners, customers, fellow workers, and suppliers are all hurting. No raises this year again and May will bring the new health insurance contracts. Something doesn't add up, but it's no time to be stuck with toy trains in inventory.
Our economy is built over a proverbial sink hole and everything looks good until it collapses in on it's self then we will see some real blow out sales.
But that said I do think that WBB are trying to not only make room for new stock but to position themselves for when and if things do go south.
Lionel did this in the Thirties when they came out with the Micky Mouse LIne and the 700-E. The former was high volume low price point and the later was high price point but low volume. In both cases Lionel made money that paid their bills. As for the average hobby market that was ok, but if they had to depend on that for income they would of been done in 1934 or 35.
I think what we are seeing right now is our hobby manufactures battening down the hacthes for a possible storm. Unless we can in some way get our economy moving again in a way that will create new wealth I don't see the production of the nineties coming back any time soon.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Atlas make their premier line in conventional models as a option about 10 years ago and I know they made Trainman in conventional but they didn't sell well so they dropped the conventional models for a while. MTH also made loco sounds engine for a while then dropped them due to low sales. I just wonder if it's a good move to go into command control since there are so many other options out there.
Originally Posted by bigo426:
The radio when I drive to work tells me the economy is raging. The prosperity that was gaining momentum is now running full blast. Once at work however, I see our partners, customers, fellow workers, and suppliers are all hurting. No raises this year again and May will bring the new health insurance contracts. Something doesn't add up, but it's no time to be stuck with toy trains in inventory.
You either have a bad radio or you are listening to the wrong radio station
Originally Posted by bigo426:
It's a conspiracy.
The radio when I drive to work tells me the economy is raging. The prosperity that was gaining momentum is now running full blast. Once at work however, I see our partners, customers, fellow workers, and suppliers are all hurting. No raises this year again and May will bring the new health insurance contracts. Something doesn't add up, but it's no time to be stuck with toy trains in inventory.
MULDER! (X-Files theme in background!)
