Large Scale Central

Whatever happened to the USA trains B6 switcher?

General Discussion
#1

A lot of web sites had it listed as about to be released. It’d be a cool little loco, as a switcher or running a branch line

Anyone know if it’s ever coming out? What it will be priced at? I could not help but notice that RLD Hobbies has a big red notice regarding the little dockside switcher: saying, “This is a Preorder Only Item. It will be available in the Spring of 2007.”

The AML 0-6-0 is coming out in Spring–yeah, right–but it’s on the pricey side for me.

While we’re at it, G scale as a business seems kind of heavy on products you can buy that don’t actually exist, but which are forthcoming in moments etc etc. Why is that?

#2

Mike,
some manufacturers want a ‘sure thing’ offering pre-order only items to gauge public need/interest. Possibly insufficient pre-order interest to guarantee a successful production run. At around $1500, a very limited market in today’s economy.

   Simple human nature,  when an eagerly anticipated item is released,  is "What next?"  Manufacturers fuel this interest with hints of future production.  Several manufacturers these days will only announce new products when the productuion run is imminent.  This way they are able to cancel product development without losing face.
#3

Tim,
Some of them simply keep “delaying” the arrival of said product.
Perhaps expecting LS consumers will simply forget about it.
I guess that is another way of not losing face.

#4

I think it priced itself out of existence…after all, you could buy a live steamer for less.

tac

#5

For a list MSRP of only $1300 you could buy the AMS version, the street price may vary but I’ll bet it will be buyable at under a grand. So I as well have to agree with tac that it priced itself into oblivion, getting to be a common practice among manufacturers lately.

#6

Vic,
one can only speculate as to the impact the stillborn LGBoA switcher would have had on the market. With a market figure around say, $350.00, it would have swept the market aside. Possibly Marklin will see the need for such a loco and revitalise the project.

#7

Well I wasnt holding my breath before the Big Hindenburg, I’m not holding it now either…I’ll beleive it, only when I see it.