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Post by bronzemeister on Jul 10, 2012 11:03:06 GMT -8
Hi All!
Was just checking up on the vapour-ware PRR M-1 over at the Broadway Limited web site to see if any new bed time stories had been posted.
Their forums are gone! Just a note saying something like "We don't have the time to moderate these things, so we got rid of them".
When did this happen? Curious.
I still hold out hope, just not too much.
Bronzemeister
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Post by keystonecrossings on Jul 10, 2012 11:33:21 GMT -8
The BLI forums have been gone for a year or more. Reason cited was too much admin overhead.
I, too, was very frustrated with the M1a/b saga. I recently learned that they announced them before they even had a design or plan of manufacture for them. When it came time to put up or shut up, they claimed there weren't enough reservations.
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Post by douggosha on Jul 10, 2012 13:06:50 GMT -8
This whole thing reminds me of an old cartoon in Model Railroader. The picture is of a man sitting at a desk reading a letter and another man, in obvious workshop clothes, standing in front of the desk. Behind them, on the wall, is a chart with proposed models, of which there are about ten, on the left side and models actually in production, of which there is one, on the right side. The caption is something like, "This 2-10-2 in our advertisments seems to be really popular with customers. Maybe it's about time we design it and get it into production."  Doug |
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Post by umtrrauthor on Jul 10, 2012 14:49:48 GMT -8
I had forgotten that BLI even had forums... not surprised that they were jettisoned.
I remember that cartoon also, Doug!
There's a parallel in computer science: A manager is seen ascending the stairway from what appears to be a basement filled with programmers. The caption reads, "I'll go find out what they want and the rest of you start coding."
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Post by bnsf971 on Jul 10, 2012 16:18:56 GMT -8
They were having problems just like Atlas had. You know, 5,000 spam posts a day, and all the kvetching about problems with the models, real and perceived.
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Post by rhpd42002 on Jul 11, 2012 17:19:56 GMT -8
I, too, never knew BLI had a Forum. Doug, I recall that cartoon, too! Just can't recall how long ago it was I saw it in the mag!  |
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Post by douggosha on Jul 13, 2012 13:00:26 GMT -8
OK, the cartoon was in the September 1964 issue of MR but that was a reprint. It was originally in the July 1950 issue! And here's the actual caption: "Sam, that 4-10-2 we've been announcing for the last two years seems to be quite popular with model railroaders. Maybe it's about time we design it and get it into production." And on the same page of the 1964 issue, Athearn advertising GP30s for $8.95 as a kit, $10.95 RTR; F7s for $7.95 kit ($5.95 HiF drive!), $8.95 RTR; GP9s for $8.95 kit, $10.95 RTR; and "The Hustler" for $4.95 RTR. I believe they were available only with HiF drive, right? And they had an RDC for $7.95 Sorry for the hijack bronzemeister. At least the hijack is remotely related. Doug |
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Post by bronzemeister on Jul 13, 2012 17:42:11 GMT -8
Don't worry about the hijack Doug! I'm just not the type to get upset at that.
Besides, I think I can dig up the original 1950 issue if needed! I bought a huge MR collection a few years ago just to get all the John Allen articles. Came with some nice filing cabinets too. Nearly killed the brakes in my truck driving them down the hill from Big Bear........
Bronzemeister
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Post by douggosha on Jul 14, 2012 11:40:09 GMT -8
Wow! Cool on the MR collection! There are issues I need to fill in, mainly from the mid-late sixties (although I have most of those) and early seventies. One of these days, I'll start haunting eBay more again (like I did when acquiring all the A1G cars).
Doug
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Post by inkaneer on Jul 14, 2012 17:33:17 GMT -8
A while ago I was lamenting the lack of PRR steam in N scale and what I perceived to be a big mistake for N scale as it as much said that if one wanted to model PRR steam then one had to go to HO. I also added that I was seriously consider getting rid of my N scale accumulation and buying HO. I subsequently received a private Email from someone who read my post and who said to hold on to N scale because PRR steam was on its way. The way the Email was worded convinced me that it was not just one locomotive but several. The time frame was the year 2013. Models were unspecified as was the manufacturer. More vapor ware? Maybe so, but I figure that I waited this long, what's another year? Man, I hope those dang Mayans were wrong about that Dec. 21, 2012 date.
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Post by inkaneer on Jul 16, 2012 4:23:45 GMT -8
The BLI forums have been gone for a year or more. Reason cited was too much admin overhead. I, too, was very frustrated with the M1a/b saga. I recently learned that they announced them before they even had a design or plan of manufacture for them. When it came time to put up or shut up, they claimed there weren't enough reservations. If this is true then BLI/PCM has effectively killed any chance for PRR steam being made by others. Everyone will point to the BLI/PCM M1a/b 'experience' for their reason to not do PRR steam. Of course Kato's experiencewith the Broadway Limited and GG1 did not help. Of course, these were niche items but no one will consider that. |
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