PC: Re: Re: Re: Passenger cars in HO

["Peter King" <fshobby@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Garrett Rea <Garrett.Rea -AT- worldnet.att.net>
To: Penn Central <penn-central -AT- smellycat.com>
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2000 7:03 PM
Subject: PC: Re: Re: Passenger cars in HO


> >> Why?  The bulk of the cars are not right for PC plus the windows are
> >> terrible (step backward from the Rivarossi cars).  There are a lot of
> >> correct car sides available out there,
> >
> >Because not everybody has the time/resources/inclination to build, or
even
> >paint, their own cars. Given that sales of IHC cars FAR outstrip sales of
> >aftermarket car sides, I'd say there's plenty of demand for the RTR
painted
> >cars. I made the suggestion to IHC because they can easily make the cars
a
> >little LESS inaccurate by having one LESS painting operation on their PC
> >cars. One less color = lower cost!
>
> Yes, there may be demand, but if they aint right, they aint right.   They
> are incorrect for most of the roads they are painted in.

Look at these two situations:

Situation 1:

 Me: Mr. IHC, your passenger cars are all wrong. You should retool them to
be correct.
 IHC: Sorry, we have $50,000 invested in each car. We aren't going to
retool, it will be too expensive.

Situation 2:

 Me: Mr. IHC, your Penn Central paint scheme could be a little more accurate
if you just remove the green window band, and add PC heralds on the ends.
 IHC: That's a simple change, we can do that.

Now, which request is more likely to be done? You can bet it's #2.

>The argument of
> less paint = less cost, they all cost the consumer the same, so who would
be
> getting the savings?

IHC does. I offered that as an incentive to get THEM to do it. Which are
they more likely to do? A correction that costs them more money, or a
correction that costs them less?

>Most modelers would not buy the IHC cars anyhow.  The
> few I have had in my hands are atrocious.  Same as the Con Cor cars, and
> they were tooled the same year I was born.  Fluted PC baggage and dome
cars
> is where IHC looses me (plus the cantenary collectible NYC GG1, the dated
> SD35, etc.....)
>
By 'most', you really mean 'you'. Despite the fact that they are terribly
inaccurate body styles, a great deal of people buy them. I have been selling
trains for a long time. I know what people buy.

> >> so what we need (calling Mr. Kosty)
> >> are decals for what is available, not more things that are wrong.
> >>
> >The two are NOT mutually exclusive. IHC making their paint scheme a
little
> >more accurate will not deter any decal manufacturer from making better
> >decals. So why oppose IHC correcting their colors?
>
> Not opposition or deterant, but why make efforts to "correct" something
that
> is still wrong?  Model and toy market are different birds.  The decal
makers
> are (obviously) not selling to the open-the-box RTR market...
>
You sound like there are only 2 types of modelers. Those who paint, decal,
scratchbuild, kitbash, etc.; and those who run RTR Bachmann and Tyco. The
VAST majority of model railroaders are in between. Despite the superiority
of Intermountain and Red Caboose car kits, Athearn outsells them by a wide
margin. (And I mean by multiples, not percentages.)

> >> For heavyweights, remember the Bachman heavyweights are correct for
P70s
> >> (depending on roof)
> >
> >And are not available in PC.
>
> Easy, take a PRR coach, add worms...that was all most of them got!  Some
> Bachman printing (not paint) will strip w/Dio-sol by the way.  Strip of
the
> PRR and Keystones, and you have PC commuter coaches!  Plus, starting with
> the PRR cars, you get PRR trucks....
>
And for the vast majority of modelers who don't paint? Or don't care to take
the time to change trucks? YOU think it's easy. Everybody on this list may
think it's easy. That doesn't mean that MOST modelers think it's easy.

> >>and that most of the cars made by ECW saw PC service.
> >>
> >Mostly flat kits, few are available painted in ANY scheme.
>
> All good flat kits, some of my favorites.  When they were sold under the
E&B
> Valley moniker, they came painted PC BTW (check eBay, they are there
monthly
> or so..).  Now, all undec, paint them however you want.  I have two ex-NH
> cars in the works, working on getting the DARK green window bands
> right......
>
I know all about the E&B Valley cars. I bought the dregs of Bill Glass's
stock, including several PC kits. These cars have not been available painted
in a LONG time. Aside from that, the IHC cars FAR outsell ECW kits. Why?
MOST modelers don't want to/can't assemble and paint the kits.

> >> Don't forget the red and gold PC passenger cars also, they were quite
> >> sharp.
> >>
> >Agreed.
>
>
> It is a shame that these cars (mostly sleepers) were scraped early on.
> Realy stand out, I like them better than the green and white, truth be
told.
>
> As for a "standard" scheme, remember, this is PC we are talking about :-)
>
> Goodnite-
>
> GWR
>
 Peter King in NY