I will be in for the CB&Q units and the NP will sure be tempting. I will have to see if the Q & NP every pooled these together prior to the merger....
I wonder what constitutes 'state of the art power pick up'? Exciting stuff though :-D I see a (hopefully) ACL unit mixing in with my Chessie consists
I guEss what surprises me the most is that Atlas is not one making this announcement. It just seems unnatural for Hornby to suddenly jump back into the N scale market. I'm happy for the added source for new models... but as a person that likes to go with the known versus the unknown... I hope they don't disappoint.
They're probably going to use those contacts, from the old FM C-Liner, that wipe directly on the railhead, but this time install them on both trucks.
Nice to see one of the old players get back in the game. At first I asked why the C model and not the B. Then I realized that Atlas had pretty well covered the bases with their U25B and the C model makes a lot of sense. Always did like the U Boats for some reason.
Pratically all new European/British N scale locomotives come with the NEM 6 pin DCC sockets that FVM used in their GEVO, my guess is they will use that. Good to see them picking a prototype no one has done yet.
Was hoping for BN and PC, but, as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have told me several million times, "You Can't Always Get What You Want" !!! Maybe next run,huh ???
There's only about a dozen roadnames available for this model, I'm sure BN and PC will be run eventually. I have to say, I'm pretty excited about this loco. (I model the early years of the BN).
It will be interesting as this model should have the new couplers that Charlie Vlk talked about at the N scale convention? I guess we will see. Great to see and I will be in for BN and NP.
Now the real test will be whether or not they designed the frame so that it works with something else with the same wheelbase. I think the U28C has the same dimensions, if not necessarily the same trucks. But if they do something stupid like put the cast-metal frame chunk right under the rear truck 'stairs' then you're looking at different tooling for a different frame. That evidence of 'plan ahead' speaks as to whether this is a one-shot or a bigger plan. Back in the early days of N the liklihood of an American model was in direct proportion as to whether there was a european chassis or unit that could be stuffed under a North American shell and truck sideframes. I can't imagine there's any such relationship today, but I can't stop wondering, either. Arnold got more mileage out of the German-built GP7/9 by doing the GP30, same mechanism. Plenty of other examples, some elegant and some laughable, including the Trix 2-10-0, but stretching the tooling to maximum usage is certainly a time-honored strategy.
"I think the U28C has the same dimensions, if not necessarily the same trucks." The Phase I (1a and 1b) were nearly identical to the U25C and were rostered by CB&Q and NP (both groups to BN). The Phase II were longer and the newer trucks were used for all units. Its worth noting that three NP units (2518-2520) were built with 2750 HP rating while three ACL units (3011-3013) were rated at 2800 HP, before the U28C became official.
I was pleased to make the public announcement on behalf of Hornby America at the Manufacturers Breakfast at the N Scale Enthusiast Convention in Milwaukee. The return of the first name in N Scale to the North American market is, IMHO, a big deal and Hornby's work on this project will make this unit worthy of the honor of being the first offering. All the Roadnames and paint schemes possible will be done but, of course, not on the first release. There are actually more than the 12 roadnames listed possible because of the CB&Q and NP "patch jobs" for BN and the same for the ACL and L&N units. There will be road-specific details in addition to the phases. At this point in time the U28C isn't planned as it does not add any roadnames. Some simple aftermarket kits to make one (Shapeways??) would be easy (the Phase I U28C body that shares the body and trucks with the U25C). Beyond that unit the U25C really doesn't lend itself to any other units (maybe the trucks could be used for a PRR or NH hood electric, but I don't think that is a candidate for a production model even though Bachmann made one in HO a few years ago). And yes, at this point it looks like the coupler that I've been working on for years will finally see the light of day on these units. I intend to make the coupler available for retail sales and OEM to any other interested manufacturers. No details will be announced until they are tested and pricing is established so distribution details can be arranged. And to answer the question, no, none of the old Rivarossi / Lima / Arnold tooling will likely be brought back. While many items could be brought up to some reasonable level to exist in today's market, the simple fact is the cost to refurbish 30 or 40 year old tooling would probably be close to or more than creating state-of-the-art new products from scratch. Hornby is excited about the North American N Scale program and some very interesting projects are being seriously discussed. Charlie Vlk Railroad Model Resources
Sounds good Charlie, with your hand in it the U25C should be very good, the coupler sounds interesting. Any idea though on the DCC readiness, Arnold were pioneers in N scale DCC as I recall.
Too ancient for my era But seriously, this is good news for us all. More manufacturers and more products. Wait, didn't someone say N scale way dying out?
