This may seem a bit off topic, please ignore it if you find it so.
I , for one, am not upset with the new Berks, although I would have preferred the free standing handrails as well.
It is hard to figure out why some commercial concerns behave as they do.
Before folks became disappointed in Lionel, they were disappointed by other firms.
When Bachmann first launched On30, there was a lot of talk that they would just regauge the wheels on the engines and replace the 1:48 detailed cab with a 1:64 scaled cab, and retruck the freight cars to make S gauge sets to run with Christmas Villages. A few of us did those conversions on our own and I have a whole fleet of MOW cars made from Bachmann cars that look pretty good. (Some folks run those cars behind the oversized AF Frontiersman Locos- but the hoppers, flats and gondolas look good behind a SHS Consolidation and converted Bachmann Archbar trucks are the most affordable way to get that style of trucks in S these days). I have no idea why Bachmann never made S Scale as there would have been only a minimal investment on their part. (I suspect that On30 didn't sell as well as they expected, as I acquired those Bachmann cars when the LHS put them on clearance for $12.00 each).
Oh well. I know a few tricks that I can do with paint to make molded handrails look like they are free standing from 3 feet away. Locomotives in ERIE paint are rare in S gauge and I am excited about an affordable steam locomotive that isn't 50 years old to run on my pike. (let's hope they don't cancel them!)
Little Tommy
