@GG1 4877 posted:Two reasons:
- Production costs on brass locomotives are peaking currently. See Lionel's hybrid prices as an indicator.
- It is just difficult to get 75 O scalers to agree on anything from Sunset / 3rd Rail. I haven't seen a locomotive project in many years that had that kind of consensus. Unlike diesels where multiple units are common, steam is typically a one and done affair.
It is just difficult to get 75 O scalers to agree on anything. - stop right there! 
I wish it was otherwise, but will anyone be willing to pay around $2000 for a scale D16? While we say it over and over, there is not much of a cost savings based on size of the locomotive and we always fight the perceived notion that bigger is more expensive when regardless of size, price is about the same.
Well, if they were in the price range and level of the SMR engines such as that last PRR engine, you could probably find 20-50 buyers; just a quick back of a dirty envelope guesstimate, 
