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David,

Thanks for the link. I visited Wikipedia & learnt something new. Although I have to admit that the term “HOOD” is used in multiple contexts in USA & is confusing. When I read “hood unit” yesterday, the first image that came to mind was a hip-hop / Urban themed paint on a locomotive with lots of bling & chrome spinners on the low profile wheels, meant to be used in Hollywood movies like “Boyz n the Hood” or “Set it off”.

These are just my opinion.

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

 
Originally Posted by DaveJfr0:
Originally Posted by naveenrajan:

I am not familiar with the term “hood units”. What are the locomotive models that are examples of “hood units?

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

 

First item on Google:

https://www.google.com/#q=hood+units&safe=off

 

 

I would reserve 2-rail version of the BNSF locomotive but in the executive scheme with the isolated cab as in the following photo.

http://www.railpictures.net/vi...d=490733&nseq=16

http://www.railpictures.net/vi...d=484191&nseq=48

 

If I had the option to reserve a CSX SD70MAC with the slightly flared radiators shown in the following photo, I would reserve that too or I would just reserve 2 of the BNSF executive scheme SD70MAC.

http://www.railpictures.net/vi...d=458662&nseq=87

http://www.railpictures.net/vi...102950&nseq=1957

 

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

 
Originally Posted by Swafford:

Good Day,

Who would be a buyer if Scott Mann offered the SD70MAC and SD70M in 2-Rail and 3-Rail? I'd be a buyer for the BNSF and BN SD70MAC's

 

What road names? 

 

SD70MAC: CSX, BNSF, BN, Conrail  

SD70M with Flared Radiator: UP or NS 

 

Regards,

Frank

 

Overland made the ATSF, BNSF, ON & CN SD75M, UP SD70M & CSX SD70MAC (both with slightly flared radiators) in O-Scale in 2005. I regret missing the opportunity to buy the CSX SD70MAC at that time. If I had known that Overland would be offering another run of the SD70ACe with the same models, I would have bought the SD70MAC instead of the SD70ACe.

I could be wrong but aren’t SD75M & SD70M, 2-feet shorter than the SD70MAC? I have never owned a Sunset / 3rd Rail model, but I see on this forum that they pay a lot of attention to small details. So that could mean that they need to make models in 2 different lengths if they make SD70M (SD75M) & SD70MAC in the same run.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

Naveen, you maybe right about the length. I got into a discussion with a guy about which type of cab must be used on each model. He insisted I chose the wrong cab type on one, and should have rounded the corners more. I have only photos to go by and no real experience. I do believe that each RR orders whatever cab is available that meets their wishes and they probably change during the run?

 I also notice rebuilds of engines where the cab gets swapped out for whatever reason, like accidents.

 

Definitely agree with Naveen. 
 
I'm in for both the SD70/70M's as well as the SD70MAC's.
 
SD70's
CN
IC
NS
 
SD70M's
CN
NS
UP
 
SD70MAC's
BN/BNSF - Executive scheme, BNSF paint outs
BNSF - H2/H3
 
Originally Posted by naveenrajan:

Well I immensely dislike steam era locomotives, freight cars & transition era locomotives & am looking forward to seeing more scale-size SD70MAC in O-Scale.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

 

The SD70 is a beautiful locomotive and personally, I would like to see allot more offerings in highly detailed SD70 macs. I have one SD70Ace in NS Penn Central livery by MTH. This is a Premier locomotive with all the detailing one might expect. Everything from moving fan blades to working ground lights etc, this locomotive is really fantastic. SD70 Macs are numerous, but really detailed ones are far and few in the 0 scale/gauge market.

 

I have a USA Trains G gauge rendering of the SD70 Mac. It is done in UP livery with the American Flag. Common theme, but really a first rate job by USAT on this particular locomotive. Anyway, I would like to see more done myself, but like one poster pointed out, not everyone cares about what I think should be produced/manufactured/created.

 

Pete

I will be the first to admit that I may have missed something on the way to catch the train. I have a couple of the early MTH SD-70s which are actually SD-60 bodies painted in the Executive BN Scheme, I checked the bodies against the plans and they are SD-60s not SD-70MACs. Now MTH has produced a newer SD-70M within the last couple of years or so. I purchased a body shell off of the Bay and checked it against scale drawings and it proved to be a SD-70M.

 My point is that if MTH or whoever produced a correct SD-70MAC in plastic would someone bring me up to speed on this offering. My current plan is to use the 60 shell and kit-bash an O Scale version according to plans and article published in RMC concerning an HO version.

   I would like to have BNSF SD-70MACs in all the different paint schemes, the prototypes were my favorite to operate. 

I believe Sunsets future market in plastic diesels will be more 2 rail, based on the FT production which was 400 2 rail and 50 3 rail. It will be interesting to see how the F7 run developes.Most of the 2nd and third generation diesels have already been made by Lionel and MTH in varing degrees of scale for the 3 rail market with limited 2 rail options on some diesels from MTH.In all likelyhood the 2 rail buyers choices will be the deciding in what models get built.JMO

Engineer Joe hit the nail on the head. SD70Macs or sd7/9's or whatever are not special.  What they are is relevant and substantial and meaningful to the industry.  If you want to talk about what's special or what you like, please post on a thread about postwar 3r or Polar Express or Thomas the tank engine.  
 
Whether you like SD70macs or is not relevant in this forum.  What is relevant is that SD70macs were widely produced, widely used, and still on the rails after a few decades past their intro.  They deserve a place in o-gauge railroading and if you model modern stuff and don't like them, it really is your loss.
 
 
Last edited by Rich Melvin

This forum is active enough that you can get a really good indication of interest for such a project.  I have no idea what a SD70 MAC is, but I would be willing to bet money that if five hundred orders were placed with deposits, Scott would bump this project ahead of his planned 3-year production.  I bet he would do it if you simply put the deposits in an escrow account.

 

I think you are off to a good start - I bet there are more than ten of these spoken for above.

What I find very interesting with this thread, and its cousin over on the two rail forum is not one individual that professes to want SD70MACs / SD70IACs has bothered to pick up the phone and discuss the project with Scott Mann.  Better to have a hobby posting on OGR?

 

Is the SD70MAC and its successor the SD70IAC relevant.  Sure is, if you model BNSF.  Yea, CSX, TMF and Alaska ended up with a handful of them, but every other single mega railroad passed.  

 

So you may get about eight variations of paint schemes if you include the BN and BNSF variants.  I don't know specifically how many paint schemes there are on these, as I really don't care.  When I see these things, all I get is Glendive MT nightmares of freezing my arse off, and Alliance flashbacks of Carhenge (I think I still have a pink t-shirt from that visit). 

 

So Scott will be tooling in plastic for a one hit wonder, and the tooling cost for a narrow carbody unit, with the detail that you guys profess to want, is going to be WAY higher than any F unit.  All the fans will need to be individual moldings / castings.  I'm sure that you guys will want see thru screens by the radiator hatch, DB intake, inverters etc.  Then there are individual handrails, front pilot details, truck details, etc.  Want a flared rad model too?  More cost, different tooling for the cooling hatch. 

 

Given the cost of the F units, I'd say these would easily fetch over $1,000.00.  

 

In my opinion, if Scott wanted to do a modern hood unit, he should do the GP40-2 (if you consider 1972 and later as modern ).  Nobody has done that model in O scale, there would be a plethora of road names, and enough variants such as Canadian cabs to further heighten the interest.

 

What would be interesting is if Scott actually did test the waters and offered the SD70MAC.  Like Bob2 said, ya got maybe 10 orders already, only 490 to go, assuming that a 500 unit production run would get 'er done.  I don't think Scott would get the pre-orders, but I'd sure like to be proven wrong.  

 

There definitely is a strong market for 1980s to modern era motive power and equipment.  The stuff sells VERY well in HO.  Transition era MP&E is still very popular in both HO and O, but with every passing day, the market gets smaller and smaller.   However, the market in O is SO small, that even if the market keeps expanding, it is still a VERY small market. 

 

So guys, pick up the phone, talk to Scott, and see what he says.  After all, it is HIS capital at risk.  At least then you will know if this whole wish is a granfalloon or not (thanks MWB for that word, learned something out of the 2 rail thread ).

 

Regards,

GNNPNUT

Stuck in 1952 in HO, 1953 in O, nuthin' newer than a GP7 or GP9 respectively for me.     

Good Day, I sent an inquiry to Scott this afternoon and below is his reply. I also suggested the GP40-2 which I have campaigned for several years.

    

Regards,

Frank

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you Frank.

I will consider your ideas. Right now I have several Cab units I am looking to make. Then maybe some more modern.

Scott Mann

Good Day,

I sent a note to Scott yesterday and suggested the SD70MAC, SD70ACe and ES44AC for future production! This is his reply:  "Thank You Frank.  In time we may hit all of these.  Scott Mann"

If you wish to see these engines presented by Scott please send him a note with your interest.

Regards,

Swafford

gnnpnut posted:

What I find very interesting with this thread, and its cousin over on the two rail forum is not one individual that professes to want SD70MACs / SD70IACs has bothered to pick up the phone and discuss the project with Scott Mann.  Better to have a hobby posting on OGR?

 

Is the SD70MAC and its successor the SD70IAC relevant.  Sure is, if you model BNSF.  Yea, CSX, TMF and Alaska ended up with a handful of them, but every other single mega railroad passed.  

 

So you may get about eight variations of paint schemes if you include the BN and BNSF variants.  I don't know specifically how many paint schemes there are on these, as I really don't care.  When I see these things, all I get is Glendive MT nightmares of freezing my arse off, and Alliance flashbacks of Carhenge (I think I still have a pink t-shirt from that visit). 

 

So Scott will be tooling in plastic for a one hit wonder, and the tooling cost for a narrow carbody unit, with the detail that you guys profess to want, is going to be WAY higher than any F unit.  All the fans will need to be individual moldings / castings.  I'm sure that you guys will want see thru screens by the radiator hatch, DB intake, inverters etc.  Then there are individual handrails, front pilot details, truck details, etc.  Want a flared rad model too?  More cost, different tooling for the cooling hatch. 

 

Given the cost of the F units, I'd say these would easily fetch over $1,000.00.  

 

In my opinion, if Scott wanted to do a modern hood unit, he should do the GP40-2 (if you consider 1972 and later as modern ).  Nobody has done that model in O scale, there would be a plethora of road names, and enough variants such as Canadian cabs to further heighten the interest.

 

What would be interesting is if Scott actually did test the waters and offered the SD70MAC.  Like Bob2 said, ya got maybe 10 orders already, only 490 to go, assuming that a 500 unit production run would get 'er done.  I don't think Scott would get the pre-orders, but I'd sure like to be proven wrong.  

 

There definitely is a strong market for 1980s to modern era motive power and equipment.  The stuff sells VERY well in HO.  Transition era MP&E is still very popular in both HO and O, but with every passing day, the market gets smaller and smaller.   However, the market in O is SO small, that even if the market keeps expanding, it is still a VERY small market. 

 

So guys, pick up the phone, talk to Scott, and see what he says.  After all, it is HIS capital at risk.  At least then you will know if this whole wish is a granfalloon or not (thanks MWB for that word, learned something out of the 2 rail thread ).

 

Regards,

GNNPNUT

Stuck in 1952 in HO, 1953 in O, nuthin' newer than a GP7 or GP9 respectively for me.     

The SD7/SD9 project will get the ball rolling for narrow carbody units and detailed fans so at some point in the future newer hood diesels will get produced as Scott has stated he has several other projects ahead of these units. Accuracy and a reasonable level of detailing within market pricing are the goals, I don't believe most on this forum would expect Key level of detail.Bear in mind for any desired model reservations dictate production.JMO

Last edited by hibar
hibar posted

The SD7/SD9 project will get the ball rolling for narrow carbody units and detailed fans so at some point in the future newer hood diesels will get produced as Scott has stated he has several other projects ahead of these units. Accuracy and a reasonable level of detailing within market pricing are the goals, I don't believe most on this forum would expect Key level of detail.Bear in mind for any desired model reservations dictate production.JMO

An accurate opinion I believe. There are at least two committed diesel projects planned after the SD units and three additional ones are under consideration after that. SD70 MAC is not included in that list but something newer than the SD7/9's is.

hibar posted:

Down the road quite possibly a newer SD unit something that the prototype was produced for a lot of RRs  think SD 38s/39s 40-2s, I believe the 6 axle diesels provide more engine for the dollar. JMO

True, however both Lionel and MTH have made TONS of such models, and it is thus very difficult to compete against such high volumes, no mater whether they did them correctly or not.

Hot Water posted:
hibar posted:

Down the road quite possibly a newer SD unit something that the prototype was produced for a lot of RRs  think SD 38s/39s 40-2s, I believe the 6 axle diesels provide more engine for the dollar. JMO

True, however both Lionel and MTH have made TONS of such models, and it is thus very difficult to compete against such high volumes, no mater whether they did them correctly or not.

Bear in mind Sunset with their new drive system and more rd name specific detailing is selling to mainly the 2 rail market, I believe the FT diesels were mostly done in 2 rail and at 400-500 models probably 1/3 of a typical Atlas run of 4-5 road names and far less than MTH/Lionel runs this is their target market.just saying!

The locomotive I am presently lobbying for on the schedule is the GP40/GP40-2 which has only been done by MTH and not very well at that.  Scott is hesitant and thinks that even that may be too new.   Several people have approached him about Trainmasters but he feels that has already been done to death at lower price points (hey Hot Water can you say TM demonstrators?).  So has the F7 (in spades) and that project was successful so...   Nothing has been penciled in beyond the PAs as of yesterday for diesels but interest will be gauged at York just as it was at the Chicago meet last week.

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