I see in a recent magazine ad that MDC has announced a 40 tonner.
The drawing looks a lot like the EMD Model 40 of which only a handful were ever built. Is it a 40 Tonner or a Model 40 and how close are the prototypes to each other in overall size and appearance?
Does anyone know more about the model like when it is expected, the expected quality etc?
Thanks,
Glen Smith Nova Scotia
According to their web site
It's due in November with a $82.50 list price. They're offering half a dozen paint jobs.
I've no idea what to expect as far as quality. They've not tried a model like this before.
The prototype used two six-cylinder engines to produce 300 hp, driven through a traction motor on each axle. 11 were built from 1940 to 1943, all going to industrial or military customers.
-fm Webmaster of the Pere Marquette Historical Society, at
Off the top of my head, I would say that this is the smallest ready-to-run operational HO diesel anyone's attempted, though it should comparable in size to the Grandt Line GE 25-tonner kit. I'd guess it to be about half the size of the Spectrum 44-tonner.
The non-Spectrum Bachmann motorized units might be smaller (I'm thinking of their funky-looking handcar, in particular), but they're not really locomotives.
I'm really interested to see how well they pull this off. It could be a shot in the arm for a product line that hasn't done much to keep my interest in the last decade or so.
Has anyone heard whether Bachmann plans to release their 70-tonner with the new mechanism they offer on their 44-tonner? The new mechanism isn't a direct fit to the 70-ton switcher shell.
-fm Webmaster, Rails on Wheels, Washtenaw County, Michigan's HO Modular Club, at
Brawa's German "Köf II" and Piko's "Köf I" are much smaller. You could use either of those as industrial shunters in a US setting after some small detail mods. (Brawa is the German agent for Proto 2000 - equal quality)
(Hi Glen!)
My main concern with these new "critters" is their price - US $83.00 - ouch! That will be probably $125.00 or more here in Canada. I'd want to read about how they work and see one before spending that much cash on an engine from such an old fashioned firm like MDC. Of course I assume they will be made in China.
Bob Boudreau Canada too
The relatively high price is a good point.
If I was MDC's management, I think I would enter or re-enter the market with the best product I could manage with as low a price as possible. This would get the product into more hands and hopefully make people sit up and take notice. If the offering sells well and gets favourable reviews, that would help pave the way for additional products.
If, on the other hand the project is a flop due to a combination of limited appeal, high price and substandard performance (these are ifs, not accusations) MDC would likely lose money and be discouraged from bringing more models to market.
We'll have to wait and see I guess.
Glen Smith
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