Re: Broadway Limited Imports

you

Interesting! If you go to their site

there is no indication they are making this engine. In fact the site is quite specific even as to scale as in the upper right corner is this;

Broadway Limited Imports, Ltd. Makers of the first and finest Factory-Sound-Equipped HO engines

It's fine that the engine will be available I'm just curious why they say nothing about it? The site referenced is an auction site and it says there are 97 engines available as a buy it now price with the engines available later this year. The only site BLI has shows a shipping schedule into early 2004 and this engine is not on it. While everything looks good including the picture of the test engine the auction wants payment now. I sure wouldn't send them a penny without BLI confirming that they really are doing this engine!

It's noted on the Trains/Model Railroader website. I didn't give that because you have to register to see the announcement. I wish I could remember where I saw the first indication of the product. Somebody said that BLI wanted it kept under wraps to make sure that they beat Bachmann to it.

You mean, details like this?

Only had experience with the Hudson, still waiting for a mate of mine to pick up his A class. The Hudson is on a 1-1 record on quality on delivery (of two picked up, one had to go straight back - didn't work at all). Overall detail quality on a par with Bachmann Spectrum steam, not quite to the P2K steam level. Sound (talking DCC here) is very good, but not great - the steam chuff has a mechanical knock to it, and is unsynch'ed. Running quality is good-very good, with a mark down on noise (with the sound switched off, to anticipate smart-arses) being noticeably growly on one, not so bad on the other. They both pull very well. Rate it about 8/10, overall worth the money.

To back up the last comment, I will certainly be buying the C-16, another friend has the M1A on order and wil purchase at least one of the AC4/AC5's.

Steve Newcastle NSW Oz

The seller is Keith Wiseman. Very Reputable and well known. He does a lot of custom work. I posted the link to this auction site earlier because it had some details and a picture. There is an announcement for the BLI C-16 at the MR site. I think BLI did not announce this product or list it on there web site because they did not want to alert Bachmann. If Bachmann had a C-16 in the works they might try to speed up delivery and would be selling a C-16 at a much lower price with out a decoder and sound. Folks have been bugging Bachmann for a C-16 for three or four years now so its possible they have one planned. BLI may just be testing the On30 water to see how it goes over before they make the claim to be an On30 manufacturer or commit to other On30 projects. I think the C-16 will go over well and sell fast. At the price a lot of guys will be ordering two or three of them and if its true that its easy to convert to On3 those guys will be grabbing them up too. In a way I wish it was Bachmann that was releasing the C-16 because then you could pick up a C-16 or two any time you want but this will be a limited run sell out. Bruce

Internet Tarins has it listed already at $229. For All the details and versions check

Bruce

Are people really stupid enough to bid on items not even out yet? If so I have a bit of swamp land available. I'd never do it nor make my customers do it either.

Dave

He also isn't speedy or perfectly reliable. I had a reservation for a C&O heavy mountain with him and I just this last Monday got my shipment notification, 2 weeks after many others posted they had theirs in their hands (from other dealers). One had already been sold on ebay (with pictures proving the guy had it to sell)! Mine has yet to show up. I'm sure it will, but if they ship it as quickly as their usual shipments, it'll be here sometime late next week. I've checked, and the last 5 shipments I've had from them actually shipped an average of a week after they said they would. But the prices are good and things usually get here eventually, so there's not too much to grumble about.

Plus, there was the "distributor problem" which screwed me out of the latest Proto Heritage offering. They called and said their distributor had lied and they never ordered them and Tony's wasn't getting any, so too bad. It wasn't until several days after I complained about their still accepting reservations that they bothered to post a message to the effect that none would be forthcoming and that the reservations were for the second run, should one occur. I wasn't really pleased with how they handled that.

-- Jim Sherman xROADKILL snipped-for-privacy@zYAHOOa.COM < remove lower case letters, then use what's left AS lower case

The hurrider I goes the behinder I gets; which makes sense because the older I gets the more behind I gets. And I is gettin an old behind!

I'm not to sure this is a unique situation. I was in a hobby shop yesterday (having a long going discussion with the owner about owning a computer so he can know what's going on) and ask about that BLI engine. He had never heard of it but was sure his distributor would tell him went it arrived. I told him it was limited production but he insists his distributors will get him the word. He also had never heard that Lionel was making a DCC sound 4-6-6-4! Many dealers rely on their distributors and never realize they need orders in early to get these products. [and then there was the discussion on why shops go out of business]

Heck if he subscribed to the free trade magazines available to him he'd have know that. Sometimes you have to call the distributor and kick their buyers in the shins. Case in point I had one distributor tell me some Atlas engines that I had backorder (I update listings daily) was being canceled due to non availability. When I called he told me Atlas was not doing these. This despite Ads to the contrary including Atlas web site. I fixed this by having Atlas call him and explaining he was wrong. He called back and backorders were reinstated. These showed up as scheduled by Atlas. Retailers need to do ther homework and if need be be persistent in follow ups when needed. If I didn't track my backorders and check the daily catalog updates I'd miss quite a bit of nice product to sell.

Dave Henk Jacksonville, FL

well.

Placing an order is one thing. However, if I followed correctly folks are buying the engine (as in forking over currency) as a preorder. Why? I can't remember a time when a manufacturer or distributor asked me to pay in advance of a products release. Rule is generally you get the product and then pay anywhere from delivery to 30 days (depending on source). Someone asked me for payment before delivery of product I'd tell them to "step off". Sorry, but I'm not about to make someone a "loan" for a product months away. So whether it's described as buying or called a 100% deposit to me that's crazy.

Please don't take any of my comments here as an indictment on someones name or intentions. It's meant in general terms ergo I deleted the for mentioned name as unneeded.

Dave

The shop I was discussing was a full retail shop. If I do the research, check out the product on the net (if possible) and educate myself all about it, why do I need that dealer. Basically I was giving another example of why folks buy on the net or mail order.

I find quite frequently that I know things that the retailers around here don't know, or don't know yet. But that doesn't qualify me to run a hobby shop. For one thing, I tend to know about things like diesels, passenger cars, and 1970s era freight cars that are forthcoming in HO scale. Why? Because that's what I model, so that's what I seek out and pay attention to on line. A dealer has to be aware of all the products, in all the scales (or at least all the scales he deals with), whether there is personal interest or not. Even though hobby is considered specialty retailing, there are dozens of specialties within the specialty, and it's rare that a shop can remain profitable on just one or two niches.

Which brings me again to why I stay out of the business side of the hobby. I would say its the same reason I'm not a disc jockey. I like to play music I like, not play what's popular and talk it up anyway. I could do it as a job, but it would greatly reduce my enjoyment of music as a hobby. Which is one reason I do very little "hobby" computing. Sure, I have computers at home - they are tools for net access, and for my work. They may become tools for operating my railroad at some point. But the idea of computers as a hobby left me sometime more than 25 years ago... and a *real* vacation means going someplace where there aren't any.

Andy P.S. If I were a disc jockey, I'd want a job like Fred Dabney... 3 hours once a week to play whatever I wanted :-)

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- Pre-Interstate Urban Archaeology

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Dave, I recently received my Class "A", 2-6-6-4. The sound is great! Some of the "combination CV settings take a little getting used to but all in all, no big deal. The only complaints I have to date are:

Advancing the throttle to step one causes the engine to "lurch" somewhat. No matter how low CV's 2 or 67 are set, you still get this lurch. It is as if a kick is being imparted... but kick start is not utilized on this engine.

Get rid of the tracti> See they're going to be releasing an On30 Consolidation this fall. Anyone

-- Dave

Never leave well enough alone. (Raymond Loewy)

I was referring to the Retailer doing this and not you. Afterall why would you be calling his distributor?

Dave