Rivarossi declares Bankrupcy

Also those very nice Baldwin switchers. I don't worry much about Stewart, as their products are well-respected. They don't sell in huge numbers, but they do seem to sell steadily. Their biggest problem seems to be lack of a clear corporate image. Their advertising and packaging are both bland, even amateurish, so they don't make much of an impression except to the serious modelers.

Mark Alan Miller

I think of Stewart as the "go-to guys" for Alcos. Shame I can't use more of them.

Jay CNS&M Wireheads of the world, unite!

How about a DT-6-6-1500/2000? The EJ&E used them until at least 1974. Does that count as modern?

I love those center-cabs. I just had to kitbash one. I'm now working on the frame. It's going to look so good in EJ&E orange & green...

Jay CNS&M Wireheads of the world, unite!

Also Stewart doesn't seem to be trying to set the world on fire, their products are aimed at a niche market, and seem to do well in that market. You won't find them piled up like firewood at GATS shows at

70% off, and that's a good thing. Steve Stewart was the first upstart manufacturer to produce complete locomotives that is still with us - GSB is long gone, they were the very first. He also introduced the idea of phase variety, I have lost count of the number of different F unit configurations he produced over the years. Among the major manufacturers, he's probably the most conservative, taking over honors with the passing of Irv Athearn. Conservative as in, he doesn't take huge risks dependent on selling 50,000 copies, or competing head to head with nearly identical products. His decision to run more F units when the F wars got going - and the race was on between Intermountain and Highliners/Genesis was brilliant. I didn't think it was a good move at first, but when Intermountain's shells came along, it was a good year or two before they had drives... guess what, people bought Stewart's Kato clone drives. And Steve sold a bunch of F units before the Genesis tidal wave arrived - taking full advantage of his completed, ready-to-fly tooling and the 2-3 year window. Pretty smart.

And he has won a loyal following with his variety of Baldwin switchers, and big Alcos - even high noses! No, I dont think Mr. Stewart is going to go away any time soon... unless he plans on retiring. And that will be a sad day for the fans of the not-so-mainstream diesels.

And don't forget all those eastern prototype 55-ton and 70-ton hoppers. Three different 7-ton cars too. All very nice models at prices that should shame these $30+ RTR shake-the-boxers right out of their shrink wrap.

Andy

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- Pre-Interstate Urban Archaeology

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That was often the case, and still is, at least in some cases. Of course, if I want to model a Coast Starlight, I have to go to Walthers or Con-Cor instead, but that is beside the point.

I have another related question. If I understand correctly, Rivarossi is (was?) part of a complex that included four companies: Arnold (Germany), Lima and Rivarossi (both based in Italy), and Jouef (France)

in article snipped-for-privacy@news-server.cinci.rr.com, Andy Harman at snipped-for-privacy@notmail.com wrote on 7/30/03 1:10 AM:

So when is he going to do FTs and F3s in Seaboard Airline?

As far as I know, the Rivarossi group has the members you've said.

Well, never had a Jouef catalog, so I cannot be of much help there :-( There was a Lima/Rivarossi/etc. catalog circulating in the past year, but I haven't seen it here in .gr (it seems you could find it only in Italy).

You're right, the European prototypes go for 4-axle locomotives, since the wear and tear the track at high speeds is much lower than their

6-axle counterparts. You *may* meet 6-axle new freight-only locomotives (usually diesels imported from Americas like the "Class 66", but there was a 6-axle version of the Siemens Eurosprinter EG 3100 electric for the Danemark-Sweden Oresund Link recently).

I must admit, though, that 6-axle locomotive production in Europe is a rare thing, even for freight (witness the DB Class 145, a cheap freight version of a passenger electric Class 101, geared for higher traction and lower max.speed). It's cheaper for a factory to make a freight version of a passenger electric locomotive and put 2-3 in multiple traction for a heavy freight train than one powerful and heavy 6-axle electric.

Hope this helps.

N.F.

-- Dale Leasure Chief Rust Scraper Penfield & Western RR

--remove clinker from addr to reply direct--

Or the FT-SB ?