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  • New AEM-7's would go perfect with Amfleet release

  • Discussion related to everything about model railroading, from layout design and planning, to reviews of related model tools and equipment. Discussion includes O, S, HO, N and Z, as well as narrow gauge topics. Also includes discussion of traditional "toy train" and "collector" topics such as Lionel, American Flyer, Marx, and others. Also includes discussion of outdoor garden railways and live steamers.
Discussion related to everything about model railroading, from layout design and planning, to reviews of related model tools and equipment. Discussion includes O, S, HO, N and Z, as well as narrow gauge topics. Also includes discussion of traditional "toy train" and "collector" topics such as Lionel, American Flyer, Marx, and others. Also includes discussion of outdoor garden railways and live steamers.

Moderators: 3rdrail, stilson4283, Otto Vondrak

 #1073714  by acelaphillies
 
From the Atlas FB page:
Any chance of some AEM-7's now that Walthers is retooling the Amfleet line?

Atlas Model Railroad Company, Inc. Thanks for the suggestion. We have been considering another run of these locos.
With the news of retooled Amfleets this would be a great time for a re-run of AEM-7's/ALP-44's, and it sounds like Atlas is not close minded.

I for one would love to see a rerun of these locos. They are really great-looking models and run awesome! It was great of Atlas to bring these to the market for us in the first place. An update with ditch lights and DCC would be really nice. And if Atlas got a little more ambitious it would be awesome to have an AC version on the market as well.

The last run of these locos was in August 2000, and as well as these locomotives have held up, they are becoming more and more hard to find. If you would also like to see another run of the AEM-7 I would encourage you to tell Atlas via email. Here is the page with the link at the bottom http://www.atlasrr.com/communicate.htm . You are seeing what happens when people speak up about the Amfleets; maybe we can persuade Atlas to do the same thing with the AEM-7/ALP-44! :)
 #1073817  by Cadet57
 
acelaphillies wrote:From the Atlas FB page:
Any chance of some AEM-7's now that Walthers is retooling the Amfleet line?

Atlas Model Railroad Company, Inc. Thanks for the suggestion. We have been considering another run of these locos.
With the news of retooled Amfleets this would be a great time for a re-run of AEM-7's/ALP-44's, and it sounds like Atlas is not close minded.

I for one would love to see a rerun of these locos. They are really great-looking models and run awesome! It was great of Atlas to bring these to the market for us in the first place. An update with ditch lights and DCC would be really nice. And if Atlas got a little more ambitious it would be awesome to have an AC version on the market as well.

The last run of these locos was in August 2000, and as well as these locomotives have held up, they are becoming more and more hard to find. If you would also like to see another run of the AEM-7 I would encourage you to tell Atlas via email. Here is the page with the link at the bottom http://www.atlasrr.com/communicate.htm . You are seeing what happens when people speak up about the Amfleets; maybe we can persuade Atlas to do the same thing with the AEM-7/ALP-44! :)
An AEM in phase V paint would be awesome. Even better if it came in my favorite roadnumber, 901. :D
 #1073873  by acelaphillies
 
Cadet57 wrote: An AEM-7 in phase V paint would be awesome. Even better if it came in my favorite roadnumber, 901. :D
I agree! I would love phase V also because that is what I model. They would look especially good with the new Amtrak logos on the front and by the doors. I own AEM-7 #914 in phase V, but they are hard to find.
 #1077089  by Ken S.
 
Otto Vondrak wrote:What about all the AEM-7's still sitting on hobby shop shelves?

-otto-
What AEM-7s still sitting on hobby shop shelves? AFAIK, there are none sitting on hobby shop shelves.
 #1077167  by mlrr
 
Otto Vondrak wrote:What about all the AEM-7's still sitting on hobby shop shelves?

-otto-
What roadnames have you seen and at what shops? How much did they want for them and when did you see this?

I'll creep across 1 or 2 Amtrak AEM7s (one would be lucky if it had a road number already) at train shows but that's about it. The lowest I've seen an Amtrak AEM7 being sold for at a train show was around $75.
 #1077323  by Cadet57
 
Otto Vondrak wrote:What about all the AEM-7's still sitting on hobby shop shelves?

-otto-
I'd like to know what hobby shops A) that you know carry some magical glut of Atlas Aem-7's and B) Why you think the rest of us were supposed to know this.
 #1077523  by mlrr
 
Cadet57 wrote:
Otto Vondrak wrote:What about all the AEM-7's still sitting on hobby shop shelves?

-otto-
I'd like to know what hobby shops A) that you know carry some magical glut of Atlas Aem-7's and B) Why you think the rest of us were supposed to know this.
The rumor is that Atlas almost went out of business producing the AEM7s and there poor sales discouraged them from producing more. That was the rumor.

What some fail to realize is that even though this was a locomotive that had various paint schemes that could be marketed, the most popular were the Amtrak liveries. There were very few rollingstock options (if any) for the commuter liveries such as NJT, SEPTA and ESPECIALLY MARC. Add to the fact that each livery also had a un-numbered option but there were no ready, mass-produced decal sets that could easily be acquired to apply to the un-numbered units. If you were a commuter AEM7 with no road number, you were likely one of the last to go. Such was the case at Trainland/Trainworld and these sold for $50/each. Keep in mind that Trainland/Trainworld has a quantity base selling model and so they have a huge inventory. When it came time to clear that out, they had to discount them greatly to get rid of them but by then they only had the commuter models and one was lucky if they had a road number.

On the Atlas side, the AEM7s were produced before they started doing the pre-order system so it is likely that they overproduced them (in Atlas' view), taking a shot in the dark like they did which caused them to move more slowly than they would have liked to see. To their credit and Northeast modelers' benefit they've done as much as three separate runs of the AEM7s with the later two only consisting of Amtrak liveries (IV and V mostly).

It's easy for mainstream model railroaders to bash the re-production of the AEM7 but the fact of the matter is it is still a much sought after item (Amtrak liveries anyway) and the auction site proves it with closing prices well above the item's MSRP.

I will say this; as much as we are "begging" for it, I would be extremely disappointed if those calling for it complain about the pre-order process AND the increase in price from 1999/2001. As far as price goes, I would personally brace for the sticker shock by proportionately looking at the MSRP of the AEM7s in the past and compare it to other engines Atlas produced in the same period/time frame/year. That is what we can likely expect and we should own up to that. The AEM7 is the first engine I've purchased that had an MSRP over $100 back in 2000.
 #1077972  by B44NYC
 
mlrr wrote:
Cadet57 wrote:
Otto Vondrak wrote:What about all the AEM-7's still sitting on hobby shop shelves?

-otto-
I'd like to know what hobby shops A) that you know carry some magical glut of Atlas Aem-7's and B) Why you think the rest of us were supposed to know this.
The rumor is that Atlas almost went out of business producing the AEM7s and there poor sales discouraged them from producing more. That was the rumor.

What some fail to realize is that even though this was a locomotive that had various paint schemes that could be marketed, the most popular were the Amtrak liveries. There were very few rollingstock options (if any) for the commuter liveries such as NJT, SEPTA and ESPECIALLY MARC. Add to the fact that each livery also had a un-numbered option but there were no ready, mass-produced decal sets that could easily be acquired to apply to the un-numbered units. If you were a commuter AEM7 with no road number, you were likely one of the last to go. Such was the case at Trainland/Trainworld and these sold for $50/each. Keep in mind that Trainland/Trainworld has a quantity base selling model and so they have a huge inventory. When it came time to clear that out, they had to discount them greatly to get rid of them but by then they only had the commuter models and one was lucky if they had a road number.

On the Atlas side, the AEM7s were produced before they started doing the pre-order system so it is likely that they overproduced them (in Atlas' view), taking a shot in the dark like they did which caused them to move more slowly than they would have liked to see. To their credit and Northeast modelers' benefit they've done as much as three separate runs of the AEM7s with the later two only consisting of Amtrak liveries (IV and V mostly).

It's easy for mainstream model railroaders to bash the re-production of the AEM7 but the fact of the matter is it is still a much sought after item (Amtrak liveries anyway) and the auction site proves it with closing prices well above the item's MSRP.

I will say this; as much as we are "begging" for it, I would be extremely disappointed if those calling for it complain about the pre-order process AND the increase in price from 1999/2001. As far as price goes, I would personally brace for the sticker shock by proportionately looking at the MSRP of the AEM7s in the past and compare it to other engines Atlas produced in the same period/time frame/year. That is what we can likely expect and we should own up to that. The AEM7 is the first engine I've purchased that had an MSRP over $100 back in 2000.

Anyone hoping for a re-release of an AEM-7/ALP-44 will be waiting for a long time.

1) Shortage of passenger cars. Yes, Walthers is retooling the Amfleets and probably there will be other phase colors down the road within the next 2 years. But until then how many modellers are going to go out and purchase a brand new AEM-7 which might cost well over $150-$175 to run with $20 Bachmann Amfleets?

Also, aside from the Bachmann Amfleets, they are no new HO ready to run passenger cars (Horizon, Comet, Nippon, Hyundai) on the market that would match up with a new retooled AEM-7/ALP44.

2) Cost of licensing. To make it cost worthy to produce, Atlas would have to also license other railroads that use/used the AEM-7/ALP44. From what I've heard SEPTA/NJ Transit licensing is anything but cheap. Also, Walthers currently has the license for Amtrak Phase V, the version everyone wants. Atlas could work out an agreement with Walthers to use the license, but would you want to help a competing manufacturer?

3) Newer locomotives to eventually hit the market. Although everyone is clamoring for a new AEM-7/ALP-44, both locomotives are being slowly phased out by their railroads. The ALP-44 is being phased out by the ALP-45D and the ALP-46. The AEM-7 is to be phased out within the next 3-5 years with the ACS-64.

To keep ahead of the curve, manufacturers including Altas are looking for and ready to tool up for the "next big selling item" versus going back to an item that was discounted well below MSRP.

I'm a Northeast Corridor modeller & would love to see a new retooled HO scale AEM-7. But unless the new proposed electrified lines in California uses catenary wiring and IF they were to purchase the retiring Amtrak fleet of AEM-7s to run the new high speed service (this would open the market for at least a new painted version in HO) don't expect to see a new one in HO.
 #1078626  by Otto Vondrak
 
How would you know there were models sitting on hobby shop shelves? Well, I guess you'd have to visit a hobby shop. Many sat and gathered dust and could be had for as little as $50.

Atlas did a great job with the AEM-7 release, and it was a nice model, but I think they over-estimated the demand. You have to produce a certain number of models in order to make the production pay for itself. If Atlas it going to re-release the AEM-7, it will probably be through hobby shop pre-orders. Since Walthers is in the process of releasing new Amfleets as well as a new Metroliner, teaming up with Atlas to re-release a new AEM-7 is not entirely out of the question. Rather than speculate here, encourage Walthers and Atlas to work together and then show support for the re-release by actually BUYING a few of these models you are asking for.

-otto-
 #1078648  by acelaphillies
 
Otto Vondrak wrote:Since Walthers is in the process of releasing new Amfleets as well as a new Metroliner, teaming up with Atlas to re-release a new AEM-7 is not entirely out of the question. Rather than speculate here, encourage Walthers and Atlas to work together and then show support for the re-release by actually BUYING a few of these models you are asking for.

-otto-
One of my original intentions for starting my thread was to encourage people to voice their desire for AEM-7's. So I agree if we could write to Walthers asking them to work with Atlas like they do with Athearn for the phase V P42's that would be great!
 #1079070  by mlrr
 
Otto Vondrak wrote: Atlas did a great job with the AEM-7 release, and it was a nice model, but I think they over-estimated the demand. You have to produce a certain number of models in order to make the production pay for itself. If Atlas it going to re-release the AEM-7, it will probably be through hobby shop pre-orders. Since Walthers is in the process of releasing new Amfleets as well as a new Metroliner, teaming up with Atlas to re-release a new AEM-7 is not entirely out of the question. Rather than speculate here, encourage Walthers and Atlas to work together and then show support for the re-release by actually BUYING a few of these models you are asking for.

-otto-
Agreed!

B44NYC,

I believe I addressed all the points you just listed in detail before your post (which I find to be overly pessimistic).

The fact of the matter is that Atlas already has the tooling (re-tooling is another question). They've already confirmed a number of times before that it would be easy for them to do another run. In general, a re-released item is going to be much easier to run than putting in the R&D for a totally new item.

The physical feasibility of cranking out more product is not the issue nor is licensing. It's been done already. I am more pessimistic about the commuter road names than the Amtrak colors.

The only other "lesson learned" is possibly making the effort to do a separate tool for the ALP44 and only do it for one road (considering SEPTA owns and ALP44 too)
 #1079271  by green_elite_cab
 
Otto Vondrak wrote:How would you know there were models sitting on hobby shop shelves? Well, I guess you'd have to visit a hobby shop. Many sat and gathered dust and could be had for as little as $50.
-otto-
I don't know if thats really the case. There actually are several AEM7s and an ALP44 at hobby shops I frequent, BUT they are all second hand,used engines and they are all selling for above their MSRP (roughly $150), except for one SEPTA AEM7 which is going for slightly less.

These don't tend to last long though, and I wouldn't be surprised if most of these have sold by now.


I haven't been to every hobby shop in the world, but I tended to notice that most of the AEM7s were gone by the time that Trainworld was liquidating its inventory of them. My personal experience is that AEM7s and ALP44s have been difficult to find, and most of mine were bought through ebay or train shows.
 #1079429  by B44NYC
 
I was at a train show a couple of months ago in Calif. and out of all the Union Pacific and Santa Fe items the other vendors were selling, there was ONE guy who had a table and was literally giving away some of his Northeast Corridor items. I was able to buy a brand new Amtrak Phase III AEM-7 for a bargain basement price of $35 and one of the new Bachmann E60CP in Phase II for $30.

After a long discussion about the state of the hobby with him, I found out that he used to work as a design engineer for a very well known "west coast train manufacturer". He stated the company he recently retired from had so many items in the hopper for possible production runs (he wouldn't budge in telling me) that us modellers would love to see actually produced & come to to the market. But between the bad economy & trying to attain business loans for what he called "niche" market items was making the hobby business rethink a lot of their strategies. Plus the closing of factories in China has all the manufacturers running scared.

He also stated that some of the major hobby store chains want the manufacturers to heavily market & produce items that have multiple crossover appeal and has quick stock turnover. Expect for the coming future more "fallen flag" heritage locomotives which everyone is buzzing about now, which means bad news for us who are commuter modellers.


Which me back to the AEMs. Yes, Atlas has the tooling but honestly I think we would have seen new production runs withn the last 7-10 years. I suspect you'll see "Fallen Flag" Dash 8s before a run of "Toasters" anytime soon, but I could be wrong.

My hope is Walthers (I'm hoping for a sellout of the Metroliner), Con-Cor (fantastic job on the mP54s), Bway Limited (GG1) or MTH, (who has one in O scale), can be talked into doing a new Amtrak AEM-7.
 #1079449  by Ken S.
 
B44NYC wrote:I was at a train show a couple of months ago in Calif. and out of all the Union Pacific and Santa Fe items the other vendors were selling, there was ONE guy who had a table and was literally giving away some of his Northeast Corridor items. I was able to buy a brand new Amtrak Phase III AEM-7 for a bargain basement price of $35 and one of the new Bachmann E60CP in Phase II for $30.

After a long discussion about the state of the hobby with him, I found out that he used to work as a design engineer for a very well known "west coast train manufacturer". He stated the company he recently retired from had so many items in the hopper for possible production runs (he wouldn't budge in telling me) that us modellers would love to see actually produced & come to to the market. But between the bad economy & trying to attain business loans for what he called "niche" market items was making the hobby business rethink a lot of their strategies. Plus the closing of factories in China has all the manufacturers running scared.

He also stated that some of the major hobby store chains want the manufacturers to heavily market & produce items that have multiple crossover appeal and has quick stock turnover. Expect for the coming future more "fallen flag" heritage locomotives which everyone is buzzing about now, which means bad news for us who are commuter modellers.


Which me back to the AEMs. Yes, Atlas has the tooling but honestly I think we would have seen new production runs withn the last 7-10 years. I suspect you'll see "Fallen Flag" Dash 8s before a run of "Toasters" anytime soon, but I could be wrong.

My hope is Walthers (I'm hoping for a sellout of the Metroliner), Con-Cor (fantastic job on the mP54s), Bway Limited (GG1) or MTH, (who has one in O scale), can be talked into doing a new Amtrak AEM-7.
Unless of course someone were to offer AEM-7s in "Fantasy Schemes" such as PRR, DL&W, EL, NH, IC, PC, CN, GN, MILW, and RDG