Walthers Amtrak Amfleet Is "Retired"

AM,you just might be right about the Comet/Shoreliner(Horizen) car type,the same could be said about the C-3/NJT multi-level car
type as well,as Bachmann catalogs a china based prototype.
The Athearn BBD "sausage" coach/cab car 1st used by GOT,is now used buy most western based commuter RRs.
The most colorfull for now is NMRX(Railrunner).

I don't think they need to dumb it down and honestly, I think a new retooled Walthers Horizon car would sell out quick, even if they were to sell at the same price as the Amfleets.

If Walthers released a suped up RTR regional commuter car, in say Metro North or NJ Transit, with lights and seated interiors with a matching cab car, which no one has ever done yet, they would sell out fast.

It might be a niche market but if advertised properly, those cars could help bring in a new generation of modellers that is not so familiar with the fallen roads and possibly introduce a new group of modellers who could run something they see on a daily basis.

Athearn has been selling the regional Bombardier cars for years and they sell out each time they are released. They run like crap but and they are region specific, but you can't find a GO Transit CalTrain or Sounder cars anywhere at a LHS.

Imagine if Athearn was to add directional & interior lights to the Bombardier cars....

Drooling over these cars!

Wait... WAIT till you see the window gasket detail. Not only did Walthers hit the ball out of the mark with the Amfleets, they exceeded my expectations of what they can do with a passenger car model.

You WILL NOT be sorry

Walthers... if you're reading this, bravo on a job WELL done and an empty wallet.

Tom

B44NYC wrote:It might be a niche market but if advertised properly, those cars could help bring in a new generation of modellers that is not so familiar with the fallen roads and possibly introduce a new group of modellers who could run something they see on a daily basis.

I was actually just thinking about this with the AEM-7 release. The last run was 2000. These days, anyone under 37 years old does not ever remember seeing a running GG1. That means that any NEC fan under 37 grew up with the AEM-7. When they last ran the AEM-7 14 years ago, this number was anyone under 23. Not a large modeling market, and not the ones with the money. Maybe it wasn't that the AEM-7's don't sell well, maybe they were just before their time for the first two runs??? Any Northeast modeler born within the last three decades doesn't have memories of the PRR, PC, EL, RDG, etc. If they want to model stuff that they see all around them it is Amtrak, NJT, SEPTA, etc. In the next few decades we may see that type of stuff becoming increasingly popular in the hobby.

The Athearn BBD "sausage" are fair to good runners out of the box,a drop of LaBelle oil helps.
DO get rid of the McHenrys and put in a KD #5 on the A end and a KD #118 (shelf) on the B end if you
intend to run "Push-Pull".
There was 4 runs of NMRX cars,1st run,some of the sets were passed out as "gifts" to the state house and senate members
in Santa Fe when NMRX started up,the rest sold out real quick,as did the 2nd-4th runs.

I never had a problem with any of the athearn RTR bombardier bi level cars. They have excellent details, run very well (much better than walthers) and have some great paint. I was able to get them for 25-30 a car. Whats wrong with that? I myself would be more interested in spending that amount of money on new released commuter equipment than spending 70-80 a car. Mostly because my purposes in modeling is to collect COMMUTER TRAINS and not necessarily any specific road etc. I pretty much buy what I have seen in my travels and what looks cool.

At the moment I have 10 Walthers NJT Comet cars. If they released a new model I would replace them all and possibly get more. If they were to release a different model like the Comet III/IV body style with center doors i would keep what I have and double my fleet.

Backshophoss wrote:The Athearn BBD "sausage" are fair to good runners out of the box,a drop of LaBelle oil helps.
DO get rid of the McHenrys and put in a KD #5 on the A end and a KD #118 (shelf) on the B end if you
intend to run "Push-Pull".
There was 4 runs of NMRX cars,1st run,some of the sets were passed out as "gifts" to the state house and senate members
in Santa Fe when NMRX started up,the rest sold out real quick,as did the 2nd-4th runs.

Good to know about the Kadee 118....I sold my last set of BBDs but I'm going to pop for the new Florida Tri-Rail version with the matching F59PHI coming out in March to go along with my Silver Meteor.
I know Tri-Rail doesn't have a F59PHI, but you can't find the old Trainline F40PH or Athearn GP50 anywhere.