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Article: The Broadway Flyer: November 2023

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The Broadway Flyer: November 2023

The Broadway Flyer: November 2023

    Hey everyone! Curtis here from Broadway Limited Imports again, we're back with a BIG edition of The Broadway Flyer! We hope you all had a safe, happy, and healthy Thanksgiving. All of us at BLI are incredibly thankful for your continued loyalty and passion for this hobby. Without you we wouldn't be here. We've got a lot to address and get to in this months Flyer, so without further ado, let's get started!

 

What's new at BLI?

    It's been busy here at BLI! Some good news and some challenges. Many of you have been wondering about the arrival of the HO Scale GS-4's, and we have an update for you. Unfortunately, we've had to delay the locomotives for at least a few more weeks. Two of the most recent samples we received from our factory did not meet our standards. Fortunately, these issues have been resolved. While we can't provide a definite completion date, we're aiming to finish by mid-December. Once they are done, we will fly the models to hobby stores to save some time. We understand the frustration of waiting longer for these, and we share in that frustration. We sincerely apologize for these last-minute delays.

     Some more exciting news regarding the GS-4 project, our BNSF employee special paint scheme is now available for all dealers and retailers! 

     Originally offered as an exclusive for Factory Direct Hobbies, we've decided to open the opportunity for you to purchase this unique version of the famous 4449 from your local dealer or online retailer.

     In 2000, No. 4449 underwent a transformation, sporting a black and silver livery in honor of a Burlington Northern Santa Fe employee appreciation special. This striking design was inspired by the Southern Pacific's tradition of painting their freight-hauling locomotives black. After the BNSF special, the BNSF emblems were removed, and the tender proudly displayed "Southern Pacific Lines," harking back to its black-and-SP-lettered appearance from late 1955.

     Each of our models will feature our newest Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC sound system with synchronized puffing smoke and integral GoPack capacitors. Our models have die-cast locomotive and tender bodies for maximum weight and tractive effort. See below for additional model features, including the complete list of individually controllable lights.

     This model is perfect for BNSF modelers or 4449 enthusiasts looking to add a sleek locomotive to their model railroad or lead that fictional BNSF employee appreciation special. The order deadline to guarantee your BNSF 4449 model is November 30th. So contact your dealer as soon as possible to get your order in. 

     The order deadline for this particular model is November 30th, so make sure you get your order in to claim yours before it's too late!

 

     I (Curtis) was recently invited on Ken Patterson's "What's Neat This Week in Model Railroading". We previewed many new models coming out in the next few months. A few notable projects we discussed were the USRA Pacifics in N Scale, Reading T1 in N Scale, Baldwin Sharknose in HO Scale and the HO Scale F3's and HO Scale F7's. You can watch the video/episode here, or click on the image above! 

Order Deadlines: 

    You still have a few days to get your order in for these projects. As we keep stating, getting an order in with your dealer almost guarantees you get the model you want. 

PROJECT UPDATES: 

   As of right now this is the current status, of projects through the Spring of 2024. You can always find the latest changes in our delivery date and status on our website, here. We try and update this list once a month, sometimes more if multiple projects arrive to our headquarters. 
MODEL NAME: EXPECTED DELIVERY: CURRENT STATUS:

 

Production Samples:

     We've had a lot of samples arrive through the office the last few weeks, here are a few! 

(Photos: Our N Scale SD40-2's are arriving soon! Don't they look sharp?)

(PHOTO: Some N Scale USRA Heavy and Light Pacifics are also expected this month! Pictured here getting some laps on our N Scale layout are the MKT (left) and Santa Fe (right) versions.)

(PHOTOS: Our new run of HO Scale 3 bay AAR Hoppers are expected to arrive before the end of 2023 featuring new paint schemes.)

 

(PHOTO: The HO Scale GP30 samples have arrived! We received a few operating samples which you see here. Stay tuned to our social media accounts as we'll share some videos soon!)

 Customer Q&A:

     As November comes to a close, we hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with your friends and family. At BLI, we truly appreciate our valued customers and the continued support you provide year after year. We receive numerous questions from customers daily, and as we head towards the end of 2023, we look forward to keeping you updated and providing more insight into future projects and everything else. This month, we asked our customers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for questions, and you all provided some great ones! Without further delay, let’s dive into them!

 

Q: "Would a Burlington O5b be a possibility in the near future?" - Ben on Facebook
A: It's not in our plans right now, but it could come sometime in the future. There are a lot of steam locomotives that we want to make, and each one of us here at BLI has a whiteboard with both steam and diesel locomotives we want to produce. Some of the steam locomotives we have interest in making include the Santa Fe 2900 class, Frisco T5 Mountain, SP AC11 Cab Forward, ACL R1 among others. This does not mean these locomotives are being designed, they are just ideas we have of locomotives we want to make. 

Q: "I am a fan of the PRR P70 coaches. Is there any chance of a future run to add variations off the primary design, like the streamlined P70Rs or the PB70 Combines?” – Gregory on Facebook
A: The P70 coaches will eventually make another run. We have rolling stock projects in the works for the next 1-2 years. Most of these are individual passenger car projects. We are also working on a PRR Combine and business/observation car. Some of these will have some unique paint schemes. Additionally, Union Pacific Business Cars are in design right now. These cars are perfect to match with your Paragon4 FEF’s and Big Boys. While these cars are in the design phase, an official announcement is expected in the next year or so with more details.

Q: "What is the design process for how you decide your next models?” Cameron on Facebook
A: Once we choose a locomotive we want to make, we research the prototype extensively, often seeking assistance from historical societies, museums and organizations that might operate a particular locomotive. The design process includes gathering photographs and other details for rendering. Reference materials for sounds are also collected. Once designs are complete, the factory takes over, creating samples for evaluation, starting with functionality tests, and progressing through paint scheme evaluations and pre-production samples.

Q: "Hey Broadway - what are the biggest impediments to your projects as of today? Is it parts? Is it labor? Is it the ability to iterate on a design with the factories being in China? Would love to know the challenges you guys face in getting a project from idea to market." - Bruce on Facebook
A: The two most common challenges we face are trying to find reference material of a particular model such as photos. Even with our library full of books and Especially from a variety of angles to ensure we get the details right. The second is trying to find accurate and clear sound recordings of locomotives we are making that don't exist. As we mentioned earlier, we have great relationships with several historical societies and they assist us in many different areas. Sometimes they can provide us with audio recordings, but the problem is, is that the audio is sometimes 40-50 years old and not the greatest quality. An example of one particular challenge was the PRR S-2 Turbine. We had the design and details but how do you produce accurate sounds for the locomotive since it no longer runs, and with no audio quality audio recordings? Especially a steam turbine! After talking with many different experts and historians we were able to gauge an idea of how the locomotive sounded, and we were able to create the Turbine out there today.

Q: "Are the Prr J1s returning for another run Paragon 4 and Stealth and will the ATSF Northern #3751 return in Ho scale??” - Joshua on Facebook
A: No plans at this time for the PRR J1’s to return. Regarding the ATSF Northerns in HO Scale, if another run happens in the future, it would require new tooling as the current tooling is outdated. 

Q: "Will there ever be an offering of Union Pacific passenger cars? Could be a great offer to go with the UP Big Boy and 844 locomotives or as a separate bundle for the 'Excursion tour' cars. If you could include the yellow tender, power car, and things like that, bonus points!” – Kim on Twitter
A: As mentioned, we are working on Union Pacific Business Cars, specifically Cars 101, 102, 103, 114, and 119. These will feature painted interiors, illuminated interiors, directional lighting, and car-specific details such as roof antenna arrangements, light packages, and more. The first run of cars will primarily cater to the modern day, with the potential to customize them to match other eras. This initial release will align with present-day details, making them ideal for pairing with our Paragon4 FEF's and Big Boy models and completing your excursion consist or office car special. Moreover, considering the recent announcement of Big Boy 4014 hitting the rails next year, these cars will serve as the perfect addition to your excursion fleet.

Q: "Is there a possibility of you guys producing the PRR S1 6-4-4-6 Duplex in HO and N scale? I know a lot of people that really want that engine, but nobody has really produced it in these scales.” – Eddie on Twitter
A: The PRR S1 was in design but is on pause as we explore ways to make the locomotive navigate tighter curves. We know the prototype locomotive couldn't navigate tight curves. Nonetheless we are still working on it for HO Scale.

Q: "With the restoration and running of Santa Fe 2926, will you guys be making N scale and HO Scale Santa Fe 2900 Class 4-8-4s" - marty_castro4 on Instagram
A: The 2900 class is on our list! We would obviously offer 2926 and other road numbers of the 2900 class that are preserved. 

Q: "Narrow gauge rolling stock?" – dillon_trinh_studios on Instagram
A: At this time, we don’t have plans for narrow gauge rolling stock, but we're open to it if he demand gets high enough. 

Q: “Is there any chance of the upcoming M1A getting smoke? I assume it’s a similar size to the T1.” – cryptid_triptych on Instagram.
A: Unfortunately, not on this run. This is older tooling, so the design work doesn’t have space for our N Scale smoke unit. However, we're keen on bringing smoke to as many new N scale steam locomotives as possible.

Q: “The new (N scale Reading T1) can it take any scented smoke fluid?” - @williamlenhart4966 on YouTube
A: It should be able to as long as it is a thin-viscosity smoke fluid, like JT’s Mega Steam or Marklin’s #02421 is required.

Q: “How important is it, in your opinions, to reach young people to get them into the hobby? And how does Broadway Limited work towards that?” – patrickwebb7311 on YouTube
A: It’s VERY important. We do our best to support organizations that work hard in preserving historic railroad equipment. We love to contribute to helping future generations get interested into the hobby. For example, last summer we made a donation to the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society as they hosted over 20 campers for the first session of the Indiana Railroad Camp. During the two days of camp, their guests learned about steam and diesel locomotives, railroad safety, signaling, passenger cars, model railroading and more. We loved being able to play a small part in introducing new generations to railroad preservation and model railroading. We HIGHLY encourage modelers to support groups like them as their expertise and incredible work goes a long way in helping manufacturers like us make models you ask for.  See the photos below courtesy of the FWRHS

     Thanks again to everyone who writes in questions and reads these every month! We hope you enjoy the upcoming holidays with your families, and your trains! We share the latest information on projects on our social media accounts. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Until next month, happy railroading!

 


-The BLI team

Written by Curtis Koch

1 comment

will the Santa Fe 2900 class steam locomotives that you are planing be in HO scale

Daniel Ellis

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