Article: The Broadway Flyer: September 2024
The Broadway Flyer: September 2024
Hey everyone! Curtis Koch here with the September edition of your favorite model railroad newsletter, The Broadway Flyer! At least, we hope it's your favorite! September has come and gone, and with fall in full swing, it's time to get those layouts prepped for winter visitors. We've got some updates for you on a few projects, plus some images to share for those of you who have ordered the Union Pacific "Kenefick" Business Car.
NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT:
HO Scale Sharknose &
EMD N Scale SD40-2
We are excited to share that a rerun of Baldwin RF-16 Sharknose and EMD SD40-2's are coming to HO and N scale respectively. Here is a little more about them below: 
Built between 1950 and 1953, the RF-16 Sharknose diesels were cab unit diesel locomotives built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works to the specifications of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Their distinctive contours were reminiscent of Raymond Loewy's design for the Pennsy's T1 class steam locomotive. Baldwin built a total of 160 of these locomotives - 109 A-units and 51 cabless booster B-units. In addition to the PRR, B&O and NYC railroads also operated a substantial number of the "Sharks".
The Sharknose locomotives were known as excellent "luggers". They regularly saw service hauling heavy ore and coal drags. The RF-16 Sharknose locomotives beat the F7 with 100 additional horsepower and tied the FA2 with 1600 horsepower. Unfortunately, they did not last as long as the F7's. With a few exceptions, most of the engines were retired by 1967.
In this production, we are offering A-B sets in four prototypically accurate paint schemes, along with a second A-unit available as a separate item. In addition to the prototypically accurate models, we are building models in several fantasy paint schemes that never quite made it to the rails, but would have been beautiful if they had. The CNJ and the MP owned Baldwin babyface locomotives, but didn't order the Sharks. The DMIR owned the EJ&E Sharks for a few months, but never repainted them. We have painted the models in a prototypical DMIR paint scheme. The ATSF and SP both tested the Baldwin demo set, but declined to order production models. We are offering models decorated in the appropriate ATSF and SP liveries if those railroads had decided to operate the "Sharks".
The railroads typically operated these in ABA configurations. Our A-B sets come with a Powered A-unit with Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC and an unpowered B-unit with a lightweight frame. We also offer an additional single powered A-unit for each paint scheme where appropriate. This single unit has our full Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC system. All of our models have road-specific details and lighting.
Introduced by EMD in January 1972, the SD40-2 is one of the most popular diesel locomotives of all time. Between 1972 and 1989, EMD built nearly 4,000 units. These 3,000 horsepower machines were found to be more reliable than higher horsepower locomotives, and the SD40-2 became the standard of the industry for several decades.
The SD40-2 shares a common frame with the SD38-2 and the SD45-2. The frame was lengthened to accommodate the new HT-C trucks, which were 1.5 feet longer than the Flexicoil truck found on the SD40's. With a longer frame, but similar sized long hoods, the SD40-2's have distinctive "porches" on either end. These empty areas are good spotting features for SD38-2 and SD40-2 locomotives. The SD40-2 can be further distinguished from the SD38-2 by its three roof-mounted radiator fans and a single large exhaust stack.
There are several variations of SD40-2 in service. In our 2025 production, we are modeling the original standard SD40-2. We are offering models in eight prototypical paint schemes, plus 2 military fantasy schemes. Each model is equipped with our Paragon4 DC/DCC Sound & Control System. In addition to the Paragon4 series models, we also offer one road number in each paint scheme in our Stealth Series - these models are No-Sound / DCC-Ready.
In The News:
James Wright gave an exciting preview of our new CV Setter! This handy tool is the perfect accessory for anyone learning the ropes of DCC or looking to quickly fine-tune their locomotive’s settings.
Our sound engineer Aidan was out in Los Angeles recording the sounds from Santa Fe 3751 during its weekend Rail Safety event at the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal. You can watch the quick video of Aidan's visit here. We want to thank the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society for their continued support and allowing us to record sounds from their beautifully restored northern!
Order Deadlines:
We've got some order deadlines approaching in the coming months! Below are reminders for a few of them. Please note that we at BLI will fill orders placed after the guaranteed delivery date on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. It's important to place your pre-order with your favorite dealer if you want one of the models below. We often get emails and calls from customers looking for specific models, only to find that we are sold out and they've missed out on that particular run.
Below are the following projects with upcoming order deadlines.
Samples and Renders and
Updates.. Oh my!
We don't have any new renders to share this month, but we do have photos of the first pre-production sample of the PRR B6sb Switcher in HO Scale. Keep in mind this is the first sample so details are still subject to change between now and when the models arrive to dealers.
Next up is another teaser for those of you who have placed an order for the Union Pacific "Kenefick" Business Car! Below is a 3D design of the Union Pacific "Fox River" Theater/Inspection Car. We don't have a timeline for an announcement yet, as we're still making changes to the details and design, but if you model Union Pacific steam excursion trains or office car specials, you'll want to keep your eyes peeled for when we announce these cars! For those of you who model the C&NW, don't worry—we’ve got you covered, too. And for those of you wondering about other roads such as AT&SF, BNSF, CSX, NS, and others, all we can say is: we're looking into it.
We also have been working on Power Car 2066! Just like the Fox River, we don't have a timeline for an announcement yet, as we're still making changes to the details and designs. We'll keep you updated as this project progresses.
One last Union Pacific update: In October, we will have another run of UP Big Boys, but with a slight twist. For those of you who have gone out to see Big Boy 4014 on its tour to California, the Midwest, or Texas, we've got an exciting update! In our newest run of Big Boys, we've updated the details on the 4014 version to reflect its current appearance, including PTC details. We are the first manufacturer to offer these updates, bringing you the most accurate 4014 Big Boy on the market!
(ABOVE): Per the prototype, on the fireman's side of the locomotive, there are 3 Dynamo's which help power the PTC system. We have replicated this detail.
(ABOVE): Also per the prototype, on the tender is the PTC antenna box which powers the PTC stand in the cab. We are also including the Sinclair antenna on the cab roof.
We know not everyone models the Union Pacific, so what else are we working on?
Many of you have been asking about the C&NW Yellow Jacket. The streamlined designs are complete; however, we are working on the un-streamlined versions of those Pacifics. We are consulting with the C&NW Historical Society to ensure these models are accurate and have era-appropriate details. We hope to announce them sometime before the end of the year.
N scalers, many of you have been asking for Sharknose diesels. Yes, we are working on them! However, our designers are busy with several other projects, and once those are done, they will get started on the Sharks. We'll share some 3D designs when they become available.
Our next run of GS-4s is also in the works! In addition to new road numbers, de-skirted versions will be available to order as well. We plan to announce these sometime before the end of the year.
The Santa Fe 2900 class is still in the works. We are awaiting the next round of 3D designs from our designers and will evaluate them and provide feedback.
Lastly, our Conductor's Club locomotives have been selected! We plan to announce those for HO and N scale in the coming weeks once we've finalized the details.
Delivery Schedule:
Here is our updated delivery schedule as of 09/27/24. The products below are still in production. Please note that BLI will fill orders placed after the guaranteed delivery date on a first-come first-served basis while supplies last.
Customer Q&A:
As always, we take your questions from our social media pages and share them in the Q&A portion of The Broadway Flyer. We got a lot of great questions in this month's mailbag! If you want to mail your question via email, just email us at info@broadway-limited.com. Just make sure your subject line reads "Question for The Broadway Flyer"
Q: "What additional PRR passenger cars are on the drawing board? You currently offer a combine, coach, and business, what about a diner? Sleeper? Head end cars? I'd really like to see the PD70R dormitory car or the B74 horse car" - Jude on Facebook
A: We currently don't have any other PRR passenger cars on the drawing board. However, we do have other passenger car projects in the works. While we might eventually work on heavyweight passenger cars, we haven't reached that stage yet. At the moment, we're focusing on the N scale versions of our PB70 and Z74D Business Cars.
Q: "When are you going to officially announce your Frisco 1522 project? When is the release date?" - Ryan on Facebook
A: Good question, Ryan! As of right now, we do not have a timeline for the Frisco 1522, but we are working on it! It will be a future project. We have the original designs, and the data package is complete, but the designers have not yet started creating the 3D CAD drawings. Our designers have eight other projects to complete first. As soon as we have an update to share with customers, we will! However, at this time, we do not have a timeline to officially announce it or provide an estimated release date.
Q: "Would you consider doing passenger cars individually instead of doing a whole train? For example cars from the 1956 Denver Zephyr are identical to those used on other Budd built trains? The tooling costs are understandably huge and doing a whole train is an enormous investment so breaking it up into individual cars can be a good way to defray costs and risk. Also the Denver Zephyr was the last newly equipment major US passenger train in 1956 and the options are brass and limited" - Leighton on Facebook
A: That is the route we would pursue if we were to make another streamlined passenger train. There are a few named passenger trains that are on our radar but we have not committed to designing or gathering any data on them yet. We have other rolling stock projects that are further along right now.
Q: "Correct me if I am wrong, but you confirmed in a previous Flyer Q&A that you will be releasing a Canadian Pacific Variant of your upcoming Southern Pacific GS-4 Auxiliary tenders in HO scale?" - Vuk on Facebook
A: You are not wrong Vuk! Yes it is on our radar! We are currently gathering data on the tender. We have been talking to the folks at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center to get as much data on the tender as we can.
Q: "Do you think you guys will work on making Southern Pacific AC-9s? That would be amazing." - Patrick on Facebook
A: We can confirm the AC-9 and AC11/AC12 are on our radar! We are just awaiting some additional data to come in before we put them in the design que.
Q: "Are you going to be the first model company to produce a T&NO/SP P-14 in almost 30 years?" - Daron on Facebook
A: It's possible, we've got a lot of other SP locomotives in the pipeline right now but we aren't opposed to doing the P-14!
Q: "Okay, how about producing a N Scale, center cab switcher...any plans?" - Mark on Facebook
A: At this time we don't have plans for those switchers. We would consider it more if more requests for those came into our Product Suggestion Portal.
Q: "With the shift towards brass hybrid steam, will this mean we'll see more prototype-specific models instead of generic runs like the old USRA Mikado and Pacifics?" - Tom on Facebook
A: The simple answer is yes! We are interested in producing more prototype-specific models wherever we can. However to achieve the level of details modelers expect, we have to get the designs done first, then we talk to our factories about how much the tooling costs. The choice to do Brass-Hybrid vs Diecast is purely based on tooling costs and parts that are available. We have a lot of different locomotives that are prototype-specific on our radar though! Some of which we mentioned in this Flyer!
Q: "Would you consider doing an N scale UP Challenger in the fantasy 49er scheme like the Lionel O gauge one? I’ve wanted one for years and no manufacturer has made one." - Garrett on Facebook
A: Unfortunately it's too late to add that paint scheme to our upcoming run of N scale challengers. However if we decide to do a 2nd run of them, we'd definitely consider it!
Q: "Are you planning to do another run of 4-6-2 Pacific's? Specifically the Reading & Northern 425?" -mountaingrovemodelrailroad on Instagram
A: Not at this time, as we said in an earlier question. We are focusing on more prototype-specific models. We haven't ruled it out for the future but at this time we have no plans for Reading & Northern 425 or any other USRA steam.
Q: "I saw in a recent interview on Model Train Resource that future runs of the upcoming S1 might have name plates for the passenger trains they hauled. Will owners of this first run be able to “upgrade” to that later feature?" -jevanhogan on Instagram
A: As of right now we haven't determined if the locomotive will get a second run. Sales are surprisingly low on the S1 despite it being the most heavily requested model. If orders pick up, we'd consider it but right now we are not sure if a second run is in the future for the S1.
Q: "I know it’s a niche market, but have you considered HOn3 scale narrow gauge?" -leggera1992 on Instagram
A: We have considered it multiple times but the HOn3 market is tough to tell. If the market picked up for it or if we got more requests for HOn3 projects in our Product Suggestion Portal, we'd consider it.
Q: "Any Canadian road names being added to the N scale mix?" - Cee_Eff on YouTube
A: We don't have any Canadian Steam in the works for N scale but we do have Canadian road names for several diesels we are bringing to N scale!
Thanks again to everyone who contributes to our mailbag! We try and answer as many new people as we can! Please keep those questions coming! Ken Silvestri and I will be at Train Fest in November. Happy Railroading!
- Curtis & the BLI team
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NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT: HO Scale Sharknose and N scale SD40-2's
We at BLI are thrilled to introduce two new productions of HO and N scale diesel locomotives. Whether your customers are fans of classic or modern models, we think these are must-haves for any layo...
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