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Post by sjl on Dec 2, 2021 8:39:03 GMT -5
But what about the B units?
In particular, I already own an SP E9, and wanted a couple E7 B units to help pull my 1949 Sunset Limited.
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Post by Rob Albritton on Dec 2, 2021 9:42:50 GMT -5
We produced what would be historically correct. Given that we did not have tooling for any 10-6 at the time these cars were made, it just wasn’t possible. That being said, we have produced other cars that would make good additions to the cascade set and will continue to do so in the future. |
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Post by Commodore on Dec 2, 2021 12:49:57 GMT -5
We produced what would be historically correct. Given that we did not have tooling for any 10-6 at the time these cars were made, it just wasn’t possible. That being said, we have produced other cars that would make good additions to the cascade set and will continue to do so in the future. what about “B” units, Rob? |
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Post by oldgrog on Dec 2, 2021 13:40:41 GMT -5
To B or not to B, that IS the question !
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Post by sjl on Dec 2, 2021 17:48:05 GMT -5
To B or not to B, that IS the question ! Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of buying an a-b set / Or to hold out for the two b units you really want. |
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Post by ztrack on Dec 3, 2021 9:59:52 GMT -5
Here is an interesting photo of the Lark. Note the E7s. There are not Daylight but the Golden State!!! We still have Golden State E7 sets in stock if you want to reproduce this. Here is the link to the site I found this image. www.american-rails.com/lark.html |
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Post by sjl on Dec 3, 2021 10:09:37 GMT -5
Here is an interesting photo of the Lark. Note the E7s. There are not Daylight but the Golden State!!! We still have Golden State E7 sets in stock if you want to reproduce this. Here is the link to the site I found this image. www.american-rails.com/lark.html<button disabled="" class="c-attachment-insert--linked o-btn--sm">Attachment Deleted</button> Where you going to get that extra b-unit from?  |
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Post by Rob Albritton on Dec 3, 2021 16:11:25 GMT -5
Here is an interesting photo of the Lark. Note the E7s. There are not Daylight but the Golden State!!! We still have Golden State E7 sets in stock if you want to reproduce this. Here is the link to the site I found this image. www.american-rails.com/lark.htmlView AttachmentI wonder if there are any other possibilities…. 😎 |
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Post by sjl on Dec 3, 2021 17:14:52 GMT -5
Here is an interesting photo of the Lark. Note the E7s. There are not Daylight but the Golden State!!! We still have Golden State E7 sets in stock if you want to reproduce this. Here is the link to the site I found this image. www.american-rails.com/lark.htmlView AttachmentI wonder if there are any other possibilities…. 😎 Well that was cryptic…. |
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Post by Commodore on Dec 3, 2021 17:57:24 GMT -5
We produced what would be historically correct. Given that we did not have tooling for any 10-6 at the time these cars were made, it just wasn’t possible. That being said, we have produced other cars that would make good additions to the cascade set and will continue to do so in the future. what about “B” units, Rob? B UNITS? |
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Post by BAZman on Dec 3, 2021 22:26:52 GMT -5
I’ll just run them with the Daylight color heavyweights.
I wonder haw close the will match the märklin release years ago.
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Post by markm on Dec 4, 2021 8:54:05 GMT -5
Here is an interesting photo of the Lark. Note the E7s. There are not Daylight but the Golden State!!! We still have Golden State E7 sets in stock if you want to reproduce this. Here is the link to the site I found this image. www.american-rails.com/lark.htmlView AttachmentAn interesting image with an interesting story. SP received the first three sets of E7 in 1947 in Golden State paint, the only E7s built not in Daylight colors. The Golden State cars had not yet been delivered. SP used these locomotives for engineer training and qualification on the coast route. Because of the specific paint scheme, this image is probably from 1948. In this time frame, they could also be seen pulling the Daylight, Owl, or one of the mail trains. Here's some info on the E7 paint schemes: espee.railfan.net/spe-07.htmlMark |
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Post by markm on Dec 4, 2021 9:11:41 GMT -5
We produced what would be historically correct. Given that we did not have tooling for any 10-6 at the time these cars were made, it just wasn’t possible. That being said, we have produced other cars that would make good additions to the cascade set and will continue to do so in the future. While I wasn't expecting you to model the "Cascade Club" car I was merely hoping you might have a new body style to announce. In researching the COSF I noticed the 10-6 became a very popular Sleeper in to the 1950s forward. For the COSF the principals ran 10-6s as well as the "guest" roads: both in Armour yellow and the home road colors. No complaints. I have paint and a number of CZ add-on cars. One thought for the AZL innovation labs: how about an articulation bolster? I've noticed such a solution in the larger scales and it seems a reasonable solution , particularly for duplex coaches. Mark |
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Post by smr on Dec 4, 2021 10:51:16 GMT -5
Southern Pacific “Lark” Passenger Sets!!!   AZL is excited to announce the release of the SP’s “Lark” passenger sets! Two different sets of each train is being released. 73X46-LarkA  - 73046-1 SP 9104 Sleeper 4-4-2 “Lark” - 73046-2 SP 9106 Sleeper 4-4-2 “Lark” - 73046-3 SP 9107 Sleeper 4-4-2 “Lark” 73146-1 SP 514 Pullman 6-6-4 “Lark” - 73146-2 SP 516 Pullman 6-6-4 “Lark” - 73546-1 SP 10202 Diner - 73646-2 Baggage “Lark” - 73746-1 SP 2494 Chair - 73846-2 SP 400 Pullman Observation “Lark” - 73946-1 SP 5036 RPO / Baggage 73X46-LarkB  - 73046-1 SP 9104 Sleeper 4-4-2 “Lark” - 73046-2 SP 9106 Sleeper 4-4-2 “Lark” - 73046-3 SP 9107 Sleeper 4-4-2 “Lark” 73146-1 SP 514 Pullman 6-6-4 “Lark” - 73146-2 SP 516 Pullman 6-6-4 “Lark” 73546-2 SP 10203 Diner - 73746-1 SP 2494 Chair - 73846-1 SP 9501 Sleeper 2-1-Observation “Lark” - 73946-2 SP 5030 RPO / Baggage Rob Kluz Ztrack Distribution Thank you, AZL and the Robs, that we also get THE LARK. Now I have the correct sleepers with it, which I were missing for a long time. Comparing it with the prototype ( espee.railfan.net/lark.html ), I noticed that the 10-5 and 10-6 sleepers are still missing. Any idea how to mimic them? The diner I can replace with AZL`s articulated triple unit.  ( custom painted from AZL 2603) Big step forward towards an impressive, historic train! Thank you again! Best, Sven |
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Post by Rob Albritton on Dec 4, 2021 11:17:44 GMT -5
Hi Guys,
Labs products are always a possibility. If there is enough demand I think some of these cars could be done, but they would need to be printed in Rigid resin to resist deformation over time given the length of the side walls. Windows could be printed too. That part is not too difficult.
The challenge will be In two areas:
1) paint. These would come UNDECORATED without paint. We simply do not have capacity to paint or decal In the USA and have not found any shops that are willing to do the work at a reasonable price (at a MSRP of $500 PER CAR anything is possible. Sales will be three units, and given design time required that will push the MSRP to well over a thousand dollars per car. That’s not going to work.)
2) durability. The better the 3d resins resist deforming over time, the more brittle they become. Rigid resin acts pretty much like glass. Hard, yes. But drop it on the floor and it’s going to shatter. How many times have you dropped a Z scale model? If you say Zero, then congratulations. This is a good solution for you. I’m not a member of that club. Is the upside is that paint will actually help it resist shattering, but the difference is marginal. Every little bit helps, but these are not ABS, and there is no equivalent product for SLA printers. Let’s not go down the shapeways rabbit hole. They use polyjet printer and that’s a totally different technology with its own pros and cons. Personally, I like the formlabs SLA printers because of the crazy details they can produce. To each his own.
When I was working on the lightweight project there were a few Name Trains that came close to matching the prototypes I was working with that I thought I could make them fit. The Lark and Cascade were on the outside boundary of what would work, and yes, I knew several cars would be missing. This was BEFORE we made the California Zephyr and Super Chief. With those two sets, I think we raised expectations that Name Trains would be close to 100% complete. Let’s face it, Marklin made lightweights with 6 cars and I think MTL did it with 5 - and that was accepted as the standard back in the day: get close enough so I can run something. Also a 6 car passenger train was considered to be big at that time.
Originally the Lark and Cascade were indented to be released with the other grey SP cars as fill ins. Those cars did wander around the SP system a bit, so it made sense. When we looked at the sheer number of SP cars, we decided to break up the release - it was too many cars to release all at the same time - and create these Baby Name Trains. That’s also why they do not come with special packaging like the CZ or Super Chief.
We do have one more Baby Name train to go, and one more Big Name Train to release before summer of 2022. We also have another Big Name train in design now.
We seem to have managed our supply chain issues, so we can continue a steady pace of product delivery. Prices will probably have to go up a bit over time, but everyone is dealing with inflation. The main thing is we hope you enjoy these little gems a much as we enjoy producing them.
Good times are still ahead for Z scale.
Best
Robert (aka RobA because we have Two many Robs around here 🤗)
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