What I would like to see (and your ideas)...

Aye Carumba! I almost forgot my yearly babble on what I would like to see in standard gauge!

How could I be so stupid? Probably because I keep buying trains and not making my friggin mortgage payment.

By the way, that loco pulling out is one of Jim Cohen's. I like the engine but it's the shed that has captivated me.

If our hobby is going to have a future, we need to slow down the recreation of the old favorites - 400E's, 408's and so on. Here's my ideas for some things I'd like to see in standard gauge in the future:

An American Flyer Brass Piper (been looking for a Rich Art one but they aren't easy to find).
A Lone Scout Set
A Pocahontas Set
A #3 Trolley
A Statesmen Set
An Ives Tiger Set

Ok, let me get out of the Prewar mode and into new operating equipment:

A Blue Streak Set (yes, in standard gauge)
A Decent Zephyr or Flying Yankee
A Comet set (no, not the Blue Comet, the New York Central Comet. If you haven't seen it let me know and I'll post a picture).
The i5 (probably one of the nicest engines ever designed).
A Carlisle and Finch mining set
A Voltamp set
A decent Hudson
An American Flyer Aeolus Set

All of the above needs to be made IN STANDARD GAUGE.

I'd love to see some new tinplate accessories. Heck you could reproduce the Smith Metalworks gear above and I'd be happy. By the way, I called Smith Metalworks and the lady that answered said she would get back to me (and never did). Guess she thought I was some nut that was bugging her about something they never made.

Accessories:

A decent engine house like the one above from Smith Metalworks
A new station (something a little closer to Grand Central or Union Station in Kansas City).
Some new tunnels and mountains that make it easier to model prewar tin into the landscape.
How about a decent prewar backdrop for a layout?

Here's one that's constantly overlooked: most of us are still using the same lock ons that were used 100 years ago (literally or technically). Can't we get a lock on that looks like a tinplate switchhouse with some lights in it and some new fangled power/surge protection?

Well, I put myself out there. It's up to you guys to come with some more ideas on things we'd like to see. Being that the number of manufacturers is dwindling rapidly, I think we need to let people know that if products are made, if I ideas are made real, we'll support them. I'm always amazed whenever I see some dufus walking around a train show and belly aching about how he wants a mint condition standard gauge "whatever" (you fill in the blank; freight car, fancy motive power, etc) for 10 bucks. Just won't happen. It actually almost never did happen. But I think all of us are willing to go the extra distance for quality.

Ideas?

M