Recently Con-Cor has announced that the HO Electroliner will be here in a few weeks.
I am wondering what the museum experience has been with publicity by way of models of their equipment. I can recall that there is a version of the "John Bull" out there. While over the years many models have been made of the miniature coach and combine from the angels branch of the Sierra Railroad, I don't recall any good models in the current era and technology.

Have many museums promoted themselves with the a cute or popular scale model of one of their trains?
http://www.con-cor.com/Electro.html

Well, MTH made a real nice model of Hillcrest Climax #10, which runs on the Mt Rainier Scenic RR. However, this was a O scale model, running on 3 rail track, and listing for about $1,000 so the audience wasn't as large as you might have for a lesser priced HO train.

In any case, I think I did run into somebody who said they have the model, but other than that, I don't think there was much impact.

I think you'd do much better with a reasonably priced HO model to offer in your gift shop, like the ones they sell at Strasburg.

Sort of along these lines, it's always struck me as odd that the model manufacturers do not make any effort to check road numbers applied to models, to match any preserved units. That would seem to me a great way to increase sales with little effort. They issue models with different road numbers, and make sure to use accurate "blocks" of road numbers, so why not simply use a preserved loco's number as one of the group?

RMNE had a few discussions with the Atlas folks about HO RS-3s in New Haven colors--- they had picked four different numbers in the 517-561 group, none of them 529 (the only extant NH RS-3). So, the 529 wound up being a "special" run of 250-300 pieces, though a local hobby shop. Over 60 of those models went to RMNE members alone--- there IS a demand!

But, doing and financing a "custom" run of a model for our museum store is expensive and ties up a lot of capital, for a small return. If a model is already being produced, simply use a preserved loco's number as one of the series, and get some additional sales.

Howard P.
Silk Screen, CT

Need I mention the Bachmann Spectrum series of locomotive models--several of which have been based directly on preserved locos, including what I think was their first Spectrum model, PRR 1361? I'm sure the concurrent restoration/operation of the prototype quadrupled sales of that model............

Speaking as a manufacturer... Often times we are not even aware that one of the prototypes for our model is in a museum, unless it is one that we were using for field checking data. And, to be frank, most restorations leave something to be desired in the accuracy department... I know, I know, it's hard to get all the details just right, given the requirements of using currently available valves and fittings, and not really needing to do the work to remove items that were added by the railroad after the era that the restoration claims to be, but most modelers care a lot more about this than the average museum personal does; let's not even mention tourist railroads. So, while we may use the preserved piece to get a firmer grasp on how everything fits together, we ultimately make the final decisions based on photos, and then it's easiest to just use the number on the piece in the photo. It gives us confidence that the model, lettering, or whatever is correct for at least that one, and something to use to silence the critics when someone writes to complain that the model is "wrong". It's pretty hard to argue with a period photo of the prototype.

I am aware of at least one model that was specifically detailed to match an engine as restored; when Division Point imported models of the Soo Line L-1, L-2, and L-20 Mikados, they detailed one model the way the 1003 is today, but of course that isn't exactly the way it was in service.