Looks like the M-T modern tank car is to be released this month. Now, if Atlas could release theirs this month, it would be a tank car bonanza. One can never have too many tank cars. Or coal hoppers. Or covered hoppers. Or boxcars. Or reefers(train cars). Or locomotives. Or cabooses. Or.............
As of 11 AM Eastern time, MT had posted August's new cars on its website, but hadn't changed the title.
M-T has updated their website now for the new tankcar. See it here at MSRP $US21.95 (ouch) http://www.micro-trains.com/110010.htm eNjoy Don B
For 21.95 you get a nicely detailed, great looking car with small diameter wheel sets, huge flanges, and the bouncy MT truck mounted couplers. What a rip off! For the amount of money they charge you would think they could supply 100 ton wheel sets with low profile flanges and redesign their couplers with fixed pivot points to elininate the bounce when switching cars. Their coupler design is only 30 years old! I'll wait for the Atlas cars. I just wish Atlas ran more basic black versions instead of the white, oragnge etc. Daryl
What do you expect from Micro-Trains? Don't you guys realize they only make collector cars? <marquee>North American Rail Alliance</marquee>
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Daryl K: redesign their couplers with fixed pivot points to elininate the bounce when switching cars. Their coupler design is only 30 years old! I'll wait for the Atlas cars. I just wish Atlas ran more basic black versions instead of the white, oragnge etc. <hr></blockquote> What exactly are you talking about bounce? Enlighten me! Their coupler design may be some what old (dont know about 30 years though) but they still make the best trucks and couplers around. You can wait for the Atlas reruns of the 23,000K car and the new 17,000K car, but have fun with those trucks with trip pins falling out, warped axles, ugly large couplers, draft gear box lids popping off. Have fun, thats what model trains are all about!
Bounce? I think Daryl means the action the MT couplers give when you have a long consist. I prefer to call this the spring action or recoil action, much the same as a long line of troops marching. The best way to reduce this is to do what MT did with there cabooses and place a spring on the axle point in a truck and create a little drag. This reduces the effect, but will not eliminate the springy recoil action. But I agree with Craig, what else have we?
AHHHH just a little prototype slack action.You guys are just lucky you don't have to feel it for real.Sometimes it can throw you right out of the seat in the cab.I don't know how many stories i've heard of conductors breaking ribs and such from slack action on the caboose.So just remember to take it easy on us conductors.
THe MT tanks car looks great but it would cost almost $50 Aus here and that is far too expensive. When I took up the hobby in 1996 I paid $35 Aus for a lifelike SD-7.
Craig,that was a pretty accurate description of Micro-Trains you gave there.The design is at least 30 years old if not older. <marquee>North American Rail Alliance</marquee>
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> What exactly are you talking about bounce? Enlighten me! Their coupler design may be some what old (dont know about 30 years though) but they still make the best trucks and couplers around. <hr></blockquote> When you slowly pull a string of MT equiped cars, the last two cars bounce forward and backward in a very toylike manner. This is due to there not being a fixed pivot point and centering springs that are in line with the direction of travel. MT recommends placing a small spring in the point of one axle on each car to eliminate the drag. But, the best feature of MT tracks is their frictionless rolling characteristics. What really bothers me is that MT could make such a better car, but they choose not too. Why do they still issue all their cars with those huge flanges, when they offer seperately some very nice low profile wheel sets? Only reason I can think of is so that we can pay the over inflated price, plus anti up for a set of low profile wheel sets on top of that. My percentage of MT cars on my roster is about 5% and shrinking. Atlas did have the problems you stated, but recent issues that I have purchased do not have those problems. Daryl
MT Z scale couplers dont have as big of a problem in being a slinky, but the problem is still there. Im waiting for the Kato couplers to come, hopefully they'll take the operational dependability of the MTs and put the solid design of the Accumates together and get something good that also looks prototypical. But 21.95 for a single tank car? Just to have 5 cars means $100. And the car is wrong like stated above, I mean come on. But as long as the collectors go clamoring for it, doesnt matter. Mike Antkowiak
Yes, MT cars bounce. It is because the trucks are free-rolling. I did an experiment today. I put three Atlas tankcars with Accurail trucks with couplers behind an Atlas GP-38 and ran it slowly. Guess what! They bounce also. It is those free-rolling trucks. But you know I would not go back to the old ones that bearly roll. Jerry
