The shortage forced me to use ME code 55. I found I actually like it better. This is gonna hurt Atlas bad.
I'm just thankful that I won't be expanding my layout in the near future. When I do expand it, after moving it to Ohio, I will consider using ME track. ME track is stiffer than Atlas track but, when you've laid as much track as I have over the years, stiffer track has its advantages. I'm sorry Atlas has had this problem. But anecdotal evidence about dealing with Chinese firms, I think, confirms the risk. I dealt with the problems of Chinese manufacturers for my clients, between the early 1980s to the mid-1990s. It's not pretty, and it hasn't changed. You lose your manufacturing spot--no matter who is to blame--you wait a long while for the next opening. A mold breaks--hey, tough cookies, you wait for the next slot, if YOU pay to repair the mold. One business practice obvious to me in my dealing with China: at the prices they quote, any problem is foisted on the customer. The mold breaks, it's your fault, not ours. That is the model; that is the risk. In the end, it actually bodes well for manufacturing to return to the US. You get burned enough in China, maybe you look at Toledo, Ohio?
