"Here come the Marines!" Don't you know I'm as sweet as sugar? Bob and John you both know I'm a peaceable old grouch. I agree with both of you, toys are made of plastic for kiddies to play with because they are cheap to make and the brat is going to destroy it anyway. Scale models are made to look and operate as near the real prototype as is practical with the machinery and skills we have available. I am encouraged to find that one or two of the manufacturers are starting to do away with the rubber bands, and maybe they will go back to metal gears soon, and metal wheels and spokes. Maybe they will add more and more lead weight and less and less plastic, and things will get back to kits where we can be proud of having put something together and made it run ourselves. Kids have to learn, dad's have to teach. It brings kids and dads together. The kids don't think about shooting someone, or doing drugs, they think about the train they are building. When all you can do is take it out of a box and watch it run, you do lose some interest in it, just like a Lionel. A Lionel was never junk until they got greedy and started going to plastic, then claimed they were "collectable". What plastic? Ha! Would your wife rather have a real wedding ring or a plastic look-a-like? That's junk to me, it certainly is not a collectable. Even if I had millions of dollars, it would make me unhappy to be expected to shovel out a hundred dollars for a plastic engine, much less five hundred! I wont be buying any more engines except at an estate sale where there might be a 1930 model. Gnash teeth, gritch, grumble, gripe, sneer! You have a good time shopping!
Rob, Gary and I sometimes swap Magazines I have every issue of MR and TRAINS since early 1996. You are welcome to borrow mine anytime you like we will just have to organise a place to met lol. Oh I like your comment about the price to pay to live in paradise [ 19 March 2001: Message edited by: Colonel ]
How ever did you manage to pass off the plastic wedding band??!!!! Around these parts, women kill if the diamond has just a hint of glass in it!!! A plastic wedding band? And in return I think she would give me a blowup doll. Is there any way we can give these manufacturers plastic money, money that half as hard to earn and twice as easy to spend? [ 19 March 2001: Message edited by: Benny ]
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Benny: Is there any way we can give these manufacturers plastic money, money that half as hard to earn and twice as easy to spend? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I think it's called VISA.
Hey guys, just stepped onto this in the N-scale forum, went to this site. I think it gives a good representation of what we are talking about in the MR review. Look at any Bachmann steamer (especially the 4-4-0 American) and see how the MR review matches up to the review the site gives. Like I said, I found it interesting...enjoy N Scale Locomotive Ratings
An interesting anecdote: Back in the 1980s, I was living in Topeka, KS, and besides railranning the UP, SP, DRGW and Santa Fe (yes, DRGW- trackage rights trains & all that), I had the opportunity to fall in with a bunch of great modelers. One guy in particular (I said great modeler, not great person) had a diesel roster that was 100% brass- he did custom painting of UP models for a guy in Cheyenne, WY. Here I am, runinng my custom-painted, detailed Frisco GP7 (Athearn shell, flywheel drive) on a local on his layout, and he launches into a tirade about idiots who buy junk plastic diesels when there are so many good brass models out there. Would you like to know how fast a suddenly-engineless train rolls downhill? Needless to say, I never went back. Incidentally, this guy wasn't too welcome at any of the swap meets because of his attitude. 'Course now, I can buy plastic diesels that look great, run smooth, and cost less than any brass diesels (and may even run better), or I can get detail parts and REALLY create something. I have no qualms about folks who buy brass- more power to 'em! But for us small-budgeted diesel folk, it's cheaper to buy the sweet-running models of today & detail them. Incidentally, I got hold of a Model Power GP9 (chopnosed), tossed out the drive, added superdetail parts, repainted it, put on new handrails, put it on an Athearn chassis, and have myself a nice-looking diesel. Some of that stuff IS salvageable, either as running models or as scrapyard detail- the rest is landfill fodder. My youngest son is wanting me to build him a train set. Just the place for Athearn He'll start out with decent equipment and power pack- he likes running trains on Dad's layout (a great brakeman & engineer, he is). As Hebrews says, teach your child the way he should go, so when he becomes a man, he will not stray from it. Works well for both spiritual life and hobby preferences.
I have yet to catch Watash say something untrue or unknowledgeable so... But he is a great guy, and was a book worm at one time just like my self and theirs nothing wrong with flippin pages once and a while to add to the mental capasity, specially on model railroading! I have a book (loseleaf) thats called "I.H.C.'s Parts Catalog And Scratchbuilder's Bibble" I bet i'm flippin through it at least once a day maybe more! Thats one book it seemed to take forever to find let alone buy or get!! But its a great sourse of parts for I.H.C. and Rivarossi parts! And whats better the place that had this one (Last Version ever releasted to the public). Not only carried the book but also stocks the parts listed in it! So I get a book for Rivarossi and a parts supplier. Whats sad though is for a person to "order" parts must have a hugh acount with them first off and alittle back ground on their capabilities of repair work. So guys if your looking for a Rivarossi Repairman or a I.H.C. Repairman you are reading the right material here! I'm the only one known in the Continental US. Thus, don't take this the wrong way though I am only able to order "old" parts that are new never used! I can't get parts for the newer items Rivarossi has made. -example anything from 1981 to the present date i'm not able to get. anything prior to that I can if its still carried! Sadly I got one loco I am stuck on at the moment (2-8-8-2) Y6b most of the known parts on that loco to go bad is in fact out of production all together! except a few minor parts that seem to never go bad. But Watash for example is what a guy in this hobby would call a an "Information Directory" Ok guys i'll go away [ 20 March 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
Hi guys, I wonder if BC Railking knew he would start a revolution on trainboard by asking if some of us were feeling the same as him about MR reviews I guess the folks at MR must start to breath again because the riot is turning against NMRA and brass stuff now. Watash make me think of my father (long live to him) who buy the same brand of car since 30 years but always conplain that the new model is worse than the last one. I ask him :"why don't you change of brand ?" He never reply and look at me the same way as when my mother is arguing at him My generation (I am 32) has a great opportunity : when we will be 64 (remember paul Mac Cartney ?) we shall not complain about good ol'stuff computers because with the help of Bill,things just can improve in the future... I would not make any judment on brass, I don't own any (my wife woud not forgive me)nor I can say anything about Varney and others old brands, the only time I saw a Varney model was in a book on John the Prophet, but I sure can say that when you live far from the U.S.A, it is good to see a copy of MR in the mailbox I decided to subscribe to MR when I realise that the guy at the news stand ( a couple in Paris)would never understand what "maudelle rye raudher" means Happy modeling Marc
I quit reading MR a long time ago. Other than reading it in the newsstand, before reshelving it, and continuing with my shopping, I don't bother with it too much, unless a layout in N is featured somewhere therein. I don't read the reviews much, but I did notice they rarely ever show negative findings, or doctor the review up. I like the new N Scale Railroading, and I hope they keep up the great work. Bret Overholtzer, If you're out there, you have one the most nicely executed layouts *The Katy* I've seen. Your layout has inspired my plan for my own. Maybe I should play the lottery...
BC Rail King is my son...and I'm sure he'd be rolling his eyes if he saw this post...lol. We both like MR. We both read it when it comes out. His roll in the family is to be the avid, rabbid railfan; my roll is to be the layout designer builder. Of course, I get the occassional critique of the layout (like: "why on earth would you want a double main?") from him. (We didn't do a double main.) We both feel MR has slipped in quality in the last couple of years. For BC Rail King, it was the loss of student fare and bull session which brought his love affair with the magazine to a screeching halt. For me, it was the introduction of "People magazine" articles, which are short, often one page long affairs, designed for the "supposed" shorter attention span. I recently acquired some old RMC magazines and was astounded to see Tony Koester writing articles that went on for 5 to 8 pages. He must have been paid by the word then...lol. Can you imagine an 8 page article from Tony now? By the way, he had longer hair and a beard in those days too....lol. You just have to read older MR's to see how articles have reduced in lenght. Don't get me wrong, it is still the one magazine I look to first every month. But I also now really like the new N scale Railroading Magazine that is out. MR has influenced, educated, tutored, and dazzled me with techniques and layouts. In terms of new methods, it is still the cutting edge of railroad mags..you just need to look at the recent past issues on ponds, waterfalls, etc. I still like the magazine, but occassionally I realize the emporer has no clothes on.
All you guys are correct. I looked at one of my 1940's issue of Model Railroader where they had printed a scale blue print of an engine article by Mel Thornbourgh, who built brass engines like my dad was building then. The article was continued through several issues and had lots of how to do tips sketches, photos of both the real engine, and the engine as it was being constructed, then as finished. Those engines were all hand made in that no automatic production machinery was tooled up to manufacture them. We only had such blue prints we could get from the Railroad to make them with. Working of an evening, sometimes on a Saturday, it took about a year to finish one. I made my first one alone at 13. Just a few years ago I got a $1,775.95 Brass engine almost sight unseen, you were not allowed to pick it up until you had paid for it and the check had cleared the bank. With that attitude, I fully understood, feeling the same way about my dad's engines, and fully expected this piece of jewelery to perform like my dad's did. It looked as good as dad's, it was fairly heavy, and I had seen it run around in a circle, at one speed, then stop. He reached up on the shelf and handed me one all ready in a box. When I got it home, I put it on the track and it loped down the track like a drunk! One wheel was out of round! Also, the driver axles were not equalized nor sprung! When I took it back, I was surprised to find that there was no recourse but to sue, since the dealer claimed it was my fault! You know dumb can be corrected with education, but stupid goes all the way to the bone! While I was pointing out to him that the wheel was not bent, it was bored out of dead center, another guy walks up and says if I don't want to buy it, he does! I sold it to him and left. Thank goodness I was able to palm off that piece of junk! Now you know why after paying that kind of money, and get crap, I am not impressed with Brass, and I have inspected Brass over the years, and it isn't improved up to 5 years ago. I don't recall ever seeing a review on any of the Brass engines or manufacturers in MR.
Watash, I can remember one brass loco in the reveiws of MR I think in 1993 or 94, (i'm not quite sure), but anyway it was a 2-8-8-4 SP in "N" scale, (NOT a cab forwards). It looked good and was fairly high detailed. And nothing was said to be bad on it. But I am sure it had a few defaults. The only loco's without defaults in them are in fact the ones we (us the modeler) fools with! We set and pick and nag at the loco till its right. And those loco's that are manufactured by the thoudands have mechanical problems from the fact of their mass produced! If we were to form a company together (all of us in trainboard) we could make loco's that no one could find fault with, because we all have a high standard in the making, and work till it does what we want it to, and make it work like its supposted to!!! Guys Can you imagine such a bunch of guys doing this like us? I can, and I also can see how it would go in bussiness. We may put a few companies out of bussiness and be tortured by "BIG BUSSINESS" who knows who would come out on top. But the issue i'm getting to is this: If a company would get their act together such as we do they might make a loco that is up to our standards. If they do poorly as they have been well... Then they never made them self better, but worsened them self! Because of the fact you all know how companies express themself when the supposedly "improved" their products, and in fact they didn't! That just gave them a worse name! Not a better one as they seem to say they have! Ok guys i'll let the rest of my soap box up to someone else [ 21 March 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Maxwell Plant: "TRAIN UP A CHILD! SO SAYETH THE LORD!" <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Lo, I standeth corrected
Not a correction, maybe a different version of the same thing. I always got a kick out of the "Train up a Child!" Makes sence to me!
Makes even more sence to me!!!! Thats how I got into the trains!!!!!! Trained me up it did it did i'm all trained up!!!!HEE HEE
If you guys stay in training, by the time you are my age you will be up to your arm pits in trains, or dying of toxic poisioning from all the plastic!
