MTL losing their edge?

My goodness, there sure is a lot of whining here. "Micro Trains sux, they cant do ANYTHING right!" "I wouldn't own a MT car if it were the ony thing out there". If John Allen were still alive he'd spank your spoiled @$$es. Personally, I cannot understand why in the middle of a terrible recession MT won't give us what we want, when we want it, and for FREE!!!

Yes, MT needs to hear our likes and dislikes but I REALLY get sick of reading the caustic posts directed at the manufacturers because some spoiled kid didn't get what they wanted. If you don't like it, build it yourself and shut up about it!!!!! In the end, these are just toys!!!

 

Way to sum it up Espeeman. Of course, I can't wait for the fantasy dictator line. I want my Stalin and Pol Pot cars, they'll be offered in a MT flat car with a porta-potty load.

I think we all need to take a step back and look at what is really offered out there. We do have quite a bit of choice for a hobby that is by all accounts shrinking. I realize there has been some disappointment with what is offered. But if you look hard enough, Evergreen and Plastistruct offer more than enough choices in styrene to build what you want.

 

Wow, I'm used to seeing this kind of MTL bashing over on the Atlas board, but not here.
I'm glad to hear the positive reviews of the new RPO, and at the price MTL is offering it at, I think they're on the right path. But, I also agree with the less than positive reviews of the Bay Window Caboose, I'm not a fan of etched metal end railings - they look too flat, and those pizza cutter wheels really have to go. For my money, the Athearn caboose really looks nice.

My general point would be this, the MTL Evans hopper and the new RPO are good examples of keeping the prices low and the detail at a decent compromise, I hope later releases by MTL are similar. I also agree with what was mentioned earlier, about the new Rapido cars, they look nice, but I'm not willing to pay that much for passenger cars, not to mention how much an entire train would be. I know some people like the extra detail and cost, I'm glad we have more than one option.

Recently, I purchased the first five years of N Scale on CD, it's interesting to see how far we've come since 1989.

 

That confirms what I thought, looks like I'll have to mix up some Santa Fe passenger car green and do a repaint.

 

What about trains operated by more than one road?

There were some mail and passenger trains that operated over more than one road. While the UP/SP/C&NW/CMStP&P City trains may have had uniform consists, the mail trains and secondary trains did not.

A while back, RMC had an article on the Interstate Express, which the Reading Company, Lackawanna and another road (was it LV?) operated (I bought the copy, I just can not find it, now). This train was mostly a mail train that carried a coach and had other passenger carrying cars switched in and out. The photographs of the train show cars from all roads over which the train ran, as well as others. Still, might you not see a Lackawanna RPO in Reading Terminal?

 

Could add to the switching at a major division point. Looking less likely that that New Haven RPO would turn up in Texas though.:tb-ooh:

 

No whining here, I just call them like I see them. I was at my LHS yesterday and saw some MTL plain jane boxcars priced at 29.99 each. :thumbs_down:.
I can get 2 Intermountain boxcars for that price and in my opinion the IM's are nicer and I can get at least 6 road numbers at once. As far as covered hoppers, I am a big fan of the Trinity 5161 and IM does these better than anyone I think and I can get them in lots of at least 6 road numbers to build long trains. It would take forever to do this with MTL.

 

I don't understand how you can make an all-encompassing statement like "I've always thought of MTL as a total joke." Really???? A total joke?????? If it weren't for those jokers at MTL we'd still have Rapido couplers and pizza cutter wheels.

 

Well, like I said before, I love my new GN RPO. I also love every car I've ever bought from Microtrains. Yes their prices seem to have been soaring lately, but so has everything else. Here is what I've noticed: where prices aren't rising, quality is going by the wayside. Copper wire replaced with aluminum, cheaper plastics, thinner metals, and so on. So when you shop in Target or Walmart and think you're getting great deals in this recession of ours, you're getting TERRIBLE quality. Things that won't last, but still look the same or better. Our model railroad manufacturers have avoided this to the best of their ability.

We're still getting real quality products for not that much more. I'm happy to pay the price.

And I've said my piece.

 

Hmm,$29.99 for a boxcar must be a collector item,I don't know.
I got 2 Micro Train 40' boxcar's for less than that at my LHS.
So I guess not all MTL cars are $29.99 .
I don't remember seeing any that were $29.99 but there might have been.If there was I chose not to get it and went on with my life.
Rick

 

The only $29.99 MTL boxcars I see are the now out-of-print "collector" cars, usually fantasy schemes anyway, so not of much interest to me.

 

Actually more people buy President cars and Fantasy cars than any other catagory. So you have a business with people in the states to support, do you do what you want or what you can sell? It's easy to sit out there an pontificate over the notion that we are a joke, or our products are crap... but numbers don't lie. And if you think this is a recent change, Fantasy cars have always topped sales for us. I think it's easy to think we are the norm here on the boards, but we only represent a tiny fraction of the buying public, most are not protoheads or stressing over the number of panel lines on a 40' box car...they buy it because it meets a need. Yea they run a CSX engine with Presidents and Birthday cars mixed in with UP and BN and SP...I've seen it at shows, I've seen it on the web. The vast majority do trains because it's fun for them, something a lot of folks loose sight of.

Overpriced compared to what? Chinese production...ok, but we have a company of 80 people here in the US who are paid a living wage with benifits with an ownership who fights every day to meet margins and be competitive. If you saw the bottom line, and profitability, I doubt you'd think we are overpriced. Have mistakes happened, sure, name any other company that hasn't...Do we need to do better, you betcha.

Collectors...that ship sailed 6 years ago, and they never, in the 9 years I've been at MTL made any decisions for us...there's no secret star chamber where we collaborate to fix prices and screw everyone over. We've never shorted production to inflate aftermarket prices...what do we have to gain by that? We don't see any of that money. What I've found on the road is that many dealers just assume we are out and don't bother to re-order because of shipping expense or a lack of time. I was in a shop last year and overheard the dealer telling a customer we were out of a car. I stepped in and called the factory and there were several hundred units left on the shelf...that customer bought 10 cars right there. So don't belive what you hear about us.

Modern prototypes sell fewer units than transition era cars...fantasy cars out sell all catagories...regardless of what you or I model. For example the Pearl Harbor set was our largest Fantasy or Prototypical set we ever produced. The numbers were staggering. It gave us the money to continue to do cars that have weak sales (probably the ones you might consider buying)...so don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Sets don't sell, that's why we stopped making them. Folks who buy sets go to toy stores and hobby shops and want to pay $60 for the whole thing...generally to get started in the hobby. So we can't compete there either.

We have sets like Kato...we call them Runner's packs...four cars, four different numbers. If we thought there was a market for larger sets we would do them...but we haven't seen that yet.

Have a great day

Joe
MTL

 

Thank you Joe! I sometimes wonder when the complainers and whiners find time to run trains. They must spend immense amounts of time typing and reading. I for one appreciate your products and am willing to pay the price for those I want. I do not "collect" any of the fantasy stuff but I understand how those can sell better than the regular cars. One has a choice on ANY car or locomotive. If you don't like it, don't buy it. If you want to tinker or rivet count, by all means use an available MT car to start or kitbash something else. That is what makes this hobby interesting. I am afraid that the current national trend of entitlement has started to grip N scale. Some here seem to imply that a company should produce what THEY want. I had students like that just before I retired. Why did you GIVE me that grade? I paid for this course!!!

Everyone should enjoy the hobby and not get their blood pressure up over small things.


Steve Ervin

 

I own a number of MT cars. Except for the steps not being painted on some I think they are great. Thanks MT. Looking forward to the new C&O runner pack and passenger equipment.

 

Thank you Joe! It speaks volumes for a company to step forth and explain why they do what they do..

I have several of your cars and look forward in buying more-uh,well,ahem,sorry I won't buy the fantasy cars because they don't fit my modeling style..

BTW because of your beautiful 40 boxcars I am fighting the urge to change eras.


Please keep up the good work.

 

I don't complain about the price for exactly what Joe A. wrote. USA BABY!!!!! The last time I looked, Eric set up camp in Oregon, USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Support us 1st!!!!!

 

it takes all kinds

I could bash Athearn, because they will not do more with the nineteenth century power they inherited from MDC, but I only complain about it occasionally. Athearn actually brought down the prices of the
2-8-0 and 2-6-0. How often do you see that? A-company's use of MTs on the power and AccuMates on the rolling stock is a major improvement over Mostly Don't Couple knuckle couplers or Rapidos.

STILL, I do wish that they would do a high-drivered eight wheeler on that 2-8-0 platform.

Then, there are some firms that do too much modern stuff and NO ONE does enough steam.

I have gripes with almost any manufacturer, but that will never stop me from buying something that it might sell if it meets my needs.

Yes, I do not have much use for battleship cars. If they did Constitution (or did they do that one?) or any incarnation of Massachusetts , I might buy one.

I did buy the Virginia and Massachusetts cars, because GF and I are from those states, respectively. If I can find the DC car for a decent price, I will buy it because I live there.

I do not mind the phantasy/collector schemed power. When it comes time to paint power for non-historic or use the power chassis for something, or the shells for bashing, I do not feel as bad about stripping, cutting up or offering for trade a Christmas or Battleship FT as I would about a B&O.

I like my RPO, and will buy more as unlettered and other roadnames appear. In fact, I seem to recall answering Joe's survey and indicating that I wanted a HW full RPO. It appears that MT has responded to my request in the affirmative. The car shows some improvements; for one, it does not appear to be on stilts. Perhaps the freight cars will soon see the same improvements.

I do not buy as many MTs as I used to, but when they come out with something that I want, I will not hesitate to buy them. Which reminds me, thanks, Mr. D'Amato, thanks for the RPO, the B&O gondola runner pack and the latest thirty six foot refrigerator. Have not seen the last one in some time, hope to see more, soon.

I do not think that MT is losing, or has lost, its edge. While it may be issuing product that other manufacturers are also issuing, it is also issuing product that no one else is. Some manufacturers may have similar product that is better, but some also have product that is inferior. MT is still allright, but I do wish that they would do the Warner Brothers cartoon characters. Sign up GF for every Tweety Bird boxcar or caboose that can be found, and a few that can not. I will make every effort to avoid canninbalising or stripping any Bugs Bunny FT shells.

 

Yup, got the Indiana car. OK, Im a sucker. *L*