N Scale: Now vs. Then

I've been thinking about some of the advancements N has seen recently like the Atlas S2 with sound, the FEF, modern high detail cars and it got me thinking how much different N Scale is now vs 10 years ago. I wasn't in to N back then, but for those who were how much different is N Scale 2015 vs N scale 2005?

I'd like to know what were the big advancements back in the summer of 2005 vs today and how much has changed?

 

You can say that again; matter of fact I can recall where N Scale has come from since the early 90's when I fist got into it seriously. What a difference a day makes, and a great time to be an N Scale Modeler.

 

Things sure have changed a lot in both quality & quantity of the offerings. China unfortunately have made a major impact in a negative. At their mercy or lack there of. Hurry up give us your money and wait??????????
On that note I don't Pre Order anything anymore. Maybe if they have to wait on their money. There would be an urgency of production.

 

Right about that time was when Kato began producing their prototypical US passenger train sets, starting with the California Zephyr.

 

I go back to almost at the beginning having switched from HO. Biggest changes have been in the details which in some cases are still cast on but much finer in detail. Locomotive mechanisms have been evolving to smaller motors and more complexity in the mechanisms. Compare an early Bmann to a more recent Bmann and that becomes very visible. The early Concor F-3 was one of my first F units and compared to a modern Kato F unit is like night and day with both shell and mechanism.

 

I go back to the beginning and the biggest advancements have been locomotive performance and reliability. There's DCC but that's optional and I would rather operate my layout with blocks and such - the old fashioned way. I like all the switching and keeping track of where locos are and which blocks are powered and that stuff. It seems more railroady to me.

But that's beside the point. Other improvements have been more like refinements on an already existing design (more detail, closer to scale appearance, etc) but it's all good.

I still get out my old locomotives sometimes just to run them but when I really want to enjoy running trains, they go back into storage and the newer ones are put out.

Doug

 

And yet, there are some here that decry any advancement at all simply because they personally can't afford it. Hey, I've never been in a position to obtain everything I would have liked or pursued in N-Scale. But I'm not about to rain on the parade of those who could.

 

2002 thru 2005 were watershed years for the 'NEW' golden age of N scale.
Bachmann went from being a 'joke' to being a leader in N scale steamers... beginning a new era of N scale steam engine production by several manufacturers
Intermountain decided to break into the "F" unit production field typically held hostage by Kato's recalcitrance to serve the US market.
The Micro-Trains challenge to produce an FT at the same time Intermountain was doing theirs... very strange...?!?!?!?
Kato begins to 'see the light' and starts to produce upgraded F and E units with prototypical passenger consists.
Atlas announces a Shay class locomotive as their 'steam' engine contribution.
LifeLike makes the Y3 Mallet... a shocker for such a traditionally 'low-end' manufacturer.
Walthers enters the field after acquiring LifeLike with an 0-8-0 steam switcher.
Athearn's entry into N Scale in a very BIG way with their Challenger and Big Boy models with sound.
For that matter... other DCC and DCC/Sound boards begins to make serious inroads. Even older models can be fitted with tinier DCC boards.

 

Well, I am going to go against the above remarks by saying that there really isn't much different today from 10 years ago. About the only positive thing is we now have sound although we can disagree on its quality and we got a few more locomotives and rolling stock. We did get a lot of unfulfilled promises and some very serious price increases. But ten years ago we had DCC. We had good running engines that were DCC ready if not PNP. We had rolling stock that was highly detailed as well as rolling stock that wasn't so you had a choice (a possible topic for another thread). Those are the ones that readily come to mind. I think the biggest advances in N scale came in the fifteen years prior to 2005. DCC came in. LifeLike and Bachmann shocked everyone with some quality locomotives like the LL FA/B1's and the B'mann Spectrum 2-8-0. A lot of rolling stock was introduced as well as some good running locomotives from Kato and Atlas. It was the heyday of N scale, at least up till now.

 

I started in "N" back in 1972 and the locos just did not run well at all, your track choice was mainly Atlas Locos were Atlas, Minitrix, Roco, Life Like and Bachmann.
I mainly purchased Atlas and Minitrix, then Concor came out wit some of the KATO built steam loco that ran very well.
Rolling stock was Atlas, Minitrix, Roco, Bachmann, Concor, and Kadee.
Building Kits I had access to were Volmer and Atlas.
In short all manufacturers have com a long way making things that run way better today than back when I first got involved with "
We now have the largest selection ever in Locos, Rolling Stock and Buildings and scenery materials!

 

I started out in the late '60s with Arnold Rapido trains and track. All of it ran well.

 

I just tore apart a Kato GP50 (1988) and I can tell you it is amazing how far N Scale has come. This engine had truck mounted Rapidos! The internals are heavy as all get out and the frame and fuel tank were screwed together to hold the frame on. What a difference a couple decades makes.

 

I forgot a few things that happened in the past 10-15 years of the new millennium.
The 'death' of the Rapido coupler as a standard on any rolling stock or locomotives.
More choices for knuckle couplers other than the Micro-trains, Unimates... etc.;
and, the emergence of RTR body mounted couplers on rolling stock.
Advances in signaling equipment from several manufacturers including Atlas.
The use of better LED's to lite-up passenger rolling stock, locomotives and buildings.
OH yes... so many more choices of passenger equipment from different eras.

 

We may have gone forward in terms of quality and variety, but I'm not sure we've gone forward in terms of availability or accessibility. I'm not sure you can have one without the other and continue to be a successful, relevant hobby.

I continue to be concerned about the scenario of someone walking into a hobby shop (assuming that there's one in the area...) and asking for the Acme 0-2-0 that he's just heard about, only to be told, "Sorry, that was a pre-order, you should have known a year ago that you wanted it, try eBay." This simply doesn't happen with many other hobby pursuits.

Maybe 3-D printing is the future, and if that's the case, that might be a Doomsday Scenario for many of what I'll call the Mass Market Producers. (Which is all relative.)

On the other hand, I've been moving through the 1942 issues of Model Railroader on the DVD and I'm really curious to see how the hobby made it through a time when the War Production Board basically said, "You can't make anything."

 

Unfortunately... very true as far as a 'situation' that is handicapping our efforts to grow the hobby.
But... the analogy of a TV or Auto is not realistic due to the market share those items have in our economy.
Again... the hobby as a part of the economy is only an infinitesimally small part of GDP.
This hobby is a great past-time for many people... but not a necessary part of the overall scheme of things in the world.
We are avid lovers of the hobby and are a very small minority.
We are almost as 'outside' of the economy as person that doesn't own a TV, Computer or Telephone would be.
We are fortunate to have several businesses that are eking out an existence by providing product for our consumption.
If anything goes wrong in their 'economic landscape'... then we are out of luck.
They have been adjusting to a changing world which may not include this hobby in the next 50 years.

 

Part of the problem is that no one wants to be left holding (the bag of) inventory indefinitely.

Is it the product manufacturer's responsibility? It could be, but that would tie up part of their working capital that could be better used producing new products.
Is it the retailer's responsibility? Partially, but is it reasonable to expect a LHS in one corner of the country to stock models in all roadnames? Having some minimal internet presence can help address this issue by providing an outlet for regionally unpopular items.
Wholesalers/distributors would rather function as (pre-)order consolidators.
If, somewhere in the supply chain, no one is willing to function as a buffer between the manufacturers and retailers by maintaining some quantity of inventory of those items made in limited production runs, then we are stuck with the situation we have today.

3D printing might be one version of the future - but how many will like it? Will models made one piece at a time on demand be more or less expensive than those made by mass production? You won't be able to cross-shop retailers looking for the lowest price. Has anyone addressed the aspect of painting and lettering such models? Is everyone ready to break out the airbrush and apply decals? Sounds like a case of careful for what you wish.

 

I am not so sure about all of that. If things are so dire in the hobby world then Why does Athearn buy MDC Roundhouse and in turn is bought by Horizon? Why does Walthers buy LifeLike? Why does MRC buy Model Power? If these companies are "... eking out an existence" where did they get the money for the acquisitions? And why put that money into something so risky. It does not make sense. I can only conclude that we are wrong about the "dire straits" of this industry. Sure, there is competition for disposable income. There always is. But is the situation as dire as we want to portray it? I think the actions of Athearn, Horizon, Walthers and MRC are telling us differently.