LT - to paraphrase, stay cool and run...well...whatever! I agree with you on all your basic points, but I have to say I feel it might be counter-productive to "out" the flamers, as it may in fact encourage them. Just delete, relax and repeat as necessary. After a long time in uniform, I can honestly say that I've been called a large number of things to my face and behind my back, some true, some not, some that just kinda sailed in from the Twilight Zone. I always made sure to consider the source in reacting, and to remind myself that in the final analysis, there's only two people whose opinion will matter tomorrow (and my wife usually forgets what she said about me, anyway) As for the rest of them, some sage advice: opinions are like...err...backsides; everyone has one, and most people think everybody else's stinks! IMHO, it's just a hobby, so have fun with it. BTW, in the future avoid people who use words like "obstreporous;" I make a point of not talking to people I can't understand, but then again, that's just me, a simple type
I have seen all of the things this thread talks about. we can't we as a N scale nation just get along!!!!! Geez!!!! Come on!!! get real!!! , can't think if any more that are not cussing!!!LOL I prefer lo pro wheels, that is because I am choosing to have lower rail height on the new layout. Get that,,,,,,, Choose. I know of people that do not want a choice, but rather a choice made for them. Not me, let me pick my poison. Crown royal, please,,, oops , wrong forum. LOL,,. sorry. I guess I am just tired of the complaining going on, bout what wheels, what gauge of track, what couplers, what control system. Just enjoy the hobby as you see fit. I may kid around with guys I know, calling their stuff old, and making fun of all the control switches for their analog panel. But that is just good natured ribbing. You know enough of this, time to go run some trains,. Adios Wyatt
Don and others.... the complaning comment was meant at the whole N scale community. Not at ya'll. No one is ever happy, " why not this road name?", .." why not this version with blah blah numberboards?" .. " how come this flavor does not come in tooty fruity?" I have only been in the hobby steady now for about 2 and half years. I have learned to paint my own, I super detail now. And for my next magic trick,,,,, I am going to handlay my main line turnouts on the new layout. That is why I cringe when I see a .... track,roadname,control,manufaucture thread, cause I best get out the welding gloves, cause the PC is too hot to touch. I try to have a sense of humor, but some days I just want to go postal!!LOL. Heck I would hate for the " track" guys to come here, CD80 all over the place. Look at my pics, you can tell. But Let's just have fun. I am always saying that when hot solder falls on my legs, or when a numberboard that I just decaled, comes up shy a number,," $&^*$&*$, I just put that ($^#&$#^ thing there,,,,, %*&$)(*$........" you get the point,,,,,, Have FUN!!!!!!!!!!! For Us N scalers,,,,,,,,wyatt
2 cents worth- The low profile wheels are good for people who are looking for a closer to scale appearance and whose trackwork supports them (or demands them, for those using Atlas code 55 or the code 40 track) The pizza cutters sacrifice appearance, but are quite a bit more reliable for those with less than optimal trackwork. I have to include myself in this group, because all the layouts I've run on have been modular, which in itself leads to track "hiccups" from set up and tear down, and are not always set up and used in optimal climate conditions, with the havoc that can cause. Bottom line for me is that both types of wheels have pros and cons, and it's up to the individual modeller to se his own priorities.
What may have been missed, and I'm going to ask for a clarification later today, is that (if I read the dealer announcement correctly) the LPW will not be included even loosely starting in January. That's a major goof IMO. Steve: Are you hoping to move?
I hope that is an oversight, George. While I cannot use the Low Profile Wheel myself, I have always supported the option for those who want them. I don't mind paying for the Rapidohs stashed somewhere in the packing of virtually every new Kato or Atlas loco I buy. I think most of you would be surprised how many people still use Rapidohs in North America. It is still the standard in the world market, in any case. I feel the same way about the wheels. I don't mind paying a little extra for the flexibility. If they are going to leave out the low pros, I will be just as quick to write them and tell them I think that is a mistake, as I was when it looked like the old MT standard wheelsets would be dropped from the monthly car issues. MT needs to provide equal availability for both wheelsets, including 10-packs of the trucks. Whether MT decides to include both wheelsets with the trucks, or continues to make two versions of the trucks as separate catalog items, they need to do both to retain their market share, IMO. As a historical note: Does anyone know when MT quit making the cars available with Rapidoh couplers? Is the MT truck with Rapidohs still cataloged? MT made them for quite a while. Back in the day, I bought my Kadee cars with Rapidohs, because that is what I had on everything else. It took a while for the KD "magne-matic" to become a defacto standard. Always a "late adopter", I finally converted my fleet starting in 1998. Some of the cars and locos that finally got MTs were over 30 years old at that point. Yes, there were locos I sold, and cars I gave away, because the conversion cost was 2 or 3 times what I originally paid for the item....
I have quite a bit of code 80 track & turnouts, but for my paper mill switching layout I'm using code 55, Atlas in particular. Reason? My choice. I also prefer the low-profike wheels to the deep-flange wheels, mainly for looks (they perform well, too, which is a plus). Reason? My choice. I'm removing all the Rapidos and replacing them with M-T couplers. Reason? My choice. I choose to do these things mainly because it improves the looks of my rolling stock, diesels, and layout. I'm OK with folks who still run C80, pizza cutter wheels, and Rapidos- whatever floats their boat. It's a dadgum hobby, after all. The flamers (or flaming idiots) aren't worth the energy expended in hitting the keys on the keyboard to write a response. Makes no sense to get into a crap-flinging contest with someone who is standing in a full septic tank, IMO.
It was confirmed to me today by MTL that starting in January MTL will stop including LPW with their releases.
Well, no LPW in the monthly car releases is a mistake, IMO, and I will let tell them so. I suspect I will not be the only one sending that message. As to "why?" I suspect they will cite production and packaging expense. It is probably a little more difficult to insert the nest into the box without damaging the loose wheels. Maybe they are going to come out with their own version of "Unitrack" like they did in Zed? If anyone has real world numbers on the N Scale market for fine scale rail and wheels, they aren't telling. The veil of secrecy robs the hobbyist of understanding on these kinds of issues. Sad to say, but it is always a step backwards when a hobby choice is taken away, IMO.
I don't have a large amount of cars and even less of MT cars. I have at most 65-70 MT cars. They all get low pros via the low pro bulk packs. About 5 of those cars came with both wheelsets. I changed them out and was thinking "cool the wheels are right here" I also put MT's on some other cars, not all. If a car has decent equipment, I leave it. Atlas trucks and wheels seem fine, but I hate those long couplers. So I cut the coupler off and mount a 1025 or 903. If they can't continue to give us both wheels, then I would rather get no wheels and reduce the cost of the cars (yeah I know that will never happen) Also, yes I use code 55 track, but if I had code 80 I would still want low pro wheels for the looks alone. Whatever type of modeler you call me. I run trains in circles (around the walls type layout) I haven't yet got to the point of switching or any type of operation. One thing I do is squat down along the edge of the layout and watch the train slowly go by. (yeah just like a little kid ) This is when I pick the not yet changed over car out of the train and swap the wheels for low pros. I don't care if the "big" wheels are in the box as long as the "small" ones are too.
well said as usual Don. and LT too! The best compromise is to continue to include both sets and let the hobbyist decide which is right for him. LT - I too find no humor in the Outcome base mag spoof - but some on that crew unfortunately have a penchant for belittling others choices.
In reply to an email I sent to MTL I received the following today (emphasis mine): "Thank you for contacting us. A more formal announcement will be made at a later date, but as of January '06 Micro-Trains will return to the original practice of providing N scale cars equipped with HPW's while also including a set of loose LPW's in the box. Due to lead times in production, October-December cars will still have LPW's assembled with HPW's thrown in loose. Thank you, Ben Thielemann Marketing Associate Ben@Micro-Trains.com" So it looks like we are back to the status quo ante.
