Uh? I received a single auto-rack this week. Very nice... until you start looking more closely. Actually, I noticed this when Jeff posted photos of his cutting open the doors. Unless I missed this being pointed out some where in any of the previous posts, I can't find this being mentioned any place. All four corners on the bottom of the flat-bed have been cut off. I can understand why this needed to be done. But, it appears that no attempt was made to re-paint the plastic where the cut-outs have been made. I understand that product was behind schedule for release, but this distracts from the otherwise high quality product. Can someone provide an explanation? Please tell us about the spring-loaded mechanism inside the auto-rack, under the truck / coupler, where there is a v-shaped slot. Are future road-name releases going to look the same or have better looking improvements?
Alex, thats what delay the release of the cars. It seems that the stirups prevented it from negotiating through 195mm curves, so AZL cut them off.
Maybe it's time for a few more empire layouts to be built with broad radius track. I guess that is what flex track is all about. Now you just gotta have the spare room to do it all in.
Loren, can I build my layout in your spare room. My boys are not going to college for another couple of years.
Alex I talked to rob from ztrack a week or so ago after i recieved mine and he said the spring clips were left inside after the cars were completed and then found the problem with the couplers not guiding right. instead of damageing the whole run by taking them back apart, they removed the outter part and left the spings inside. as to the stirups, i agree that a little touch up could have been done. I dont remember for sure but i think Rob stated that the next runs will have the problem corrected. That being said, I still love the one i got Steve aka "Sluggers"
Hi Folks, Here is the quick version of a long saga: When the Autoracks were delivered they we all defective in two ways: First – the swing coupler (that “V” thing that is still in there) had a spring that was ten times tighter than specified. Because of this, the swing coupler did not swing at all, and would derail any car attached to it on a curve. It literally threw the other car off the rails. Second – all the couplers were constructed upside down: left was right, and right was left - impossible to couple to anything. Due to a packaging error, most of the couplers in the single car boxes were destroyed. If we had sent all of the Autoracks back to the factory then we would have been looking at a new delivery date of spring/summer 2010. Instead we elected to go with a slightly earlier design that had our proven trucks and couplers on a 17mm arm. This also had the advantage of closer coupling than the swing coupler. It does mean that I have to mill down each and every car by hand in Virginia. Rob Kluz puts in the replacement trucks in Ohio. The factory made the replacment trucks in less than 3 weeks, including some needed tooling modifications. Trust me: that is very fast. I should note that the new trucks also have our all new profile wheel on it: smaller tires, smaller flanges, and a true scale 36” wheel. Runs great through all turnouts, rolls really well, its self centering and should work well with hand laid track. I was the design manager on it, so I’m totally biased, but I think it is the best looking, and functioning wheel in Z scale. We tested the cars extensively and found the performance with the 17mm arm to be better than the swing coupler by a long shot, so we will keep this design. With the next production run, the tooling will be adjusted to match the current milled sides, and of course the paint work will be complete. The next production run will be in late 2010. In the mean time, since the milling is on the bottom of the car, it is hardly noticeable. We think this was the best solution given the alternatives. I’m also very happy to say that the Southern Pacific run sold out in less than a week and the entire Union Pacific run (due to be released next week) has already been spoken for by dealer pre-orders. Cheers, -Rob(A) AZL
Rob, The UPs are excellent. What beauties. We are installing trucks tonight! Production is in full swing here in Central Ohio... Photo will be posted soon. Rob(K)
Oh, it's just GRAND. Ask Joe - he knows the same characters. Although I'm willing to bet that 3 weeks for replacement trucks and wheels with tooling is a record for speed. Onward through the fog! -Rob(A)
Rob, I won't ask what sort of threatening comments you must have made to them to get a fire lit under their hind end. Joe, maybe you should ask Rob what his technique is for lighting fires )
They only deal in 60 Day cycles there...3 weeks mean 3 - 60 day cycles while they ponder the issue and develop a range of excuses why the problem is yours, not theirs. Then an additional "8" weeks (8 60 day cycles) while they square up steel, something trained Lab Rats can do in two hours, another "5" weeks pointing out the differences in your release of CAD compared to theirs and how the pull down menu is confusing them. After the software issues are delt with, then you have to wait "9" weeks for them to finish the new Atlas Bolster Pin. Once the more important projects are out of the way, then they spend the next "20" weeks considering what tool bits to use...about that time you run into Chinese New Year where the whole country grinds to a halt for the better part of February. When they recover and come back, your squared mold blocks are being used as tire stops to keep the competition's Trucks from rolling backwards as they are loaded with projects that went ahead of yours. "4" weeks later they are done loading the trucks, the blocks are returned to the tool room and you get a message that due to unexpected "rust" damage the blocks will need to be re-cut and squared...that requires "8" more weeks. While this is going on your project is handed off to a number of different, but well meaning engineers who each must be brought up to speed on what was promised and what was never delivered. This adds "4" weeks to the project. At this point it's more than a year since final delivery was been promised and apparently email service for a whole of Asia has been severed as weeks of constant requests for updates go unanswered. "6" weeks later you get a request for another installment payment. Yea...I know what you are going through ) Joe TE=RobertAllbritton;631002]Oh, it's just GRAND. Ask Joe - he knows the same characters. Although I'm willing to bet that 3 weeks for replacement trucks and wheels with tooling is a record for speed. Onward through the fog! -Rob(A)[/QUOTE]
Joe, And they may wonder why some of us choose to cut our writst instead of wait any longer. I feel for you and Rob. I think they are still mad because we went into Korea )
I'm telling you guys, this outsource to China may save a couple dollars off the cost of the project, at the end of the year you can do a lot more projects if you do them here. Example: 2 years to get an SD-XX done in China, you can retail it for $180 and sell 500 a month for 1 year= 3 years invested for 1,080,000 in total end user sales, or $360,000 per year of invested time. Remember, you floated this project for more than 2 years to realize any returns. 6 months to get an SD-XX done in house, retail it for $300 and sell 200 a month for a year= 1.5 years invested for 720,000 in total end user sales, or $480,000 per year of invested time. Here you floated this project for only half a year to realize any returns, and although the return is less, you have more time to do more projects, thus increasing the product range available, thus drawing more customers into the fold who are waiting on the sidelines to see if Z is going to sink or swim. What does that mean? Negatives to building at home: Higher production costs Higher product sales price Less units sold per product More foamers complaining the price is too high, (yet their sister-in law now has a job) Less profit for the investors or the carpet people who run the show Positives to building at home? Faster product turnaround More new product releases per year Shorter time to return on investment Faster growth of the scale More jobs for average working people here at home (your town's mayor would be proud) Bottom line? possibly unchanged, you still remain as profitable as you were before. Outsourcing is only good for the few or the one at the top, and bad for everyone in the long run. Build the product where you sell it!
Which is why 99% of our product line is done here in Oregon. One price we can't compete with is the cost to assemble said chassis. Time studies have us beat by three times the cost. Tooling...yes, better done here. To that we brought our track tooling project back here to MTL and will be doing the next couple of products in the back of the building. We will be able to do it for about the same price at a fraction of the time with control over quality and delivery. Any future chassis will be designed and built here. I have a design I am pushing to make the next generation of power units modular so thay can be adapted to any number of wheel bases or truck configurations. Now I just gotta sell my Lead! ) Joe
Wouldn't it be better to fire half the dead weight around there and get some good guys doing the work? BTW Robert, You should replace half the management at MTL......Joe excluded ! )
