What’s with Micro Engineering? Have they gone belly up? Anyone know if they are actually taking orders their stuff seemes to be in short supply online and at retailers.
The company has sold and moved. Through another forum I found and filled out a survey on Facebook back in January 17th asking folks what products they'd like to see. Here's what the Mailchimp survey had to say: "Good day fellow modelers, As the new owners of Micro Engineering Company, we want to continue the legacy set forth by Bob and the entire Rands family. We know the supply chain hasn't been easy to work with the last several years. We have begun to answer those needs with a new location, increased dedicated staff, more molding machines, and increased youthfulness to the company and hobby. By completing this survey, you will help us to understand the needs of the railroad modeler, but more specifically what you want from us. In addition this information will help us to know what new products to release and who is most interested in those new products. The Dwiggins family is looking forward to building a legacy with you, the modeler, just as Bob Rands did so many years ago. Thank you for all the help in growing Micro Engineering Company. We look forward to working with each of you. As a sign of our commitment to the hobby and our appreciation to you the modeler we would like to offer every participant a 10% off coupon to be applied to your first order from the new website, to be launched in May 2024." So stay tuned is all I can say.
Sounds good. Hopefully they stick to that May time frame. N scale is seriously lacking for bridges, deck girders etc. I hope they at least start producing those again as nobody seems to be stepping up. Hard to believe Walthers doesn’t make any of this stuff they have an extensive line of HO bridges you’d think making them in N scale would be easy money.
Micro Engineering also has some QC issues they need to shore up: I recently posted in the “What was your latest purchase?” thread that I had a problem with a vendor having shipped me HO scale Micro Engineering bridge track, rather than the ordered N scale. It turns out every piece the vendor had from Micro Engineering had been mislabeled at the factory. Lapses at both ends, I guess, but this development explains why I can’t finish out my bridges.
My boss spoke with the new owners at the St. Louis RPM meet right after they purchased ME. There was some work that needed done on the machinery and they are correct on the supply problems. While their products are made in the USA, they do get their nickel silver rail from overseas. I use Micro Engineering track exclusively in both HO and N scale. My N scale code 55 turnouts work flawlessly with all the brands of models I use, their code 40 N scale track is beautiful. It will take them a bit to pull out from all the hurdles of manufacturing here, but they are slowly getting their catalog built back up.
TMC, Walthers does have a few N bridges, including single and double track through truss bridges and single and double track through plate girder bridges. They also have a nice urban steel overpass kit. But, I agree that they do not have the range of bridges that ME has provided. Atlas also has a nice multitrack plate girder bridge for Code 55. Tonkphilip
Quote from Jim Wiggins’s: It will take them a bit to pull out from all the hurdles of manufacturing here, but they are slowly getting their catalog built back up.[/QUOTE] For interest, I checked Trainboard advertisers, the ME Code 55 track and Code 55 bridge track are in stock. But, I have not seen the ME Code 55 in turnouts/switches in stock anywhere. Like Jim, I love this track. - Tonkphilip
