CTValleyRR pathetic thread. Really. Don't we have better things to do than whine and complain like school children?
pathetic thread. Really.
Don't we have better things to do than whine and complain like school children?
When school children whine and complain, they are preparing themselves for life in the adult world.After all, isn't that what schools are for?
Dave
Just be glad you don't have to press "2" for English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_ALEdDUB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hqFS1GZL4s
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/steemtrayn/media/MovingcoalontheDCM.mp4.html?sort=3&o=27
Well on another forum someone mentioned that Bmann also announces their annual Xmas releases at the International Toy Fair in September, so there is still opportunity for more new stuff come Xmas.
Have fun with your trains
steemtrayn CTValleyRR pathetic thread. Really. Don't we have better things to do than whine and complain like school children? When school children whine and complain, they are preparing themselves for life in the adult world.After all, isn't that what schools are for?
Maybe I should just lurk here, and keep my posting on TB.
SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide
Gary DuPrey
N scale model railroader
Burlington Northern #24Maybe I should just lurk here, and keep my posting on TB.
Tell Ken (E50) at Train Bored I said hello.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
Geared Steam Burlington Northern #24 Maybe I should just lurk here, and keep my posting on TB. Tell Ken (E50) at Train Bored I said hello.
Burlington Northern #24 Maybe I should just lurk here, and keep my posting on TB.
I'm not one to complain about prices. They are what they are. But I do complain about value (or lack thereof), and the latest flyer shown here from the NMRA Convention shows a serious lack of value for their Bachmann Heavyweight Pullmans. Here's a list of current prices for other passenger cars available (or soon to be available):
Atlas (ex-Branchline) heavyweight coaches RTR: $65 ea.Walthers brand new B&O passenger train cars RTR: $75-$80 ea.Walthers new Amfleet cars RTR: $75-$80 ea.Rapido latest run of Osgood Bradley coaches RTR: $80 ea.Meanwhile, the Bachmann Spectrum heavyweight Pullmans are $99 ea.! Wha-? Huh?
Ok, one "reason" for this might be due to the pricing structure Bachmann uses vs. everyone else. AFAIK, Bachmann still uses the old breakdown for retailer and wholesaler (40% off list, etc.) while most everyone else is running on a short discount to the retailer (sometimes as short as 20%). So if we were to compare them equally, it's certainly possible that Bachmann's cost to the retailer is roughly equal to the others.
However, while the money might be the same, the value certainly isn't. For starters, I actually like the Bachmann Spectrum Heavyweight Pullmans. I have a dozen of them, re-painted them, and use them regularly. They look sharp running behind my BLI NH I-5 4-6-4. However, this means I know their shortcomings quite well.
To begin with, they have the worst coupler box ever made. They rotate with the trucks to allow for 18" radius curves. A good idea, but terrible in practice due to their sloppy design. I replaced all mine with Jay-Bee mounting pads, but these are gone forever with Jay Bennet's death a couple years ago.
The trucks can corrode in the box. Like a Kadee, they can form a white fuzz all over the truck if you're not careful.
The lighting on these cars is a joke. Now the new cars say they have LED lighting, but if they follow past practice, it will be one LED in the center of the car up in the roof.
The interior of the car is molded all in one piece and in one color. The rubber diphragms are not operating diaphragms (they are soft to the touch, but not soft enough to actually rub against each other). The underframe detailing is robust, but sparse. There is no brake piping, nor is there steam piping at either end sill of the car.
And proportionally, they are slightly off from reality: http://pullmanproject.com/PullSides4.JPG Note the size of the windows vs. the real plan (or the Branchlines, which are correct).
I don't see how these old Bachmann Spectrum cars, which were originally $30 ea. when they came out 10+ years ago or so, are worth $99 today. Again, I'm not complaining about the price, but the value. If Walthers and Rapido cars were $150 or $200 ea., then maybe these Spectrum cars would be worth $99. But in today's market, they're out of their minds.
And the disembodied, floating horse heads? A tad creepy. These cars must have been designed by a "Godfather" fan.
Paul A. Cutler III
Paul3And the disembodied, floating horse heads? A tad creepy. These cars must have been designed by a "Godfather" fan. Paul A. Cutler III
Are you saying they have a deal you can't refuse?
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I don't see how these old Bachmann Spectrum cars, which were originally $30 ea. when they came out 10+ years ago or so, are worth $99 today.
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Simply put they're not..Walthers passenger cars can be had as low as $50.00 at street prices.A far better car IMHO.
I've seen BB passenger car kits as low as 3/$10.00 at shows-use all you want $5.00 each including KDs..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Something to bear in mind. The MSRP is just a starting point. One of my favorite Bachmann retailers Star Hobbies, which also does the Greenberg shows was there selling sound value locos at $110 each so I expect that street prices will be much lower than that especially on the flex track.
However the NTS was more for looking and chatting with fellow MR and manufacturers so I only bought some small stuff that is hard to find elsewhere.
Joe Staten Island West
I will be curious to see the geometry of the G-gauge #1100 turnout. There has been a hole in the turnout selections produced in the G-gauge line since I got into that size in 1985. Everytime I see a new turnout I think, "Finally!", but no the new ones always seem to match the existing ones. Maybe this time they've finally hit it.
They are getting their flex track out a bit to late to meet the demand pent up from the Atlas shortage.
HO Mikado. Well, the Mikado was the workhorse of most railroads and most numerous wheel arrangement for most of the Classic and Super steam eras. Not glamorous but there it was.
Horse head stock cars - hmm perhaps they are trying to bridge the gap from the Thomas crowd into scale model railroading?!? It seems targeted to that age group.
Passenger car - I actually like their passenger cars (after fixing the couplers as a previous poster noted) but will never get over that price hump. I've got a BLI Daylight to finish up before I'll even think of the sort of prototypical Bachmann. I would really think they could do well doing some "shorties" for all the people who want passenger trains but still have 18" radius curves.
No new selections for the EZ-track line up. No On30.
Texas Zepher I will be curious to see the geometry of the G-gauge #1100 turnout. There has been a hole in the turnout selections produced in the G-gauge line since I got into that size in 1985. Everytime I see a new turnout I think, "Finally!", but no the new ones always seem to match the existing ones. Maybe this time they've finally hit it.
Don't get your hopes up...sit down, take a deep breath and...
From what has been garnered so far is that its probably an R1 turnout...
Now I said breath, breath...now pick yourself up off the floor, that doesnt look dignified. ...yeap an R1 turnout... 4...foot...diameter....
I have been told for dang near a decade now that the R1 was dead to mainstream large scaling and that the only acceptable turnout curvature was a minimum of no less than 8' dia or everything you are doing is simply wrong and even Jesus will hate you if you use such.
So now Bmann is adding to their nacent track line with whats shaping up to be one of the most useless additions to large scale in a decade. 4' dia....REALLY??? Despite the fact that most of Bmanns own large 1/20 stuff needs 8' dia to operate...4' dia...yep, thats riding the ragged edge like Chuck Yeager hanging 10 off the nose of the X1 !!!
Or maybe not so much...Now, don't get me wrong...I'm one of the few, the proud, the guys who still use and still understand that with small stock, R1's rule! (and I'm pretty sure I'm still good with Jesus) But there are already 3 manufacturers still producing them, Piko, LGB and USA, plenty of NOS Aristo, and tons of used LGB Aristo and USA not to mention Piko even.
So your guess will be as good as mine, while no specific diameter has been clairifed by Bmann, we can only hope its something more profitable for Bmann like a 6' dia or an 8' dia. a 4' dia just doesnt make any sense today...
Some need to get some cheese to go with their whine. Geezers are like that.
Pay attention to the 1880's old time HO American tender drive being released as a DCC with sound. Suggested price, $299. Bring it on.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
richg1998 Some need to get some cheese to go with their whine. Geezers are like that. Pay attention to the 1880's old time HO American tender drive being released as a DCC with sound. Suggested price, $299. Bring it on. Rich
Pay attention?...
The non-sound version is....$229, even with a DCC board installed, thats still ALOT of cabbage for a small engine thats never been known as a great runner nor a strong puller.
$299 is still alot, almost extortion, when $30 bucks more gets the BERKSHIRE...with DCC and sound !
rogertra Bachmann flex track $8.00 for a 36" length and it's code 100 into the bargain.?????For $8.00 I'd expect scale rail, spike head details, tie plates, ties not all at 90 degrees to the centre line just like the prototype and ties that look like weather wood, not your usual shiney plastic brown.And nobody yet gives us all those details. :( Not even the top of the line flex tracl manufacturers.
Bachmann flex track $8.00 for a 36" length and it's code 100 into the bargain.?????For $8.00 I'd expect scale rail, spike head details, tie plates, ties not all at 90 degrees to the centre line just like the prototype and ties that look like weather wood, not your usual shiney plastic brown.And nobody yet gives us all those details. :(
Not even the top of the line flex tracl manufacturers.
Actually the ad for their new flex track (code 100) does look like it is very interesting and has elements in common with ME track. No more shoeboxes holding the track to the ties.
Dave Nelson
Dang. Nothing I can use. Guess the price doesn't matter then.
jim
Jimmy_Braum No new SD40's? oh well, there's still a lot of cool stuff.
No new SD40's? oh well, there's still a lot of cool stuff.
Athearn just announced that they are going to have a run of those with their RTR line. The SD40s will be the first in Athearn's RTR line that will have optional DCC and sound for $184 (Which is lower than the DC gensis models). I have a new Athearn RTR SD40-2, and the details are great.
Apparently, no one on this side of the pond is aware of the reason(s) for Bachmann price increases. It's been in the British model railway press, so I'm suprrised the news hqsn't reached here.
Snippet from RMWeb:
Most of us are familiar with the changes that China as a manufacturing powerhouse are going through with an accelerating economy geared up to volume production of consumer goods right through the price range. The expansion of 'hi-tech' industries' sucking in labour continues to be an issue with fierce local competition causing a volatile labour market with stories of competitors recruiting staff at the factory gate with promises of wage increases. When this is linked to governmental initiatives to create factories in more northerly provinces there's currently less migration of labour en-masse to the southern provinces where the model railway producing factories, including Kader, are based. Chinese New Year is frequently cited as a reason for stalled production where workers from out of the provinces return to their families, some of whom will have made enough in bonuses to seek a job closer to home or take the time to change to a competitor offering more money meaning that it's often only 50% of the workforce who return after the New Year. Replacement staff need to be recruited and trained which can lead to gaps in the product flow (as we're still seeing at this point in the year).
The products from China are bought in US$ so currency variations can come into play in the three-way balancing act of how much a product will actually cost at the point of shipment; add in increases in the cost of raw materials and manufactured components due to continued expansion of 'hi-tech' and there's pressure from all sides. But that's not the end of it; transport and shipping costs have doubled during the worldwide recession as shippers strive to get a return on each container and boatload. Another complication is that the worldwide recession has resulted in a reduction overall in the demand for model railway products although there's only been a marginal decrease since the middle of 2013 in the UK spending, part of which may be explained by losing some retailers to economic circumstances. Although Kader, smilar to most other factories, owns the land the factory was built upon and paid for the construction of the factory buildings it's still owned by the local government and leased back (wow!) and then has to pay a levy to the provincial government on goods leaving the factory gate (a form of rates).
From tomorrow through to 1st May 2019 there are wage increases dictated by government which will come into effect roughly at an increase of 20% per annum for those five years meaning that wages will effectively double from around £3/hr to £6/hr. It will probably cost employers another £1/hr to cover the mandatory free medical insurance and pension rights their employees will now have.
Link: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/85287-bachmann-why-price-increases-are-necessary/
Chinese wages and benefits are increasing. Happened in Japan and Korea, too
Andre
That is another reason on why all of those jobs should come back to the US. I have heard that the prices in china are increasing so that it is almost the same amount if not more than what it would cot in the US.
Kyle That is another reason on why all of those jobs should come back to the US. I have heard that the prices in china are increasing so that it is almost the same amount if not more than what it would cot in the US.
That's a rather simplistic way of looking at it, especially when China manufactures model railroad equipment for more than just the US. Judging from the profusion of items targeting the UK market, I'd say Bachmann actually has a greater presence in the UK than here. http://www.bachmann.co.uk/avail.php
Besides, take a look at the number of Boeng 777's on order by various Chinese airlines: http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/777-300er-gains-three-north-asian-operators-in-2014-china-airlines-china-eastern--china-southern-147480
Those 20 777-300ER's on order by China Eastern alone represent $6 billion. Including Cathay Pacific, I count 58 triple 7's on order by Chinese airlines at about $300 million per.
Did I mention 80 737's on order by China Eastern? http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-13/china-eastern-buys-7-4-billion-of-boeing-jets-as-travel-booms.html That's another $7.4 billion
Then there's a smaller B737 order (only 50 aircraft) http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/357952/economy/companies/china-s-shandong-airlines-orders-50-boeing-planes-for-4-6b
Then there's China's love for Buicks http://www.businessinsider.com/why-chinese-buyers-love-buick-2013-4
Personally, I'd rather be selling them Buicks and Boeings. A single 777 will probably cover Bachmann's US generated revenue for the better part of a decade and workers who assemble commercial aircraft get paid a lot more than people who assemble model trains. No wonder. You get a piece of crap from a model railroad manufacturer, you get upset. An airline gets a piece of crap aircraft, people die.
vsmith richg1998 Some need to get some cheese to go with their whine. Geezers are like that. Pay attention to the 1880's old time HO American tender drive being released as a DCC with sound. Suggested price, $299. Bring it on. Rich Pay attention?... The non-sound version is....$229, even with a DCC board installed, thats still ALOT of cabbage for a small engine thats never been known as a great runner nor a strong puller. $299 is still alot, almost extortion, when $30 bucks more gets the BERKSHIRE...with DCC and sound !
I'm not sure but I heard they are finally getting rid of the tender drive
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Modeling the Santa Fe & Pennsylvania in HO
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I'm real excited for the USRA pacific and mikados, because they are my favorites!
Right now if you want one of those engines you will have to either find a cheap IHC mik or pacific or a pricey BLI 2-8-2 or 4-6-2 with nothing in between.
Trainman440 I'm not sure but I heard they are finally getting rid of the tender drive
That would be a big improvement, they have to put the DCC stuff somewhere, but the pics in the catalog definetly have the tender motor mount, in fact, one of the pics is the N version... oops!