ATLANTIC CENTRAL ... Paul3 thinks I'm crazy because I find selectively compressed passenger cars acceptable even though I have curves 36" R and above. Lots of people likely think I'm crazy because I put $8 trucks on $4 box cars, and because those freelanced passenger cars must have working diaphragms. But it is all good, and this is a great bunch of guys. Sheldon
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Paul3 thinks I'm crazy because I find selectively compressed passenger cars acceptable even though I have curves 36" R and above.
Lots of people likely think I'm crazy because I put $8 trucks on $4 box cars, and because those freelanced passenger cars must have working diaphragms.
But it is all good, and this is a great bunch of guys.
Sheldon
I can't imagine anyone being serious if they ever call you crazy, Sheldon. Maybe irritating...but not crazy. And the irritation comes from your knowing what you like, what you need, and that you share your views so openly.
I do understand the set-up with cars and wide curves. If a string of heavyweights looks better on a 60" curve than a string of them would on 36" curves such as yours, then a shorter car should look that much better, but operate so much better when fixed with diaphragms and body-mounted couplers. Same for the trucks; you find they run so much better, whatever shell they're supporting.
I don't know that it needs to be said, but this forum would be greatly diminished without your constant attention and willingness to debate, or to offer guidance and opinions.
Selector, thank you for the kind words.
And yes, you clearly understand the curve/car length issue.
richhotrainI am a bit confused by this last string of replies.
richhotrainIs there or isn't there an obsession to detail on this forum? And, is that good or bad?
richhotrainAnd, have those obsessed with detail been insulted by some on this forum?
richhotrainIs this forum "the kiddies forum" that tolerates all sorts of weird members?
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
For starters, making rails out of anything but metal would be a really bad idea. Layouts can last decades; my club's previous layout ran for 45 continuous years. How long would plastic rails last? And if plastic wheels pick up gunk, plastic rails will, too. How do you clean them without wearing them down? And how many of us have put things on the layout that would destroy plastic rails? And for what reason to not use metal rails? Real rails are shiny, and so are our model rails. At least today, modern track isn't brass-colored.
And FWIW, don't forget that in real-life(tm), overhead catenary that has just one wire grounds through the rails. So on certain railroads rails are part of a power circuit, not just a signaling circuit.DrW,The HO P1K DL-109 isn't that ancient. It's 21st Century. It came out in 2003. And it was produced during the "limited run" or "pre-order" era. The difference is that Life-Like took pre-orders and then made a higher percentage above that number. When the last of those didn't sell, they'd dump them at very low prices to big dealers, which is why one could buy them from the bargain bin for less than half the MSRP at times. Today, manufactuerers make a much smaller percentage above pre-orders, basically to just cover warranty work.Heh. I know all about the HO Ingalls 4S. A buddy of mine asked me to find him something unique at the Springfield Show. I showed him the brass 4S because nothing is more unique than that, and he bought it. He liked it so much, he called the brass importer and bought another one in a different paint scheme. Then he had me install DCC decoders in them. They do turn some heads during our train shows.n012944,All too true. About 10 years ago, I searched this forum far and wide and came up with dozens of slams against "evil" rivet counters (yes, someone literally used the word "evil" and he wasn't joking). I challenged anyone to find examples of rivet counters picking on more casual modelers but no one ever posted any. At worst, they would bring up anecdotes they heard second-hand, or from a personal interaction that couldn't be proven, but they couldn't (or wouldn't) find examples in print here showing the same level of contempt by rivet counters that are instead routinely shown against rivet counters.SeeYou190,Thanks for proving the point! "...not the right place for annoying self-appointed-know-it-alls." Hint: calling people "annoying" is an insult. Calling someone a "know-it-all" is also insulting. Saying that those who are "obsessed with detail" are not welcome here isn't very good, either.richhotrain,Every forum is intimidating to new people. I've been online for 25 years, I've belonged to more online forums than I can count, and I still get intimidated when I join a forum. That's why I always lurk for a while to get a feel of a place before posting. It's no different from joining a club or any social group. You're anxious, you want to fit in, you don't want to be a failure, etc. I mean, unless one is some kind of super-confident sort that totally doesn't care what others think of them, but those kinds of brash folks tend to flame out rather spectacularly on hobby forums.Sheldon,In my defense, I've never called you "crazy". I've disagreed with you many, many times but I only challenge the point and not the person.I agree that my long cars look wrong on curves, but your cars look wrong all the time. For example, I have New Haven 12-1 sleepers with 12 sections and 1 drawing room in them; a short car won't. I'm modeling a prototypical railroad's equipment as accurately as I can; you're not. Of course we're going to butt heads! It's only natural, and that's okay. I don't think you're crazy, you're just modeling a different part of the hobby than I am. You have your opinions and I have mine.I have no issue at all at spending more on upgrades than a model is worth. Heck, I've put sound decoders in many an engine that isn't worth the cost of the decoder. Why not put $8 trucks under a $4 car? If we go back in the day and look at how much we would spend to modify, superdetail, paint, decal, and tune up old Athearn BB engines, it would easily cost more than the engine itself. Not to mention the labor!
Paul3 Sheldon,In my defense, I've never called you "crazy". I've disagreed with you many, many times but I only challenge the point and not the person.I agree that my long cars look wrong on curves, but your cars look wrong all the time. For example, I have New Haven 12-1 sleepers with 12 sections and 1 drawing room in them; a short car won't. I'm modeling a prototypical railroad's equipment as accurately as I can; you're not. Of course we're going to butt heads! It's only natural, and that's okay. I don't think you're crazy, you're just modeling a different part of the hobby than I am. You have your opinions and I have mine.I have no issue at all at spending more on upgrades than a model is worth. Heck, I've put sound decoders in many an engine that isn't worth the cost of the decoder. Why not put $8 trucks under a $4 car? If we go back in the day and look at how much we would spend to modify, superdetail, paint, decal, and tune up old Athearn BB engines, it would easily cost more than the engine itself. Not to mention the labor!
Sheldon,In my defense, I've never called you "crazy". I've disagreed with you many, many times but I only challenge the point and not the person.I agree that my long cars look wrong on curves, but your cars look wrong all the time. For example, I have New Haven 12-1 sleepers with 12 sections and 1 drawing room in them; a short car won't. I'm modeling a prototypical railroad's equipment as accurately as I can; you're not. Of course we're going to butt heads! It's only natural, and that's okay. I don't think you're crazy, you're just modeling a different part of the hobby than I am. You have your opinions and I have mine.I have no issue at all at spending more on upgrades than a model is worth. Heck, I've put sound decoders in many an engine that isn't worth the cost of the decoder. Why not put $8 trucks under a $4 car? If we go back in the day and look at how much we would spend to modify, superdetail, paint, decal, and tune up old Athearn BB engines, it would easily cost more than the engine itself. Not to mention the labor!
Of course you know I used the example of you and me because I knew you would take it in good fun as we both understand each others views even when we disagree.
In my 170 passenger car fleet, I do have five "correct" B&O Pullman cars, and even they work fine with my close coupled diaphragm setup, but they do look less "graceful" than the rest of the fleet.
And agreed, some of my stuff is VERY accurate, but with a lot of stuff, close enough is good enough.
Yes, a different part of the hobby, where the big picture is more important than the up close.