NEW TRAIN COMPANY!!

[Anonymous]

Introducing a new name in model railroading!

SMR Trains
By Schneider Model Railroading

At last, ACCURATE 19th Century Scale Model Trains!

For a long time there have been many requests for 19th Century scale model trains. When the big boys bothered to listen, what did we get? Misshapen, distorted and just plain bad models.

Inaccurate - Too Tall - Too Wide – Exaggerated Proportions – Poor Detail – Fantasy Designs - Cheap, Inaccurate Paint and Decorations….the list goes on and on.

Since they don’t think the market is worth their interest, we at SMR Trains decided to respond to your requests.

SMR Trains is offering 1:48 scale models of 19th Century engines and rolling stock. Accurate – Prototyical – Detailed. Designed and approved by real historians and museum staff. Crafted by the best makers in brass. In 2- and 3-rail designs. Reasonably Priced.

These trains are not fantasies or proposed models. They are under active development right now. Designs are already complete. Prototype construction is underway! Delivery of our first releases will be by this Spring!

Visit our booth in Orange Hall at this October’s York TCA Meet!

See our color ads in CTT, OGR, Civil War Times and America’s Civil War magazines.

Visit our website at www.smrtrains.com today! We offer a major discount for preorders and a special bonus!

By 0-gaugers for 0-gaugers!

SMR Trains
Schneider Model Railroading, Inc.
PO Box 753
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054

[Anonymous]

These products sound like a great advance for O gauge. I have long wondered why such a product line hasn't been done up to now. High end O gauge scale model trains that will actually LOOK GOOD on 054 corves. GO SMR.

[Anonymous]

Looks good.

[dougdagrump]

Must admit that it looks good, but I don't see them in my budget.[|(]

[3railguy]

I like the concept except the prices put you in a limited market. If I were to spend this much, I would expect to see more than a sketch. I'm curious as to whether the motors will have flywheels or coasting gearboxes (I didn't see flywheels listed). Recently, another start up firm omited this feature and their engines ended up in a blowout sale.

[Anonymous]

The motor has a flywheel. Good point, I just forgot to mention it because it has become so standard that I never considered making the engine without one. I will look into fitting that extra info into my future advertising.

As soon as the prototypes are finished, we will post pictures. We expect to have the boxcar prototypes in time for York, the engine prototype won't be ready until late November.

Our prices are pretty much average or lower for brass engines and freight cars.

Dave

[Anonymous]

What a great time period to model. I am dumbfounded as to why the current manufacturers have ignored this interesting era in railroading.

I find the most popular engines to be those made in the 1890's. Several new builders were on the scene, the railroads were maturing and demanding more powerful engines, and with the introduction of the elegant Pullman Palace cars, a new era was being established in passenger travel.

There are several well known steam engines that still exist either in operating museums or static display from the 1890's and are well known by most railfans and modelers. A nicely balanced 2-8-0 or 4-6-0 with modern appliances for this period would be a popular model, along with the appropriate passenger or freight equipment. Engines built in this time period also are large enough to fit in with more modern locos and cars, vs. the very early 4-4-0 American type. Rather than building a generic engine copy a model that currently exists so that modelers and fans have something to relate to and have an opportunity to see in person.

[palallin]

QUOTE: Originally posted by SMR Trains

For a long time there have been many requests for 19th Century scale model trains. When the big boys bothered to listen, what did we get? Misshapen, distorted and just plain bad models.

Inaccurate - Too Tall - Too Wide – Exaggerated Proportions – Poor Detail – Fantasy Designs - Cheap, Inaccurate Paint and Decorations….the list goes on and on, but basically – Junk.

Here we go again: if you're not counting rivets, you've got junk. If you don't use the right shade of yellow for the Bumble Bees, you're playing with toys.

Yawn.

Sorry, SMR: if the hypertension and heart attacks that go along with obsession with what I wanted, I would have stayed in HO. I have no interest in comparing my equipment with blueprints.

Don't get me wrong: I'd love to see more 19th century rolling stock, but do NOT try to tell me that quality equals prototype accuracy. They are two different issues: there are high quality models which bear very little resemblence to reality, and there are many very accurate models which are junk.

If you want to sell me, sell me on variety and value: don't insult me by telling me that I have to value your obsession with reality.

[Anonymous]

SMR didn't tell you anything of the sort. What he did say, essentially, is that there are NO SCALE 19th century trains available.

If you aren't interested, then fine. There is no reason you can't continue to buy your RailKing 4-4-0s and 4-6-0s (I have one of each). They are plenty fun. But believe it or not, there are some out there who do value accuracy, and would value quality scale representations of early railroading. You are not forced to buy, and by all means, try to avoid that heart attack by not picking up any Abdill books that show what real 19th century trains are SUPPOSED to look like.

[daan]

I've got one little detail. Obviously it will look great, but 3 rail doesn't work with scale flanges!!! The train will derail on every turnout because the frogs are too deep! (The wheel rides on its flange when crossing the frog and 3-rail flanges are huge compared to reality) I tried with a Rivarossi 4-6-0 and it was a disaster. It also has scale flanges and is based on "realism" but for the 3-rail toy train track that is not drivable.

[Anonymous]

The 3-rail version has 3-rail style flanges and the boxcars come with 3-rail flanges as the default. You would have to order the 2-rail freight truck sets if you wanted to run our freight cars.

I still have the Lionel 1862 General my dad bought me and I'll never sell it. At the same time, I also like having more realistic model trains and this is the trend that the hobby has been going. I don't think that makes me an evil rivet counter, but perhaps at the price point I'm forced to sell the trains, shouldn't one expect realism?

[Anonymous]

The General. To date all versions have been great to run under the tree, but now we have grown up to enjoy running trains that are accurately modeled to the original. SMR will have well priced scale proportioned, beautifully painted models that will run on all track including 027. Seems like all the HO guys like the scale realism and we have been seeing to scale accurate diesel models in O of late. So relax enjoy our hobby and take a look at SMRTrains web site. Save a few bucks by ordering early. Buy a nice piece of railroad art for your wall. If you appreciate trains and you have had your fill of bigboy after challenger after hudson after pacific, come to the 19th century for some wood burning steamers that started the transcontinental era in the train past.

[daan]

It's a good thing that it will be able to handle the sharp 027 curves. I didn't expect that when I looked at the drawings.. Should be mentioned as well in the text on your website! (also the flange part)
For the rest, everyone has his own opinion to the hobby, and "rivet counters" have a reason to enjoy that. I personally don't but I can emagine someone else would want that.

[Anonymous]

Interestingly enough, they irritated me on their web site first off. I frequently download pictures of stuff that interests me and put it in a "to buy" file. Their baxcars are a little pricey, so I was looking at their wheel trucks. I decided that I might like to scratch build a boxcar, and I right clicked on the wheel truck icon to put it in my "to buy" file. It gave me an irritating announcement that I could buy their graphics on their web site. I actually went to look, but there were no pictures of trucks for sale.

[macdannyk1]

Bruce Schneider? I knew a guy in high school named Bruce Schneider. Long Branch High School, around 1982. Nice models you're making.

[Anonymous]

It's a great looking engine. I'm a little suprised a sound system wasn't included, but leaving that decision up to the buyer isn't a bad one. I'm not a 19th century collector myself. What i'd like to see is O scale European. ETS is getting better. Ace, very slow progress on some nice choo choo's.

[TurboOne]

Doug, you are right, all pics are protected. I can go to LGB or Aristo and download pics. Guess SMR gives away catalogs somewhere to make up for not being able to file pics.

While the engine is nice, I will hold out for cab forward at those $$

Tim

[macdannyk1]

The idea to set-up a boxcar for a sound system is inspired! Why try to cram all the electronics into a small steamer when you can spread it out over the train? I know, I know, other companies have sound systems in (generic) boxcars, but this just struck me as the right way to do it. Good luck, Dave and Bruce.

[Anonymous]

Will any of them say "Lionel" on the side ---if they don't then o-well--[:)][:)]

[underworld]

skyray Several different methods to copy "protected images".......just ask.

Easter Easter Easter Easter Easter!!!!!

underworld

[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

[Anonymous]

Kinda pricey for what I thought looked like a toy. John

[Anonymous]

Well, best of luck to you, SMR Trains. You are making a gigantic mistake with the protected images thing on your web site. Turns off potential buyers incredibly quickly. I want to copy a picture of a train that is going to cost me $1000 and then I want to keep loading the file from my hard drive and looking at it, and looking at it, and thinking about it, and then, eventually the idea enters my mind that I actually WANT the engine. That is what happened with the MTH Reading T-1 which is now sitting on my engine yard. That is what happened with K-Line's new 4-6-6T engine that I have on order now. You are making a huge mistake.

As for the train itself: Well, I would love to see some earlier vintage Philadelphia and Reading Railroad engines from the late 1800's, and I was so glad to see K-Line bring out that 4-6-6T. But I will say that you are going to have to warm people up to the idea of engines painted like children's colorful toys. Yes, the detail is nice, but I am sitting here wondering if they really made engines that look like a part from an old amusement park carousel ride. I mean, come on, this thing looks like a toy. A nice toy, but not one for which I am going to be quick to drop $1000. And then there's that nastyness factor regarding the pictures on the web site. A little paranoid, are you? As I said at the top, best of luck to you.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by underworld

skyray Several different methods to copy "protected images".......just ask.

Easter Easter Easter Easter Easter!!!!!

underworld

[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

You kinda sorta missed the point. They irritated me with their crass commercialism. I could care less if a picture of their boxcar doesn't make it into my "to buy" file. My wife would have a hissy fit over a two hundred and fifty dollar wood boxcar anyway. It was the arrogance of protecting the image of a boxcar that bothered me, not that I don't know a lot of ways to download "protected" images. And the slogan they generated wasn't too suitable either. "You can by our images on our web page." Funny, I looked all over that web page, and I didn't see a picture of that boxcar for sale anywhere.

[Anonymous]

And I can really do without the insinuation on their part that the collection of nice locomotives that I have spent lots of time and money to accumulate are just "junk". That's not a great way to attract customers to their toy locomotives. Basically, if I were these guys, I'd re-vamp their web page to be less pretentious and I'd edit that original post that started this thread. These guys have to be the very first new train company to go so far out of their way to antagonize their potential client base in the opening rounds of their sales campaign. Whomever's idea it was to refer to our large train collections as "junk" should probably be fired by SMR trains.

[Anonymous]

I wish you guys luck. Carving out a niche in the already overcrowded O-Gauge market will be difficult to do.

You are offering a high-end product and your web-site's design doesn't reflect that. Nor does it either entice me or explain to me why I should buy your products.

I also think you are going to irritate a lot of visitors to your site and potential buyers because they are unable to download any of your site's pictures to their hard drives. Buy pictures? I don't think so.

BillFromWayne
www.modeltrainjournal.com

[Anonymous]

In reply to the last few comments, I'm at a bit of a loss to understand the problem here.

1. We are protecting the pictures because of the artwork we are selling. These are the intellectual property of the artist and he is concerned about people downloading them and making pirate copies. The protection is just a code which goes over the entire site, it isn't practical to do this picture-by-picture. We frankly never considered that people would want to download our photos. We were just trying to protect the artist.

2. Those of you who think that the decoration is "children's toys" style just hasn't done any research on the era. Bright colors are correct. This engine was painted as it appeared in 1862 and was reviewed the staff of THREE train museums as being VERY accurate.

3. I don't know where we said anything about buying photographic images. True, we are selling train artwork reproductions. Are you actually looking at our site or just reacting to someone else's comments on this board? If you would like copies of our photos, just email us and we would be more than glad to send you copies as attachments.

4. Please point out where any of us referred to other train models as junk. It almost sounds like you want to find conflict and insult where none is offered.

5. The pricing of our models are in a price range typical for highly-detailed, hand-made, limited-edition brass. These models will never be as inexpensive as mass-produced plastic or die-cast. They can't be.

6. We are just hobby guys trying to make trains. We are not a large nameless firm, its just my brother and myself. The person to be "fired" for your perceived insults is me. I wrote everything. It is not "crass commercialism". We've been working without pay on this project for a year and a half. If you are going to be at York next month, stop by. Orange Hall. I'll be there.

[macdannyk1]

QUOTE: Originally posted by SMR Trains

Introducing a new name in model railroading!

SMR Trains
By Schneider Model Railroading

At last, ACCURATE 19th Century Scale Model Trains!

For a long time there have been many requests for 19th Century scale model trains. When the big boys bothered to listen, what did we get? Misshapen, distorted and just plain bad models.

Inaccurate - Too Tall - Too Wide – Exaggerated Proportions – Poor Detail – Fantasy Designs - Cheap, Inaccurate Paint and Decorations….the list goes on and on, but basically – Junk.

Since they don’t think the market is worth their interest, we at SMR Trains decided to respond to your requests.

Uh, Dave, it's right there in the first message that started this topic. But then, it doesn't matter to me personally either way. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I removed that comment. I was looking at my site, where there is no mention of similar upsetting but accurate statements regarding my opinion of previous 4-4-0 locomotives built by other makers.

I have to stand by my other comments, however.

[TurboOne]

I passed the website to the HO guys, their are many who like the era. Still nice models, that look great. Good Luck on the success of your company.

Tim

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Inaccurate - Too Tall - Too Wide – Exaggerated Proportions – Poor Detail – Fantasy Designs - Cheap, Inaccurate Paint and Decorations….the list goes on and on, but basically – Junk. by SMR Trains

I think you got off to a very bad start...
BillFromWayne