Just as the title says. Don't care about opinion or price.
I was just there, picking up some stuff. I'll email them and ask, and see if I get a response.
Mike.
My You Tube
Probably a new factory in China. Does it matter?
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
The old one was Shinohara in Japan, if I remember correctly. Shinohara closed the business due to old age.
I am not aware of any manufacturer having taken over the molds, dies and tools from Shinohara.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
From what I have seen, the new trackage does not look like Shinohara.
.
I think it is an all new supplier, or maybe Walthers did this one themselves.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Maybe they bought out Jasons "bendy track" molds. Can't remember why he quit the track biz.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Tinplate Toddler The old one was Shinohara in Japan, if I remember correctly. Shinohara closed the business due to old age. I am not aware of any manufacturer having taken over the molds, dies and tools from Shinohara.
Yes doh! Brainfart. Of course the old manufacturer was Shinohara for Walthers code 83 track.
I would guess they will have to go to China for the future.
It doesn't appear Walthers are doing the curved line of turnouts. I picked up a DCC curved #8 recently for my planned layout and am selling some of my DC Walthers curved #8's.
Did Shinohara ever do any DCC friendly code 100 turnouts? I've not seen any before.
This was an August, 2018, announcement from Walthers regarding their venture with Shinohara and future of track production:
Dear Walthers customers, We have some updated information regarding Walthers Code 83 Track to share with you. First, Shinohara is currently working to fulfill a large track order for us, and we expect that shipment of track to arrive later this summer. We will fill as many back orders as possible from that order, and then we will make the remaining track available for purchase. After fulfilling that order, Shinohara will cease track production. We would like to thank Shinohara for their many years of partnership with Walthers and service to the model train hobby. In addition (and with cooperation from Shinohara), we are already working with a new track supplier and will bring the Walthers code 83 track line back onto the market as soon as possible. We will share more details on this exciting new development in the future. Until then, thank you for your understanding and your support. Sincerely,
Your friends at Walthers
Did Walthers buy all the production tooling for Shinohara track or only the most popular Code 83 which Walthers invested in the re-tooling of when the "DCC Friendly" modification came along.
Perhaps the tooling and the licencing rights were purchased and forwarded to another production facility, presumably in China. The new facility may have made modifications to the production methods or molds for the turnout and track production.
Time will tell.
Regards, Ed
Just thinking out loud. If Mr. Shinohara (family business) is going to retire, then he has no use for continuing to own the track tooling and production equipment. If its still vialble, I assume he sold it .....if he ever owned it.....and the track will once again pop up on the market once the equipment is moved and readied.
Who and where the exact manufacturer is probably doesn't matter.
I think the question is will the Walthers track be the same track that has always been branded under the Walthers name, or is this completely ground up tooling and production?
If so, what happen to the Shinohara equipment?
- Douglas
gmpullmanDid Walthers buy all the production tooling for Shinohara track or only the most popular Code 83 which Walthers invested in the re-tooling of when the "DCC Friendly" modification came along.
The Walthers curved #8 we're retooled for dcc. I just bought one. But so far it appears only standard turnouts are being offered. No 3-way or double slip or double crossover.
It says in the flyer that what they listed there is just the initial offering, and more varieties are coming. So I suspect many of the curved ones will return. Unless what they start with doesn't sell well.
Jason gave up on Bendy Track because he found there wasn;t much of a market for yet another brand of track. Between Atlas, Peco, and ME, there probably isn't much share left over to grab. To make any inroads, anything new would have to be demonstrably better, and/or cheaper than these three. It's not like people rip up working layouts and change track brands (unless planning to build a new layout anyway). A moderler might try a new brand to add a new section, but short of an already planned demolition to start over again, I can't imagine anyone's ever ripped up their entire layout and rebuilt the exact same layout just to switch track brands.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrebell Just as the title says. Don't care about opinion or price.
We Honest?
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
rrinker It says in the flyer that what they listed there is just the initial offering, and more varieties are coming.
It says in the flyer that what they listed there is just the initial offering, and more varieties are coming.
Hopefully Walthers will offer the specialized turnouts eventually (curved, 3-way, double-slip, double cross-over). I hope to start layout construction late spring/early summer so it won't be in time for me. I'm planning on using mainly other products but may hunt down one or two more dcc friendly Walthers specialized turnouts. I just pickec up a dcc #8 curved; I'll be selling off my barely used DC Walthers turnouts.
Between Atlas, Peco, and ME, there probably isn't much share left over to grab. To make any inroads, anything new would have to be demonstrably better, and/or cheaper than these three.
Someone on another forum made a big deal about Tillig Elite which was touted as being much better detailed then the above, but also more expensive and wait for it ... European style track. *bong* That may not matter to some but to other - deal breaker. It's not like it's sold everywhere too.
It's not like people rip up working layouts and change track brands (unless planning to build a new layout anyway). --Randy
But a lot of people move and build new layouts and switch brands. For budgetary reasons I used mostly low cost Atlas track and turnouts, but for the planned layout and switching over to mostly Peco and possibly ME.
I have always used Shinohara track and turnouts. For me it was much cheaper than any other brand for code 70 (never paid retail and sometimes $5 a turnout, new in box, as recently as 4 years ago).
rrebell I have always used Shinohara track and turnouts. For me it was much cheaper than any other brand for code 70 (never paid retail and sometimes $5 a turnout, new in box, as recently as 4 years ago).
Did they ever make a DCC friendly version of the code 70 Shinohara where the throw bars are isolated and the frog?
I got an email back from Walthers:
Hello Michael: Thank you for contacting Walthers in regards to your inquiry. The Walthers Track is a brand that we produce. It is our own tooling. Currently the only code 100 track that we are doing is the 36" Flex Track 5-pack, item 948-10001. We do plan on expanding the product line, but at this point, I am unable to tell you to what extent. Best regards, Daniel Larkee Customer Service Wm. K. Walthers, Inc.
So I wonder what happened to Shinohara's tooling or was the Watlhers code 83 track manufactured by Shinohara using Walthers tooling, ahhh, that would be my guess.
riogrande5761 So I wonder what happened to Shinohara's tooling or was the Watlhers code 83 track manufactured by Shinohara using Walthers tooling, ahhh, that would be my guess.
Here in the UK Shinohara is imported by one Dealer. I have recently bought a stack of Turnouts (whilst they are still in stock) and all of the Boxes are marked 'Shinohara' (Quality Track, made in Japan, etc.) There is no mention of 'Walthers' anywhere, so possibly the Tooling does belong to Shinohara? A Curved C83 #7 cost @ £30.00 = $39.25 - for info.
The Turnouts look really good. I have an accute dislike of the way in which PECO (which would be a natural choice in the UK) mill away the Stock-Rail and Point-Blade until they appear totally unrealistic. Paul
"It's the South Shore Line, Jim - but not as we know it".
I like pecos options and no switch machine option but was too heavy into Shinohara.
Lazers ...the Boxes are marked 'Shinohara' (Quality Track, made in Japan, etc.) There is no mention of 'Walthers' anywhere, so possibly the Tooling does belong to Shinohara.
...the Boxes are marked 'Shinohara' (Quality Track, made in Japan, etc.) There is no mention of 'Walthers' anywhere, so possibly the Tooling does belong to Shinohara.
You probably bought Shinohara code 100 track, which is unrelated to Walthers, hence no mention of that name.
So here is the difference. Shinohara was making ho code 100 and code 70 track for a long time. Their track, their tooling. So of course the tooling belongs to them.
Walther came along in the 1980s (correct me if I am wrong) and contracted Shinohara to make a code 83 line of track. The tooling for that track may, all along have been owned by Walthers.
Turnouts look really good. I have an accute dislike of the way in which PECO (which would be a natural choice in the UK) mill away the Stock-Rail and Point-Blade until they appear totally unrealistic. Paul
Walthers does look good. I believe the use stock rail for the points and it looks like Peco doesn't. Other than that I like Peco and the finger flick points.
Shinohara marketed the code 83 under their own name in their own packages in countries other than the USA.
I have no idea the terms of the marketing agreement they had with Walthers for the code 83 track in the USA.
Sometimes foreign Shinohara Code 83 (non-Walthers) shows up on the secondary market sites.
SeeYou190 Shinohara marketed the code 83 under their own name in their own packages in countries other than the USA.
Not having shopped for track in other countries, this was unknown to me. I have never seen Shinohara branded code 83 but I havent looked for it for over 20 years as I had what I needed. Never paid attention at shows or eBay etc. to Shinohara track to see this "anomaly" to US consumers. for that factoid.
Exclusive from what I have observed over the past 30 or so years. Apparently that agreement was limited to the US market from the info above known mainly to folks outside.
Back to the original topic, does anyone really know if Walthers made new tooling or if they owned the code 83 tooling that was used by Shinohara to produce code 83 track?
I know Shinohara owned the origingal code 83 stuff but the later DCC freindly, not a clue.