I really don't want to participate in an electronics or coding discussion...
I have one recent impulse buy BLI Illinois Central Death Star paint scheme SD40-2. Despite the 2005 era design, and the speaker rattle I haven't figured out (turned sound down almost to nothing), that BLI SD40-2 is a lot of fun to play with, but maybe that's because I "needed" a correct late IC unit to balance out some foobies. I know the new BLI SD40 is a nicer model, and I may yet get one. (Local store has a Santa Fe one that was ordered for me; we are waiting to see if anybody else needs it more than me before I take it home). They are also getting me a second IC Death Star SD40-2 to go with the first one they just got me.
Forgetting about BLI's sound completely; I'm just not a fan, the new BLI unit I have here runs exceptionally well and smoothly. The handrails are straight and strong, and the paint is really pretty good.
John
For my model railroad itself, no. While it's not strictly based on real railroads, it incorporates scenes and operations that I have observed on local railroads, so there is an overall theme. If I wouldn't have seen it on the real railorads, it won't be on my model.
So obviously I don't own a Big Boy, but I can understand why it is so popular and there are multiple models of it. Now, if I were to see 4014 operating in person, and I felt a strong emotional response, it's possible I might buy one for display. And if so, why not one that's fully operational? Owning a model of something that caused an emotional response is normal human nature.
That's not to say I never impulse buy, and I will never judge others who do as long as it is within budget. When impulse buying becomes compulsive buying, then it's a problem.
There's a large outdoor flea market not far from me that I like to visit a couple of times a year. I budget a certain amount of money for it, and usual go with no planned purchases in mind. Sometimes I buy things because they interest me, sometimes I come home with nothing.
Tools, though... I love tools. I don't exactly impulse buy, usually the justification is that the project would be much easier with a certain tool purchase.
At the end of the day, as long as I'm staying within my discretionary spending budget, I buy what I want, planned or impulse.
AEP528Tools, though... I love tools. I don't exactly impulse buy, usually the justification is that the project would be much easier with a certain tool purchase. At the end of the day, as long as I'm staying within my discretionary spending budget, I buy what I want, planned or impulse.
Lately, I've used that same premise for my model rail purchases. I buy what I need for what I am working on or are about to start working on. I tend not to buy extras.
Mike
PRR8259I really don't want to participate in an electronics or coding discussion...
Nor was that my intention, John. I was just making a statement of what has worked for me in my limited experience MUing like-locomotives with similar decoders, in the event it was helpful...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Water Level Route Lately, I've used that same premise for my model rail purchases. I buy what I need for what I am working on or are about to start working on. I tend not to buy extras.
I don't stock up on model railroad items, nor do I tend to buy ahead. I buy as needed and spend my money on other things I can enjoy now rather than have closets and shelves full of model railroad supplies that I might never get to use.
tstage PRR8259 I really don't want to participate in an electronics or coding discussion... Nor was that my intention, John. I was just making a statement of what has worked for me in my limited experience MUing like-locomotives with similar decoders, in the event it was helpful... Tom
PRR8259 I really don't want to participate in an electronics or coding discussion...
I understand that vmin, vmid, and vmax should in theory get you close enough...but I've seen instances where engines that appeared to be matched closely enough fought each other just enough that we started hearing unpleasant noises. We separated those models, and eventually they sounded ok again, but we gave up on running them together. For those reasons in particular, I do not allow for any wheel spin just even while trains are getting rolling.
That's why, whether in plain dc or dcc operation--either way--we here have been buying pairs of models from the exact same run. Successive runs of even the same model have not performed quite the same on the layout in dcc for us. They are different enough for us to notice they do not quite match like we might want. Johnny is pushing engines to the limits of what they can pull without wheelslip, so I believe any issues with speed matching will rear their ugly head when train lengths are pushed to the limit.
I did spend a lot of time trying to get some Loksound 5.0 engines to match with Tsunami, and have frankly given up on that. For one, there are too many features that we do not want to disable, not just limited to the back emf. I view that as an epic fail. We will match Loksound 5 with Loksound 5 and Genesis Tsunami 2 with Tsunami 2.
The Athearn engines in particular have been running very well for us, and I actually like the running performance (not necessarily the sound) of my now two (as of today) BLI SD40-2's.
One could reasonably argue that most of my loco purchases are impulse buys, and if I do like something, I tend to get the second road number. I tend to prefer mainly Athearn locos for several good reasons, and my son, Johnny, prefers another make.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
My weekness is tools. I have two Shay Miters, the second one was with a bunch of other tools for a very cheap price, but unlike my Dremel, these don't wear out, so why did I do that, I know why, too many years in the trades, many times making do with what I had on hand, tool wise. Have duplicates of most of my tools.
AEP528 Water Level Route Lately, I've used that same premise for my model rail purchases. I buy what I need for what I am working on or are about to start working on. I tend not to buy extras. I don't stock up on model railroad items, nor do I tend to buy ahead. I buy as needed and spend my money on other things I can enjoy now rather than have closets and shelves full of model railroad supplies that I might never get to use.
This is a topic for a whole different thread.
I do stock up. I do buy more than I will ever need. I have tons of model railroad equipment/supplies that will probably never get used.
This is because I want to finish my final lifetime layout, and parts are sometimes impossible to get.
I know I have too many old style non-DCC Walthers/Shinohara switches. I have too much Scalecoat II paint. I have too much Atlas code 83 flex track. I have too many Kadee PS-1 undecorated boxcar kits.
Now, I have too many Rapido Railcrew uncouplers.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
None of this is impulse buying. It is all carefully thought out, and the goal is to be able to build my layout as fast as possible with no budgeting for materials or searching for materials.
If a new thread is started, I will add a lot more thoughts.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Impulse Pain?
Gotcha covered!
It only hurtz at first, but not so bad when you only got $100 left to go eh!...
TF