Worst Model Railroad Company?

[METRO]

We have the worst real designer so, such inspired, I lay down the question: Who was/is the worst model railroad company?

I would personally think that it was Model Power, because their toy-like trains have so few redeeming qualities that whenever I aquire one (never through my own purchase, but i have received them for various reasons in the past) I send them directly to my scrap bin.

While Life-Like's basic line has many of the same qualities as the Model Power line, the company much more than makes up for it in their Proto lines, and as such I would list them among the best companies

[philnrunt]

I remember some really sad Tyco trash, from the 70's, but I would have to agree that Model Power puts out some horrible stuff. We used to run M P on a friends 4x8 layout(he wasnt serious about Model RRing, just liked fast trains) and he had a switch that led off the plywood to mid-air, we ran an M P Alco off at full speed onto the cement floor. The X2F broke off, but the unit ran fine. After that, the switch seemed to be set more for the Floor Division than the loop track! I think after about the 15th time the motor ripped loose and we laid it to rest.

[lupo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by philnrunt

I remember some really sad Tyco trash, from the 70's, but I would have to agree that Model Power puts out some horrible stuff. We used to run M P on a friends 4x8 layout(he wasnt serious about Model RRing, just liked fast trains) and he had a switch that led off the plywood to mid-air, we ran an M P Alco off at full speed onto the cement floor. The X2F broke off, but the unit ran fine. After that, the switch seemed to be set more for the Floor Division than the loop track! I think after about the 15th time the motor ripped loose and we laid it to rest.

ROFL!
[:p][:p] 15 times to the floor? That's model POWER
and you call that the Worst Model Railroad Company? [:p][:p]
who is volunteering to test his " high-end '' equipment to top this achievement ?[swg][swg][:-^]

[AntonioFP45]

Gentlemen,

If I may point out: While Model Power did make some "junk" they also made HO scale E-Units that could out pull any Atlas locomotive at the time. The Roco motor was HUGE! To top it off, the E-units' bulldog nose and windsheild were more accurately countoured than the Athearn or Atlas units. I own two E7s that I'm preparing for DCC.

Just a little info.

[tomwatkins]

Lupo,
Good question, nicely put. I specifically decline to volunteer to participate in that test.
Have Fun,
Tom Watkins

[ndbprr]

Wel I won't name names but anybody who makes a plaastic rip off of a KAdee coupler is right up there in my estimation.

[simon1966]

This is an interesting question, because the answers will give an indication as to what we find important. There are manufacturers like LifeLike who offer ranges of products aimed at different types of customer. The fact that most serious modellers would not purchase or use anything from the toy train line of LifeLike does not make this part of the company a bad model railroad company, since the product is aimed at the kids toy train market. There are several companies that fall into the toy train rather than the model train market.
One company that intrigues me is Bachmann. One of the first locomotives I purchased was a Bachmann Northern. It never ran very well. I was on the Atlas forum at the time and the consensus of response to my problem was "It's Bachmann, what do you expect?" I never purchased another Bachmann product. However, I read lots of posts on this forum from folks that swear by the Bachmann line. Time for me to give them another chance I think.

Products that fail to offer value, regardless of the price.
Companies that do not back their product.
Companies that simply seem to be in it for the money and don't care about their customer satisfaction.

These are the "qualities" by which I would choose the worst model RR Co. I have not personally experienced this from any company.

My BLI Mike was dead out of the box, but they replaced it. Failure to respond to the problem would have gotten them my vote, but they responded well.

[FJ and G]

If you liked the huge flanges Lionel and MTH made for HO trains, just wait until they introduce their exploding boxcar, searchlight car, mickey mouse handcars, and giraffe boxcars. TMCC and DCS. No standards here!

HO will never again be quite the same. :-))))

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by philnrunt

I remember some really sad Tyco trash, from the 70's, but I would have to agree that Model Power puts out some horrible stuff. We used to run M P on a friends 4x8 layout(he wasnt serious about Model RRing, just liked fast trains) and he had a switch that led off the plywood to mid-air, we ran an M P Alco off at full speed onto the cement floor. The X2F broke off, but the unit ran fine. After that, the switch seemed to be set more for the Floor Division than the loop track! I think after about the 15th time the motor ripped loose and we laid it to rest.

The thing you have to remember about Tyco and the old Life Like stuff is that they never were really model trains they were toys......but those were the round the Christmas tree sets that got alot of folks started....My first set was a Tyco psuedo Plymouth switcher and three cars on an oval....which led to a couple of turnouts and a operating piggy back terminal and then a unloading boxcar........it was a little while later that a trip to the hobby shop (and not the well Tyco/LL stocked Sears) that opened the eyes to a whole new world...and the coolest thing I ever saw...an Athearn FP45.....that I eventually mowed enough lawns to buy. It's easy to tra***he toy companies....but they really were not model trains.

[FJ and G]

I purchased a Tyco figure 8 CB&Q (geep) set about 1970. It ran like a charm; still have it and it looked fairly prototypical. The figure 8 came with a piling and bridge set as well.

I understand that Tyco, along with Enron and WorldCom, are in a scam. Maybe they'll just change their name so people won't remember that they did bad things.

[vsmith]

TYCO

without a doubt was bad, they just never worked right, two speeds-either stop or flat out.

My first HO was a Tyco GP9 set that NEVER ran smooth. I HATED that set after a while and saved up and bought an AHM Dockside 0-4-0. That became my best engine and always ran great and later a 4-6-0.
The Geep became a bottom feeder in my trainbox.

[Anonymous]

hey 'FJand G' -- FYI - Tyco model trains is not the same company as the Tyco that has had its hands slapped and their butt kicked for Wall Street fraud, etc. This was well covered in a fairly recent Forum discussion, if you're interested.

My first HO set was a mix of a used Mantua (kit version of Tyco rtr) 0-4-0 and Tyco cars many years ago, when there was little else avail, and Athearn HO was still Globe and had rubber brand drives. This HO looked so much better than my fairly clunky American Flyer S and Marx 0-27 stamped steel cars converted to S gauge, even to my five year old eyes. I was forever hooked on HO, so perhaps it was the best mfgr, at least for me.

I have seven Model Power Sharks, and w/ a bit of detailing and fine tuning, are good luggers, just like the prototypes. They share the same huge Roco motors as in Antonio FP45's F7s. I intend to convert mine to DCC also. Since I only paid an average of $15. each for the powered ones, I think I got a lot for very little money.

I think some of the early Athearn diesels (ex-Globe) w/ rubber band drive were some of the worst operating engines at the time, although they looked good. Problem was that Athearn stayed w/ that drive system for far too long. Their 'Hustler' had two speeds - off and 180mph. (I have three of them anyway ! )

My vote for the worst HO ever was A.C.Gilbert's American Flyer HO. Close behind are Lionel's first efforts at HO. Worst value for the money had to be Marklin HO models of North American prototypes. Ran well if the three rail didn't bother you but they looked like cartoon versions of the real thing. And like most things German, cost a ton.

[cwclark]

I have to say it's a toss up between model power and life-like..seems like ever since i've modeled both companies produce trash i can't use...I still remember the life like ballast they used to sell at toys r us...if you really thought it was to scale than you would also have believed that ballast rock was the size of softballs....and don't even get me started of model power..that's rubbish in a box....i never knew of anyone that could make cheap plastic look so cheap...but like what was mentioned before..the stuff is for kids and not serious modelers...Chuck[:D]

[BRAKIE]

To my mind Model Power followed by the cheap Life Like and Bachmanns..Still these where the train sets that many modelers started with...

[Anonymous]

Probably only the gray haired, or no-haired veterens know that at least some of the Model Power freight cars were originally made by Varney . To show how the hobby has grown (and groans), Varney was good enough for John Allen in the '60s. Also, Model Power has made a small 4-6-0 and 2-8-0 (both basically the same except for their wheel arrangement) that hasn't been done by anyone else. They represent Baldwin prototypes, I believe, and had excellent reviews in the press when released about ten years ago. You can find them for less than $25. if you shop around.

If you've been a model railroader for awhile, shame on you if you still can't make a smart purchasing decision if you've done you're homework-read reviews, consulted prototype information and pictures, and looked inside the box. Any legitimate LHS will provide advice ,as well as let you test an engine prior to purchase. What do you expect if you purchase model trains from Target, Wally World, or KMart ? They're sold in the TOY Dept. (Condemming a certain manufacturer intoto is akin to bashing GM just because they brought us the Vega and the Chevette-I had two Vegas and that didn't stop me from purchasing a new GMC Sierra).
BILL

[Anonymous]

I have 3 Model Power locos I rotate for track cleaning duties and they work great. Not prototypical but still do the job. I have some Bachman Spectrums that won't get out of their own way and forget going uphill.

RMax

[Anonymous]

Bachman is my least favorite. I like Atlas and Kato, and Im not to picky about rolling stock brand name but I prefer Athearn

[mustanggt]

my vote is for those ihc\mehano c liners. im suprised nobody mentioned them also, if you look in some recent mrr magazines ihc's advertisement
has a crappy carnival train for 20 bucks with the c liner and 4 cars. talk about cheezy[:p]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ndbprr

Wel I won't name names but anybody who makes a plaastic rip off of a KAdee coupler is right up there in my estimation.

Bachmann EZ mates= CRAP!

Anyway, I personally think IHC, Model Power, Standard Life Like, and Standard Bachmann are the worst models out there.

[cbq9911a]

There's no "worst model railroad company" because no company is uniformly bad.

But - my two cents on "worst HO train set", using products from different companies:

Engine: Lionel HO, early 1960's.
Cars: Bachmann, late 1970's.
Track: Marx HO "tinplate" track, 1960's.
Power Pack: Tyco, 1970's.

[dknelson]

While it is true that some of the model power cars were originally from Varney, some of them were from Varney's declining years long after John Allen ceased to be their paid commercial photographer for ads. I am thinking of the 36 ft reefer and the extremely light gondola (which was nonetheless an OK model). Varney painted them a bit nicer than Model Power did. The Model Power E units and their sharknoses were not bad.

You guys are probably too young to remember Crown -- no, not the ultra wonderful brass engines that PFM imported but the Athearn knock-off freight cars that sold for 99cents list price, packaging was flat cardstock with a plastic bubble over it. The trucks were sprung but hardly rolled, the couplers were awful -- if you put a couple of bucks into the car you ended up with a car virtually identical to Athearn but costing perhaps 45 cents more! What a joke! And I have a recollection that Mantua actually imported Crown but never put their name on it....

I think maybe the junkiest HO trains were Marx -- and they tended to be Varney knockoffs. And sure enough I think Model Power is still marketing some of the old Marx cars such as their strange bay window caboose

Dave Nelson

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bill mathewson
I had two Vegas and that didn't stop me from purchasing a new GMC Sierra).
BILL

Didnt learn your lesson with that FIRST Vega did ya, Bill ? LOL [:D][(-D][:-,]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 4884bigboy

QUOTE: Originally posted by ndbprr

Wel I won't name names but anybody who makes a plaastic rip off of a KAdee coupler is right up there in my estimation.

Bachmann EZ mates= CRAP!

Anyway, I personally think IHC, Model Power, Standard Life Like, and Standard Bachmann are the worst models out there.

You're calling EZ-Mates CRAP?!

No, they're just pieces of [censored]![:D]

I don't like Bachmann, in fact I can't stand 'em, I have one of their Spectrum 2-8-0s that runs terribly. Their cars aren't even worth talking about, same with their diesel and sub-Spectrum lines. They calll them "Botchman" for a reason.

Since another poster mention their more tolerable companies, I'll list mine just in case one of their exec's is reading:

Athearn Genesis- give them a 10 out of 10. (at least on the F-units)
Red Caboose- give them a 8 out of 10
Broadway Limited- somewhere around 8 or 9, I'm planning to buy one of their Mikes, so they rank pretty good with me.
Bowser- 6 out of 10. Freight cars are good enough, but locomotive kits are a bit on the crappy side when it comes to motors.
Life Like- 8 out of 10 for Proto series. Only they never come out with anything I can use...[}:)]

[CP5415]

Wow, this is a hard one to answer.
I guess it would be easy to say this or that company.
What I will say is that every manufacturer has had it's time in the "this is acceptable"
spot light.
I heard that at one time that Atlas locomotives were crap, & that Athearn was cream of the crop.
Lifelike was toylike but now they have the Proto line. Go figure. Who would have thought!

Anyways, thats my 2 cents on this.

Gordon

[jsoderq]

Actually, the Crown line was the Varney tooling moved to Hong Kong. Some of the cars carried the same road numbers. Some of the American Flyer ho cars were Varney cars done for them. The Marx cars were mostly knockoffs of the Varney line. The Marx tooling is currently owned and run by Model Power. Some of the LikeLike and Bachman cars come from this same era when these cars were cheaply made mostly for the toy train market. Two things- Varney was the first manufacturer to make plastic cars to whom we all owe a debt and many of these were sold at Sears, Pennys and hardware stores and were responsible for a great many people introduced to the hobby.

[METRO]

I heard somewhere back in the thread someone talking about Athearn band drive units. I personally started out on these and still have about 6 of their RDCs. While I've since bought several of the great P1K RDCs, I'm currently working to repower the old Athearns and bring them up to spec.

As for the Life-Line cheap line, well they sure to weigh enough! I got a few of their GP38-2s from a friend and their long bar weights went straight into my lighter rolling stock.

I also have a few of the Bachman Spectrum Dash-8s and I suffered some major noise issues with them at higher speeds. My solution was quick and total: I replaced the Spectrum motors with Katos and some surplus P2K motors and I've not had any more problems.

[Wdlgln005]

The worst Nscalers were those Yougo/Mehano units imported by Model Power. A close second is their Lima(italy) units.
Bachmann N is a close second, with their coffee grinder motors. The plus line Funits are just average.
Lifelike N can be had cheap. For $15, the F7 and GP38 at least will pull a train. Not as good as Atlas-Kato, but not bad for the price.
Missing from this list is the ConCor N line. Their PA and hudson made by Kato were state of the art for 1970. Now they are becoming too old to cut the mustard anymore. They even used to import the Heljan plastic kits.

[philnrunt]

Hey lupo and dharmon...after I thought about what I said I also realized that that is one of my best memories! So while as a scale model piece it fell flat on it's face(and flat on the floor) as a good time it ranks up there with my P2K and other engines.
Also, about Tyco, I worked at a department store during my senior year and after Christmas we had at least 8-10 Tyco RR's and 4-5 Tyco HO race sets returned. A friend and myself bought them all for 10 bucks, and built an INSANE layout in his basement. 4-4-0's and F7's trying to beat GT-40s and Jimmy Clark's little green BRM(?) to the homemade crossings! It was a figure 8 race gone mad! I remember we played with it for about a month before everything was destroyed.
Ahhh, memories! And I owe it all to the GREATEST TOY TRAIN manufacturers EVER!!!!..... Uhhh, sorry guys, got a bit carried away there.
They still get my vote, but with mitigating circumstances.

[Anonymous]

For me, the worst were Model Power, the old AHMs, Tyco and some Bachmans. I have two Model Powers that I have removed the guts from and I have them sitting on a siding. The siding is wired up to a cheap $10 transformer. They sit there with their lights burning and their engines idling. They look and sound somewhat realistic. Though they never ran worth a flip, they're excellent for the illusion they now create.

I never throw anything away, no matter how bad it is. I have a railroad junkyard on my layout, complete with an office building, two yard cranes, a railroad crane, three junk filled gondolas, a bulldozer and five workers. Anything that isn't worth anything anymore goes into the junkyard. It has become one of the most interesting and talked about sites on my layout. So even junk has it's rightful place. LOL. [:D]

Georgia Boy

[:)]

[on30francisco]

Model Power, Tyco, and AHM. I used to have these locos years ago and they ran terrible. They had truck mounted horn hook couplers, deep wheel flanges, and four wheel pickup. The detailing also left a lot to be desired.