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A few thoughts on brass model trains

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  • Member since
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  • From: Bradford, Ontario
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Posted by hon30critter on Saturday, April 9, 2016 5:50 AM

greg:

I admire your dedication to accuracy. Brass locomotives clearly fill a need for you which I don't have.

Each to his own.

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

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Posted by gregc on Saturday, April 9, 2016 5:26 AM

I purchase brass locomotives because i know of no realistic plastic versions of the locomotives I'm interested in (Reading camelbacks).

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

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  • From: Bradford, Ontario
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Posted by hon30critter on Saturday, April 9, 2016 5:14 AM

I have been tempted many times to bid on a brass engine, but each time I am stopped by my perceived negative aspects of such a purchase.

The cost itself is hard to justify when I can get excellent quality 'plastic' models for the same price or less. I would be much happier with an Intermountain F series locomotive which I can put on the track and run than a brass engine that will require hours of work to make it presentable and reliable.

Brass locomotives lack details. OK ok, settle down, most brass has great detail but they don't go the whole nine yards. I like lighting. Most brass lacks lighting. I like illuminated number boards. I don't like holes where the number boards are supposed to be and I don't like number boards that can't be easily illuminated. Granted, all that stuff can be added but so far I'm not interested in the challenge. (I hate drilling into brass!).

When I spend $300+ I expect the cab windows will be glazed. I can't recall any brass models with window glazing and I really suck at installing it myself.

According to what I have read, the running qualities of brass engines are all over the board. Again, if I'm going to spend the money I don't want to have to spend a bunch more to get the thing to run reliably.

They rarely come painted, and if they do come painted the price is usually way too high for me to even think about.

Finally, the biggest obstacle to making the investment is my own ignorance. I am pretty much clueless when it comes to accurate detailing, particularly on steam locomotives. I can identify the basics but I have a hard time getting a locomotive on the tracks let alone knowing which pipes and widgets are in the right place, and quite frankly I don't care. I do admire the dedication of those who do model accurately very much, but for me the hobby is a way to de-stress, not add to it if I am worrying about getting something wrong.

However, having said all of that, I love scratch building with brass. The locomotive in my avatar is scratch built. The detailing is nowhere near what most brass models offer but the price was right and it runs decently right from the start. Oh, and it has working lights too.

Oh dear, I seem to have been ranting! My bad!Smile, Wink & GrinLaughLaugh

Please don't think that I am criticising anyone in any way. I'm just expressing my own preferences.

All the best to everyone!

Dave

 

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
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  • From: Culpeper, Va
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Posted by IRONROOSTER on Saturday, April 9, 2016 12:15 AM

I think brass has it's place.  It's usually a limited run of a specific model.  If you want that particular model great, if not well then it's too expensive for close. 

I have a brass locomotive that's for a very small limited market - Sn2, WWF Forney.  It's doubtful that market will ever support anything else in the way of locomotives or even a rerun of this model.  For close enough, I have some MDC HOn3 kits which I plan to convert  (also no longer available with no rerun in sight).

Enjoy

Paul

If you're having fun, you're doing it the right way.
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Posted by tstage on Friday, April 8, 2016 11:54 PM

JimT

It's a bit discouraging to spend a lot of time writing up a post for the forum only to see the whole thread disappear an hour later.

Jim

Jim,

Discussing brass trains is perfectly fine on the forum.  The original post was deleted because the person posting the link to a certain brass show was also listed on the vendor's page.  (A roundabout way of advertising and promoting, which is a no-no according the forum policy.)  The majority of the original post would have had to be deleted, which didn't leave a whole lot left to discuss.

Sorry it affected your lengthy reply.

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by tomikawaTT on Friday, April 8, 2016 11:46 PM

Most of my motive power roster is brass - proving that brass is nice to work with if a manufacturer doesn't have industrial plastic or pot metal molding capability.  I know that many of my models were built as low production rate items by people operating out of storefronts or spare bedrooms.  AFAIK, only one was ever shipped to the United States for commercial sale.  Max Gray picked up on the Toby model of the Imperial Government Railways 4020 class 0-8-0T - Baldwin, class of 1897.  His 1974 asking price was three times what I had paid in Yokohama, and nowhere did his ads mention that the model was a 3' 6" gauge prototype built to 1:80 scale and fitted to run on HO track (aka HOj.)  Tenshodo produced a Baldwin 0-6-0 in pot metal that had a remarkable visual resemblance to the 4020, also in HOj.  (Tenshodo was and is a manufacturing jeweler with a fancy Ginza address, not the typical storefront operation.)

Since all of my brass models are Japanese prototype and of Japanese manufacture, they hardly form a representative sample.  Also, I built most of them from kits, and did considerably more tweaking and minor modification than the assemblers who turned out the same models ready to run.  Their performance reflects that.  Of course, I dealt off my canines a long time ago.

I bought brass locomotives because the locomotives I wanted were only available as brass kits or RTR.  I didn't buy them as an investment in anything but future fun.  Well, the future is now, and I'm having fun.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

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Posted by DAVID FORTNEY on Friday, April 8, 2016 11:15 PM

I have had many brass engines thru the years and to be honest most were Not worth the price I paid for them. Most had good detail and most were lousy runners without allot of tweaking and even then they were still bad.

Todays brass is much better but not worth the money the mfgs. are asking. 

There is just too many non-brass mfgs. Making and importing great products for me to consider brass ever again.

All the brass I ever had  is now gone.

Brass has seen its day come and go.  Good riddance.

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Posted by ACY Tom on Friday, April 8, 2016 11:01 PM

That's a pretty broad topic. Since at least the 1950's, there have been thousands of imported brass models with some degree of handwork. Some are true works of art; some aren't worth the powder to blow them off the face of the earth. Some are fine representations of their ostensible prototype; others not so much. Some run like Swiss watches; others like Swiss cheese.

When I consider buying a brass model, I determine whether it's an item that fits my needs and represents a prototype I want. Then I consider the reputation of the builder.  I inspect it thoroughly and judge its operating quality. If it looks like it fits my criteria and is worth the money, I may buy it. An item that doesn't fit, or which doesn't operate properly (or can't be made to operate properly), isn't worth bothering with, whether made of brass or any other material.

Over the years I've owned fine brass engines and I've owned clunkers.

Now that I've said all that, we don't know enough about your needs, wants, budget, etc. to give much of an answer. The answer will have to be tailored to you. What do you want to know, and what do you want to get out of the model in question?

Tom 

 

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A few thoughts on brass model trains
Posted by JimT on Friday, April 8, 2016 10:36 PM

It's a bit discouraging to spend a lot of time writing up a post for the forum only to see the whole thread disappear an hour later.

I would like to hear people's thoughts about brass model trains. Unless this is against forum policies.

Jim

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