Where has everyone gone?

[PaulRhB]

Yes you can get decent deals on eBay if the item is in the global shipping and from some shops. I got my New Orleans streetcars direct and some On30 stuff cheaper than importing via a shop here. 
That said the G scale GP was cheaper here so you need to look around every time. 

[DanielB]

I'm still around, I've just been lured out of the layout room by Xbox, and my other crafty hobbies...

 

[Alcanman]

4 hours ago, jasond said:

Sorry to be so boring, but how much did UPS charge, plus any other import costs ... VAT, etc. To save you embarrasment I looked up the price at Trainworld $190 less a cent. Great buy , nice loco, I always look forward to Atlas getting going better in O.

Jason

Hi Jason.  Yes, the loco price was $189.99, which is a great price for a sound fitted loco.

 

I paid UPS £47.00 and the payment to Trainworld, including handling and shipping was £190.00,  so the total cost of the loco was  £237.00.

 

I think this compares favourably to buying a similar Atlas loco from a UK retailer. However, new Atlas sound fitted locos are very difficult to find in the UK.

 

I'm very happy with this model and the service from Trainworls and UPS and would buy again.

 

Mal

[jasond]

Mal, thanks for the numbers, does that include UK VAT?  

 

Jason

[Alcanman]

12 hours ago, jasond said:

Mal, thanks for the numbers, does that include UK VAT?  

 

Jason

Yes.

[TravisM]

I missed this thread as I’m considering going back to US modelling but only in a small way.  I gave up because UK dealers were disappearing which left with buying items direct from the US and took a gamble regarding shipping cost, import duty etc.  It all seemed too much hassle, so I gave up.

 

If anyone can point me in the right direction for proper dealer here in the UK who has a good stock of US items, I’d be a happy bunny.

[davknigh]

1 hour ago, jools1959 said:

 

 

If anyone can point me in the right direction for proper dealer here in the UK who has a good stock of US items, I’d be a happy bunny.

You might want to get in touch with Rails of Sheffield. They have contacts with Rapido who manufacture mostly Canadian stock with a fair few US roads as well. Here's a link to see what they make; https://rapidotrains.com/# 

And here's a link to the Rails site; https://railsofsheffield.com/search?Personalise=false&searchTerm=Rapido&Manufacturer=Rapido+Trains+Inc.&SortMethod=Relevance&PageSize=24

No connection to Rails (wrong side of the Atlantic for me) or Rapido, just a happy punter.

 

HTH

 

David

[z4driver]

I've found Mech Models to be really good. They have a reasonable stock and will also pre-order for you.

 

My experience of Rails of Sheffield and Rapido preorders wasn't very good. Preordered a B36-7 before Xmas 19, despite several emails to them checking status and being reassured that all was OK never got it.

 

Lee

[Zunnan]

What can I say? You lot are a bunch of rotten bad influences!!! Not content with this years earlier Rivet Countr SD45 release I was tempted back for more...

 

Contents of todays post...a brace of tunnel motors complete with Scaletrains favourite candy additions to the box. As much as I love the 45, especially that 20cyl throb, tunnel motors will always be my favourites. Lord help me if (when) Scaletrains do the SD45t-2.

 

 

Absolutely beautiful models, the running and lighting features is top notch just as with the SD45. One thing I'm not so keen on with all three is the speaker in the Scaletrains units, they suffer from what I can best describe as Bachmannitis. I've equipped the Athearn SD45t-2 (9281) with the same v5 decoder (20-645 of course), but using a simple off the shelf Bowser double cube with the chassis weight at the rear of the cab milled down to locate the speaker directly below the exhaust port. The difference between what is effectively two proprietary setups is like the difference in listening to a recording of Tennessee Pass on a phone which is stuffed into a plastic bag, or through a decent bluetooth speaker. Looks like I may be tearing into these two sooner or later...

[GEOEng03]

19 hours ago, Zunnan said:

What can I say? You lot are a bunch of rotten bad influences!!! Not content with this years earlier Rivet Countr SD45 release I was tempted back for more...

 

Contents of todays post...a brace of tunnel motors complete with Scaletrains favourite candy additions to the box. As much as I love the 45, especially that 20cyl throb, tunnel motors will always be my favourites. Lord help me if (when) Scaletrains do the SD45t-2.

 

 

Absolutely beautiful models, the running and lighting features is top notch just as with the SD45. One thing I'm not so keen on with all three is the speaker in the Scaletrains units, they suffer from what I can best describe as Bachmannitis. I've equipped the Athearn SD45t-2 (9281) with the same v5 decoder (20-645 of course), but using a simple off the shelf Bowser double cube with the chassis weight at the rear of the cab milled down to locate the speaker directly below the exhaust port. The difference between what is effectively two proprietary setups is like the difference in listening to a recording of Tennessee Pass on a phone which is stuffed into a plastic bag, or through a decent bluetooth speaker. Looks like I may be tearing into these two sooner or later...

Hi, 

I agree, I have two SD40-2 in Norfolk Southern livery and I think they're a fantastic model.  I do feel the black of the NS livery does the detailing no favours and your picture really does show that.  I really noticed how good the ET44's were when I finally got hold of a BNSF Heritage III livery and just how much the detail shines compared to my NS version of the same engine.  

 

Mine don't suffer from the tinny sounds you have suggested, but they lack bass, which would make them even better - but haven't been brave enough to swap out as of yet and if you're suggesting milling... then no chance ...!  

Cheers

[GEOEng03]

On 10/08/2020 at 08:53, z4driver said:

I've found Mech Models to be really good. They have a reasonable stock and will also pre-order for you.

 

My experience of Rails of Sheffield and Rapido preorders wasn't very good. Preordered a B36-7 before Xmas 19, despite several emails to them checking status and being reassured that all was OK never got it.

 

Lee

Agreed, 

Ordered 8 points last Tuesday and they duly arrived on the Wednesday, which was not expected!  They will be my go to place now for North American stock.  Although it is still sometimes cheaper with fees/tax to import some of the higher ticket items such as locomotives... 

Cheers 

[Zunnan]

38 minutes ago, GEOEng03 said:

Mine don't suffer from the tinny sounds you have suggested, but they lack bass, which would make them even better - but haven't been brave enough to swap out as of yet and if you're suggesting milling... then no chance ...!  

Cheers

 

Thankfully the milling was to fit a Bowser sound enclosure in an Athearn RTR unit, but to be honest that really wasn't as bad as it at first sounds and could probably be done with a hacksaw its so easy. To be honest, I found it harder swapping out the old grain of wheat bulbs for LEDs, it really is that easy! I'll post up a pic of a before and after chassis as I have several unmodified units which are eventually going to get the treatment.

 

41 minutes ago, GEOEng03 said:

Agreed, 

Ordered 8 points last Tuesday and they duly arrived on the Wednesday, which was not expected!  They will be my go to place now for North American stock.  Although it is still sometimes cheaper with fees/tax to import some of the higher ticket items such as locomotives... 

Cheers 

 

Very much so. Rivet counter SD45 is £357 at shops here in the UK. Mine came direct from Scaletrains at $270ish a loco, plus maybe combined shipping of $57...bear with me, as even this sky high shipping cost comes in good...so total of just under $600 posted. Thats £453, with VAT and the GPOs cut comes to £545 for two...versus over £700 bought here in the UK.

[Zunnan]

Quick pic showing the internal gubbins of two nominally identical Athearn SD45t-2.

 

Uppermost is entirely as out of the box with the exception of a DP2X decoder (hey, it ran reliably on my old garden railway with that for years...no snickering in the back!). The red line shows where I made what is effectively a horizontal cut in the removable forward weight, although I also milled out the screw holes so that the original fixing screws could be shortened and re-used leaving a flat surface on which to mount the speakers.

 

The lower chassis shows the speaker mounted in place using padded double sided tape, this provides a buffer to stop the speaker rattling on the flat top removable bit of chassis created by cutting the removable weight. It also provides a perfect channel along which to feed the front truck pickup wires, leaving enough slack for the truck to be entirely mobile and not bind up from tight wiring. It really is as simple as take front weight off, hack it down in height to about 1.5-2mm thick and countersink the fixing holes, paint it up to look less like a mauled bit of metal, put it back in place and stick your speaker on top.

 

The sugar cubes are a snug fit against the body, and the bass it produces as a result is well worth the slight intrusion into the cab. I did try milling out the rear weight and have the speaker facing down into the rear air inlet, but as there was no real seal to the speaker enclosure the sound was nowhere near as impressive. I've demoed this one at the club with our other resident US modeller who loves his high end models, and when I opened this up he was gobsmacked that the Bowser speaker could sound as good as this does for such as simple install.

 

[Robatron86]

I'm still actively modelling NA railroads. 

 

The problem is Facebook is an easier way to post updates to numerous people and groups at the same time. 

 

Yes, the cost of NA equipment has gone up dramatically, the supply is dwindling, but I've discovered that you need to be a bit more dedicated in the search for items. 

 

And just to cheer everyone up, my current layout build. 

 

 

[Keith Addenbrooke]

14 hours ago, Robatron86 said:

Yes, the cost of NA equipment has gone up dramatically, the supply is dwindling, but I've discovered that you need to be a bit more dedicated in the search for items. . 

 

That’s a good point - part of my calculation in becoming more active is to see sourcing as part of the task, not a deterrent.  It means more careful research on my part too (again, this is a good thing).

 

And, if all else fails, I may even have to try scratchbuilding at some point - it’s how the pioneers of the hobby started, after all (though I think I’d only ever try buildings, and when no-one is looking).

[Robatron86]

9 minutes ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

That’s a good point - part of my calculation in becoming more active is to see sourcing as part of the task, not a deterrent.  It means more careful research on my part too (again, this is a good thing).

 

And, if all else fails, I may even have to try scratchbuilding at some point - it’s how the pioneers of the hobby started, after all (though I think I’d only ever try buildings, and when no-one is looking).

 

The scratchbuilding, and kitbashing, led me to make this:

 

I wasn't going to pay $85 for a brass model from the states. 

[skipepsi]

I still have a collection of black and silver GP7/9s thanks to you! What track plan are you using for this?

[Robatron86]

13 minutes ago, skipepsi said:

I still have a collection of black and silver GP7/9s thanks to you! What track plan are you using for this?

 

I'm glad they went to a good home! 

 

They layout build thread is here 

 

 

[F-UnitMad]

16 hours ago, Robatron86 said:

Yes, the cost of NA equipment has gone up dramatically, the supply is dwindling, but I've discovered that you need to be a bit more dedicated in the search for items. 

Also, snap up bargains when you see them.

Recently someone put up on Ebay some Heljan O Cargowaggons at £120 each or offers, which in terms of this model is something of a bargain itself.

My Cheapskate Chancer offers were turned down, though, so I sat on my hands a while & the 3 models available all sold. However just this week I was very glad I'd sat tight, as some Atlas O 2-rail stuff came up at 'must have' prices - they were only listed for a few hours when I bagged them!! So I have 2 freight cars coming soon that cost less together than one HJ Cargowaggon, and they will be rather more use to me as well. If I'd splashed on impulse for the Cargowaggon I couldn't have afforded the Atlas cars as well.

The brown Soo Line caboose that was listed with the other cars might still be on ebay; it is one I don't want, before anyone flags it up for me. It's prototypical, although the actual shade of brown might be suspect, but come on - brown??!!?? What was the designer of that version thinking??!!

[Alcanman]

17 hours ago, Robatron86 said:

I'm still actively modelling NA railroads. 

 

The problem is Facebook is an easier way to post updates to numerous people and groups at the same time. 

 

Yes, the cost of NA equipment has gone up dramatically, the supply is dwindling, but I've discovered that you need to be a bit more dedicated in the search for items. 

 

And just to cheer everyone up, my current layout build. 

 

 

Good to see your are  still modelling US and posting on here. You're right, a lot of people are now using Facebook, which goes our to a much larger audience.  

 

However, I still enjoy posting my layout threads on here as they give more continuity than Facebook. Although traffic is well down on a few years when there seemed to be a lot of like minded modellers building small switching layouts culminating in the annual TVNAM exhibition. I learnt a lot, and , of course, we had the late lamented Jack (shortliner) Trollope, constantly feeding us with his knowledge, ideas and track plans for small layouts.

 

Prices have gone up, but I find the cost of locos and freight cars comparable with British outline. 

[Robatron86]

It's actually good to be back. Now if we can just get exhibitions back on again.... 

[JAMO]

Yes, Facebook is more interesting for several points but I continue to post on this forum. I like it!

[Keith Addenbrooke]

1 hour ago, JAMO said:

Yes, Facebook is more interesting for several points but I continue to post on this forum. I like it!

And for people like me who don’t use Facebook for this kind of thing, it’s nice to see your layouts on here too.

[298]

On one hand I'm glad to see old names from Yahoo groups using Facey, especially when they said they wouldn't because it was perceived as social media fad for kids who have since probably moved onto other instachats or something.

 

On the other hand tho, I regard my own layout pages as a diary for looking back through a timeline or finding links or photos, and if other people want to see it or share comments then that's a bonus. One problem with posting on mass themed groups is it can look like "fishing for likes", and if you reply to a question asking how you did something (such as how to solder wires to a surface mount LED using a standard tip on a 25w iron), they'll invariably be comments from the "I can't do that" brigade. But the biggest downer I've found is the variability of quality, I know we all have to start somewhere but they'll be a succession of good posts and then all of a sudden, someone fishing for likes because they brought a trainset from the thrift store and some train guy 4000 miles away in England obviously needs to see it.

 

It's also another factor in having an interest in US modelling in that the natives don't really get the size problem so don't fully grasp your own design constraints, my current layout is too big for one Micro group because it's 5' long in HO, but another micro/small layouts allows sodding 8x4s in because they are the perfect size to make an easily transportable layout on... (rolls eyes emoji)

[298]

With 2020 being the year of the track/step/truck lights or whatever, I've been adding LEDs to my small roster of switchers. Not that I've had any extra time during lockdowns as apparently I'm a key worker, but such projects have a fantastic time to cost ratio if you need to keep occupied on limited funds. This SW1500 has a total of 15 LEDs, including illuminated MW stands and a lit display in the Motorola radio on top of the control stand (I wish I'd gone for a sixteenth behind the gauges on the smaller desk)...

 

Edited November 19, 2020 by 298