Nearholmer Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 I've been watching what has been happening in r-t-r 0 from the other side of the great coarse/fine wheel standards divide, and my view is that the manufacturers have chosen very intelligently when it comes to small plastic locos. Everything so far has been ideal for the sort of "plank" layouts that fit into spaces that have largely been the preserve of 00 up to now, and their pricing is very keen indeed. The big locos, both diesel and steam, are more of a conundrum, in that I'm surprised they find a ready market, when so few people can have room to let them stretch their wheels at home. I'm assuming that running on club layouts, shelf queens, and a rash of Stabling points accounts for sales. The r-t-r plastic coaches seem jolly pricey to me, but the discussion here, which drives in the direction of greater fidelity will only compound that. Plastic wagons I haven't looked at, because I'm addicted to tin and wooden ones, but I would say that building from kits or scratch isn't exactly difficult. Next? A small easterner is clearly needed, and the J72, with light railway credentials, seems a pretty obvious choice. Biggest omission so far is the Peco smaller radius point. One that hits the shops, and everyone rediscovers the fact that smaller prototypes don't need more than about three foot radius, there won't be enough plywood in Britain to feed the layout-building frenzy! Kevin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaughan45 Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 A mate of mine has bought a rake of MTK(?) Mk1's, very good, you just have to specify 2-rail. They come with finescale wheels, sprung metal buffers and are approx. half the price of Heljan! I think you may mean MTH (Mikes Train House), who are a major US O scale supplier, although primarily for coarse scale 3 rail equipment which is big the other side of the pond. I think the coaches are ex LMS Stanier types and include a 50ft full brake.The UK models are built to 7mm scale rather than US O scale which is 1:48. The coaches form part of their famous trains range, which also includes some other European coaches and wagons. One of the reasons for the lower price compared to the Heljan coaches may be due to the volume produced. Not sure what size the Heljan coach production run was, but I suspect given their overall market, MTH runs would be larger and thus reduce the unit cost as these coaches have been in their range for a number of years in a variety of liveries (LMS, BR Crimson/Cream, BR Maroon, BR Blue (Full Brake). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossard Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 The Heljan coaches are the wrong profile caused by the need to get them out of the mould. I think this is because the roof is moulded with the sides. Well that's rather a poor do. Hornby came in for a lot of criticism when they did that to some LNER coaches. Not something that can be fixed. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwr Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 A mate of mine has bought a rake of MTK(?) Mk1's, very good, you just have to specify 2-rail. They come with finescale wheels, sprung metal buffers and are approx. half the price of Heljan! MTK? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeing7572t6 Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 MTK? Already sorted, see #27 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossard Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 There's a video page on the MTH site, here's one on the LMS coaches: http://mthtrains.com/product-video-gallery-view/3934?page_ak=0.3&page=3 My initial impression is that the coaches don't look too bad, although it's obvious they are not flush glazed. I have the feeling that they are shortened to negotiate sharp curves. Anyone have first hand experience? John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaughan45 Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 There's a video page on the MTH site, here's one on the LMS coaches: http://mthtrains.com/product-video-gallery-view/3934?page_ak=0.3&page=3 My initial impression is that the coaches don't look too bad, although it's obvious they are not flush glazed. I have the feeling that they are shortened to negotiate sharp curves. Anyone have first hand experience? John I have a couple of 50ft full brakes which appear to be scale length, however not sure if the other coaches are full 57ft length or share the short chassis with the full brake. I have never seen the other coaches 'in the flesh' and it is difficult to tell from the photos in the MTH online catalogue. Interestingly they are not shown in the MTH O scale 2017 catalogue. Although the body profile is quite good, the full brakes need some improvement work such as flush glazing and separate door handles etc.to bring them up to UK standards. This is understandable as the MTH O scale range appears largely targeted at the toy / collector market in the states. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossard Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 It struck me that MTH seemed to be careful not to show the passenger coaches full side on. Maybe it's just me. As I said earlier there are things that can be done to upgrade lower fidelity models - shortened bodies is not something that can be fixed. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simond Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 I haven't "touched them" but I'm 99% sure the coaches are longer than the brake. There was a set of 3 coaches + brake, and a couple of strengthened, so you could get a couple of sets, plus a couple of loose coaches and have a decent train, if you've got a grand to spare, and somewhere to run them! IIRC they were about £450 for the set of 4, I don't think there are any LMS painted ones available any more, shame they're just a bit late for me. Best Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Dava Posted December 2, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 2, 2016 The MTH coaches can be seen here. They were reviewed by the GOG a few years ago and the BG is shorter than the other coaches, they appear to be scale length. However they are not flush glazed. http://www.scalelink.co.uk/acatalog/O-scale-MTH-Fine-scale-British-Passenger-rolling-stock--Retail-only-.html Dava Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 I have just read this thread and it is obviously RTR biassed, hence the title of the thread! But. As a kit builder the choice in Gauge O is really quite good. I am putting together a 6 to 8 coach Midlander rake and all the basic coaches are available in kit form from Sidelines and Just Like The Real Thing (JLTRT). These kits take a while to put together and paint but the experience, for me at least, is most gratifying. I have looked at the MTH offerings and in my opinion they lack precision. Heljan coaches are/were good but again the range is/was limited if you want to model specific coaches. Because if you think a Mark 1 coach is a Mark 1 coach, take a look at Hugh Longworth's detailed tome. There were many, many variants. No RTR manufacturer could cater for all these. I realize this post may be a little "off topic" but kit building can and should be a viable alternative to RTR. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 Already sorted, see #27 And edited! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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