Ready-to-lay OO Track and Pointwork - moving towards production

[Budgie]

For those who can't figure out how to use SL 112 "Combined Rail Joiners for joining code 75 to code 100"? It even comes with special double sleepers. 

 

Or for those who don't want to use SL 112 "Combined Rail Joiners for joining code 75 to code 100" because they look bloody awful.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Whether using the transition track or the rail joiners, I would always suggest that such a join between two parts of a layout should be hidden in some way so that there is not a visual clash between the two rail types.

[DavidH]

"Disagree x 1 " ???

 

Seems like others understood it......

"Like x 5  +  Agree x 3"

 

 

Did Andy really create the little icons so we could start picking on each other about them ....? If someone wants to disagree with a post surely that's their privilege, wouldn't it be better not to take it personally and turn it into a flame war?

 

What this post really needs is a "leave it Ron, he's not worth it" feedback icon 

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

Ok, this view that we can't have decent RTL track because 'its not a single entity' or the 'Furness used over head banana bungly clips whereas the GWR used small trees and the Boondock and Wobbledongle used pandrol 95a'....  This is from people who are happy to use Peco track which doesn't look like any track anywhere?  sheesh.

 

Joseph, just make the darn track already and I'll buy some!

[Joseph_Pestell]

Ok, this view that we can't have decent RTL track because 'its not a single entity' or the 'Furness used over head banana bungly clips whereas the GWR used small trees and the Boondock and Wobbledongle used pandrol 95a'....  This is from people who are happy to use Peco track which doesn't look like any track anywhere?  sheesh.

 

Joseph, just make the darn track already and I'll buy some!

 

I'm clear in my mind what should be produced. And I am also decided on what is the best way forward in terms of developing a range.

 

Still a lot to do in finding the right manufacturing partners and assessing with them the costs of production.

 

And a day job to do as well!

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

"leave it Ron, he's not worth it" 

 

is already my office's catch phrase of the week!

[Adams442T]

Whether using the transition track or the rail joiners, I would always suggest that such a join between two parts of a layout should be hidden in some way so that there is not a visual clash between the two rail types.

 

Oh dear........... I only made the 'transition track' comment as a tongue in cheek mild jest.  I never dreamt there was such a beastie.  I s'pose this means Joseph will have to add a 'bullhead to curtain rail adaptor track' to his list..................................

[Joseph_Pestell]

Oh dear........... I only made the 'transition track' comment as a tongue in cheek mild jest.  I never dreamt there was such a beastie.  I s'pose this means Joseph will have to add a 'bullhead to curtain rail adaptor track' to his list..................................

Many a true word spoken in jest. I assumed that you knew about the transition track (quite a recent Peco product) and were being ironic.

 

Connecting FB to BH is easy enough at 1:1 scale. At 1:76.2 it might be quite tricky.

[Paul Cram]

Ron's answer added nothing to my understanding and Colin has not clarified so I am none the wiser

[Ron Ron Ron]

Ron's answer added nothing to my understanding and Colin has not clarified so I am none the wiser

 

Paul, I hope I didn't come across as being rude. It wasn't intended.

I half expected Colin would come back and try to explain his point and didn't think it my place to do that for him.

 

Regards

Ron

 

 

 

.

[Paul Cram]

Hi Ron

 

It did appear that way. I only disagreed because your reply was no clearer than Colin's and you were saying it was clear to you. It is up to Colin to clarify or not as he sees fit.

[Colin_McLeod]

Patience boys.

 

I am right at this moment composing my reply. Be along in a few minutes.

[Colin_McLeod]

Paul

 

My post No  1301 was liked by 5 and agreed to by 5 so at least 10 people understood what I was saying.

Joseph Pestell and Pacific231G gave constructive responses (posts 1302 and 1316) which I appreciate.

 

 

There have been wishlist threads before about RTR locomotives, carriages and wagons.  This thread started out effectively as a wishlist about better OO RTL track.

  This sentence is a statement of fact and its meaning should be obvious.

 

 

Unlike most other wishlists it contains lots of posts about non RTL options, the economics of tooling up for a new product, RTL v build it yourself, validity of surveys etc etc etc” .

  This sentence is a statement of fact regarding an observation I have made about this thread, and its meaning should be obvious.

 

 

I've not seen anything like this when someone says, I wish someone would produce a class XXX in RTR.

This sentence is a statement of fact about my observations and its meaning should be obvious.

 

 

 

The possible exception was the naysayers who gave lots of "economic reasons" why a Blue Pullman would never be available RTR. Yet RTR Blue Pullman is now available

In this sentence I was comparing those who are giving reasons why a better to lay RTL track is not commercially viable, with those in other threads who said in the past that a Blue Pullman is not commercially viable. I was making the further comment, that despite those opinions, the trade came to a different conclusion and produced an RTR Blue Pullman.  I was also inferring (though I did not say so) that perhaps RTL track will be made commercially despite the misgivings of some posters to this thread.

 

 

 

 

Ron's answer added nothing to my understanding and Colin has not clarified so I am none the wiser

 

I hope this has added something to your understanding.  If not, then we will have to leave it at that.

[ThaneofFife]

Joseph, just make the darn track already and I'll buy some!

Dont perpetuate this latest craze of adding the word "already" to a sentence that does not need it.ive heard it more just lately and to say its wholly american ptretentious bs speak is an understatement.as is talking but ending every other sentence as if you was asking a question ill placed upper inflection.gets on my nerves.

Now....as you were chaps

Edited January 30, 2014 by ThaneofFife

[Adams442T]

Yus, me anall.  Nuffink wurse then poer grammer, bad punkcherashun, an' as fer speling' wel! 

[brushman47544]

I've only just discovered this thread and have not read through 50+ pages, so if it's been covered already my apologies.

 

I would love to see British outline RtL OO track, but equally I would want to continue running older trains with coarser wheels. This is why I currently use Code 100 rails. What I'd be really interested in was more accurate sleeper spacing, with finer rails as well only if my older locos didn't end up bumping along the sleepers.

 

Whilst there would no doubt be development costs to be amortised, would such track really need to be more expensive than the current Peco/Hornby equivalents? How much other than sleeper moulds would need be designed from new. It really can't cost much to mass produce them and if it replaced the current offerings, sales would be significant.

 

We moved from Super 4 to System 6 track all those years ago without too much pain. It can be done if manufacturers stop making the previous alternative. The trouble is Peco and Hornby have no incentive as the current HO track is still needed for HO modelers.

[Mike Riley]

People said that the blue pullman would not be commercially viable and then Bachmann produced one.  But we don't know if it was commercially viable.  Did Bachmann make a profit on it?  Does anybody have a ball park figure for the number produced/sold?

 

Whether rtl 00 track will be commercially viable will only be known if somebody makes it and then only after several years of production.  Bringing any new product to market is a gamble.

 

Mike

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

Dont perpetuate this latest craze of adding the word "already" to a sentence that does not need it.ive heard it more just lately and to say its wholly american ptretentious bs speak is an understatement.as is talking but ending every other sentence as if you was asking a question ill placed upper inflection.gets on my nerves.

Now....as you were chaps

 

I'm fully aware of what I did and why I did it, thank you.  

Edited January 30, 2014 by Dr Gerbil-Fritters

[Pacific231G]

Whether using the transition track or the rail joiners, I would always suggest that such a join between two parts of a layout should be hidden in some way so that there is not a visual clash between the two rail types.

Errr don't the people who build their models to 304.8mm/ft scale join different types of rail together all the time? It seems to be quite normal practice by scale modellers in both N. America and Europe to use different codes to represent the difference between main lines and sidings or branches and Britain isn't the only country where Vignoles meets Double Champignon.

I gather the combined rail joiners are a bit obvious but I found a neat way of doing it here. 

http://www.mrol.com.au/Articles/Hints%20and%20Tips/RailJoining.aspx  

I had an American switching layout once with both code 100 and code 70 but the join wasn't as neat as this. I think I just inserted a rail joiner in the end of the code 100, flattened the other end and soldered the code 70 rail onto it. It needed a bit of work with a file to tidy it up but my soldering normally does.

[ThaneofFife]

I'm fully aware of what I did and why I did it, thank you.

I wouldnt thank me for pointing out another example of the slippery slope we are on with the misuse of the english language.are you transatlantic.if so I can cut some slack as that is the side of the pond some of this rubbish eminates.if youre a Brit though, do try and keep it real.

Edited January 30, 2014 by ThaneofFife

[Budgie]

I wouldnt thank me for pointing out another example of the slippery slope we are on with the misuse of the english language.are you transatlantic.if so I can cut some slack as that is the side of the pond some of this rubbish eminates.if youre a Brit though, do try and keep it real.

I thought this thread was about ready-to-lay OO track and pointwork, not about the syntax and usage of the English language. So somebody used the word "already" in a way that you disapprove of. Get over it already.

 

Perhaps you should read English for the natives by Harry Ritchie, John Murray 2013, ISBN 978-1-84854-837-4.

[Ron Ron Ron]

People said that the blue pullman would not be commercially viable and then Bachmann produced one.  But we don't know if it was commercially viable.  Did Bachmann make a profit on it?  Does anybody have a ball park figure for the number produced/sold?

 

Unless Bachmann say at some future point, we won't ever know; but then that would apply to every model produced by everyone, the Blue Pullman is no different to any other.

 

In the case of the BP, it was a one-off run of X,000 examples.

They will have produced enough to cover their costs at the very least and more realistically there would have been some margin in it for Bachmann.

All the main run of Nanking Blue models sold out and AFAIK the much smaller number of FYE examples have all been placed with retailers, even if they've been slow to clear.

 

AFAIK all manufacture's finances work on the basis of the first production batch. Any subsequent re-issues are a bonus (if they sell).

It's very likely that with the BP, it's a case of been there, done that; end of !

It would have been a calculated gamble to produce it, but it clearly paid off. However a 2nd run would be more risky than the first. I think that's where money might be lost on that particular model.

 

All OT of course, so back to the subject in hand, already. 

[Colin_McLeod]

The train due over the new style track has arrived already. 

[Mike Storey]

Dont perpetuate this latest craze of adding the word "already" to a sentence that does not need it.ive heard it more just lately and to say its wholly american ptretentious bs speak is an understatement.as is talking but ending every other sentence as if you was asking a question ill placed upper inflection.gets on my nerves.

Now....as you were chaps

 

I don't think you "get it" and anyway, it's not just American (particularly New York Brooklyn and Queens) . I grew up near Golders Green (North London) in the late fifties and sixties and it was commonplace, even by me (and I am not Jewish!) - especially at White Hart Lane when Spurs missed another goal. It has been a very common and very funny addition to any statement of exasperation for many years around any Jewish community. So it was used, in this case, extremely accurately. I suspect Shakespeare heard something like it, and I find it most odd that he never used it in the Merchant of Venice.....

 

After the Rights of Man, back to the rights or wrongs of track.

[Joseph_Pestell]

People said that the blue pullman would not be commercially viable and then Bachmann produced one.  But we don't know if it was commercially viable.  Did Bachmann make a profit on it?  Does anybody have a ball park figure for the number produced/sold?

 

Whether rtl 00 track will be commercially viable will only be known if somebody makes it and then only after several years of production.  Bringing any new product to market is a gamble.

 

Mike

 

Mike,

 

You highlight the important difference, commercially and financially, between bringing out a new item of rolling stock and bringing out pointwork.

 

I don't have any inside knowledge of Bachmann's figures but I am sure that they will have made a profit on the Blue Pullman (or at least got to break-even on the first production runs). Quite simply, the way the market works today, you don't produce an item like that without sufficient advance orders for the figures to stack up.

 

Trackwork is different. People don't buy so much of it so you have to amortise your tooling over a much longer period - probably three years. That has serious impact on your cash flow and the rate at which you can re-invest in the slower moving items in the range (slips, etc).