Micro-trains pet peeves poll

[Bob Bufkin]

Maybe it's aluminum plate!

[Denver Road Doug]

OK, so I did the honorable thing and gave my positives, so now the gloves come off...
-FREEEEKIN' TTX or Trailer Train yellow 89-foot flats.  Only Kato's release tactics (and by a razor thin close margin) exceeds the "What the hell" factor that not releasing these cars generates.  Picking a post 2001 DODX scheme (which by the way was already available in a set) was a MUCH better idea for one of the first runner packs than TT/TTX.  That ticked me off so much that I am hoping and praying Atlas will do their 89's in N so I never have to reward MTL's stupidity regarding this car.
-The $30 BN rotary-scheme triple hopper.  OK, let's take one of the most ubiquitous freight cars that BN/BNSF ever owned--appearing in just about every unit coal train and most manifest trains in some capacity and a car that most BN/BNSF (and other modern) modelers would buy a dozen of without blinking--and we'll go ahead and charge $30 for it.  Sorry MTL, but your car isn't THAT much better/not wrong-er than the Atlas version.  When I can buy a 3-pack for what your single car with crappier paint costs, it's not a decision.
-Two words: ETCHED METAL
-Two more: LOW PROFILE
-Two more: CADILLAC SUCKS (* in the context of model railroading products...not trying to start an automotive thread here)
-Improve your dang couplers!  It's been a gazillion years since the current design came out...find some new processes and materials and innovate again!  Slinky-less travel is now en vogue.  While you are at it, make them a little smaller and something resembling the real thing.
-I've been in model railroading for 30+ years now and have yet to have my ROW flood, nor have I had problems with dead cattle causing derailments.  How 'bout lowering the ride height on your cars?
-Try doing some research every once in a while.  I don't expect perfection, but when something is handed to you, or it is easier to do it right than screw it up, try doing it right the first time.
-Sell your trucks without wheels for us metal heads.
-Sell bulk packs with at least, say, a penny per wheel discount.  Throw us a bone.

[wcfn100]

Well thanks for the input guys.  With your help we totally crushed that other poll, so that was nice.

I guess the dark horse was the availability of certain body styles.  I would assume that the big one is tha 89' flats even though I think they're the most useless 85'-89' flatcar model a company could do. But hey, that's me.

So maybe the best way for MT to separate themselves from others is to make sure they offer all of their 100+ body styles in a reasonable cycle.


Jason

[James Costello]

What has frustrated me the most with MTL over the last 15 years isn't the wrong paint schemes or wrong body styles, it's not doing correct paint schemes on the correct cars they have!

MTL has never done their 89' flat in SP, which had them both in TOFC/COFC service and also in pipe service (they could even stick a load on it!).


They could even do a second hand version for FEC with only a change in reporting marks:
http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=2571

MTL has never done their 45' Fruehauf trailer in any of the really cool schemes from the 80s/90s, say SP's Golden Pig, Xtra, Preferred Pool, Transamerica, UP, Martrac:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=48656
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/sp/splz936451ags.jpg
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=544041
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=567451
Which should be criminal....

What bugs me most about the TTX/TT 89' flat is MTL continuing to use TTX reporting marks, even on the "TTX" repaints. The use of the TTX reporting mark on an 89' flat dropped from 16,830 cars in 1985 to 4,397 cars in 1990...and was practically extinct at 416 cars in 1995 and 150 cars in 1998. Even with the decrease in popularity of the 89'er due to spine cars, there were still 9,551 TTWX marked cars in 1995 and 2,438 in 1998....an is even applicable in the older TT scheme (as shown above under the SP trailer) and with the later TTX scheme. The MTL model may not be a true Twin 45 flat, but it's an easy conversion for the modeller and the people who don't care will stick two 45'ers on them anyway.

(Note the sweet Preferred and Xtra 45' Fruehauf's in the background)


http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=5382

And at a minimum there's two Schneider National schemes they could do on the 48' Fruehauf trailer they have!