Springfield Show Report [Part 3 Added]

[peteski]

Nice to see Scale Trains again using split-shank (not their own large and crappy McHenry-like) MTL (or  MTL clone) couplers.  Probably for the same pilot clearance reason they have used them last time.

Scale Trains folks should really just swallow their pride and ditch their decidedly non-prototypical and poorly working couplers.

[High Hood]

@daniel_leavitt2000 Did you get to talk to Rapido about the N Scale freight car situation?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

@daniel_leavitt2000 Did you get to talk to Rapido about the N Scale freight car situation?

They were visibly avoiding their own N scale table at the show. I didn't get to talk to them.

[bbussey]

Nice to see Scale Trains again using split-shank (not their own large and crappy McHenry-like) MTL (or  MTL clone) couplers.  Probably for the same pilot clearance reason they have used them last time.

Scale Trains folks should really just swallow their pride and ditch their decidedly non-prototypical and poorly working couplers.

The couplers look incredibly good in person. I got to inspect the SD40-2 on Friday night at an NTrak mini-event. Not MTL but the most authentic-looking clones to date. They fully look like the real thing. S-T is looking at migrating to them but unfortunately it would take time. Possibly just newly-tooled models for now, such as the SD40-2, rather than all releases. I think they want to see the consumer response on the SD40-2 before fully committing.

[dem34]

Only real info I was able to glean in brief conversation with Rapido was that so far no one has come forward for dealer schemes for the RDCs but pre orders are steady.

But they did test the Turboliners on Combined NTrak, and they passed that torture test. So might chip in for a late Phase and pretend they ran on the main.

[lock4244]

Rapido
Barrel Ore Hoppers
(Attachment Link)
At least Rapido's vanity project looks good. Too bad they blame 99% of N scale modelers who can't use it for their poor sales.

I'm pretty stoked about these cars... not quite needed for my modeling area but close and it fits my era. Plus it's a cool train. I'm getting enough to make a respectable sized unit train.

[peteski]

The couplers look incredibly good in person. I got to inspect the SD40-2 on Friday night at an NTrak mini-event. Not MTL but the most authentic-looking clones to date. They fully look like the real thing. S-T is looking at migrating to them but unfortunately it would take time. Possibly just newly-tooled models for now, such as the SD40-2, rather than all releases. I think they want to see the consumer response on the SD40-2 before fully committing.

That sure sounds like a positive development. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "most authentic-looking".  You don't mean as in "1:1 AAR coupler", but that they look just as the N scale MTL couplers?  Looking at the photos I do see that they look just like MTL couplers.

The Scale Trains' own couplers were quite oversize, and they weren't easy to couple (due to them following the McHenry design with opening knuckle and stiff plastic whisker springs).  If the MTL-clone coupler they decide on using will operate as smoothly as MTL couplers I don't see anything but a very positive consumer response.

I'm s till puzzled why Scale Trains stopped making their coupler boxes ready for a drop-in MTL conversions. They did that on their "Big Blow" Turbine set, but the subsequently released models did not have that nifty design.

[wmcbride]

That sure sounds like a positive development. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "most authentic-looking".  You don't mean as in "1:1 AAR coupler", but that they look just as the N scale MTL couplers?  Looking at the photos I do see that they look just like MTL couplers.

The Scale Trains' own couplers were quite oversize, and they weren't easy to couple (due to them following the McHenry design with opening knuckle and stiff plastic whisker springs).  If the MTL-clone coupler they decide on using will operate as smoothly as MTL couplers I don't see anything but a very positive consumer response.

I'm s till puzzled why Scale Trains stopped making their coupler boxes ready for a drop-in MTL conversions. They did that on their "Big Blow" Turbine set, but the subsequently released models did not have that nifty design.

The just released C39-8 product detail from ST says the coupler box will accept Micro-Trains 1015-1016. I haven't done mine yet.

I think they must have heard the gnashing of teeth from their earlier diesels and shifted.

Bill McBride

[peteski]

The just released C39-8 product detail from ST says the coupler box will accept Micro-Trains 1015-1016. I haven't done mine yet.

I think they must have heard the gnashing of teeth from their earlier diesels and shifted.

Bill McBride

I don't own any of their narrow hood offerings  (couple of the UP Turbine sets).  Their original N scale model (UP GTEL 8500 Turbine) accepted MTL coupler shanks without modification (and I contacted them to praise them for that feature).  The newer GTEL 4500s have coupler pockets completely incompatible with MTL shanks.  I noticed that they did use MTL-like couplers on one of their earlier narrow-hood models and I was told they did that because of limited clearance between the pilot and the truck.  I'm glad that they seem to be finally switching to MTL-like couplers on more of their models.

[bbussey]

That sure sounds like a positive development. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "most authentic-looking".  You don't mean as in "1:1 AAR coupler", but that they look just as the N scale MTL couplers?  Looking at the photos I do see that they look just like MTL couplers...

Yes, authentic to the MTL knuckle design.

[Ian MacMillan]

Would really like to see Rapido also to do the Berlin Mills cars in N.  In HO its already gonna cost me the price of a vehicle!