proud to be made in the US of A... ?

[nscalesteve]

well, how would you to interpret this post from Joe on the Trainboard ?

Joe D'Amato 
TrainBoard Member   Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Medford Oregon
Age: 53
Posts: 868 
 
HI guys.

Yea, not sure of the exact date as we are still waiting for China to get us samples we can approve. The plastic is done and I'll see if they've started painting yet...if so I can post some shots of them together. China has had issues, some self inflicted, some via the hand of God, I figure if we had the same proportion of people killed from floods, weather and earthquakes...it might affect how things get done. I know most of the industrial groups have had to work reduced days due to power rationing and that caused most of our delays. Good news, I just got the aproval samples today and they are racing around the track. If these hold up, we are back in business.

Cheers

Joe
MTL

do I understand something wrong here... ?

[tom mann]

It sounds like MTL is having stuff made in China.  What are you getting out of it?

[ljudice]

Steve, I am not sure if you follow any US Tee-Vee News over there, but a few months ago all the major networks ran the same moronic story about some family somewhere who decided to stop buying Chinese goods. They quickly figured out it was impossible. 

Then of course the feigned "realization" and "hard questions" like "how did this happen".

Frankly what disturbs me is finding stuff that was too expensive to be made in China and is now made in India, like half the garden tools I bought this year!

[nscalesteve]

don't get me wrong here, it is nothing wrong with made in China in my opinion - but didn't MTL deny that their products are made in China ?
or was that only wishfull thinking of a couple of Georges and Andys out there... ?   

[DKS]

M-T farms their Z scale locos out to China. Aside from these and their Z scale roadbed track, I believe everything else is made here.

[John]

without the rest of the conversation, its hard to tell ..

[Mark5]

Big deal. The FT mechs were china. Big deal. It's only the "made in usa" nutcases that get offended by this (of course it's never been really possible to model in N scale using mostly "made in the usa" stuff)

[3rdrail]

I believe the operative clue is "racing around the track". As far back as the FT, MTL has had the mechanisms for its locomotives made in China. You wouldn't describe a freight car, or the new passenger cars, as "racing around the track", would you?

AFAIK, the freight cars and the couplers are still made in the USA, and that is a great portion of MTL's business.

[DKS]

without the rest of the conversation, its hard to tell ..

Comes from here:

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=96916

"MTL SD40-2 Progress shot"

Long discussion about their new Z scale loco.

[Chulvis]

I believe the operative clue is "racing around the track". As far back as the FT, MTL has had the mechanisms for its locomotives made in China. You wouldn't describe a freight car, or the new passenger cars, as "racing around the track", would you?

AFAIK, the freight cars and the couplers are still made in the USA, and that is a great portion of MTL's business.

Gregg is correct, Rolling Stock, trucks, couplers etc are still made in the USA. 

Locos, Z Scale track, Micro-Seasons Buildings are all made in China and their packaging says "Made in China" on it.

[asciibaron]

Gregg is correct, Rolling Stock, trucks, couplers etc are still made in the USA. 

i wonder if they are paying a living wage to US citizens.

-Steve

[nscalesteve]

Locos ... are all made in China and their packaging says "Made in China" on it.

Chuck, I don't know what is written on the GP9 and what will be written on the SD40-2 paper inserts...
...but that is a GP35 paper insert

[3rdrail]

Gregg is correct, Rolling Stock, trucks, couplers etc are still made in the USA. 

i wonder if they are paying a living wage to US citizens.

-Steve

Since its workers are free to go elsewhere, I am sure they are paying them enough to keep them from leaving. Don't believe Southwestern Oregon is exactly an impoverished area.

[chuck geiger]

I come from No Talent, Oregon.

[Chulvis]

Locos ... are all made in China and their packaging says "Made in China" on it.

Chuck, I don't know what is written on the GP9 and what will be written on the SD40-2 paper inserts...
...but that is a GP35 paper insert

Steve, the laws in the USA are kind of funky regarding this crap. Say, for instance, that the shells were made in the US, but the motor was made in China. As I understand it, that allows you to use different words that muddy the whole thing.
It's a stupid system, obviously engineered by lawyers.