OK meatheads, set your ExactRail calender for March 1st.

[SD452XR]

What's there to get? I don't like them because of the long drawbars, coupler flying apart, and I would rather have uniformity with all my cars having micro trains. I can live with the slinky effect. If you like accu mates, congrats. I'll have hundreds to sell soon.

I really don't get the accu-hate, I know the first batch had some troubles, but in 5 years now of NTRAKing with them, I've had absolutely no problems attributable to the couplers.

[Robbman]

Atlas truck with Accumate couplers is correct for a 100T car... can't quite tell from the photos, but these appear to be the new design of underslung 100T trucks from Atlas (which any manufacturer can buy).  No Rapido backwards compatibility, ergo, no huge coupler stick out.

Screwed in trucks comes from Chris's work for Athearn... hopefully he used some of his design sense and used a machine screw rather than a sheet metal screw.

MSRPs are quite high for the level of detail...

5161 will bear the full brunt of this... molded plastic roofwalk, et al.  

[SkipGear]

I really don't get the accu-hate, I know the first batch had some troubles, but in 5 years now of NTRAKing with them, I've had absolutely no problems attributable to the couplers.

I really don't have a problem with Accumates, probably 75% of my equipment has them. It's part of the percieved value issue. MT's cost more and are included on the IM hoppers. That was the main reason mentioning it. Also there was talk of maybe using McHenry couplers, which I would also be fine with, but they didn't so I noted it.

[sundowner]

The plastic roofwalk on the 5161 make my wallet happy that it does not need to open. To bad, the pictures of the model don't look bad until I pick up one of my CSX IM 5161 and compare the detail around the roof area. The truck issue is not a big deal since that can always be change. Also the third CSX 3-pack has a road number that IM already did.

[bicknell]

So, it's like um March 1st!

Well, they get some points.  Rather than exact duplicates of their HO releases we don't get the Wood Chip Gondola, but we do get a Trinity Covered Hopper.  The Vert-A-Pack and Hi-Cube come along for the ride.

At least on the Vert-A-Pack they are claiming custom tooled trucks and wheels.  Close ups of the coupler show no spring so not McHenry, and it's not the right curve for a Micro-Trains.  It looks close to an Accumate, but it doesn't look right to me either.  Have they tooled their own coupler?

[Denver Road Doug]

I really don't get the accu-hate, I know the first batch had some troubles, but in 5 years now of NTRAKing with them, I've had absolutely no problems attributable to the couplers.

I learned that with NTRAK they seem to get better with age, as long as they stay in one piece.  There seems to be some kind of mold release agent or something on them that causes them to be slippery from the start...but eventually that seems to wear off or get sticky or whatever and they hold really well.

In my experience, uncoupling is not as big of an issue as simply coming apart.  Try using an uncoupling pick on an Accumate...it's kinda like playing Russian-roulette...one in 6 chance you're gonna go bang.  I have never once had an MTL coupler explode on me...in fact the only time any have broken is during a 4ft fall to the concrete.  Also, I routinely just find Accumates in pieces in my car storage boxes.  Some are the early runs, but most aren't.

Bottom line, if they cannot survive an operating session, they are worthless. (except for perhaps unit trains)  Especially when two other options are available.  I still have a lot of accumates and will have to deal with them, but as time and money allows they will be replaced.

Back to the topic at hand, I'm surprised to hear the 5161's have plastic roofwalks.  They are selling Trainman at twice the price.  Brilliant!  And they almost had me!  Kinda makes you wonder if they've been in the business this long how they expect to make that fly.  Surely they know what the "standard" is, right?  (and dupe road numbers, seriously?)

With the other two cars, they seem to be taking the LBF approach of a more unique car that isn't available...may or may not be a top-of-the-line model but the market will support the less ubiquitious car anyway given the lack of an alternative.  Makes you think that they truly did buy LBF tooling....way back in the 2002 or 03 timeframe the LBF guys flat out told me they had the tooling pretty much done for the 5161 but didn't have the cash flow to start manufacturing them.

[Robbman]

At least on the Vert-A-Pack they are claiming custom tooled trucks and wheels. 

Methinks they just duped the HO blurb... those sure aren't metal 28" wheels on those trucks...

[Robbman]

 Makes you think that they truly did buy LBF tooling....way back in the 2002 or 03 timeframe the LBF guys flat out told me they had the tooling pretty much done for the 5161 but didn't have the cash flow to start manufacturing them.

I'd be more inclined to believe LBF contracted Chris to do the tooling but couldn't pay up.

[Chulvis]

 Makes you think that they truly did buy LBF tooling....way back in the 2002 or 03 timeframe the LBF guys flat out told me they had the tooling pretty much done for the 5161 but didn't have the cash flow to start manufacturing them.

I'd be more inclined to believe LBF contracted Chris to do the tooling but couldn't pay up.

I think you hit the nail on the head there, Robbman.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Hm... makes you wonder if the reason for Exact Rail was completed unpaid tooling from other manufactuerers laying around. The PCF cars would also have easilly fit the LBF corperate model.

If that is the case, it is nice to see that tooling see the light of day. While the hoppers are not the best out there, they are not bad. I like th boxcar.

[Denver Road Doug]

I'd be more inclined to believe LBF contracted Chris to do the tooling but couldn't pay up.

So in essence I was correct, they bought the "LBF tooling"!   ;D   Just, a long time ago.

Yes, what you are saying sounds much more feasible given the situation and the universally standard story about LBF, et al.  I stand corrected.

[Walkercolt]

Model tooling seems to move around more than checkers at an old-folks home. Plastic aircraft/armour/cars tooling that we know where it was from(like old Aurora) now comes again from Hong Kong and China, and I'm sure somewhere, the oooold Atlas/Lima tooling in N is laying around for the "pig palace" and other oldies if it's not damaged. At a decent price, some of the LBF stuff was pretty nice, I thought. The Bachmann and Model Power tooling is antique, and they could do N-scale a big favor in re-tooling most of their stuff. Some of the Con-Cor tooling is worth improving too, but I'm afraid all these fall under the "Blue Box Athearn" idea of run it forever as it is.

[Ryan87]

I'd be more inclined to believe LBF contracted Chris to do the tooling but couldn't pay up.

So in essence I was correct, they bought the "LBF tooling"!   ;D   Just, a long time ago.

Yes, what you are saying sounds much more feasible given the situation and the universally standard story about LBF, et al.  I stand corrected.

I think the correct wording would be "owns" since it was always his tooling...
Just the WC & SP Boxcars for me...

[Mark5]

So are these turkeys only selling direct?

I was interested in buying one car but they want $8.29 for delivery. (overnight for $72.03 was an option though!)



        * Home Delivery $8.29
        * Ground $8.65
        * Express Saver $16.79
        * 2Day $19.81
        * Standard Overnight $41.54
        * Priority Overnight $46.41
        * First Overnight $72.03



Mark

[bbussey]

Picked up an SP boxcar and an FEC Vert-a-Pak, they're en route and scheduled to arrive on Saturday.  With new FVM 28" wheels coming in the spring, the auto carrier will easily be modified to stand at the correct height.

bb