Ok - I know we have probably beat this dead horse ad nauseum and I am not looking to reignite any fire----but, I saw this note on the NHS web site - Thank you for visiting! Due to the outages of Atlas, Shinohara and various other manufactures We will be closing our online store until May. Orders already in the system will be filled.Questions can be sent tomail@nhshobbies.com
So, I started looking at walthers and only 64 of the 240 items listed under track and accessories for Atlas show any availabilty - same with Shinohara. Just found it interesting realizing that we have talked about this before.
sticks and stones may break my bones, but beating a dead horse excites me.
Forget the expensive order-now and wait until oblivion to get your pre-ordered loco, they will get you on ONE vital accessory! The TRACK! THEN charge a fortune for it!
As fast as a container comes in from China, it is gone.
Now if somneone was smart,they’d start manufacturing it here, instead of there.
China has a hold over us and renders us powerless if they don’t “give us the goods”…regardless of “menial thing” {to others hwo Aren’t MRRers} like a piece of sectional track or a giant thing like…like washing machines.
Not trying to get politcal here, but I can feel it a’comin’ in this thread…
Hmm…how else can they make our lives miserable??? take away our power systems…DC and DCC alike?
This is one of these “be careful what you wish for” moments. Cost of manufacturing in US gets too high… manufacturing outsourced to China to keep costs down. Now, we have supply and quality problems. So , let’s eliminate those by bringing manufacturing back to the US… and listen to the biching about the high cost of the hobby!
Several hobby item manufacturers in China are now looking into production moving to Vietnam, India, or other “cheap labor” areas since the standard of living in China has been improving.
As far as Atlas track is concerned, there seems to really be a glut of it at a hobby shop in Tucson, Arizona, so I don’t know why other locations don’t have an adequate supply on hand.
Because of the pent up demand, I suspect track supply is going to be spotty as dealers get in and sell out a few times. Then of course some folks will over buy just to have it on hand, which will make it worse. But I’m sure Atlas will crank it out as fast as they can.
Atlas built their track business off US made products. They should bring production back. Even if the price goes up a little, I suspect people will continue to buy their track just as much (or even more, since it’ll actually be available!).
There is a company in the West Chester PA area that had made toasters for companies like GE, B&D, and so on…about 15 or so years ago Wal-Mart told the seller (distributors) to start having their goods made in China (for bigger wally world profits) or else Wal-mart would stop selling their goods in their stores.
Plan ahead people!!! I bought all my track years ahead of need (and got it for bargain basement prices), Now selling the excess on e-bay for far more than I paid for all of it!!!
Not sure they ever made Atlas track in the US, everyone assumes so.(but I could be wrong) I do know for a fact that for years and years Atlas track was made in Austria. I still have some leftover brass track from gosh knows how many years ago with Made in Austria under Atlas.
I’ve switched to ME as well, I think it looks better.
Model Trainstuff must have gotten a shipment of Atlas Code 83 and 100 flex because they are showing in stock in volume.
Walmart is now making a big stink about bringing back USA made/built products. No shipping/import costs to worry about. Or at least lower shipping costs over shipping acros the ocean and across the continent.
It used to be that way at wally world…they had signs proclaiming “made in the USA”, until they wanted the added profits of buying cheap products abroad and selling them cheaper than any competition here in the USA.
Now, they “have seen the light” and find many USA made goods can be had for a LOWER cost than those made elsewhere.
I recently bought a new “made in America” clothes basket to replace one worn out from 20 years ago. It was a whole $2.97. I wasn’t going to complain at that price! One made in China was going for $5.97 for the same size, both white plastic, side by side.
Now if USA made goods remain good quality and value, they WILL suceed again.ANd if qulity is “job one” then USA exports may be in demand too.
I, too, remember Atlas track being made in Austria before China.
I have a ton of N-scale ME code 55 weathered track from a previous project that is still new in the box. I intend to use that in the current labor of love. I’ve always used Atlas in the lower level staging and hidden track. I started track laying last week and with only about 35 feet of Atlas, I ordered some ME unweathered track.
It takes about one session to get used to as it is stiffer than Atlas or Peco. The bad, if you want to call it that, is you have to work the track into shape rather than just giving it a bend. The good is once you do, it stays in that shape. I shaped a section, removed it, took it elsewhere to trim and file the ends, then replaced and attached it. The other plus is the joints stay the way you align them, even on curves, without having to add additional support to fight any tendency to want to straighten back out.
I’ll need more to finish my lower staging level before I am done, and at this point I’ll order more ME even if Atlas becomes available. It is slightly more expensive per foot than what places who don’t have Atlas advertise it would cost, but the trade off in N-scale is ME is 3-feet, Atlas about 30-inches. Fewer joints is worth the very minimal cost difference.
I think it looks better, too, although that matters not in staging that is visible but not scenicked. My experience so far, after laying about 48-feet on almost all curves is it is better overall.
Truth is, at the point where I was ready to lay track, ME could be made on the moon and it would not have mattered. It is, however, made in the USA.
