The definition of beating a dead horse is trying to sell an obsolete 30 year old CTC-16 based command control system on eBay for $600. After receiving no bids, you relist the item for $300.
The seller claimed it was an alternative to “expensive non-sound DCC systems which cost from $800 to $1000.” Says it is NIB, never used, and purchased several years ago. Obviously he didn’t do his homework before buying it.
Are they producing these dishwashers in Code 83, with brown ties?
WOW! Can you imagine over 7 1/2 boxes of track today! I wouldn’t have half the layout I have now. What does come from china is very cheaply made, just don’t try to flex it too much the sliding rail will pop right off the ties. Jim.
yep…nothing but ME code 70 for me. Great stuff and after the first piece or two, it is easy to work with. When I built my last HOn3 layout in '02, I used ME code 55. That was an accomplishment in itself!
I guess I am glad I finished my HO layout about 5 years ago. Plenty of flex track and turnouts available back then. Last year I retired and decided to start a garden railroad. Yep, same current issue with track. I had to hunt around on the Internet to get what I needed ($$$). It took the good part of 2012. By then it too late to get much done before the cold weather. The garden railroad forums were quite active on this subject. Seems that just 1 or 2 companies in China make most of the model railroad items we buy and one was either in trouble financially and/or was bought by the other one. Either way, the US “manufacturers” could not get their orders filled. Track especially. The tide seems to be changing right now as one of the major importers of G scale track, Aristo Craft, is announcing the arrival of much of their G scale track line. One container at a time and not all items in anyone container but maybe this is an indicator that, along with the uptick in the economy, that many of these MRR items will again become available. Yes, some are selling out soon after arrival. We can only wait and see and be optimistic. If the stuff sells I have to believe someone will want to produce and sell it.
Some hobby shops are really hurting because they can’t get product. It’s a lot harder to open a new mfg plant in the US than it was 5 years ago for a small business.
Richard
There is a lot of code 100 “Atlas” track available on e-bay. Much of it is Atlas compatable made and imported by other companies: Garnet, made in Austria; Life Like, made in China; Bachmann, made in Hong Kong; Tyco, made in Austria. Model Power imported track from Italy.
Years ago, Atlas did make track in the USA, Kadee made coupers in the USA, and Athearn made HO trains in the USA. It was pretty good stuff and got the hobby rolling in the 1960s.
All Kadee couplers and other products are still made in the USA.[:)]
It had to do with Sam passing away, once he was gone, his kids went Chinese on us.
Did he hate the Railroads,that is what i was told,and if things were made here what mode of transportation will they be shipped on,i bet more by highway than rail.
Not to derail the thread (ha ha), but a few years ago (maybe longer ago than I like to think!), Wally World bragged about how all their products were made in America-- Paul Harvey said so! Then Sam Walton died, the family got greedy, and pretty much all they sell now is made in the Orient. And we’re stupid enough to go along with it because of the seemingly low prices for what can be purchased.
Same thing with model railroading – Athearn, for example, made good stuff at prices most working-class Americans could afford without bankrupting themselves; but it seemed as soon as old Irv died, they sent the production facilities overseas, quintupled their prices – and immediately Americans couldn’t get enough of them, while oohing and ahhing at the details they could’ve achieved for themselves with a $30 SD40-2 and a few Detail Associates or Details West parts!
Yeah, I know I’m a curmudgeon, and not everyone likes doing the arduous work of installing their own detail parts while watching sporting events like I do. But it drives me insane to a) send all of our weslth overseas for goods that used to made here, while also b) removing the actual “model” part of “model railroading.”
Sorry for the rant. This subject just really torques me.[:(!]
As far as i know Peco still make there stuff in the UK which is cool
The problem with this dead horse is that all you guys keep ignoring the DNR.
“DNR” …Do Not Ride??
Who want’s to ride a dead horse?!?
Hmmmm, me say dead horse is good Kemosabe,
Make lotsa glue from dead horse, put down plenty scenery! [:-,]
Had a chance about 8 years ago to buy a case of NS flextrack and a pile of new Shinohara switches. Cost me 20 bucks. They threw in about 35 strips of cork…best 20 bucks I ever spent!![:D]
And no, its not for sale, I have plans![:P]
DNR = Do Not Resuscitate