Just got an email about the new operating water tower from BLI. With sound effects. It looks pretty cool. I’ll definalty be getting one.
Anybody else think about this?
So, other than the sound “Glug, Glug, Glug” of water pouring out of the spout, what else would make me spend $85.00 for this item
Would you buy it for the glug-glug…even? What else about it’s characteristics would appeal to you if you don’t find anything about the glug-glug compelling?
[swg]
Wot will they think of next??? [(-D][(-D][(-D]
Enjoy your purchase Michael.
Cheers, the Bear.[:)]
I’ll pass on this. Running water has a certain effect on me. [:D]
Bob
I watched the BLI promo video that was released a few weeks ago, also featuring the smoking diesel that looks like a cigarette burning in an ash tray.
To me, these things seem to cross-over more to the toy train end of the hobby. When I tell some people about my “scale model railroad” I will sometimes have to explain why I don’t have milk cans shooting out of refrigerator cars or masked bandits popping out of roof tops. Cows “walking” out of their stock car on a vibrating sidewalk? An aquarium car with a real goldfish? You don’t have a giraffe car!
When does a realistic animated feature become a carnival side show? Well, I guess that depends on what your goals and vision is for your layout. Personally, I prefer to imagine that the water stop is taking place without actually seeing the spout slam into the tender top (watch the video)
Go to 6:30. Enjoy, Ed
All my steam is Tsunami-equipped. Thus, I already have the “lid slam-glug-glug” sounds on the factory default F5 Water Stop. I’ve considered animating the spouts/water columns, but it didn’t seem worth the trouble to me.
But this item could still be sales success. Anything that can help keep vendors profitable like this is OK by me, even if I don’t plan on buying any.
Wow, that thing drops like a guillotine.
Animation doesn’t bother me, if executed right (that thing is not executed right). Sound kinda does because they keep picking odd things. Like the sound equipped reefers. Guess what I never hear when I see the Juice Train go past and I’m literally standing next to the tracks? The refridgeration units. Could you even hear the water flowing into the tender if you’re not standing on the tender right next to the pipe?
I had thought about animating one of my water towers but not with a soleniod! I was thinking of using a Tortise or even a linear actuator with slow speed. As mentioned, animation has it’s place WHEN done properly.
I model mostly NYC and the BLI tower looks interesting but I think I can just put a decal on mine plus the weathering.
-Bob
The logos look huge and toy-like. Even when the owner of a tank was identified, the lettering was usually fairly small. Why did BLI choose the post-1969 UP shield suitable only for the diesel era? Even the unlettered versions are only more or less appropriate for a limited number of roads.
The slam-bang animation in the video is incredibly unrealistic too. It even made the whole tower shake! No thanks.
Just a few observations:
That smoke does look a lot like it’s coming from a smoldering cigarette. I’ve never seen diesel exhaust that looked like what’s coming out of that AC6000, and I’ve never seen exhaust steam that looked & behaved like what I see coming from that Santa Fe 2-10-2.
He says there’s “REAL coal” in the tender of the N.H. I-5 4-6-4. I’m not in the market for an I-5 in any case, but I wonder whether he’s right about that.
It’s possible that one or more of those water tank paint schemes is correct, but I’m pretty sure most of them were hatched by a marketing guy who was coming down from a night of too much bad pizza & worse beer.
GMPullman, thanks for giving us the image of the guillotine. I’ve (thankfully) never had the pleasure of witnessing the use of one of those things, but I suspect you’re spot-on.
I’m sure somebody will buy these things & love 'em, but I’ll probably pass.
BTW, does anybody know anything about the prototype, presuming there is one? It looks a lot like the venerable Atlas tank, which I’ve heard is based on one on a PRR branch.
Tom
Too many gimmicks ???
Man, they seemed to love that AC6000 w/ “smoke”…if I saw that in action on a layout, I’d figure the Sound Module electronics were frying.
Here’s a smoking locomotive, BLI:
As for that water tower’s animated spout action, someone check underneath and see if the word “Tyco” is molded there…
I bought the new BLI Santa Fe 2-10-2; mainly because it is a darned accurate model of a 3800 class engine. I don’t use the smoke feature. I don’t have use for the animated water tank with sound, either. But those are my preferences. I hope that BLI sells a lot of them…
Without a fireman present, the movable spout is useless. And what does the lowering water spout land on? A closed tank lid?
Probably the same mindset behind a '30’s era boxcar being pulled by an AC6000.
chutton01:
I suspect that either that is a cold engine or it needs some work!
Thanks for sharing with us what real diesel smoke looks like. I was so completely unimpressed by Broadway’s attempt at diesel smoke that I think it has turned me of their brand forever. For what its worth, I have never seen anything that looks even remotely like realistic smoke on an HO steamer either.
In my opinion, some things are better left to the imagination.
For $85.00 the water tower spout operation is just plain cheesie considering that you can get servos for about a buck, and make them run slowly for little more. [2c]
Dave
HOLY COW!!! Did you folks notice how Mr. Silvestri handled that New Haven I5 in the video GMPULLMAN posted (at 1:20)? Or the centipede (at 2:38)? OUCH!!!
Im thinking I need to start a locomotive repair shop business… and quickly! I guess some folks really do think of model trains as “toys”.
As for the OP, no. Im not interested in this particular water tower as this ad advertised. If it was ‘just’ a water tower with no ‘lionel-like’ attributes for the going price of $10, then Id be all over it. It does look good!
I don’t know if I would buy it for the “Glug, Glug”. I thought I asked a pretty simple question about what other features the product might have. Now that I have seen the video, it appears the spout lowers at warp speed and the tank makes the sound of water filling the tender tank.
So, to answer your question; At this time, no I would not buy this item. However, I have no problem with anyone who wants one, to go ahead and buy one, two; or as many as they like, if the fancy strikes.
Years ago, 2003-4, when I got back into the hobby I animated a water tower. I used an old model aircraft servo and a pair of push-button switches to raise and lower the spout. A dpdt switch would have worked as well.
The tower was retired when the layout expanded. Now I’ll have to see if I can find it, or at least the mechanism.
Hmm, I agree with everybody’s comments. After watching that promo video, its not very realistic at all. Think I’ll save my money on this one.
I used to have an MTH veranda, and it had smoke. It didn’t look good at all. So I ended up selling it.
Smoking deisels = bad idea. However I do like smoking steam locomotives, I think its cool.