See I WISH my basement looked like that, my problem is the basement IS finished - but horribly. Ugly stone and brick pattern paneling over 2x3’s with no insulation, a disgustingly dirty carpet, and some equally digsustingly dirty ceiling tiles. So first I have to rip it all out, to make it look like yours, THEN add proper drywall walls. Complicating matters is that it does have heat, so i have to have that capped off and removed (to put back in on the new walls). Further complicating things is all the stuff i have down there even AFTER hauling away 2 truckoads of junk. One of these days it will get there.
Sort of funny, but a point buried in there too. Selling out of something doesn’t mean its popular or even succesful. It simply means they sold all that they made.
I don’t know what the market is for something like that. Out of the universe of model railroaders, I don’t know how many are serious enough in the hobby to buy a $500 authentic throttle.
If its enough to make the producer money, great. But I wouldn’t think of it in the same light as a hobby shop selling out of Irv Athearn’s 40 foot boxcars back in the day.
To take a note froom old MRC ads - a new locomotive can improve one train, a new throttle can improve ALL your trains. There seem to be enough people willing to pay $500 for a sound/dcc loco, so I don;t see the big deal about the throttle costing $500, especially when it adds a whole new dimension to operating ALL of your locos.
Then again, the whole thing is open source hardware/open source software, so you could go ahead and try to make your own for less.
An NCE ProCab with radio has an MSRP of $250, a Digitrax DT500D radio throttle is $254. So the ProtoThrottle is ‘only’ the cost of 2 ordinary throttles. If you don;t already have radio, that’s $250 for the ProCab plus another $160 for the RB02. Now we’re getting closer. With Digitrax, it’s $254 for the throttle plus $160 for the UR92.
It’s actually closer to a second generation control stand. One that’s been upgraded for controlling ditch lights. Change the horn handle to a button or oversized toggle like lever and it would also be close to the current style control stand.
The brake lever, to me, looks more like the independent (engine) brake valve rather than the automatic (train) brake valve. in any case, I hope the position of the brake handle in the picture isn’t supposed to be the applied position. If it is, it’s backward from a real brake valve handle.
That there is no dynamic brake handle (maybe the auxilary button can simulate the switch that turned the throttle handle into the DB handle on the older engines) wouldn’t bother me. My prototype didn’t have DB equipped engines.
Unfortunately, I don’t us DCC and don’t have any plans to convert any time soon.
Most static photos I have seen have the power lever to the right for idle, and the brake is shown all the way to the left, and comparing that to operation videos, that would be the release position, with far right the fully applied (configurable in the throttle to act as an emergency brake which comes in handy with first timers not used to the massive momentum and need to plan ahead). For decoders that support it, one of the buttons can be configured to switch the function of the lever between independent and train brake so you can move engine light with just the independent, couple to a train, and then have it act as a train brake. Of course, int he end, anything but the independent is just a simulation, because only the loco has a decoder and a motor, so you can’t quite do everything exactly like the real thing.
I prefer Alcos, but it’s not an Alco control stand - I can live with that. I also like Baldwins, especially the switchers. A notched control isn’t even close to what they should have. But I can live with that. Maybe in another 10 years we will have multiple models for various types of locos and we can use a handheld miniature control stand that matches the actual loco we are running.
Always good to meet mr. Clueless douglas. If you knew anything about this throttle you would know they have marketed it to a niche crowd. Mainly modelers who like switching and for that group it is tremendous. You are not part of that group of modelers and there is nothing wrong with that. Enjoy what you want but don’t jump on a group you know nothing or little about. The initial order was for 150 units and before the stop date they added an additional 50 units. These were prepaid orders. They will be working on another set of advance orders. They are sold via a couple dealers and of course direct from ISE. Watch the MR video, Joe Atkinson videos on YouTube, Tim Garland on YouTube or google Protothrottle and see what is there. Not bad for one man’s idea to come to being in less than 2 years.
Not clueless. I thought that only a niche market would be interested, and elluded to that when someone else was impressed that they have sold all they made.
This isn’t Twitter. We are here to learn, teach and have fun. If I invented the product, no one would be posting my production numbers on an internet forum. Unless I was Elon Musk, and then, well there are no limits for his behavior.
Ed, I love your picture. Love the caboose. Congrats! Had a chance a few years back for a Milwaukee Road caboose, in a few ways I am sorry I passed on it. My 4 year grandson just asked about the funny looking satellite dish though, I had to try to explain signals on a railroad.
