Has anyone tried these out? They are a small magnet at the end of a rubber line that’s flexible and seems to be a heck of a lot more realistic than a Kadee magnetic line hanging down from the coupler. They are around $2.50 per car which isn’t much considering that many cars are already selling for ~$40.
Link to the company’s page with video showing how they work:
http://www.pwrs.ca/announcements/view.php?ID=7440
Thoughts? I guess I wonder how much interference under-track magnets would be.
Dan
There was a thread on here about them many months ago. interesting, but not something I’m going to do to a fleet of 900 freight cars.
And in a related discussion, I’m not a fan of removing the Kadee trip pins, so I guess that rules it out too.
Ultra fine detail, and stuff like these air hoses are great for those who model a small operation, with limited rolling stock and track-age, but for anyone with a big, operation oriented layout, that kind of stuff is just not practical in my view.
So like they say on Shark Tank, “Im out”.
Sheldon
There was a ‘thread’ awhile back about these. The OP bought some and did a mini-review. They do work, but need to be mounted directly under the coupler(on the center line). A later post noted that the hose were not as flexible as when they were first installed, and did not couple up every time…
While sort of ‘cool’, I have over 300 freight cars to modify if I were to do this - I have other projects to devote my time to(I still have not got all of my metal wheel sets painted).
Jim
I have to agree with both Sheldon and Jim.With a fleet of several hundred cars, installing these on every car would be more money than I want to spend. While my layout isn’t as big as some, its designed for operations, and another “super detail” part that could be knocked off in normal operation, like uncoupling levers, and plastic airhoses isn’t something I’d even bother adding to a car.
While cool and to a certain degree a “wow” factor I believe I will pass.
Now then…
Now use these hoses with Sergent couplers and to my mind that would be rather realistic.
I have a rather long string of 40-foot MDC reefers with Sergent Engineering couplers that I was interested in putting these air hoses on.
However, it seems that you have to be “registered” with PWRS and pass their qualifications test in order to purchase anything from them.
I filled out their registration application, and subsequently received a telephone call from a person who resides in San Diego, California, who questioned me about why I felt I should have the privilege of spending some of my hobby dollars at PWRS. I was then provided with a user name and password; however, every time I try to log on the password doesn’t work.
That’s the last I’ve ever heard from them. If that’s the hoops you have to jump through just to purchase something from them, they can take their air hoses and put them you-know-where.
Have any other readers of this forum had a similar experience with PWRS?
They have announced some covered grain hoppers that I’m interested in, but can’t get onto their web site to order them.
I don’t know exactly what all of that is about, but it appears that they have something called a “Porters” account where you can register. I think that you can get some shipping costs reduced plus some other “benefits”, whatever they may be.
But I don’t believe you need to do any of that if you don’t want to. I just experimented by looking at those air hoses on line, adding them to the shopping cart, and then got to a screen where you put in the typical on-line ordering information like name, address, credit card info, and so on. Looked like a pretty normal set up to me.
Dear Fellow Modelers:
We do not normally hang out on Forums as we are usually busy processing orders for customers and or planning product with China. But today one of our customers sent me this e mail message:
"Hi Dan.
Thought you might be interested in this thread on the MRR forum.
I know when Rapido comes up in discussion, Jason often joins the conversation to clear up any questions or misunderstandings people on the forum have regarding Rapido. Jason has earned a great deal of respect from that community for doing so.
PWRS often comes up on the MRR forum and as with anything, what people don’t understand often turns in to a negative reaction. As stated above many manufacturers and online retailers join the conversations on this forum when their business comes up in the conversation.
When any question is addressed, you immediately sense a positive shift in the way the company is viewed. I feel it would be in your benefit to do the same, after all one negative comment takes a thousand positive comments to balance the spreadsheets. I hope to have you guy’s down the road from me for a long time and doing well. So I just thought I’d let you know."
Thanks Batman
With that being said, I decided to join the Forum here and try to answer a few questions a clear up some misconceptions re comments made above.
a) You do not have to have a PORTERS account with PWRS to purchase from us.
b) You do have to give us your name, address, credit card info, and shipping and billing information.
c) We do keep records of who we sold product to and when it was sold and for how much. This is doe for a number of reason, i.e. Government reporting requirements (when we ship goods from Canada to the US, Homeland Security will not allow us to send product to a customer without identifying who the product is being sold to, and for how much, and where that customer liv
Dear cacole:
You must have talked to James who lives and works for us in San Diego.
If you go up to our website and put in a request for a PORTERS account we will call you and re-explain PORTERS for you and or reset your password so you can get access.
As you have stated you have not heard back from us, we will not call and/ or bother customers who do not want to be called. But we are always available to help those who need help.
Your PORTERS account is actually simple to use, but if the person who explained PORTERS to you didn’t do a good job, it could seem hard to understand. We would be happy to help you and explain how it works.
Pacific Western Rail Management
Pacific Western Rail Management : It seems as you have made it way to difficult to buy your products.
Why so many hoops to jump through?
“As you have stated you have not heard back from us, we will not call and/ or bother customers who do not want to be called.”
Did he say, do not contact me? No return feed back, from you to a potential customer means no sale.
I say this from having had a retail on line business. Lessons learned.
Replying with
Pacific Western Rail Management,
is very impersonal sounding. More like an impersonal corporation, then a model train part supplier.
There are not that many hoops to jump through.
We need your name, address, phone number, e mail address, credit card, how you want it shipped, and that’s it.
If you want access to lower prices, advanced information, the ability to control your account remotely, then you need to sign up for a PORTERS account. No cost, no hidden fees. Simple really
Thanks Pacific Western Rail Management