MRH

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Read this issue!

 

 

 

 

 

Please post any comments or questions you have here.

Reply 0
Multilevel

Nice Pictures

Scale Trains has been amazing with all of the excellent cars they have produced in a short time.

The BNSF Hoppers are excellent.  Hard to stop at just one, or ten.

Also check out their new PS hoppers.

Reply 0
AzBaja

ScaleTrains N scale couplers are close to junk.

In "N" scale, anyone else having issues with the scaletrains.com couplers.  With all the detail and everything on those cars you would think that scaletrains.com would of put a working coupler on those cars.  They are not compatible with other brands let alone themselves.  Might as well have Rapido hook couplers on them. Either way you will need to order MTL/MicroTrainsLine couplers if you plan on using them in operations.

If you are into operations and not slot circle trains you will be rather disappointed with the scaletrains.com N scale couplers.  

AzBaja
---------------------------------------------------------------
I enjoy the smell of melting plastic in the morning.  The Fake Model Railroader, subpar at best.

Reply 0
jimfitch

Scale Trains great but lean to post-1980

Quote:

Scale Trains has been amazing with all of the excellent cars they have produced in a short time.

They do have an amazing set of models in a short time but since they lean to modern, there have been not so many offerings for a 1970's fan like me; I only purchased my first ST car last month - a  4785 PS-2CD covered hopper in Highland Feeders paint.

Ever since ST announced their start up a couple years ago I've been anticipating offerings I could use and was looking forward to buying their models.  Unfortunately for anything 1970's, I already had plenty of Evans box so the kits offered were very low priority, Tangent duplicated the Airslides I needed to replace my old Walthers cars., even the Carbon Black cars were mostly too late for me and the couple that aren't, I've not been able to find out if they ran between Denver and SLC UT.  So the 4785 covered hoppers are the first cars I find needful.  I do plan on buying one or two more as soon as my depleted funds are replenished.

All said and done, ST seems to be a top shelf company and modern folks especially should be happy with their Gunderson covered hoppers, tank cars and Carbon Black cars with the conspicuity stripes.  Thankfully there are companies like Tangent, IMRC, ExactRail and Moloco who are catering to us 1970's folks especially.  ScaleTrains has announced D&RGW Airslides coming later this year so I'll be planning on those and glad to see them offered!

D&RGW focus late 70's thru early 80's west of Grande Junction CO.

Jim Fitch
northern VA

Reply 0
hobbes1310

I have about a dozen of HO

I have about a dozen of HO Trinity 31K Crude Oil Tank Car, the EMD SD40-2, CSX/YN3  and a few of the Gunderson 5188cf Covered Hopper. Good looking models, Walkways on the Covered hopper still have flashing . So need to clean them up.

Biggest gripe is the couplers, they are shocking, they dont couple well with each other or any other brand. I'm going to have to replace them all with Kadee no 5, which is kinda annoying.

Phil

Reply 0
Multilevel

My couplers work

I have Rivet Counter cars and the couplers work fine.

Nothing beats a Kadee #5 of course.

But they function properly and look nice so I am satisfied.

Reply 0
Multilevel

Best Sellers

According to what I have heard Scaletrains best sellers have benn the GEVO, Gunderson Hopper, and Oil Tank cars.

All have had close following second production runs (tank cars a third).

My guess is they are following the sales money.

Reply 0
MP631

Couplers Function Properly?

Scale Trains' couples may hold a train together well, but are otherwise susceptible when it comes to coupling, uncoupling (especially electromagnetic), and other compatibility issues.  Not sure why manufacturers even take a chance on aggravating folks by straying from the industry standard.  Kudos to Tangent, Exact Rail, Moloco, and other prolific manufactures who use Kadee.

Reply 0
George Sinos gsinos

Agree with AzBaja on couplers

I bought a couple of the Carbon Black hoppers in N scale. They won't couple unless you roll into them at about 50 scale mile per hour. OK, I don't really know the speed, but it takes a way too much force to get them to couple.

I emailed them. They said they know about it and are working on it.

Too bad, they are very good looking. However, if you wan't a Carbon Black hopper, Micro-Trains makes a version that is also great looking - and it has working couplers.

These guys seem like they try to do the right thing, so I'll give them a chance to figure it out.  But, till then, I'm holding on any further purchases.  I don't buy this stuff to collect or display. I actually want it to operate.

gs

Reply 0
wp8thsub

Couplers

I experimented with the stock Scale Trains couplers, leaving them on an SD40-2 for a couple sessions and assigning it to a local job.  The crews observed they had issues coupling and uncoupling well, especially with standard head Kadee types (e.g. #5 or #148).  I also messed around with switching a Scale Trains Airslide hopper in the midst of other cars with Kadees and found coupler performance lacking.

I now replace all mine with Kadee whisker couplers before placing a Scale Trains product in service.  It won't deter future purchases, just as I plan on immediate coupler replacement with certain other brands too.

Rob Spangler MRH Blog

Reply 0
UglyK5

BIG FAN

Modern era modeler here, love scaletrains locos (operator SD40) and rolling stock (kit classics boxcars and containers). “Rivet counter” level of anything is too much for me due to breakage in operating handling and my young kids being part of the crew. All OEM provided couplers are replaced with Kadees on my pike so all good there. Have traded a few emails with the company and find them tiptop in all respects

kudos to the whole team there!  Keep up the good work  

Jeff

—————————————
“Think before you post, try to be positive, and you do not always have to give your opinion.....”
-Bessemer Bob
Reply 0
Virginian and Lake Erie

Great article and wonderful

Great article and wonderful pictures and models. I will not buy any because they are too new for my era. I also understand they offer kits so if they were to offer kits of models made prior to December of 1959 I might purchase some. I can say their quality of detail looks fantastic and I bet they will appeal greatly to more modern day modelers.

Reply 0
saddlersbarn

ScaleTrains couplers

I have 2 N scale Gevos and am very pleased with them..... except for the couplers! I agree with the post above, if I ram them together they will couple, but no chance at a normal speed. It's a great shame because everything else about them is very impressive. I have some freight cars on order (placed before the Gevos arrived). I hope they have solved this issue before they arrive. Why don't they just use M/T couplers, which most people want anyway?

John

Reply 0
Ken Biles Greyhart

Is It Just Me...

Or are both ends of BNSF 485283 labeled as B in the photographs?

 

 Ken Biles

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Reply 0
jeffshultz

Yes..

The one without the brake wheel is the A end. Sorry.

orange70.jpg
Jeff Shultz - MRH Technical Assistant
DCC Features Matrix        My blog index
Superintendent, 2nd Division PNR, NMRA
Northwest Oregon/Southwest Washington

Reply 0
Lancaster

Pick an era

ScaleTrains, Tangent, Moloco, and ExactRail have made me move my time period from 1963 to 1969. It doesn't seem right.  I'm NOT going any further.

Reply 0
arthurhouston

Couplers

The lack of Kadee Couplers really was a big let down on the eight carbon black cars I purchased. This coupled with many parts laying in the box big turn off.  Still do not see Kadee's on the cars so have to wait.  You  have to reach the min standards of what to expect at these prices.  

 

Reply 0
Marc

Couplers, use only one brand of them

 

This topic come often back about compatibilty betwen different brand of couplers, but we must admit they are not really compatible, many reports some trouble when they try to use an other brand of coupler with Kadee or MT couplers.

As a rule on my layout,in N scale, I never try to use an other brand of coupler which is not MT.

There are severals clone but none work properly in the time and many don't couple easily at low speed with MT.

To run on the Maclau River, any cars or locomotives must have MT couplers.

MT couplers are really the "Cadillac" of the couplers in N scale like Kadee in HO.

I don't care of any other brand of coupler which is offered when I buy my cars or locomotives, the first check is looking if this new materials has MT  coupler and if not,  I make the change with MT coupler; I put all of them body mounted and check the weight of car to be as  NMRA standard recommandation, all plastic wheels are discarded and replaced by metal wheels if necessary.

Since forty years these rules have avoid a  lot of trouble for my rolling equipments, not a lot of deraillment and I have some forty years old MT couplers still working fine.

It's for me a big waste of time to try to use different brand of couplers if you use Kadee or MT couplers as a basic standard coupler on your layout, compatibility is on paper, not on the layout and in operations.

This topic again illustrate the reality and the trouble between Kadee/MT coupler and clones.

 

On the run whith my Maclau River RR in Nscale

Reply 0
wp8thsub

Re: Art "Grande Pacific" Houston

Quote:

The lack of Kadee Couplers really was a big let down on the eight carbon black cars I purchased. This coupled with many parts laying in the box big turn off.  Still do not see Kadee's on the cars so have to wait.  You  have to reach the min standards of what to expect at these prices.  

Replacing the stock couplers with Kadees takes a few moments.  Replacing a few loose parts is usually very simple too.   I realize that, for people who have limited skills tuning or otherwise working on rolling stock, these tasks may be beyond your abilities right now, so I do understand the frustration.  Other top brands like ExactRail do offer Kadees as standard, so I suggest you look into their offerings for something more to your liking.

Rob Spangler MRH Blog

Reply 0
AzBaja

The failure is scaletrains

The failure is scaletrains and their couplers.  They charge $$$$$ as if they are the cadillac of trains cars then install the worst couplers known to man.  You now need to spend more money on top of the money you already spent to make the cars workable on your layout.  Not sure the price on HO.  In N scale it is around $5.50 to convert each car from scaletrains couplers to MT couplers.  So those $32 cars will actually cost you $37.50 if you ever plan on running them on your layout.   

That is the issue.  You spend $32 on a car you would expect it to function when placed on your layout without modifications. 

AzBaja
---------------------------------------------------------------
I enjoy the smell of melting plastic in the morning.  The Fake Model Railroader, subpar at best.

Reply 0
Ron Ventura Notace

"Replacing the stock couplers

"Replacing the stock couplers with Kadees takes a few moments."

So does that mean you just open up the draft boxes and drop the KDs in, or are you the Superman of coupler installation? 

Ron Ventura

Melbourne, Australia

Reply 0
Marc

Replacing couplers

 

"Replacing the stock couplers with Kadees takes a few moments."

So does that mean you just open up the draft boxes and drop the KDs in, or are you the Superman of coupler installation?  [smiley]

Ron Ventura

 

Yes it's what I do when I buy locomotives or Rolling stock and I'am modeling in N scale.

Sometimes the shift to MT is easy if the models are MT cars, Atlas or Intermountain, other brands are sometimes tricky, locomotives are generaly more complicated ( I use most steam) but there is always enough place under a tender floor to put a MT coupler, on the front I use MT Z scale 905 coupler and yes this is not an easy task sometimes.

Taking my time to do that directly when I open the box,  is a very big win time when I put the cars and locomotives on the layout and most important, this eleminate a lot of frustration, when my train are Rolling.

 

You say frustration , it's not the subject of this topic somewhere.....????       because of clone couplers.....

 

For sure I don't tell you how I have learn this  and   how I oblige me to use good couplers before using these models on my layout....I believe if I dont had follow this discipline,  frustration would make me drunk to forget it!

I ever say the best to do is offer cars and locomotives without couplers, just put the couplers in a separate box and let the modeler to put them or change them by their standard coupler.

Kadee seems to be a world standard now, even here in Europe we see often Kadee couplers on European Equipment.

Because of patents, couplers clone are now on the maket, they look like, they have the color, but don't work as well as Kadee or MT coupler this for sure and are not really compatible for many reasons and prone to give you lot of frustration, forget it!

Many modern models are often  offered with some pieces of details, the buyer need to put himself on the model; sincerely I prefer already put on details and non mounted couplers.

 

On the run whith my Maclau River RR in Nscale

Reply 0
jimfitch

Athearn Genesis are of a

Athearn Genesis are of a similar caliber and they also (to my chagrin) do not come with Kadee couplers.  Of note is the people who run ScaleTrains are former Athearn employee's and that may factor into the resistance to using Kadee, for whatever reason.

I have to say to me it is very pleasing that ExactRail, Tangent, Moloco, Wheels of Time and Intermountain all come with Kadee couplers.  Now ScaleTrains freight cars are cheaper than ExactRail, Moloco and Tangent freight cars so I do wonder if they are avoiding Kadee's to provide a slightly lower price point against them.  But as some note, after you replace the couplers you are close to the same price anyway so that competitive edge may be a mirage.

As it so happens, I am between layouts and I only only just a month ago purchased my first ScaleTrains model and haven't had a chance to put the stock couplers through their paces; but I trust Rob and others with their practical experiences and their take on the ST couplers. 

Of course, since ScaleTrains opened up for business I have been eager to support them but for one reason or another (too new, duplication of other brands etc.) I have only joined the fold fairly recently.  Now that the tunnel motors have been announced, I expect to be all over that!  In the mean time Arrowhead his taxing my budget.

Anyway, we can all hope and pray that ScaleTrains joins the Kadee fold as well as a few other hold-out's like Athearn and Atlas.

D&RGW focus late 70's thru early 80's west of Grande Junction CO.

Jim Fitch
northern VA

Reply 0
wp8thsub

Re: Ron

Quote:

So does that mean you just open up the draft boxes and drop the KDs in, or are you the Superman of coupler installation? 

Why yes, and yes!   Conversion on the HO cars I have requires nothing more than opening up the draft gear boxes and dropping in the new couplers.  Kadee whisker couplers have worked perfectly with no modification to the model.  Converting the SD40-2 to Kadees required a couple passes with a file to the widest part of the couplers so they would still move properly.

Rob Spangler MRH Blog

Reply 0
saddlersbarn

N Scale too!

I am delighted with the build quality, detail work and sound capability of my new Scaletrains Gevos.

However, the couplers leave a lot to be desired!

Yet another conversion to M/T couplers required.

John

Reply 0
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