The only new models representing the steam era that keep coming available are Accurail's 36ft and 40ft freight cars. As for locomotives last year's BLI 4-6-2 USRA Pacific was about it. I wish I could say that I had some inside information about some new steam locomotives but I can't. I would love to see a PRR G5 4-6-0 and a NYC H5 2-8-2. I really need these prototypes! An NYC 2-8-0 would really be nice too.

It would be nice to see Walthers offer more cabooses. ACL, B&O, IC, NKP, SAL, and SOU cabooses sure would be nice.

Jim

Rapido has announced CN & CP 4-6-0s will be coming along in another year or so. I wonder if we could convince Rapido into looking to see if those mechanisms could be the basis for some similar US locomotives? I understand their desire to meet the Canadian market as it has historically had less products than the US market, but it might be a good opportunity for them. 

I also would like to see more cabooses, especially Southern.

Charlie

Talk about of price outside of reality.  Over $20 for the roomettes,  are you kidding me.  Anyone with a quilty printer and a little knowledge of a photo editing software can make those.  

Yes, but can you have the room measured, designed, painted, printed, cut, scored, assembled and installed in the building in five minutes?  Can you get the cardstock around the rollers of your $100 color printer?  Can you cut it with the same precision as the laser?  And can you connect your LEDs directly to a Just Plug dimming hub for instant plug'n'play satisfaction?  Did I mention having to source the original images to create the graphics?

I think my product makes it all look too easy.   

Compare Roomettes to the vehicles and billboards in Woodland Scenics' Just Plug line (29.99 each) and I think you'll find comparable "bang for your buck".

I'm the kind of person who might take on the challenge of making something like this on my own, so I get it.  But not everyone wants to go to the trouble.

Yes, but can you have the room measured, designed, painted, printed, cut, scored, assembled and installed in the building in five minutes?  No,

Can you get the cardstock around the rollers of your $100 color printer?  Assumptions,  My color laser printer will run 110lb card stock and so will my old BJ printer...Not an issue.  

Can you cut it with the same precision as the laser? Yes, laser cutter can do it or a metal straight and a sharp knife,  And the cricut that I do not have, I would think could do a real nice job at it too.

  And can you connect your LEDs directly to a Just Plug dimming hub for instant plug'n'play satisfaction?  You can buy the plug and play lights so your point on this one is just silly.

Did I mention having to source the original images to create the graphics?  Google...as plenty of images to use.  

Nothing special and it can be done at home.  With basic tools,  not worth $20 for being able to install in 5 minutes.  

Assumptions,  My color laser printer will run 110lb card stock and so will my old BJ printer...Not an issue.  

You might be able to, but a lot of people can't.  The Staples in my town sells two dozen different printers.  None of them can handle cardstock.

Yes, laser cutter can do it or a metal straight and a sharp knife,  And the cricut that I do not have, I would think could do a real nice job at it too.

How do you tell the Cricut cutter where the image is on the page?  It's blind.  Trial and error on this one.  How many sheets are you going to go through before you get it registered correctly?  An evening of frustration.

I cut all my test shots of Roomettes by hand with a knife and a ruler.  It's tedious.  Not impossible, just teeee-deee-ous.  And if I had to write instructions to tell users where to cut and where to score that would end up being a three-page article.  For most people it's far easier to have the laser cut it.  And it does a fantastic job.

  You can buy the plug and play lights so your point on this one is just silly.

It's not silly.  My point is, that the LEDs in the kit come with the plugs that are compatible with the Just Plug system.  A user is going to need some way to dim them, otherwise they look ridiculous.  And that system is already in use by many modelers.  LEDs with plugs from Woodland Scenics retail at $5 each.  There's 15-25 bucks in value right there.

...mages to create the graphics?  Google...as plenty of images to use.  

 If it was that easy I'd be getting all my images from Google.

Nothing special and it can be done at home.  With basic tools,  not worth $20 for being able to install in 5 minutes.  

Certainly it can be done at home.  Again, if you have the time.  And tools.  Some of the ones you describe are not basic.

And certainly I'm making assumptions.  Assuming someone doesn't have a Cricut, a color laser printer able to handle thick card, 110 lb stock on the shelf, CAD, Photoshop, and the skills to use all these, Roomettes are a bargain.

Your original statement makes the process sound far simpler than it is. 

Talk about of price outside of reality.  Over $20 for the roomettes,  are you kidding me.  Anyone with a quilty printer and a little knowledge of a photo editing software can make those.  

That's like saying "Why should people buy a structure kit when they could just cut up a couple pieces of styrene and glue them together?'

I can re-motor, detail, paint and weather a blue box loco myself.  But I can also recognize the value in buying a ready-to-run model with all that done for me. 

I'm not saying YOU can't do it.  Clearly you are tooled up with what you need (I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with).  I'm just highlighting the value for those who don't have all these toys and would prefer to have it done for them.   Can you recognize the difference?

If you think something is overpriced, nobody is forcing you to buy it. (VBG)

We get this kind of thinking too.

I posted a promo video on YouTube for the Run like a Dream Rolling Stock book that shows how to test trucks for spin-ability and side-to-side slop. Then I mentioned all the other great stuff that's also in my book.

I got comments like this:

- You mean I have to BUY a book to find out how to do more?

- He's wrong, you don't need a book, just be careful and you will be fine. Forget the book.

- All you care about is making money. I wouldn't touch your stuff with a ten foot pole.

All this angst over a book that's $12 to download as an eBook or is $27 with free shipping US (or half price shipping foreign), and that took me probably 6 months of my spare time to research, test out, document, and carefully illustrate and write up so it's clear and easy to understand.

But hey, if you think it's not worth it, then just don't buy it. But also be cautious about running down these efforts as a borderline overpriced scam. Would you say these things if you were standing there looking at our product in person while we (the one who made it) was right there next to you?

At least so far in our society, most people aren't that rude. To bad they don't have the same values when it comes to posting online.

You are making it sound harder than it is.

How do you tell the Cricut cutter where the image is on the page?  It's blind.   - Wrong, not trial and error

It has a print then cut feature as do most of the cutters.  The printer prints registration marks, Then the cutter uses them to cut out the image.

I think you are playing to the lowest denominator with intelligents.  It is basically a paper cube, with one side open,  my daughter makes paper cubes and other more advanced 3 dimensional shapes in her art class.

I just wire the LEDs into the 12v DC bus and use the proper resistor to dim the LED to the proper light level.  I just buy them LEDs for cheap from Amazon and or ebay, I can see people not wanting to solder their  own lights but $9.99 for 2 LEDs is a step price.  (Has nothing to do with your kit, just looked up the price on the LEDs and was shocked)

If it was that easy I'd be getting all my images from Google. - In your case I think it would be illegal to sell copied images off google.  In my case as with most modelers it would not technically be illegal to print out an image for personal use.  I have used warehouse interiors glued to the back of shallow background builds to make them look bigger than they really are.

 Again, if you have the time. - If I just spent the last few days building a very nice detailed kit,  I think I could spend an extra 30 minutes to make an interior/shadow box to match.

Joe, I completely agree with you. I have read your efforts to date on run like a dream and think they are some of the best values in the hobby. My equipment ran very well before your books were out even to the point of backing a train of more than 75 cars up a 2% grade in the past and repeated last Saturday. Even so I did find several tips in your books that I had not implemented but I will in the future.

The reason I needed to back up was an individual left a switch lined for a route into a reversing section that would likely only accept half of my train.

Some people will never have any concept behind what time is worth and how easy they think it is to put something into a box that would apparently take an evening to make form scratch...

His interior kits are VERY economically priced considering everything that comes in them...

I'm trying not to get sucked into these things, but I'll make my post and leave the conversation to go inevitably down the toilet.  

To be up front, I'm a satisfied customer of the Roomettes.  I bought two kits - the Arlington Hotel (yes, the $50 kit) and one of the Banfield Street kits.  I've installed the Arlington Hotel kits (almost all of it, saving two rooms for another building) and added a few extra details that I could make fairly easily or had available in my stash of details.  The kits fit the windows perfectly and took me all of 5 minutes to fold, glue and install.  But the best part?  They look really good.  Even though many of the details are 2D, they look 3D from different angles and they are nicely scaled to boot.  Here is what it looks like all lit up if you haven't seen it in other threads:

And a close up:

Another than the figure, bed and curtain, the rest is the Roomette.  To me, the picture, light switch,baseboard and door look 3D in this image even though they are 2D.  For me to try and get that quality and the trial and error to achieve the precision fit would take weeks, bundles of frustration and would be a discouragement for doing more (and they almost certainly wouldn't look as good).  My time is valuable and I'd rather do other things with my limited hobby time.  Even the $50 cost for this kit was so worth it.  

That's my experience and you may choose to do this yourself.  So do it.  Don't crap on other peoples' priorities.  But I have to comment on this:

Again, if you have the time. - If I just spent the last few days building a very nice detailed kit,  I think I could spend an extra 30 minutes to make an interior/shadow box to match.

I absolutely call BS.  I challenge you to come up with even one room in 30 minutes that looks even as close to good as these do and have it installed in your building, including around a window and doorway in the existing building getting your images only from Google.  If you can do it (and I don't believe you can), you will have immense skills in both photoshop (or equivalent) and CAD.  I don't have either of those things, nor do a lot of people.  I'm going to stop here because it's just such a ridiculous statement to suggest you can do this good a job in 30 minutes from a Google image.  It's at least hours and for me would be days.

I say keep 'em coming, Barry.  I'll have 30-35 buildings on my layout so I hope you will have kits that will help fill most of them so I don't have to do too many myself.  I wasn't planning on a book store, but I might dive in on that kit and also will pick up Mongillo Jewelers.  I've got many suggestions for other kits if you want them!  :)