Making quality trains outside of China

[jpwisc]

Fleischmann makes quality products for sure.  Take a look at the pricing of those products though.  If American modelers were willing to pay those prices, there might be some more items made in the States.

European modelers don’t seem to be as inventory obsessed as American modelers. So many of the layouts seem to be smaller and higher quality. On this side of the pond, there seems to be more of a drive to have a large collection than anything else. I take quality over quantity, but I think I’m in the minority for Americans.

[jagged ben]

European modelers don’t seem to be as inventory obsessed as American modelers. So many of the layouts seem to be smaller and higher quality. On this side of the pond, there seems to be more of a drive to have a large collection than anything else. I take quality over quantity, but I think I’m in the minority for Americans.

Some of that, if not most of it, reflects the difference in prototypes, too.  Europeans don't have two-mile long freight trains with a never ending variety of rolling stock.

[wes_sutton]

And MT had become a pretty low quality offering. They have reduced details on cars as other manufacturers have increased them. For example the roof hatches on 2 Bay hoppers are molded on where they used to be a separate part. Roof walls are molded plastic where others are using etched metal. MT is equivalent to Atlas Trainman now at over double the cost.

Surely the thread can be locked here as there's no more to be said

You've provided an excellent, if flawed, argument for why most manufacturing will remain in China. (Or is just a case of playing the man, rather than the ball?)

As for other comments, I own a fair bit of Fleischmann stuff and while the quality is good and the detail not bad, it is arguably not as good as much of the recent US outline stuff in my collection.

     

[peteski]

As for other comments, I own a fair bit of Fleischmann stuff and while the quality is good and the detail not bad, it is arguably not as good as much of the recent US outline stuff in my collection.

As I see it, N scale Fleischmann is like Kato of Germany.  Their models are well made, cleanly assembled, have crisp molded-on details and excellent decoration, solid (but unlike Kato, dated) mechanisms, but they're not super-detailed with lots of glued on handrails and other doo-dads.

[nstars]

As I see it, N scale Fleischmann is like Kato of Germany.  Their models are well made, cleanly assembled, have crisp molded-on details and excellent decoration, solid (but unlike Kato, dated) mechanisms, but they're not super-detailed with lots of glued on handrails and other doo-dads.

I would not call Fleischmann the Kato from Germany. They produce nice engines, but concerning quality they are more like the Model Power range. Some of the Minitrix stuff is getting in the high quality ranges, but at a cost. I just saw a Minitrix Bavarian Steamer with a nice coreless motor, but the price tag was €400 or about $450. Manufacturers don’t have to go to cheap countries, but you will have to pay for it.

Marc

[peteski]

I would not call Fleischmann the Kato from Germany. They produce nice engines, but concerning quality they are more like the Model Power range. Some of the Minitrix stuff is getting in the high quality ranges, but at a cost. I just saw a Minitrix Bavarian Steamer with a nice coreless motor, but the price tag was €400 or about $450. Manufacturers don’t have to go to cheap countries, but you will have to pay for it.

Marc

Model Power?!  They were terrible! Except some of the later steram locos, like the Pacific, Atlantic and Mogul, which were decent quality. I wouldn't rate Fleischmann that low.  Like I mentioned, Fleischman uses old-type mechanisms and motors, but overall they are good quality.  To me "quality" is the assembly workmanship and parts. 

Sure, Minitirx uses coreless motors in some of their steam locos, but some aren't assembled or engineered very well.  I should say: to the standards when they were designed and assembled in Germany.

[nkalanaga]

Sounds like Minitrix has gone downhill in the last 50 years.  Back then, they had open-frame 3-pole motors, but their diesels were among the best-running models made.