MT SP Caboose Photo

[Sokramiketes]

Why does Athearn get a pass from the collected critics on their pizza cutters and triang-esque coupler..? I mean if were going to be fair and clobber everything, let's get with the program gents....... ;D

Or we could wait and see............nah, that's no fun at all; then all'd we have to do is guess about GEVO's.....

Athearn gets a pass on the pizza cutters because they don't use pizza cutters. 

And if I knew what a triang-esque coupler was, I could probably respond to that too... j/k.  It's a wash because the MTL coupler is just as bad as Accumate in the looks department.  And likely the Athearn caboose will have McHenry's now, which at least make an attempt to look like a prototype coupler.

Hope that addresses your non-issues with Athearn.   

[Puddington]

Why does Athearn get a pass from the collected critics on their pizza cutters and triang-esque coupler..? I mean if were going to be fair and clobber everything, let's get with the program gents....... ;D

Or we could wait and see............nah, that's no fun at all; then all'd we have to do is guess about GEVO's.....

Athearn gets a pass on the pizza cutters because they don't use pizza cutters.  

And if I knew what a triang-esque coupler was, I could probably respond to that too... j/k.  It's a wash because the MTL coupler is just as bad as Accumate in the looks department.  And likely the Athearn caboose will have McHenry's now, which at least make an attempt to look like a prototype coupler.

Hope that addresses your non-issues with Athearn.  

Well let me explain it to you then...

The wheels in the picture look chunky to me, not like the normal lo profile ones; but perhaps I am not qualified to judge; it seems that that right is limited to a self selected few.... "Triang-esque coupler" was a reference to the fact that the coupler in the picture appears to stick out a mile, al la the old Triang ones....( a humourous reference) again, perhaps I am not allowed to make such a comment having not been granted permission to pass judgement..........

I have no issues with the Athearn - I like their stuff..... I have no axe to grind with anything or any company; I simply questioned why people are using a yet to be released model, with only a pre production sample that I felt had issues, from the one photo I saw, with the coupler and wheels, to critque the MT model.....

It appears that you and I will never agree; and that's just fine with me.

[oakcreekco]

"Target of the week"......................more like the "taget of day" around here" ;D

[Sokramiketes]

Well let me explain it to you then...

The wheels in the picture look chunky to me, not like the normal lo profile ones; but perhaps I am not qualified to judge; it seems that that right is limited to a self selected few....

Fair enough, they are chunky, but when most people mention "pizza cutters" they're talking about the big flanges, which the Athearn wheels do not have.  Nothing beats the side appearance of a FVM wheelset yet.

"Triang-esque coupler" was a reference to the fact that the coupler in the picture appears to stick out a mile, al la the old Triang ones....( a humourous reference) again, perhaps I am not allowed to make such a comment having not been granted permission to pass judgement..........

Again, fair enough.  I didn't understand the reference and thought you were talking about the angular appearance of an Accumate.

I have no issues with the Athearn - I like their stuff..... I have no axe to grind with anything or any company; I simply questioned why people are using a yet to be released model, with only a pre production sample that I felt had issues, from the one photo I saw, with the coupler and wheels, to critque the MT model.....

It appears that you and I will never agree; and that's just fine with me.

We probably do agree, we're just having problems communicating.  The reason MTL gets bashed more than other companies is a long diatribe for another time.

[Mark5]

Hey, aren't we all equal opportunity product critics?

[Ryan87]

al la the old Triang ones....( a humourous reference)

I must be far too young... What the heck is a Triang Coupler?

I simply questioned why people are using a yet to be released model, with only a pre production sample that I felt had issues, from the one photo I saw, with the coupler and wheels, to critque the MT model.....

Because the pre production sample with all it's issues (which many will be corrected before production) already Blows the MT model out of the water....  ;D

[Puddington]

al la the old Triang ones....( a humourous reference)

I must be far too young... What the heck is a Triang Coupler?

I simply questioned why people are using a yet to be released model, with only a pre production sample that I felt had issues, from the one photo I saw, with the coupler and wheels, to critque the MT model.....

Because the pre production sample with all it's issues (which many will be corrected before production) already Blows the MT model out of the water....  ;D

Oh; we all can be assured that the pre production model runs fine; had been tested on all track, all corners, and under all conditions they require for it to be produced.....It's ready and all they need to do is tweek a few things.... ? I hope you're correct but I wouldn't bet on it - that's why it's pre production....in my business pre production often bears less resemblance to production product than one might think.....

I'm not against the Athearn offering and for the MT; I'm just not willing to use a pre production model to critque a production model... maybe I'm alone on this.... if so then ok.............

[Ryan87]

OK back to my first comment....  What the heck is a Triang Coupler?  ???

[Mark5]

OK back to my first comment....  What the heck is a Triang Coupler?  ???

Triang was a model train manufacturer in the UK. Became Triang-Hornby see this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornby_Railways

[Puddington]

My first trains at 4 years old.... hook and loop coupler that stuck out a mile.... sorry for the obscure reference.... guess I AM too old ! ;D

[Mark5]

Oddly enough when I was an early teen I had a friend from England that modeled with that Triang-Hornby stuff. His family moved back to England after a few years and I never heard from him again.

Mark

[Puddington]

Oddly enough when I was an early teen I had a friend from England that modeled with that Triang-Hornby stuff. His family moved back to England after a few years and I never heard from him again.

Mark

Well; those couplers could do that to ya....... ;D ;D ;D

[Ryan87]

I see yup I'm too young... 

[bbussey]

ox is Judging
by the coupler being a centre shank and not underslung like the MT its probably lower overall.  Still I would expect that lowering it may be in the cards.  I'm hoping that Athearn has a good weight and can get some sort of electrical pickup for lighting/transponding.  Matters not to me as I'm already signed up for every one Athearn makes.  Not to say I won't pick up another MT from the next run...

Yet the coupler box is integrated into the body and underframe and therefore the model can utilize a center-shank coupler and stand at the proper height.

I saw the Athearn prototypes at the Amherst show in January and they look very very good.  And they definitely did not appear to be standing too high.

[TiVoPrince]

As
as styrene cast floor (based on photos) the weight must be applied atop the floor.  Centre of mass is certainly lower on the MT with the metal underframe.  As long as the weight keeps it on the rails I'm not questioning the arrangement or choice of materials.  Actually the styrene should result in better details overall that I am much in favour of...