Author Topic: Now a Rolls Royce  (Read 3406 times)

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Ed Kapuscinski

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #15 on: January 12, 2018, 06:11:44 PM »
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I've gotten my dad two MRC products. One 4-4-0 and a 2-6-0 this year.

They're nice.

Until you see one next to a @cbroughton67 joint. Then they're just "E class".

What they REALLY need to do is include a better speaker and a keepalive.

I still maintain that it should be illegal to sell a sound equipped locomotive without one. I really want the FTC to get involved.

Doug G.

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #16 on: January 12, 2018, 06:22:48 PM »
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Yeah, Mehanotehnika - Yugo performance!

Actually, my old Mehanos run very well. More like Chevrolet performance.

:D

Doug
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www.irwinsjournal.com/a1g/a1glocos/

Cajonpassfan

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #17 on: January 12, 2018, 06:28:38 PM »
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What they REALLY need to do is include a better speaker and a keepalive.

I won't argue about the speaker/enclosure combo, but mine, with its all-wheel loco and tender pickup, will run through just about anything, within reason. Perhaps you should check if there's a pickup issue with yours?
Otto K.

peteski

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #18 on: January 12, 2018, 07:38:03 PM »
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I received one of these fine little 2-6-0 s, with DCC/Sound, for Christmas and it runs like a swiss. watch. Reliable ,smooth runner and great value for the price.

Barry

These are basically a rerun of the older Model Power 2-6-0s. I think the only improvement is the improved tender pickup.  The Model Power locos were quite reasonably priced, but I thought that the MRC version (especially with sound) was rather expensive.  But I guess it is all relative. . .
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peteski

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #19 on: January 12, 2018, 07:42:39 PM »
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The story was even more twisted than that. Around 1998 or so, VW group was on a buying spree and wanted to add RR to the lineup. They bought RR/Bentley including the tooling, factories and employees. VW had no idea at the time that Bentley Motor Car had only licensed the name Rolls Royce from the jet engine maker.

After VW secured the deal, a sale clause allowed RR Engine to take control of the brand name, to which they then licensed to BMW group. This was an insane deal for BMW as they could produce a new ultra lux car with no legacy costs (older tooling, pensions, etc.). BMW sat on the name until VW relented and sold off the RR intellectual property to BMW at a huge loss.

This is why VW pushed the Bentley name so hard. But the total misadventure cost VW group billions.

Ironically, this almost happened to another BMW holding. Back in the 1990's, BMW sold off Range Rover to Ford, and spun off MG-Rover to a separate company with Range Rover retaining the ownership of the Rover name. Around 2006, a Chinese company bought MG-Rover, it's tooling, factories and legacy costs after bankruptcy with the intent to sell MG cars as a budget brand and Rover as a luxury marquee in one turn key operation.

Range Rover disallowed the use of the name Rover, and the Chinese company was left with a lot of tooling without a name. They eventually settled in the Chinese phonetic pronunciation of Rover: Roewe (most Asiatic languages do not have a "v" consonant).

Cars: my other great love.

I wish that all those mega-mergers, buyouts, and takeovers would stop. We need a larger variety of individual companies. Nowadays it seems that there is only a small handful of worldwide car makers and they own all the car make brands.  But it is not just the automobiles. It seems that the same thing is happening in different industrial areas.
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Ed Kapuscinski

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #20 on: January 12, 2018, 09:11:39 PM »
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I won't argue about the speaker/enclosure combo, but mine, with its all-wheel loco and tender pickup, will run through just about anything, within reason. Perhaps you should check if there's a pickup issue with yours?
Otto K.

It's ok. No worse than anything else. But the H8 on the cover of the ntrak steam annual just raised the bar way up.

daniel_leavitt2000

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #21 on: January 12, 2018, 10:18:14 PM »
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I wish that all those mega-mergers, buyouts, and takeovers would stop. We need a larger variety of individual companies. Nowadays it seems that there is only a small handful of worldwide car makers and they own all the car make brands.  But it is not just the automobiles. It seems that the same thing is happening in different industrial areas.

We took a trip to the Netherlands in September and there are two things that really stuck out: there was a lot of Ram pickups, which I don't ever recall seeing before. And the fact every Fiat dealership also had a Jeep and Dodge/Chrysler wing. EVERYTHING was branded Mopar. Yes Mopar is the official parts line for Fiat, Alpha Romeo and even Maseratti.

My guess is that Ram will take over Fiat's commercial line in the next few years to streamline production.


BTW... I really like my MP sound equipped mogul. Runs well, sounds ok.
There's a shyness found in reason
Apprehensive influence swallow away
You seem to feel abysmal take it
Then you're careful grace for sure
Kinda like the way you're breathing
Kinda like the way you keep looking away

peteski

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #22 on: January 12, 2018, 11:24:01 PM »
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We took a trip to the Netherlands in September and there are two things that really stuck out: there was a lot of Ram pickups, which I don't ever recall seeing before. And the fact every Fiat dealership also had a Jeep and Dodge/Chrysler wing. EVERYTHING was branded Mopar. Yes Mopar is the official parts line for Fiat, Alpha Romeo and even Maseratti.

My guess is that Ram will take over Fiat's commercial line in the next few years to streamline production.


BTW... I really like my MP sound equipped mogul. Runs well, sounds ok.

Yes, the automotive industry is all melding into a one large blob (and all the makes are becoming like the old GM "badge engineering" - same hardware, different logos).  One of the funniest examples was Neon (from the '90s) It was sold under Dodge and Plymouth name - they didn't even bother calling is something different.

So, how much did you pay for your Mogul?
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MK

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #23 on: January 13, 2018, 12:01:39 AM »
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I wish that all those mega-mergers, buyouts, and takeovers would stop. We need a larger variety of individual companies. Nowadays it seems that there is only a small handful of worldwide car makers and they own all the car make brands.  But it is not just the automobiles. It seems that the same thing is happening in different industrial areas.

Acme!

peteski

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #24 on: January 13, 2018, 01:08:08 AM »
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. . . 42 . . .

mmagliaro

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #25 on: January 13, 2018, 05:40:21 AM »
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I still have an almost-untouched 2-6-0 from way back in the first run of the Model Power steam offerings.
Having seen and played with the 4-4-0, 2-6-0, 4-6-2, and 2-8-2 from that era, I always thought the 2-6-0 was the best of the lot.  It had the nice Mashima in it (like the 4-4-0, and UNLIKE the 4-6-2 and 2-8-2 which had cheaper motors),
and it had a traction tire so it pulled well.  It ran quietly and smoothly.  It had the shoddy tender pickup, which I'm glad they have addressed.     It was a good buy for $60 or $70, street price.  I'm don't think the boiler detailing merits a street price of around $170 for the new version (without DCC).

Ike the BN Freak

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #26 on: January 13, 2018, 01:23:32 PM »
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Personally I'm a Pratt guy...heard GEs are nice to work on, but all my experience is with Pratt.

Cajonpassfan

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #27 on: January 19, 2018, 03:58:56 PM »
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I still have an almost-untouched 2-6-0 from way back in the first run of the Model Power steam offerings.
Having seen and played with the 4-4-0, 2-6-0, 4-6-2, and 2-8-2 from that era, I always thought the 2-6-0 was the best of the lot.  It had the nice Mashima in it (like the 4-4-0, and UNLIKE the 4-6-2 and 2-8-2 which had cheaper motors),
and it had a traction tire so it pulled well.  It ran quietly and smoothly.  It had the shoddy tender pickup, which I'm glad they have addressed.     It was a good buy for $60 or $70, street price.  I'm don't think the boiler detailing merits a street price of around $170 for the new version (without DCC).

I bought another one today for $135 at Klein's, w/DCC and sound, because I'm so impressed with the one I bought a while back. It's got great pickup on all wheels, the loco pickup is improved as well and no longer visible, and even the sound has been upgraded. It's not Loksound, but darn good. It's refreshing to take a loco out of the box and run it without all kinds of machinations first. Well, the couplers have to go. And yes, it's not the best detailed loco, but the proportions are right on and I think with some work, it could look very good. It's fast becoming my favorite loco for switching, even though it's not a switcher. Perfect for the lowly local...
Otto K.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2018, 05:35:47 PM by Cajonpassfan »

CBQ Fan

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #28 on: January 19, 2018, 06:55:40 PM »
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i just ordered a 4-4-0 in CB&Q to go with my 2-6-0.  MBK had another 25% off of the sales price.
Brian

Way of the Zephyr

Cajonpassfan

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Re: Now a Rolls Royce
« Reply #29 on: January 19, 2018, 08:00:45 PM »
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Better hurry boys, only 3 Moguls and a handful of the Americans left...
They also have Bachmann DCC Peter Witts at $40 and the S-4 at $54, with the additional 10% coupon... : 8)

Otto