Author Topic: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014  (Read 18603 times)

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jdcolombo

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #60 on: June 29, 2013, 10:27:37 AM »
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We are going to be talking to the DCC Mfgs to see what we can use in this application.  not much room for much of anything.

Joe

Hi Joe.

DCC can't be that hard.  If the model has a headlight, it must have a light board.  TCS makes a decoder (the Z2) that is about the size of one of the old "stick it on the end of the chassis" lightboards that were ubiquitous with the  older split-frame loco designs before everyone adopted the newer design with a full-frame board.  Put two power pads on the Z2 and you have a decoder that would replace a light board.  Getting power to the motor might be an issue, but again I'd argue it can't be that hard; some kind of phosphor-bronze contact strip from the light board to the motor; change out the light board for a decoder with pads that contact the strips.

If all this is too much engineering, then at least you could work with someone like TCS to make a light-board-replacement decoder that would then only need two hard wires to the motor.  Most folks would be capable of that, and would avoid the need for frame milling or some other relatively exotic modification.  TCS already has experience with this kind of thing with their "light board replacement" decoders for the older-style split frame locos; having at least this much available concurrent with release will make the model a much easier sell to the DCC world, which is growing larger daily.

John C.

bc6

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #61 on: June 29, 2013, 11:00:11 AM »
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learmoia

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #62 on: June 29, 2013, 11:03:36 AM »
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Comment Removed.
« Last Edit: July 29, 2020, 07:50:43 PM by learmoia »

Kisatchie

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #63 on: June 29, 2013, 11:08:19 AM »
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Here you go... N Scale really needs some of these:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=286388


Hmm... reminds me that
Kiz had to buy a larger
belt... fatso...


Two scientists create a teleportation ray, and they try it out on a cricket. They put the cricket on one of the two teleportation pads in the room, and they turn the ray on.
The cricket jumps across the room onto the other pad.
"It works! It works!"

peteski

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #64 on: June 29, 2013, 11:38:41 AM »
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Sure there is, cost. 

Jason

LIke I said: there is no excuse.  :trollface:
If other manufacturers can do it (and sell plenty of their models), there is no excuse.  Cost? Give me a break!  Compared to the cost of designing the rest of the mechanism and shell, how much can it cost to design in a 6-pin connector into the model?  Even if it raised the MSRP price by $2 or $5, it would be a desired addition. I suspect that it would be more like the 2 dollars (or even less).  But it would be a great selling feature (IMO, well worth the initial investment).
. . . 42 . . .

Alaska Railroader

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #65 on: June 29, 2013, 12:37:35 PM »
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Stunning news.

Never expected that out of MT.

Props to them for taking on the project.

It's a solid addition to the hobby.

This is stunning news alright. At the National Z Scale Convention in Denver [well over a year ago] MTL announced an upcoming new switcher for.....drum roll....Z scale! So imagine how this "stunning news" affects the dealer [my husband] whose main customer base are Z scalers who have been holding their breath for them. Enter MTL's latest new product announcements and there it is, a switcher from MTL! But wait....drum roll...its in N scale which had never been promised so long ago.

Don't get me wrong, personally I don't care about a Z switcher for myself. But those guys have waiting a long time and mark my word, this will not bode well with them. Maybe the same thing will happen with the N scale switcher, get you guys all happy and such but you'll end up waiting 2 years instead of one. If you are lucky.

I would like to add that I am in no way blaming Joe personally with my comments.
« Last Edit: June 29, 2013, 12:55:26 PM by Alaska Railroader »

SkipGear

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #66 on: June 29, 2013, 01:52:00 PM »
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This is stunning news alright. At the National Z Scale Convention in Denver [well over a year ago] MTL announced an upcoming new switcher for.....drum roll....Z scale! So imagine how this "stunning news" affects the dealer [my husband] whose main customer base are Z scalers who have been holding their breath for them. Enter MTL's latest new product announcements and there it is, a switcher from MTL! But wait....drum roll...its in N scale which had never been promised so long ago.

Don't get me wrong, personally I don't care about a Z switcher for myself. But those guys have waiting a long time and mark my word, this will not bode well with them. Maybe the same thing will happen with the N scale switcher, get you guys all happy and such but you'll end up waiting 2 years instead of one. If you are lucky.

I would like to add that I am in no way blaming Joe personally with my comments.

I can only assume that they put forth a good effort toward the Z version and found a problem that they couldn't solve so why let the research go to waste, scale up the drawings and make it in N scale.  (Just thinking out loud here)

BTW - I'm sure I have some customers that will very much appreciate this announcement but it doesn't do much for me. B&O didn't have any, and even if they did, it would be too modern for me. My other option for them would be I&O and I just don't see that happening.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1319703
Tony Hines

Philip H

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Alaska Railroader

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #68 on: June 29, 2013, 02:04:11 PM »
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I can only assume that they put forth a good effort toward the Z version and found a problem that they couldn't solve so why let the research go to waste, scale up the drawings and make it in N scale.  (Just thinking out loud here)

This is a very sound hypothesis, but would it not behoove MTL to explain that to their customers who are waiting every month for their Z switcher to be announced? Something like, we regret to inform our Z scale customers that we found producing a Z switcher was more problematic than we anticipated therefore it will be shelved until further notice.

I understand problems in production, I find it difficult for a company that large to ignore a promise so huge. Even if it is still in the pipeline I believe that communication should come first, especially with dealers who have to field questions they have no explanations for.

JSL

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #69 on: June 29, 2013, 02:05:20 PM »
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I will take some in BN green and BNSF 3411 in H1

SkipGear

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #70 on: June 29, 2013, 02:14:46 PM »
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This is a very sound hypothesis, but would it not behoove MTL to explain that to their customers who are waiting every month for their Z switcher to be announced? Something like, we regret to inform our Z scale customers that we found producing a Z switcher was more problematic than we anticipated therefore it will be shelved until further notice.

I understand problems in production, I find it difficult for a company that large to ignore a promise so huge. Even if it is still in the pipeline I believe that communication should come first, especially with dealers who have to field questions they have no explanations for.

Who says it isn't still in the works? It may have been easier to get the N version to market and recover some of their R&D costs while figuring out the logistics for the Z version. I would think the motor would be the big issue. The current 8mm Maxon motor wouldn't fit in a Z SW1500 that I can see.
Tony Hines

Alaska Railroader

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #71 on: June 29, 2013, 02:17:39 PM »
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Who says it isn't still in the works? It may have been easier to get the N version to market and recover some of their R&D costs while figuring out the logistics for the Z version.

Reread my last sentence in that quote.

Dave Schneider

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #72 on: June 29, 2013, 02:27:47 PM »
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If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

Catt

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #73 on: June 29, 2013, 03:12:20 PM »
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Those of us of the Z scale persuasion learned a long time ago just how good MTL's word is about announced projects.I would guess that if N actually sees this switcher it will be closer to 2015 than 14 in spite of the effort Joe will put into it.
Johnathan (Catt) Edwards
Sole owner of the
Grande Valley Railway
100% Michigan made

DKS

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Re: MTL Announces an SW1500 for delivery in Spring 2014
« Reply #74 on: June 29, 2013, 06:31:15 PM »
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Those of us of the Z scale persuasion learned a long time ago just how good MTL's word is about announced projects.I would guess that if N actually sees this switcher it will be closer to 2015 than 14 in spite of the effort Joe will put into it.

Please, let's not pick at that scab any more, especially as this is the N scale announcement. Thanks.