(erielack) point / counterpoint

[Richard Young <ryoungceo_@_yahoo.com>]

	List / Rob

	Bad spelling aside , I am neither old nor
perticularly " Grouchy " today. Just in the mood for
some good debate.

	I operate a lot of timetable train order layouts and
as I said that I do not own a Dec " YET " ( my
Intention is to still buy one even though I model
westend) but I have seen them operate LONG before any
of you ever had one in your possesion. That comes from
knowing some people that have written articles in the
major magazines reviewing them, getting their opinions
and playing w ith them myself ,not nessecarily having
purchased one. I've driven a Yugo and a Fiat Panda and
I CAN say that they SUCK without having to buy one for
myself. And I don't think that the Decs suck at all,
they are the best plastic steam out yet.

	The  leve l of detail and acuracey I demand of
freight cars is the same I expect with my steam
locomotives. And my point about the K-4 was sarcasim.
Here is a model that should be everything about
acuracey and it wasn't done well. With that locomotive
you have abso lutely no crossover railroad sales
possible ( you don't have to generalize it for the
sake of all the roads that owned one) so why not do it
right and detailed properly, which they didn't. except
for the fact that you need two of them to run a train
acros s your layout. But that IS prototypical of the
PRR to need two for a train,thats why they built so
many of them. Back to Erie!
	
	My original point was that brass not running as well
as the new plastic is incorrect. Brass needs some
tweaking to run well b ut runs far better. The
difference to running well with brass is replacing of
the springs for tracking, adding weight ( a job I am
exceptionally good at) ect,ect, and breaking it in.
And when you have a problem you can go and fix
it,plastic you can't. All the plastic I have owned and
seen operate all expierience the same inherent
problems.  Poor slow speed control with loads, down
hill chatter with loads , extremely poor uphill
pulling capabilities, and mechanisms that that don't
hold up to alot of use an d you can fix when broke.

	To generalize the detail on plastic steam enough to
cross promote it takes away all the specific detail
that makes it prototypically correct.

	Plastic casting has come forward leaps and bounds in
the last few years yet the peo ple doing the molds
have not. They continue to churn out " Gorpy"
unrealistic deatails. A simple thing like the whistle,
boiler checks and injectors look poor chunky and out
of shape. 

	BTW one of the good points about the decs are the see
through sepera tion between the drivers and boiler.

 I also agree with your opinion of OMI. I do not "
blame them for anything I just don't get where the
terminal case of cranial rectal insertitus come from.
They will advertise ( Expensive to boot) for a project
they d on't have the documentation to complete try to
get orders or interest on it,only to bailout ? Where
as a project with complete
documentation,drawings,photos of locos on all
railroads, cross promotion to two other railroads (
Pere Marquette got an N 1 Mike from the Erie and it
ended up on the C & O as thier K-4 or 5 class Mike) is
handed over and not even an interested expression.
	
	 I also don't blame Scott Mann with 3rd rail/Sunset ,
if O scale is his market now good luck and our loss.
As Sunset was the last resonabley priced HO brass out
there, and I always had great customer service from
them.

Happy Holidays and I think I'm thirsty, I'll go get me
a glass of egg nogg

	Rich]4

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