Why not go clock work wind up to really reduce cost ? Advertise it as harkening back to a simplier time... befor electricty complicated our lives...
>From: "Marty.Thorin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "S-Scale (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "S-Trains (E-mail)" ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [S-Trains] Cheap trains >Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2003 14:23:11 -0600 > >Dick Karnes wrote; > The cost of living has increased by a >factor of 7.38 since 1949. (Reference: >ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/cpi/cpiai.txt) That means this >set would >cost around $295 today. Now look as SHS's four-car set. It has a >price tag of >$300, essentially the same. And today's level of technology and detail >is miles >ahead of 1949 AF. < > > >And someone else pointed out that Marx's sets were $10.00. > >I haven't said this here before but I think there could be a VERY cheap >set. >Very easily. Amtrak to boot. > >For the locomotive, use the Genesis as the basis. It would consist of a >thick, plastic shell with painted or molded on detail. No 'glass' in the >windows. Headlight is not lit. > The frame is a chunk of plastic to hold the two trucks. > The front truck is an 'all in one' truck like the old HO F-Unit >trucks or AHM's O Scale C-Liner truck. This truck will scoot just fine by >itself down AF track. > The rear truck is an unpowered dummy. Did I mention AF flanges? > Couplers are dummies like on an AF 24110 PRR gondola. (In this case >take the Pikemaster and make it solid.) > >The 'train' consists of three passenger cars. They are identical. Again, >the shell is one thick, plastic block with painted or molded on detail. No >'glass' in the windows. The cars are not illuminated but they are nicely >painted. Talgo mounted dummy couplers (not body mounted). These would be >shorties like the AM Budds. > >Track consists of an oval of track. SHS makes the right stuff. One >circle, >one straight, and one rerailing / crossing like an AF 728. Anything else >must be purchased separately. > >Minimal power pack. One amp. > >Make sure there are some hopelessly out-of-scale people for play value. > >Last, include a bevy of catalogs and other literature from SHS, AM, >Portline, NASG, etc. > >That's the set. Nothing else. Cheap. Simple. > >------------------------- > >Some quick revisions with the older modeler in mind. (i.e. Us!) Make the >shells so all detail is painted on ah-la-Marx so they are easy to strip >off. >Include dimples where the handrails and other details need to go. (I see >after market potential here.) Also aftermarket glass for the windows, >headlights, illumination kits, etc. > Make the Genesis shell scale length. Make the loco and passenger >trucks the correct wheelbase. Make the loco and passenger shells as scale >as possible (yet still rugged) to increase potential sales. > And most of all, make them so they run on DC AF track. (If you have >to have AC, make it go forward only.) > >Thorin > >P.S. I'll take six sets right now. As the power truck and the dummy are >interchangeable, I'll put two power trucks into each, discarding the >double-dummies to some kids. I'll pass most of the passenger cars onto the >kids. > I'll also dissect the power trucks and pull out the wires so I can >DCC them. Other power trucks will go under home-brew electrics. > > > > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > >S-Trains list sponsor: http://www.americanflyertrains.com >All the Flyer you desire...books and accessories too! > >To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list send a note to >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail S-Trains list sponsor: http://www.americanflyertrains.com All the Flyer you desire...books and accessories too! To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list send a note to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
