Chuck, I agree with you 100%, you said it good.
Jim ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chuck Harrington" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 1:48 PM Subject: [S-Trains] WOW - Did I start all this? ! > This is a very tuff audience! Probably no S offering is going to please > everyone. Some guys wanted inexpensive stuff that could be played with > by kids. K-line is now offering that. An inexpensive and attractive S > starter set could be a reality soon. It will not be a model train set, > but maybe a very nice "toy" train set. > > Some are now unhappy that the new K-line cars are not more like S-helper > or American Models. K-line used Marx molds. That kept the price down to > $20. Had they made new molds the price would have been much higher. That > would not have gone over well, again. But, it is hard to buy even a pair > of trucks for less than $10! > > S-helper and American Models are doing a fine job making scale models. > Lionel is offering cars made with original Gilbert molds with the > trademarked American Flyer name on them. Do we need K-line to make more > pricey scale models, or do we need them to make toys that can be handled > by children of all ages without parts breaking off? > > For the most part our "S Gauge" accessories are O gauge or larger, just > like Gilbert made them. The toys that K-line is offering are no more out > of scale than a Mystic Station or a 752 coal loader! > > Most of us are not collecting and operating scale layouts. We are > playing with toys. Toys that in many cases that are not the correct > size, just as much of the Gilbert stuff was not the correct scale. > Gilbert made toys, wonderful toys! Most of us are playing with toy > trains. We need to deal with it. The S scale guys are on a different > list, for the most part. You won't catch them putting a Mystic station > or a cattle pen on their scale layout! > > The Timken car is attractive to me, though I suspect it may be too big. > I would like to see one and compare. My mind is open though, to looking > at the actual piece, and giving it a chance, seeing what I can make of > it. The duplication of original Gilbert cars is perhaps being overdone, > but if you are going to give them to a child to play with, you perhaps > do not want to turn them loose with a real Gilbert Penn Salt tanker! > > The K-line cars may not look right next to a Gilbert one, but my guess > is they will be fine toys for a 6 years old to play with, just as our > beloved American Flyer cars were decades ago. Some older kids may want a > few of them too. :-) I am looking at the Penn Salt and Hooker tankers > thinking they might look just fine running on my layout. (Were they to > make a car that said "Hershey's Chocolate" on it, you can be sure that I > would buy it!) > > I for one appreciate the new offerings by Lionel, K-line and others. > Will I buy all their stuff, No. But I have bought some and will continue > to do so. If you want "real American Flyer" there is plenty of it out > there. As the Baby Boomers age and attics continue to be cleaned out, > there will be more and more of it. There is and will continue to be > plenty of real Gilbert American Flyer. > > But it seems to me, that everytime someone tries to give us some of the > S stuff we have been asking for, we kill the fruit on the vine, without > giving it a chance to see what it can perhaps become. These > manufacturers invest and risk their time and money to test the waters > with S offerings, and we slap them down, and then later complain about > how few companies support S gauge. > > > 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/ > > 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/
