05-20-2012, 04:24 AM
Gee.... Talk about the "good old days"... The one and only brass diesel I ever purchased was a Hallmark GE 44ton that I paid about $90 for in the mid 70's. The mechanism was so poor that on a regular DC throttle, it was either sitting still or finally took off at 90 mph at full voltage! Made more noise than any coffee grinder! Got an SCR throttle (a/k/a chopper - any one else remember those?) and that ran it very slow because of the variable pulse spikes from the SCR throttle, so I was happy with it after that. Detail didn't compare with today's plastic GE 44/45 tonners.
Always remember whenever I purchased a new Athearn engine - it would either run okay or very poorly (perhaps not at all) and of course geeps had hoods that were too wide, but we accepted that. Speaking of Athearn, how many folks on here remember their Hi-Fi rubber band drive on their F-units and Hustler? Those things ran like slot cars.
I remember how we all fussed when those nice Roundhouse box cars, covered hoppers and tank cars were released that sold for a whopping $6 to $8 a piece for a shake the box kit. What are we paying now for a single car? $30+++ And of course the days of purchasing a new locomotive for $25 are long gone too! The hobby has certainly improved over the past few years, but I feel for the younger people who don't have a pocket full of money and are just getting started.
Always remember whenever I purchased a new Athearn engine - it would either run okay or very poorly (perhaps not at all) and of course geeps had hoods that were too wide, but we accepted that. Speaking of Athearn, how many folks on here remember their Hi-Fi rubber band drive on their F-units and Hustler? Those things ran like slot cars.
I remember how we all fussed when those nice Roundhouse box cars, covered hoppers and tank cars were released that sold for a whopping $6 to $8 a piece for a shake the box kit. What are we paying now for a single car? $30+++ And of course the days of purchasing a new locomotive for $25 are long gone too! The hobby has certainly improved over the past few years, but I feel for the younger people who don't have a pocket full of money and are just getting started.
Ed
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"