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Post by bigblow69 on Aug 3, 2015 11:54:14 GMT -8
After many hours of operating my carpet layout my first vote would be train line air hoses on freight cars. Half the time they break with little or no interaction by me. I went as far to remove them from some models for operational purposes. Although I would entertain the operational ones on some level. The plastic ones are to fragile. I would just prefer manufactures to omit this or find a better medium than fragile plastic. What part can you live without or that impairs operations?
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Post by grahamline on Aug 3, 2015 12:04:10 GMT -8
Brass and rubber MU hoses are available from a couple of sources. Making everything out of styrene is a fundamentally bad idea.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Aug 3, 2015 12:23:55 GMT -8
If they fall off anyway, the manufacturers can put them on for those who want them. And for those that don't, they'll just snap off anyway. Win-win.
"Oh, no need to operate. It'll fall off all by itself."
Ed
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2015 13:34:33 GMT -8
I have a few MTH cars with this "feature". Of course, they're passenger cars, so it's that much more annoying when I see the $$$ just falling off.
Gimme my Life Like and Tyco cars any day of the week. Until you can show me a layout that's never once had a derailment, I'd rather play with my trains instead of worry about them.
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Post by fr8kar on Aug 3, 2015 13:57:28 GMT -8
I don't care for the plastic hoses, either. Instead I prefer the rubber hoses by Hi-Tech. They take a lot of abuse and I've not had one fall off yet.
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Aug 3, 2015 14:01:42 GMT -8
The sand lines on Athearn Genesis locomotives.
Unlike the prototype which is attached to the trucks, the Athearn floats and catches on things like lint on a sweater.
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Post by GP40P-2 on Aug 3, 2015 14:09:15 GMT -8
Rotating axle end-caps on freight car trucks. It looks cool for the first minute or two, then the poor rolling characteristics of the truck become more noticable. Finally, the end cap piece eventually just falls off and since you can't replace it, it means replacing the whole truck. Just start with a detailed but smooth rolling truck in the first place.
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Post by jaygee on Aug 3, 2015 14:13:41 GMT -8
There's a fair amount of under floor passenger car detail I could live without...Sorry, Jason. I mean normally you just never see the stuff. Now for a one off special display piece, maybe. Now that being said, I'd like to see greater interior detail on lit passenger cars. Guess I've sort of gotten spoiled by what you can do here in scale O gauge !
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Aug 3, 2015 14:14:42 GMT -8
Rotating axle end-caps on freight car trucks. It looks cool for the first minute or two, then the poor rolling characteristics of the truck become more noticable. Finally, the end cap piece eventually just falls off and since you can't replace it, it means replacing the whole truck. Just start with a detailed but smooth rolling truck in the first place. Can anyone forget the floating journals on the original Proto E8's? I wonder how many tens of thousands have been lost since the E8's were first introduced. |
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Post by Judge Doom on Aug 3, 2015 15:04:36 GMT -8
Accu-mate couplers.
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Post by fr8kar on Aug 3, 2015 15:33:24 GMT -8
The sand lines on Athearn Genesis locomotives. Unlike the prototype which is attached to the trucks, the Athearn floats and catches on things like lint on a sweater. I got a Genesis GP38-2 last year and as soon as I took it out I saw the sand lines and thought, "these have to go!" Before I put it down they were given the chop. Sand lines should be modeled with flexible wire, not molded plastic. My Atlas B40-8s also have those awful sand lines. The worst part is, the factory installed the left ones on the right side and vice versa on one of them. On the other two, they installed all left hand sand lines, so half of them don't come close to lining up with the rails. |
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Aug 4, 2015 20:13:41 GMT -8
The loose brakebeams on old Intermountain cars. When they first came out, we'd find them scattered all around the club layout because they'd always fall out.
Smoke units of any kind. It's not realistic (looks like a burning cigarette), covers everything in oily residue, and can affect people's health. No thanks.
Numberboards that light up brighter than the headlight. During daylight hours on the prototype, can you even tell the numberboards are even on? No? Then why have them so bright?
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Post by icrr3067 on Aug 5, 2015 5:10:24 GMT -8
The windows that open up on Athearn units. I glue them shut and if you don't get it right you screw up the entire window.
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Post by grahamline on Aug 5, 2015 7:31:17 GMT -8
Clear parts cement toothpicked into the window track keeps the sliders from wandering around.
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Post by scl1234 on Aug 5, 2015 7:42:39 GMT -8
The windows that open up on Athearn units. I glue them shut and if you don't get it right you screw up the entire window. Bolded for emphasis. Removed the shell on a Genesis SD45-2 to glue the windows as desired. |
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Post by rockisland652 on Aug 5, 2015 8:36:20 GMT -8
Glued on coupler box covers on freight cars (or any car, for that matter).
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Post by drolsen on Aug 5, 2015 9:51:01 GMT -8
When Walthers first released their Superliner models, the windows were glued in on the undecorated cars. That was not cool...
I'm not a fan of plastic uncoupling levers on freightcars. I want uncoupling levers on my models, but the plastic ones just don't hold up. I'd prefer that they use metal or leave them off so I can install metal ones.
Dave
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Aug 5, 2015 10:59:10 GMT -8
FULLY ASSEMBLED AND CEMENTED TOGETHER UNDECORATED MODELS!!!!
How the heck are you supposed to disassemble them so YOU can paint the prize?
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Post by fr8kar on Aug 5, 2015 13:14:42 GMT -8
The windows that open up on Athearn units. I glue them shut and if you don't get it right you screw up the entire window. I actually prefer the opening windows. I model Texas, so we keep our windows open except when going over crossings. Anyway, a little drop of canopy glue from a toothpick should do the trick to hold them in place. |
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Aug 5, 2015 17:12:14 GMT -8
Delrin parts with supposed molded in color. Other than black, the color of the delrin part many times doesn't match the painted body and sticks out like a sore thumb.
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Aug 5, 2015 17:15:17 GMT -8
Printed on "detail parts".
Aka what Walthers has been doing on some of its models as of late. Specifically models like the EMD E8's for the Union Pacific City streamliners and the Southern Pacific E9A #6051 model.
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Post by theengineshed on Aug 5, 2015 17:35:42 GMT -8
Windshields that are not flush! I'm thinking the BLI shark here, but other manufacturers are guilty too.
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Post by Judge Doom on Aug 5, 2015 18:20:48 GMT -8
Delrin parts with supposed molded in color. Other than black, the color of the delrin part many times doesn't match the painted body and sticks out like a sore thumb. And can, over time, fade or change colour. |
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Aug 5, 2015 19:32:15 GMT -8
Delrin parts with supposed molded in color. Other than black, the color of the delrin part many times doesn't match the painted body and sticks out like a sore thumb. And can, over time, fade or change colour. And become brittle. |
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Post by jbilbrey on Aug 5, 2015 21:03:16 GMT -8
Glued on coupler box covers on freight cars (or any car, for that matter). I've got to agree with you there, especially since I often find myself replacing the couplers with "scale" Kadee couplers. There is nothing quite like having to pry apart a new car while attempting to avoid breaking any of the details to replace the couplers that have been glued in place. Glued-in windshields on undecorated models are another peave. I have a zip-lock bag in my trainroom that is filled with locomotive details that I don't need. These include the "extras" from P2K locomotives (winterization hatches, all-weather windows, MU stands, sunshades, etc.); generic horns; plows; the one-piece MU-hoses that P2K, Atlas, and other use; and un-used details from detailing kits. Every now and then, I'll gather enough parts from the it to detail another locomotive or at least replace "lost" details. The trick with Atlas [Branchline] and other's air hoses is sit the car on your workbench without a piece of track under it. As molded, the air hose is "flat" and will often touch the top of the workbench. Try to gently bend it so that the hose curves to the center of the car. You want it bent enough so that it will not snag on switch frogs or points, grade crossings, etc. but not so bent that the hose will interfere with the coupler's movement. James Bilbrey LaVergne, TN |
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Post by rockisland652 on Aug 5, 2015 21:35:16 GMT -8
Numberboards that light up brighter than the headlight. During daylight hours on the prototype, can you even tell the numberboards are even on? No? Then why have them so bright? Yup. I have a Walthers F7 that has the much ballyhooed LED lighting. Obnoxious. Even the dim setting for Rule 17 is like staring at the Sun. Ugh. Irritating. Also, there is no light bezel under the 'glass' of the headlights, just the aforementioned bright as the %#£<^# Sun LED lighting up the whole works. Folks, these had twin sealed beam headlights and Mars signal lights in there for most of their existences. The big reflectors went out with the B36 bombers. So only Athearn will get this right? And on this same engine, the day glow number boards shine like it is midnight in the daylight. Noting that this is an annoying trend, I noticed on the MB Klein movie of the new Intermountain F3's that the number boards are also day glow. They also feature lovely light leaks at the edges. Now which button do I pres to shut this off? Ugh. Ladies and gentlemen, dear readers, I must implore that the lit number boards are only really visible as lit after the Sun goes down. Please, manufacturers. Please. And Athearn? Kudos to you. |
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Post by Brakie on Aug 6, 2015 0:54:05 GMT -8
Any detail part that is to tiny to see without using a magnifying glass or sticking your eyes a inch from the model.
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Post by Judge Doom on Aug 6, 2015 3:39:46 GMT -8
Any detail part that is to tiny to see without using a magnifying glass or sticking your eyes a inch from the model. That's kind of subjective depending on how good your vision is. But, given this is stereotypically an old pharts hobby...  |
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Post by rockisland652 on Aug 6, 2015 8:22:50 GMT -8
That'd be 'Boring Old Pharts.'
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