Do you expect your new model to last forever?
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2,148 Posts
Nothing lasts for long. Everything has a life expectancy.
It purely depends on to the way you treat it. Harsch, running around non stop or keeping it in its box and running it once in a while.
This life expectancy is directly related on the products quality. Quality comes with a price attached to it.
I would very much like my kids to take off where I left from, just like my dad did to me with the 1958 American Flyer which is still kicking.
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Cheers
Baykal
It purely depends on to the way you treat it. Harsch, running around non stop or keeping it in its box and running it once in a while.
This life expectancy is directly related on the products quality. Quality comes with a price attached to it.
I would very much like my kids to take off where I left from, just like my dad did to me with the 1958 American Flyer which is still kicking.
Cheers
Baykal
A new model is no different to any other mechanical device we buy, your car for example. The items life span is subject to so many variables but there is no doubt that if treated with care and serviced regularly the modern model, like the modern car, could be made to last a lifetime. Indeed many have done. Having said that I don't think for one moment that for the 'average' purchaser the models longevity, in terms of the purchasers lifetime, is a consideration.
this is an intresting thread, and some thing i have not thought about before, i recently came into possetion of a tri-ang bultic tank loco, thought to be about 50 years old, how that particular loco has been used or abused before i got hold of it i have no idea, but it runs very well, and looks very good for its fifty years, i also have recent offerings from the main rtr manufacturers, they look and run, much better than than the baltic, but wether they will be in as good as condition, i guess is down to the owner, ( me in this case) trouble is i wont be here in 50 years time to know, treated well they will last, abuse it and it will not.
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882 Posts
The Sale of Goods Act says a new item should remain free from faults for 6 years
However, many model trains will vastly exceed this, so if a small percentage fail between years 6 and 10, even that is acceptable
However, many model trains will vastly exceed this, so if a small percentage fail between years 6 and 10, even that is acceptable
QUOTE (Doug @ 19 Jul 2007, 17:32) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>When though did the notion of collecting items in mint condition - buying them and keeping them wrapped up in protective plastic and boxes - come about?
When the first idiot was born! I can't understand why a sane person would collect objects and then hide them away - suppose a thief entered their house and removed all the items, leaving the packaging and boxes exactly as they were before. The owner would continue to 'enjoy' his unused collection none-the-wiser and the thief could sell/use the items...there is no need for the items to exist for the collector!
It makes me a tad annoyed sometimes to think that some nutter has lovingly locked away dozens of brand-new Roco coaches/wagons etc. manufactured before I got into model railways which I'm having a very hard time fighting for on eBay etc. if they occasionally come up. Collect by all means if what you collect is on display for your titilation, but to those who lock it all away...I can only hope they die young and sane relatives sell the models...
Regarding things lasting for ever...the prototype brakes down and eventually gets scrapped/smashed up on a level-crossing or poorly maintained point-work/driver gets out without the brakes set on a hill etc. so for the model to be realistic it should in the end be run down and consigned to the sidings of death...several manufacturers are clearly proud to help make the transition to this final resting place with their woeful quality control.
Goedel
When the first idiot was born! I can't understand why a sane person would collect objects and then hide them away - suppose a thief entered their house and removed all the items, leaving the packaging and boxes exactly as they were before. The owner would continue to 'enjoy' his unused collection none-the-wiser and the thief could sell/use the items...there is no need for the items to exist for the collector!
It makes me a tad annoyed sometimes to think that some nutter has lovingly locked away dozens of brand-new Roco coaches/wagons etc. manufactured before I got into model railways which I'm having a very hard time fighting for on eBay etc. if they occasionally come up. Collect by all means if what you collect is on display for your titilation, but to those who lock it all away...I can only hope they die young and sane relatives sell the models...
Regarding things lasting for ever...the prototype brakes down and eventually gets scrapped/smashed up on a level-crossing or poorly maintained point-work/driver gets out without the brakes set on a hill etc. so for the model to be realistic it should in the end be run down and consigned to the sidings of death...several manufacturers are clearly proud to help make the transition to this final resting place with their woeful quality control.
Goedel
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8,102 Posts
This is one of the reasons I prefer locos with metal bodies over those with plastic ones as I believe that they will have more durability. Ideally I would like my locos to last for ever. I'm only going to find that out way into the future though.
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150 Posts
i haven't got my layout up as yet. but, when i do the loco's & carriages, wagons will be stored in their boxes while not in use. to help preserve them. and give them the odd blast off speed to keep them free from sticking and a blast of compressed air every so often to keep the dust away ( say about every few months ) and a track inspection about once per week for connections and clean the track. i think this way loco's will last longer as well as the carriages/wagons as well.
however everyone has their own way off doing things. but it's nice to see how other modellers preserve their loco's
even if some modellers do keep them lock-up which i would hate myself bring them out say once per week juct to give them a run around the track just to free them up.
john
however everyone has their own way off doing things. but it's nice to see how other modellers preserve their loco's
even if some modellers do keep them lock-up which i would hate myself bring them out say once per week juct to give them a run around the track just to free them up.
john
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13,704 Posts
Personally I would expect all my models (providing they are looked after correctly) to outlast me.
QUOTE (goedel @ 20 Jul 2007, 00:03) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>It makes me a tad annoyed sometimes to think that some nutter has lovingly locked away dozens of brand-new Roco coaches/wagons etc. manufactured before I got into model railways which I'm having a very hard time fighting for on eBay etc. if they occasionally come up. ...
My pet peeve ist that somewhere abroad, where German HO engines aren´t so popoular, there´s a shopkeeper thinking "Lord, if only some sucker would show up and ridden me of the Roco BBII or the Brawa PtL 2/2 that has been gathering dust for ages now", while I´m having a hard time looking for exactly these two engines...
Back on topic, I absolutely expect my engines to outlast me, I pay premium for them and expect to get some retur for my money, and (another pet peeve) if something snaps or breaks, I want to be able to purchase spare parts should this happen.
Like my car, I tend to take good care of my models, mechanically and regarding their outer appearance, and this maintenance should ensure that I enjoy them for a long, long time. Plus, I try not to neglect any problems that arise, but rather fix them early on to ensure that they willnot entail in more, deeper troubles.
My pet peeve ist that somewhere abroad, where German HO engines aren´t so popoular, there´s a shopkeeper thinking "Lord, if only some sucker would show up and ridden me of the Roco BBII or the Brawa PtL 2/2 that has been gathering dust for ages now", while I´m having a hard time looking for exactly these two engines...
Back on topic, I absolutely expect my engines to outlast me, I pay premium for them and expect to get some retur for my money, and (another pet peeve) if something snaps or breaks, I want to be able to purchase spare parts should this happen.
Like my car, I tend to take good care of my models, mechanically and regarding their outer appearance, and this maintenance should ensure that I enjoy them for a long, long time. Plus, I try not to neglect any problems that arise, but rather fix them early on to ensure that they willnot entail in more, deeper troubles.
QUOTE My pet peeve ist that somewhere abroad, where German HO engines aren´t so popoular, there´s a shopkeeper thinking "Lord, if only some sucker would show up and ridden me of the Roco BBII or the Brawa PtL 2/2 that has been gathering dust for ages now", while I´m having a hard time looking for exactly these two engines...
There is a model shop in Royan, France, whose window I look through at least once a year. He has an absolutely amazing collection of mint Scalextric models for sale in his shop window in boxes that are now all sunfaded...
I am going to start a new topic on this subject as I want to know of the location of any store where the owners are out of step with reality!
Back to the topic in hand.
Happy modelling
Gary
There is a model shop in Royan, France, whose window I look through at least once a year. He has an absolutely amazing collection of mint Scalextric models for sale in his shop window in boxes that are now all sunfaded...
I am going to start a new topic on this subject as I want to know of the location of any store where the owners are out of step with reality!
Back to the topic in hand.
Happy modelling
Gary
QUOTE (alastairq @ 20 Jul 2007, 09:26) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>but then I don't like Football.......oh dear....
I'm not the only one on here then........
I would hope that my current fleet will continue to perform for the foreseeable future, after all some of them are now more than 40 years old!
Regards
jOHN
I'm not the only one on here then........
I would hope that my current fleet will continue to perform for the foreseeable future, after all some of them are now more than 40 years old!
Regards
jOHN
QUOTE (alastairq @ 20 Jul 2007, 09:26) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>This is a tad intolerant, is it not? I find it a trifle worrying that someone else may view my purchasing habits in such a way?
''stones in glass houses'' etc??
I have a heap of US prototype stuff, a lot scratchbuilt, nearly all modified in some way...all sat in various boxes in a cupboard...and have been for nearly 10 years now.
or simply someone with 'magpie' tendencies, who has zero commercial sense, who doesn't actually feel inclined to part with them?
but then I don't like Football.......oh dear....
I have near-zero interest in DCC......luddite?
I enjoy building my own track..........where's that 'nutter' paperwork???
Sorry if my post came across as intollerant.
I do indeed live in a glass house. I have lots of models in boxes but only because I am unable to start building a layout at this point in time due to space/other commitments and intend to do so in the near future, there are many modellers in this position. Every day I think to myself, "O why am I not using those models which I have stored...what a waste. etc." but my point was directed only against those who buy things with no intention of ever using or displaying them in the future, who just buy them for the warm glow inside it must bring them to know that in their safe deposit box at the Bank of England is a model of every Roco N scale coach ever made. Such people are a small minority, and I would think almost no-one on the Forum is such a deranged collector.
People with kleptomania need medical help. I have no interest in football, but then I don't have a television so I'm not likely to see any.
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There is also a clear difference between such strange collecting and any of the other things you mention such as whether one watches football or builds ones own track and it is this; if A builds his own track this is entirely his business and in no way affects B, however if A has six brand-new unused Roco 24345 models in his safe deposit box and these were only produced in a finite quantity by Roco five years ago, how the hell is B going to get hold of one to use on her layout (when it is built of course!)? In this example A is clearly a tad deranged, and B is clearly a tad frustrated!
Goedel
''stones in glass houses'' etc??
I have a heap of US prototype stuff, a lot scratchbuilt, nearly all modified in some way...all sat in various boxes in a cupboard...and have been for nearly 10 years now.
or simply someone with 'magpie' tendencies, who has zero commercial sense, who doesn't actually feel inclined to part with them?
but then I don't like Football.......oh dear....
I have near-zero interest in DCC......luddite?
I enjoy building my own track..........where's that 'nutter' paperwork???
Sorry if my post came across as intollerant.
I do indeed live in a glass house. I have lots of models in boxes but only because I am unable to start building a layout at this point in time due to space/other commitments and intend to do so in the near future, there are many modellers in this position. Every day I think to myself, "O why am I not using those models which I have stored...what a waste. etc." but my point was directed only against those who buy things with no intention of ever using or displaying them in the future, who just buy them for the warm glow inside it must bring them to know that in their safe deposit box at the Bank of England is a model of every Roco N scale coach ever made. Such people are a small minority, and I would think almost no-one on the Forum is such a deranged collector.
People with kleptomania need medical help. I have no interest in football, but then I don't have a television so I'm not likely to see any.
There is also a clear difference between such strange collecting and any of the other things you mention such as whether one watches football or builds ones own track and it is this; if A builds his own track this is entirely his business and in no way affects B, however if A has six brand-new unused Roco 24345 models in his safe deposit box and these were only produced in a finite quantity by Roco five years ago, how the hell is B going to get hold of one to use on her layout (when it is built of course!)? In this example A is clearly a tad deranged, and B is clearly a tad frustrated!
Goedel
<<<In this example A is clearly a tad deranged, and B is clearly a tad frustrated!>>>
deranged?
for purchasing items as an investment?
yet that person is simply following the concept of 'market forces?'
and it is the 'market' that has created the 'collectable' idea?
the 'market' supports 'collectability'....and nurtures it.
If someone such as yourself truly desires said Roco loco, above all else...then searches must continue, and prices paid.
the other side of the coin seems to be..if said closet collector had NOT bothered to purchase said 'limited run'....and models remained unsold, or took a long time to sell, then the return on [roco's?] investment would not have encouraged [roco?] to proceed further with other models.
or.........if 6 other roco buyers had got this model, and NONE of them wanted to part with them...you would STILL be in the same position?
but...if this roco loco is so unobtainable.....why worry?
just keep an eye on ebay?
deranged?
for purchasing items as an investment?
yet that person is simply following the concept of 'market forces?'
and it is the 'market' that has created the 'collectable' idea?
the 'market' supports 'collectability'....and nurtures it.
If someone such as yourself truly desires said Roco loco, above all else...then searches must continue, and prices paid.
the other side of the coin seems to be..if said closet collector had NOT bothered to purchase said 'limited run'....and models remained unsold, or took a long time to sell, then the return on [roco's?] investment would not have encouraged [roco?] to proceed further with other models.
or.........if 6 other roco buyers had got this model, and NONE of them wanted to part with them...you would STILL be in the same position?
but...if this roco loco is so unobtainable.....why worry?
just keep an eye on ebay?
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560 Posts
QUOTE (BRITHO @ 20 Jul 2007, 13:23) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I'm not the only one on here then........
jOHN
3 of us then. I Firmly believe that football is for the great unwashed masses, a bit like the Christians and the lions at the Colesseum, stops people paying to much attention to the state of the country.
jOHN
3 of us then. I Firmly believe that football is for the great unwashed masses, a bit like the Christians and the lions at the Colesseum, stops people paying to much attention to the state of the country.
to appease the topic critics....
QUOTE Do you expect your new model to last forever?
I rather hope it doesn't go into meltdown in the first year.........whether it will survive after that depends on how I fancy modifying it?
when I was 11 or so, I got into serious bother with me Mam......for Xmas I had asked for some Triang TT track and a point.....these from rellies.......and a Triang TT Jinty 0-6-0 tank!
For me Xmas stockin', an Airfix PUG kit, well worth the 2 bob it cost.......and a Junior Hacksaw!
so...hacksaw, jinty (not cheap for a working class family prezzie in 1962).....and Airfix Pug!
What Mam didn't know was, I had avidly read, nay, poured over, the Rev Lloyd's RM article on his ''Shelf layout in OOn3''.....
I had the plank....laid some TT track.....so far so good, raising no suspicions from me Mam......until Boxing Day
.....when I took the hacksaw to the brand spankers, very costly [relatively] Tri-ang TT Jinty!
Off came the cab, and part of the tanks...on went the Airfix Pug cab, and shortened saddle tank.
The outside cylinders (and crossheads, etc) balked me.....stuffed for a decent crankpin solution!
so a coupla bits of card went on for tramway-style skirts, until I had enough skill/courage to produce outside cylinders and motion (the cyls were from the pug anyways)...on with a lick of Humbrol...blue if I remember rightly....with a bit of matt black here and there.
somehow, me Mam didn't really see where I was coming from, when she found out!
so, the Rev Lloyd got me into bother.......
Inspiration can be a double-edged sword!
QUOTE Do you expect your new model to last forever?
I rather hope it doesn't go into meltdown in the first year.........whether it will survive after that depends on how I fancy modifying it?
when I was 11 or so, I got into serious bother with me Mam......for Xmas I had asked for some Triang TT track and a point.....these from rellies.......and a Triang TT Jinty 0-6-0 tank!
For me Xmas stockin', an Airfix PUG kit, well worth the 2 bob it cost.......and a Junior Hacksaw!
so...hacksaw, jinty (not cheap for a working class family prezzie in 1962).....and Airfix Pug!
What Mam didn't know was, I had avidly read, nay, poured over, the Rev Lloyd's RM article on his ''Shelf layout in OOn3''.....
I had the plank....laid some TT track.....so far so good, raising no suspicions from me Mam......until Boxing Day
.....when I took the hacksaw to the brand spankers, very costly [relatively] Tri-ang TT Jinty!
Off came the cab, and part of the tanks...on went the Airfix Pug cab, and shortened saddle tank.
The outside cylinders (and crossheads, etc) balked me.....stuffed for a decent crankpin solution!
so a coupla bits of card went on for tramway-style skirts, until I had enough skill/courage to produce outside cylinders and motion (the cyls were from the pug anyways)...on with a lick of Humbrol...blue if I remember rightly....with a bit of matt black here and there.
somehow, me Mam didn't really see where I was coming from, when she found out!
so, the Rev Lloyd got me into bother.......
Inspiration can be a double-edged sword!
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