[ME 26-06]

OK, I´ll start:

Quality means to me that the engine should be as prototypically accurate as possible. If wheel flanges require a longer wheelbase for the engine to operate properly, that would be OK with me. If it is shortened or lengthened to fit on an existing wheelbase (cf. Märklin/Trix´s Hercules diesel on a class 185 underbody), then that is not OK in my book.

The model should include as many seperate handrails, grabirons, pumps, valves and other whatchamacallits as were/are on the prototype engine. No, or only few, cast-on details, please. Please make them the variety that doesn´t fall off easily, and include some spares if they do anyway. Sprung buffers are fun, btw., for me.

The engine should perform smoothly, accellerate with the amount of pulling force necessary for a train to get going, do so silently for those of us who want to install a sound decoder, and its top speed should not exceed NEM recommendations. The motor shouldn´t get too warm. The gearbox should be solid enough that there is but little wear on the drivetrain. It should be able to climb gradients if they are not too steep. Thus the engine should be of appropriate weight.

The engine should be easily servceable. Disassembly should be easy, and if screws are involved, no self-cutting screws that wear out their holes, please. After the body shell has been removed, access to all points that are to be oiled or greased should be of ease. An 8- or 21-pole DCC connector is a must. A casing where a standard-sized decoder can be placed is a necessity. A casing where a loudspeaker can be installed would be the icing on the cake. Electrical pickup should be reliable, i.e. connecting to as many wheels as possible, yet easily accessable so the modeller can remove dust and lint.

Lighting should be with golden white LEDs, since the yellow or blue variant looks awful, and bulbs heat up and draw a lot of current (I´m thinking DCC). Close coupling should be integrated in the model´s body.

After the break-in period, the engine should be able to accellerate and decellerate smoothly and quietly, without jumping or wobbling on the tracks. Detail should be as fine as feasible. I´d like to be able to place the engine back in its original casing with all small parts installed, thank you. If one snaps off, I´d like to call the factory where it has been made (or ask my dealer to do so) and get a spare part. I want the colors and the printing to be prototypical, no compromising here. Correct size, shape etc. are mandatory, so I haven´t mentioned that so far.

 

[ME 26-06]

QUOTE (ebaykal @ 11 Jul 2007, 12:25) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I will " ditto" all that !

Baykal

Thanks Baykal!

Your mentioning of Micro-Metakit on the other thread (and an engine I just got from my dealer) has just reminded me that i forgot something.

"Quality" to me also means "predictability". I´d like to leave Hornby out of this, as they are fairly new to continental modelling, however, when I buy a Fleischmann, a Trix, or a Roco engine, then I know what to expect from them in terms of quality. Although some models may disappoint my expectations, "Trix" usually means that the model will be a bit on the rugged side, with reliable (read "vintage") motors installed, yet great paint jobs and great pulling power. Lots of metal used. Roco usually fetures all-wheel-drive, a plastic shell on a heavy diecast frame, and a five-pole motor. Not quite as rugged as Trix. Fleischmann is somewhere inbetween... you get the idea.

When Liliput (-Bachmann) announces a new engine, I am not sure what to expect, as their quality in the past (not only since Bachmann took over) was very inconsistent. There were really good engines, as the class 42 and 52 engines, and there were clinkers like the new class 45 engine, or the streamlined class 01. Therefore, I´d like to see engines made by that manufacturer before I decide whether to buy them or not. Same applies to Piko engines, as the revamped stuff from East German times does not hold in my eyes, the "newer", post 1995 engines are fine with me in some cases, but utter crap in others.

Bottom line, if, say, Roco and Piko both announced a class 146 (which they have), I´ll wait for Roco; if Trix and Liliput both announced a Prussian S9 steam engine (my secret dream), I´d preorder the Trix right away and stayed clear of the Liliput.

Y´all understand what I´m trying to say?

 

[ME 26-06]

Peter, I guess most of the forum members model UK outline 00 gauge, so maybe, at least at first, the survey should be limited to that sphere of interest?

 

[ME 26-06]

Hi Peter,

sorry, I got you wrong. You may be correct that if only one or two modellers own a certain engine, the rating may be leaning too far to either side to be of any value.

I might wiggle out of what you said about your class 01 by pointing out that Roco is Austrian...

..but I won´t. Particularly Märklin and the models that were made before Roco went into liquidation have a rather blemished reputation for quality. The higher priced manufacturers, such as Fleischmann or Brawa, still live up to their claims, but many other makers have or had cutbacks on their quality. The latest Roco offerings are better from my experience, though.

I compared German (and Austrian) manufacturers solely because it is them I know best, not because they actually are best. Ask any modeller about Märklin´s Henschel-Wegmann-Zug, or the Central Station, and you´re going to hear a lot of German words you will not find in a dictionary. Same with, like, a Roco class 265, or any NOHAB by Roco.

EDIT: I usually do the same - test the engine at my local hobby shop, and if I don´t like what I see, I won´t buy it. Hassle-free for me as well.