Subject:
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Re: 9V Train Motor Being Discontinued?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:19:44 GMT
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Viewed:
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3957 times
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In lugnet.trains, Eric Kingsley wrote:
>
> This is very important feedback. Lets try an informal poll...
>
> If 9V trains do get discontinued...
>
> 1. Would your club disband or significantly cut back on public appearances?
> (List your club and number of appearances)
>
> 2. Are there any clubs that would continue to show using the new Battery
> powered IR Trains?
>
> 3. How tightly are 9V trains and your clubs survival tied together?
>
>
I am a Castle Builder who as only recently begun collecting trains, and even
more recently, building MOC trains, and both specifically for the purpose of
bringing them to TexLUG displays. Yes, they're for my enjoyment, too, but as a
Castle Builder I do not have a dedicated train layout, nor do I plan to build
one.
Seeing as 9v motors and track wear out, as any moving part does, I would
eventually stop displaying my trains, as what is the point of displaying a train
at a public event if you're not also going to run it (because kids and adults
alike ask you to run a train they haven't seen moving).
Currently TexLUG doesn't do too many truly public displays, but every one of
them has involved trains. Our big Technic builder, TJ Avery, regularly builds
huge technic bridges specifically for train track, to add to the display. At
the last meeting, Tim discovered a section of straight track missing a metal
rail. Losing 9v trains and the ability to replace broken/worn out parts would
severely hinder our blossoming efforts to put on public displays, and would cut
our layouts in half.
As far as the IR trains go, I know TexLUG has several members with a more liquid
income that could invest in those trains, and probably do very well with them.
However, they're ability to gather these trains and their track (albeit the old
metal rails are comaptible) would be slow and there would be a serious lag time
in the collection to display process.
But personally, I will not be buying the IR trains, for many reasons. First and
foremost, I've already invested more money than I had planned in my trains.
Being a Castle fan by trade, I will always focus on that, and trains will always
be secondary overall.
Secondly, I don't stick with 6 wide trains. The current train I'm working on is
an 8 wide, and while I've not seen the IR trains in person, I get the impression
that you cannot build an IR train motor/reciever into an 8 wide train without
serious interference with the signal pickup.
Third, I have doubts in the IR train system. Again, as I've said, I've not seen
the new trains in person, so I do not speak from experience. But the 9v system
is a linear system, and that is very important to me. I build big. I've always
built big. As a Castle fan, I've built castles that take up half my truck's
bed. As a train fan, I have built two trains, a 9 car long Santa Fe Super
Chief, and my current 8 wide MOC train. Both are very very heavy trains, which
require a lot of raw power. With the 9v system, if you need more pulling power,
you add a motor. Sure the power gets dilluted, but the motors give coordinated
power. If you need more speed, you add a regulator. While you lose
coordination, you can easily adjust it without seeing the train.
The IR system, and please correct me if I am mistaken, requires a motor to be
tethered to a battery, concealed somewhere within the train. How much power can
this batter put out? How long will it last? Can you attach two motors to one
battery? Or can you attach to motors to one IR controller? Is it a rechargable
battery, or do we have to invest stock in Duracell or Engerizer?
It seems to me that any train club using the IR system will be severely limited
in the size and dimensions of their trains, which severely limits creativity.
Certainly the 9v system is much more accommodating to motorizing a train, simply
by replacing a bogie with a motor.
Will TexLUG disband if 9v trains were discontinued? No, I don't think so.
Will TexLUG lower its number of truly public displays? Possibly, trains add
interest and tie everything together.
Will TexLUG use IR trains? Dunno. I certainly won't be bringing any to shows.
Will TexLUG survive? Of course. Just perhaps in the darker places, hidden from
the eyes of the world.
--Anthony
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: 9V Train Motor Being Discontinued?
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| (...) Ted, This is very important feedback. Lets try an informal poll... If 9V trains do get discontinued... 1. Would your club disband or significantly cut back on public appearances? (List your club and number of appearances) 2. Are there any (...) (19 years ago, 28-Mar-06, to lugnet.trains) !
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