C&NW/UP posted:Here's a thought . . . Z Stuff signals seem to have it all! Prototypical designs, integrated circuitry, super easy installation! You can even link them in a snap! Unfortunately, they're a bit pricey. What say you?
I think all signal systems and the poles that they sit on are vastly overpriced. With 3D printing of signal structures and cheap electronics to make them function, the days of the $65 signal are numbered.
I find signaling to be one of the most underdeveloped aspects of the model railroading hobby in all gauges despite many attempts to promote one system over another. None of them have really caught on. I like the Atlas Century 2000 system that does a good job with the electronics to achieve something like prototypical behavior between blocks. But man is it expensive. We can do better.
You know that the manufacturers would love to corner this market. How many signals would you have on a modest sized layout. Maybe 10 blocks, in both directions, with a double mainline. Lay down some dwarfs in the yards and we're talking about a large number. The smaller manufacturers have a hard enough time just trying to keep their heads above water. Azatrax, Z-Stuff, my hat goes off to them for trying to fill the gaps left by the bigger organizations. But their market penetration is spotty at best.
You don't find people rallying around a signaling system the way they do for DCS and Legacy/TMCC. Of course those systems are necessary to run the trains. Signaling just isn't where they want to spend their time and effort.
And so it will most likely continue to be a spotty market. But for those who want to put in the time and effort, I think signaling can be a very fascinating area to explore.
