Dave45681 posted:Good topic!
I'll lead of with a few simple words on the culvert loader/unloader.
New Pros: Looks nicer (condition) than a used PW piece. Nice they they added the infra red eye to line up the cars.
New Cons: Being DC motors, they are heavily reliant on the electronics for the "brains" that tell the motors when to reverse, engage (for unloader string), etc. Also, the motors are entirely contained up on the beam, so the actual part moving back and forth is MUCH larger than the PW versions, particularly for the unloader.
There is probably more to say than that on those 2, but I figured I'd start the thread off with a reply.
Also a thought on 445 switch towers: the original PW (and MPC remake, along with burning switch tower from 1992-ish) used a string on a pivoting arm to link the motion of the man on the balcony and the man on the stairs. Action was : solenoid activated, man upstairs goes inside (starts outside until activated), man on stairs descends (illusion that it's the same man). More recent ones that replaced the string with a geared mechanism (the 6-12917 from 1996 and all the burning variants since then), I am pretty sure all start with the balcony man inside, and the stair man at the top. So when activated, both men come out. (there is also an opening door, which on the string linked ones, I believe is just an opening, no hinged door).
445 new (1996 +) Pros: No string to get hung up or saw through the hole in the wall that it would travel through.
445 new (1996+) Cons: kills off the illusion that it is the same man on the balcony going inside and then descending the stairs.
(I could probably go on a tangent with differences in the original burning switch tower and the more recent remakes, but I'll hold off on that.
. Since the burning one didn't exist in PW., it might be a bit outside the intent of your topic.)
Also, just my opinion, but I'd recommend changing the thread title to something like "Accessories - Comparisons of PW vs. Modern Remakes". The current title could mean a lot of different things.
-Dave
Done. Good advise, Dave. I'm going to remove the culvert pair, from the layout and tweak them, Again ! Way back in 1999, when I made a failed attempt to return to "O" gauge, I purchased the modern versions of the culvert loader and unloader.
No matter what I did, I could not get them to work properly. Most of the issues had to do with the culvert pipes not releasing from the magnet in the correct position when they passed through the swinging doors. Speaking of which, why did Lionel decide to change that aspect. The culvert didn't travel far enough for the swinging doors to catch the back end of it.
Another issue was the overhead rail on the culvert loader. The culvert would not drop into the gondola properly. And the hooked arm wouldn't grab the culvert. The instruction manual said to bend the overhead rail supports, that carry the hook. Again, no matter what I did, I could not get the loader to work as it was supposed to.
I ended up selling both. The buyer had no complaints.
I have one of the modern versions of the Burning Switch Tower. It operates flawlessly. My grandchildren love it.
