Hi,
not only talking about rolling stock, what about modern switch handles? Or other stuff beside the tracks?
The prices for modern cars ( high cube box cars) are extremly high for second hand material, modern Atlas tank cars are fairly priced, compared with detailed H0 cars, there around 40$.
Perhaps, if Atlas really has one modern car in the pipe, let`s hope, it`s auseful one, both for branch and main.
kindest regards
Elmar
Tes Elmar,I agree on the switchhandles & other trackside details,thank you for not making me feel like a majority of "1."
I've wanted groundthrows &shelf couplers for the modern eras,ever since arriving at O scale. These should work well for 2&3railers. Switchstands are common through all the eras of railroading,with the high level 'stands being more prevalent in the beginning years of railroads but in the steam eras modeled in O scale,right up to present day,they are very common &absolutely necessary. Yes,the double shelf couplers were the 1st to be mandated on tankers beginning in 1975. Lower shelf couplers came along in later years but are a standard now days.
The switchstands cover a greater span of time than the shelf couplers&are largely ignored except for dummy 'stands where the targets rotate only off the action of electric motors that turn the points on switches.
Another product that was developed many years ago to protect mainline track from runaway rolling stock or even locomotives parked on sidings,is the "derailer." I've seen the effectiveness of these as I live near a large grain elevator & some loaded grain hoppers rolled towards the mainline switch,but were derailed by the derailer placed on the siding thus saving engineer's lives on trains on the connecting mainline.
2 bevel gears inside the switchstand,1 on the switch handle,the other attached to a rod that runs through the switchstand mesh providing the movement of the points or derailer.
I'm not meaning to sound like a know it all here by any means,but if the size used for the working part on a Caboose Industries ground throw,were applied to a working model like the prototype 'stands,I think this could be produced.
Caboose Industry has a great product,but how about all the realism we can get?
At any rate,how about at least modifying the handles themselves or the weights attached to the handles to make a more realistic model.
A friend of mine,a p48 modeler drew a 3D model out on paper of a "New Century Adjustable" switchstand,but I've heard no more about it for months now.
I see Caboose Industry ground throws on many O scale switches. I used the 210S &109R 'stands with moving targets in HO & steal the target off their high level 'stand to make a more prototypical target. These move Atlas points well.
1 more word on the shelf couplers,not to steal from the subject of this post. F couplers started back in the 50s,so they're not new. For those curious modelers,look at Sergent Engineering's website to see the many designs available in HO,or surf the internet for prototype couplers.
Thank you Elmar & to all for putting up with me.
Al Hummel
