Well Guys,
Having read all of the posts, it seems to me as if many folks are dying to fall in love with this engine due to the price, but just can't. And, . . . for good reasons.
A new diesel engine with a really lousy horn and bell is a dog, no matter how cheap it is.
A new diesel engine with a remote-only control, that wants to accelerate to high speeds when the throttle is modestly turned up is a dog, no matter how cheap it is.
A new diesel engine with plastic gears is, . . . well not a dog, but not really what most folks want.
Some folks have mentioned that at a price of only $160, who can complain. Well, are you really buying a new engine so you can bite your tongue, ignore its shortfalls, and not complain?
Yes, $160 is an attractive price, but have you looked at the December sales for engines, such as on the Trainworld site? For just $40 or so more, you can get a much higher quality engine, with no problems. Yes, the great majority of them are conventional, but since most people who like command control trains already have an integrated system and engines for that, what good is it to add yet another remote control, that is an odd-ball on the table and for only one engine, which definitely has issues?
My impression is that most of the folks buying these Beta engines are caught up in the "thrill of the hunt"!
"There are only 200 of these, and I gotta get one ,and then play with it and test it and pull it apart and write about it!"
Yet, after this is all done, I think most buyers will end up having spent $160 plus for this thrill, and be left with a deficient engine sitting on the shelf with its plastic controller, and long forgotten.
At present, this engine is, I believe, plain and simple, a cheap little starter engine for kids who just want to turn a dial and watch it go round-round-round. Nothing inherently wrong with that, . . but it is what it is. (I am somewhat amazed at the excitement that it has created among so many adult O gaugers.) But, unless Menard's goes forth and makes significant changes which will raise the price by $50 or so, it will probably never be more than that.
Nonetheless, one thing I really applaud Menards for, is that they listened to all of the feedback of the test customers, and promptly made a round of changes to try to fix some of them.
When was the last time that Lionel did that?
Mannyrock
