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>>> Two Decades of "Progress"
Sunday, June 29, 2008 I went cheerily into a northeast Ohio hobby store yesterday to acquire some N scale box cars I'd eyed the day before. What caught my eye were a pair of older Roundhouse 50' boxcars, and I do mean older. This is the kind of store that sells everything at list price. The price in the Walthers catalog is what you pay, with tax added, of course. With these two cars, however, I did not mind this as they carried price tags of $6.75 and $7.50 respectively. Remember when you could get a quality N scale car for that price? Remember when you could get any N scale car for that price? The era of five buck cars wasn't too long before my time, either. Two other cars in the case caught my eye, too. They were an Atlas 50' FGE box car and a brand-new Atlas 50' Precision Design box car. The former carried a price of $9.50 and the latter a price of $16.95. Yes, I could get two old Roundhouse kits for the price of the latest at greatest Atlas innovation. These two cars, both ready-to-run, are certainly nicer than the older Roundhouse kits, but are the added details really worth the premium in price? The FGE boxcar is from an intermediate stage in the hobby with a multi-piece frame, floor and brake rigging and a more detailed, if less well-executed, paint scheme. The Precision Design car is the pinnacle of mass-produced N scale box cars with a more detailed and specific paint scheme and even separate railings and etched metal platforms on the end. But, unfortunately, in a sea of freight cars on the layout these details are largely unappreciated. This is really what the hobby boils down to, shelling out more hard-earned cash for less equipment. Some call that "progress" but to me it's really the biggest scam in the hobby. I remember, back in the day, coming home from a hobby shop or train show with a half dozen Roundhouse kits and spending the evening assembling them. You know, enjoying the hobby. It wasn't much work, but it was an enjoyable way to spend the evening away from the television or computer. I had to open all the boxes, sort the parts, file the frames to fit, wash them, and paint them black. While they were drying I would insert the brake wheels and scrounge for enough Micro-Trains trucks from the stockpile. Later that evening or the next day I'd put 'em through finally assembly finish with a few photos on the layout. Today? Open a box and put 'em on the layout. And I pay twice as much now for that privileged. So much for "progress." Labels: railfan Posted by Brian at 9:58 AM >>> The Making Of This Railfan Friday, June 06, 2008 What made YOU a railfan..? Whatever it was that made this railfan, it sure as hell wasn't steam! Labels: railfan Posted by Brian at 6:05 AM >>> Tetsuko no Tabi Sunday, June 01, 2008 Tetsuko no Tabi (TV) - Anime News Network Japanese pop culture has finally confronted the foamer lifestyle. Okay, well, at least the Japanese otaku culture has. Last year Japanese anime fans were greeted with Tetsuko no Tabi, the tale of a station-obsessed foamer and his hapless (helpless?) assistant. While the Japanese are able to get a nationally broadcast television series exploiting the railfan mentality those of us stuck in American can't even get the railfan magazines to do articles examining this. I guess for most of their readers it would just hit too close to home. So, am I nuts for wanting to import the R2 discs? Posted by Brian at 5:13 PM |
>>> About Me Brian M. Schmidt is a freelance writer and photographer from northwest Ohio. View my complete profile >>> Links Cafe Unknown Last Otaku Standing Rambling West route99west.com/addendum Under the Weather Blog World Scott >>> Previous Posts
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