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Otter Valley has screwed up my orders on 3 separate occasions. I won't shop there. If you have a problem, you're into paying for a return shipping label and a lot of back and forth emails. I shop at "The Scuderia46" - he matches Otter and is more local to me

Is that the Platelayers Society? I haven't been to that show... I don't model UK railways

@@chrisdaniell2990 yeah. It’s actually really good but if you hate UK railways then it’s probably not for you.

I do wish we had bigger shows, now it mostly comprises of small shows scattered throughout southern Ontario which is disappointing when you only attend a couple. Though, I've gotten some good deals at the vendor only events which are focus at modelers, good deals from people getting out of the hobby and stuff like that.

I went to the Breslau show (not worth it) and I went to the Kawartha Lakes show (not worth it). Organizers are asking between $5-$7 to get in, and these "shows" are the size of a postage stamp. There's no hope for train shows, prices are squeezing organizers and vendors alike and customers have no choice but to buy less - everyone loses, and greed kills the show (that's why there are no train shows in Toronto)

I've lost track of how times I've heard people say "the hobby is dying ". If that's the case, why are the manufacturers coming out with new stuff every year. And why would new companies spring up in a "dying" hobby. Maybe it's just the local small shows are going away. But there larger venues still thriving. And online stores are still doing good business. Also the hobbyist average age hasn't changed in the last 30 years at least. So tell me what is dying? Please

@@NatersTrains That was a typo. Isn't dying. Agreed. In regards to the younger folks in our hobby. Nothing has changed with prices. You have to get it while you can. If you can't afford it. Scratch build it. If can't do either. Ain't getting anything. That hasn't changed in forty years,lol. It's not dying by a long shot.

True, manufacturers are pumping out new product month after month. They then jump for joy when they sell through and sell enough to make a 'profit'... and with the prices the way they are, they only need to sell "x" number of items whereas before they needed to sell "x squared" to break even. They'll then tell you the hobby is doing great. Well from their perspective, it is. The hobby slams the door on 'lower income' folks with limited purchasing power. The hobby is dying for them when they can't piece together a layout in a reasonable amount of time due to limited disposable income.

I've been in the hobby for almost 40 years myself. It has been slowly dying. Gone are the days of buying a train set, gone are the days of being able to walk up any toy aisle in any store to find a train, gone are the days of visiting your local hobby shop. We've lost a number of hobby shops in the Greater Toronto Area over the years and children are not kitbashing, kit building, or setting up 4x8 tabletops. The hobby has plenty of choice, for those who can afford, find and access it. It's a strong niche market.

@@chrisdaniell2990 Fren,dunno about disposal income. Do know about waiting for a certain freight car. Example: Otter Valley Railway HO Drill Pipe Bulkhead Flat Car. Like many modelers. I find life getting in the way of fun,in regards to MRing. Throw in the utter destruction of the Federal Reserve US Corporation Petro Dollar. Inflation, unemployment,poverty increases. You get the idea. Still MRers are a resilient bunch. Find deals wherever we can or waiting. When I started this hobby. Nothing more than Athearn, Roundhouse kits. Trains have come and gone throughout the years. Still manage to collect whenever financial able. A freight car here or there. It hasn't been easy for anybody. I fully understand your frustration. The hobby isn't dying though. Merely yet another transition. The harden modelers make it through the tough times. Are you a member of a train club ? Might be worthwhile to join if available. Members are always swapping/haggling/selling items. I don't have a train club in my area but do my own thing (turns out modeling steel industry). There is no one interested locally or on RUclips. That's fine. Use to doing my own thing anyway. Do get frustrated or discouraged. Remember Model Railroading is an escape from real life. It's supposed to be fun. Our own little piece of the world where we call all the shots. Have a great day Fren.

Brampton was just okay. The smell of the animals was a little overwhelming; the venue wasn't the best.

@@chrisdaniell2990 And all this time, I thought that was some of the attendees 😂

If you ever attended Kitchener before, it was like being in a time machine.. same vendors, same stock, higher prices.

@@chrisdaniell2990as for the Scuderia 46. Aren’t they open to the public, if so did you see their opening hours?

If you're a 'younger' modeller, it's likely because of Tyco.

@@chrisdaniell2990 tyco and mpc era Lionel. Toy trains are what got me hooked

Just keep moving up drill bit sizes till it starts reaming out plastic. Test for fit and if it's still too small, move up one size.

Private sale, many years ago now. You can't get these cars at the retail level. Only way to get a car now is if you're actually on the Rocky Mountaineer as a guest.

Thanks Jim

The Hobbytown of Boston kit is not exactly 'easy' to assemble; many parts required filing. I mainly did what I did because I wanted a 'smooth running' Tyco to run on a DCC layout. Personally, I'd only upgrade iconic locomotives from Tyco (Silver Streak, Midnight Express, Canadiana, Rocky Mountain Line).. I don't think the other releases are 'worth it' because modern day manufacturers do a better job than Tyco. If your power torque motor is bad, it may just need cleaning; throwing $200+ at a Tyco is wasteful... however, I had 'fun' putting it together and I'm 'okay' with taking a $$ loss when it comes time to sell. (I probably made the locomotive worth even less on the collector market after I 'upgraded' it, lol) Good luck with whatever you decide to do with your Chessie.

eBay?

Correct, you need a Porters account to purchase. However, they're not as limited as the Porters Club Lounge Exclusive cars redeemable through Porter points only.

@@chrisdaniell2990 have you seen PWRS NARC cars before at train shows? Recently

You might find an old release at a show. I found the CN Circus Car at George's Trains... so, they're out there. Truly, the only people getting these exclusive cars are 'collectors' (they're Intermountain cars boxed under the NARC label). They worked out to about $95 CAD each after tax/shipping (not cheap).

What brand is it? Altas? There could be clips holding the shell to the sill? They could be broken? Why would the shell be destroyed if you take it off? If you're in the Toronto area, I'll do the DCC install for free (you buy the parts of course). First things first, take off the handrails, stanchion by stanchion, next, remove the couplers, coupler pockets, look for screws along the underside of the locomotive, they could be in between the wheels and the gear assembly (use a high intensity light to look everywhere). You need to remove all the screws from the bottom to release the chassis from the shell. There are exploded parts diagrams online if you Google the model/brand of your locomotive. The plastic clips on this model hold the shell to the sill. Remove the shell by releasing it from the sill. Pull off the shell, isolate the motor from the chassis, follow NMRA wire standards for DCC installation, program, you're done.

@@chrisdaniell2990 it's the same Atlas that you have in the video I'm pretty sure. My big hands are just not suited to pulling this thing apart gently. I can't maintain a decent grip without breaking something. 🙄😩 This has the original "dual mode" Atlas Master 4 function decoder in it with the jumper apparently set for DC. I'm from "down south" from you in Pennsylvania, but I could ship it to you if you're interested.

I'm not all familiar with the Atlas 4 function decoder... what's the SKU number on the box? I put $200+ towards the model... just in electronics. The ESU decoder is $180, the Decoder Buddy is another $25, the speaker is another $20, add the LED's (Canadian dollars) I then downloaded the sounds from the ESU website to the decoder. The whole thing has been gutted. I'll do another video on this locomotive for you... step-by-step. Stay tuned. Even if you have 'big hands' you can take it apart with toothpicks (that's what I do). The 'hardest' part of the installation, of ANY installation is the lights because you have to stop light 'bleed through' and position them exactly. It's also a 'pain' downloading sounds to the decoder because it takes so long. Anyways, I'll post another video about it for you. You can do this.

@@chrisdaniell2990 I hope you're right. I haven't so much as held a pinvice in 27 years! Couldn't solder for spit then either! 🤣😩

I'll make another video for ya. No worries about not knowing... I taught myself how to do DCC installations because I got tired of paying $200 in labour for it (stupid). These hobby shops are not interested in the hobby, they just want your money. Well, I got tired of paying and did the labour myself. I'm more than pleased to help someone out.

Kadee. (You can probably get one at any auto parts store)

@@chrisdaniell2990 Thank you.

no, i wish.

@@chrisdaniell2990 Still a very cool locomotive set. Thanks for sharing it.

Thanks Roger. I want to add a few clips from Star Trek and Battestar Galactica as sound functions, maybe even a cheesy line from Jason Shron in there. I then need to track down some MV lenses to really 'finish' it.

I'm going to Kitchener today. Other than that, not really. Most shows in Ontario have decreased in size while admission prices jumped up by a dollar or two. I skipped the Barrie show for this very reason. To top it off, fewer dealers are willing to bargain even though they're asking eBay prices. I hope the Double Headers Layout Tour in April leads to some inspiration as these shows [lately] offer nothing better than a loop of track with some grass

Nice conversation, Chris. You're right, putting DCC sound in this particular Canadian loco in brass was a no brainer 😊

True enough..I just wish the Rapido had more pulling power.

Jason only speaks up when his models come damaged in the box and begins to explain away the problems while telling you to pre-order the latest release.

Thanks! It's probably more of a 'discussion piece' than the most expensive brass/plastic locomotive on the layout, lol.

High-end cabooses are easily $100 CAD right now. Adding a smoke unit, sound decoder pushes the limit on what's reasonable for a piece of rolling stock. The hobby is killing itself with these high prices. Hobbyists are going to start turning to the $5 bin under the used sales table and upgrade the junk. My Golden Eagle loco is DCC'd, dual fly-wheel, LED's, completely modernized. Likewise, the caboose has Kadees and metal wheel sets. What more could I ask for? It will be a rare day when I throw over $400 towards a locomotive. Ain't happening.

@@chrisdaniell2990I think you could add a lighted base and a cheap add on smoke unit pretty cheap to a less desirable tyco car. The gold is in pretty good shape to to modify it too much. I do the same thing with old lionel o gauge trains after searching a few junk boxes I can usually piece together an engine or car for about a 1/3 of a nice original....I dont even consider buying the new stuff. The Tyco stuff is pretty fun to collect they had a lot of nice operating accessories....I always wanted to do an HO layout with their trains and trucking USA slot car track....it gets expensive for those old slot car trucks.

My dad and I walked through it while it sat parked at Union Station/Toronto one time (he was a Via/CN conductor). It was a rare treat to see any ONR stuff. Sadly, there's nothing smooth about any of Canada's passenger train services today.