Sticker Shock

[Espeefan]

And those who won't buy an incorrectly articulated engine are also lost sales due to the manufacturers cheapness.

True, but there must not be as many of them as there are those who buy the model, or manufacturers would have changed their methods. The market only does what we tell it to

Again, the modeller is the problem, with unrealistic expectations. Most all articulated models go around tighter curves than the prototype in the first place. Understanding what suitable engines should be used is part of model railroading. Threatening manufacturers? Their are blow-hards in every hobby. You should read audiophile threads( can you hear the 'sound' of speaker cables), or even the Science Fiction modellers(Did it have panel lines, etc). For a model articulated to swivel correctly, the front engine swivels at the back of the frame, attached to the front of the rear one which is rigid. Having the cab completely skewed from the front of the tender as it goes around curves (Like the Plastic N&W "A") looks horrid enough that I don't even photograph it from those angles. the wrong articulation also takes away from the appearance of the front engine swinging out like the prototype. Perhaps I just work to a higher standard, but thats my problem.

I agree with your technical comments, and in fact I buy accordingly. I have the good fortune to belong to a club with a 48" minimum radius, so I can even have my Daylight cars close coupled so the full width diaphragms touch and look right, and I hate the look of double articulated engines on 18 radius curves just like you.

The thing is though that people are going to enjoy the hobby in their own way. Let 'em! They may learn or come to appreciate the prototypical concept. I did. I had one of those double articulated Rivarossi cab forwards. Thought it was the grandest thing. If anyone had lectured me about how un-prototypical it was I'd have probably stifled the urge to tell them to stuff it, and said "Yeah but I can't afford the $800-1000.00 a properly articulated brass model would cost me, so this is it." (price points are 1993 or so). Let folks be as prototypical as they want to be. As they advance this may get more important. For beginners it can cause too much stress.

 

[Espeefan]

So now that we pretty much jacked the original thread with our prototypical accuracy discussion and probably made the OP think we're a bunch of crazy old buzzards, let's return to the original topic!

Congrats on that new engine. An SD 40 is a good all around workhorse and will serve you well. The second and third generation diesels are well represented in the hobby. I think for a DCC equipped model you did well at $62.00. I often win on e-bay when I least expect it. Sometimes when I'm broke!

 

[Y3a]

So now that we pretty much jacked the original thread with our prototypical accuracy discussion and probably made the OP think we're a bunch of crazy old buzzards, let's return to the original topic!

Congrats on that new engine. An SD 40 is a good all around workhorse and will serve you well. The second and third generation diesels are well represented in the hobby. I think for a DCC equipped model you did well at $62.00. I often win on e-bay when I least expect it. Sometimes when I'm broke!

You're right of course. I started to like diesels much later than steam, and like the "Large box types like Sd40's SD45's U30C's Trainmasters, SD9' etc. My office is directly across from CSX trackage in DC, so I see lots of big power.