--- In [email protected], "John Degnan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> But I was not aware that Ajin was Overland's supplier OR that Ajin isn't
> well respected. Good to know.
As others have noted, Ajin is not all bad ("spotty" wasn't intended to
communicate "not well respected"). I'd say that they're above
average, but not great. My point was that when you mention brass, the
builder is the key. Here's a pretty informative link that'll help
with knowing who the importers and manufacturers are:
http://tinyurl.com/569r92
I'd also point out that not all 1980s brass ran poorly. I have an HO
scale IC 2-8-4 that was built by SKI-Japan (imported by PFM) that I'd
put up against anything built today in whatever comparison you want to
make. But even it had minor shorts. I replaced the brass brake shoes
with plastic ones and put a little clear fingernail polish on the
bottom of the left cylinder and it runs perfectly. Had my trackwork
been perfect, I likely wouldn't have had to make those changes. The
motor, gearbox and mechanism were great out of the box. Of course,
that puppy cost $350 when new in 1988, which translates to roughly
$700 today.
Unfortunately, most folks' brass experiences probably started with the
$100 1980s models that were built by companies like Dong Jin. I've
heard stories of folks picking up their IC 4-8-2s and having the whole
gearbox fall out (probably why so many folks mention motor and gearbox
replacements). Cheap brass is...well, cheap!!
As far as folks complaining about the material itself, I'd really be
interested in understanding their complaints. Other than the
conductivity of brass causing shorts, I can't think of a negative with
the material itself. Of course, one could use that conductivity to
their advantage, especially with things like classification lights,
cab lights, ground lights...
FWIW,
Rhett
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