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AMCGT: \ i feel compelled to point out that .... The Jeepster was a roadster; the Bachmann vehicle is the Jeep Station Wagon. :) I don't have my old one any more. Do they still make any of these? Originally posted by Autobus Prime - December 27 2014 :  02:10:54 AM

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hey Autobus Prime Note the Jeepsters are a FOUR door type very RARE to find one since most were sold to railroads & equiped with hy-rail gear! So if & when you see a real 4 door Jeepster Remember it was owned by a railroad originally Do want one someday What Willys-Overland sold to the public was 2 doors only Originally posted by microbusss - December 27 2014 :  12:57:37 PM

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Whoa! They are 4 door - that breaks my brain. So the 4 door hi-rail Jeep was a real vehicle and not just Bachmann? Cool! Originally posted by Autobus Prime - December 27 2014 :  3:41:54 PM

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I was out of town this weekend going to visit my wife's relatives, staying at her sister's place in Muncy, PA, which is close to Montoursville, PA , home of Bowser manufacturing, and English's hobby shop which owns it, or the other way around? Anyway, they had some great stuff, as usual. I found their Bachmann shelf in the back of the store, and yes, they still have a few Tracksters in stock for sale. I found my green Jeepster, a School bus, and a Gandy Dancer. Up front, they had some some different MOW trucks, in HO, for about $55 each. Since I was traveling in my wife's Saturn Sky ( little sports car type ), there wasn't much room, so I only bought parts, no trains. Oh well, maybe I"ll have get a club trip to go up one day. It's worth the trip I think, it's almost 5 hour drive from south of DC to there for us. Anyway, I took a few pictures of the Tracksters, so here they are. Jerry Originally posted by AMC_Gremlin_GT - December 29 2014 :  11:28:12 AM

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Yeah, made the mistake of plunking down $25 for a used BLI hirail pickup (with DCC), instead of $30 on a new Bachmann one... Originally posted by PRR 4800 - December 31 2014 :  1:59:51 PM

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quote: Yeah, made the mistake of plunking down $25 for a used BLI hirail pickup (with DCC), instead of $30 on a new Bachmann one... Originally posted by PRR 4800 - December 31 2014 :  1:59:51 PM It's kinda pathetic how they can slap such an expensive price for a very simplistic vehicle like that. Granted, it does have DCC ...but why the heck would anyone want to DCC such a simplistic, generic, unrealistic looking model without doing anything to it? Sorry if I sounded a bit harsh on it there Originally posted by kovacste000 - December 31 2014 :  8:47:49 PM

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Yes, definitely good kitbash material! Strikes me as kind of ironic, as the name BLI equates to high prototypical detail in my mind. Strange they would put out such a crude (appearance-wise) model. Originally posted by JNXT 7707 - January 01 2015 :  09:31:09 AM

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quote: quote: Yeah, made the mistake of plunking down $25 for a used BLI hirail pickup (with DCC), instead of $30 on a new Bachmann one... Originally posted by PRR 4800 - December 31 2014 :  1:59:51 PM It's kinda pathetic how they can slap such an expensive price for a very simplistic vehicle like that. Granted, it does have DCC ...but why the heck would anyone want to DCC such a simplistic, generic, unrealistic looking model without doing anything to it? Sorry if I sounded a bit harsh on it there Originally posted by kovacste000 - December 31 2014 :  8:47:49 PM Ah, that's the beauty of it - kitbashing! The older models had better bodies, the newer ones have much nicer drivetrains ( but a really cheap-looking body ), so I'd venture if it was ME, I'd swap out the body pronto to something a little more realistic. Why didn't they do it up front? Who knows. But having a better-running chassis sure beats trying to upgrade a poor one to start with. Bodies are a lot easier to find. Jerry Originally posted by AMC_Gremlin_GT - December 31 2014 :  8:59:06 PM

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I suspect another reason of low quality is that BLI doesn't expect many main-stream modelers to be buying the hi-rail stuff, so they weren't going to sink alot into the appearances, if kit-bashing was going to be more likely so they could "adjust" the truck to their era anyway. It would all depend on the marketing intent. Since those are more modern hi-rail trucks, I suspect they decided to let the truck body design not be as involved, and just get a good-running chassis. Seems dumb, but they can always come out with a better body later. But most people won't buy junk at high prices if the chassis was as bad as the originals from the 70's by Bachmann. Just a guess.... Jerry in VA, back from PA Originally posted by AMC_Gremlin_GT - January 03 2015 :  09:26:50 AM

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quote: I suspect another reason of low quality is that BLI doesn't expect many main-stream modelers to be buying the hi-rail stuff, so they weren't going to sink alot into the appearances, if kit-bashing was going to be more likely so they could "adjust" the truck to their era anyway. It would all depend on the marketing intent. Since those are more modern hi-rail trucks, I suspect they decided to let the truck body design not be as involved, and just get a good-running chassis. Seems dumb, but they can always come out with a better body later. But most people won't buy junk at high prices if the chassis was as bad as the originals from the 70's by Bachmann. Just a guess.... Jerry in VA, back from PA Originally posted by AMC_Gremlin_GT - January 03 2015 :  09:26:50 AM Good running chassis? BULL. This little monstrosity can barely get enough traction to move, the tire treads carved into the wheel don't help electrical conductivity, and it stalls out on turnouts and diamonds almost every time! One time I was trying it out at a club layout, and we found out (after wondering for several minutes why it hadn't shown up at one end of the layout) that its wheelbase is precisely equal to the distance between the little insulated frogs on a 30-degree diamond, which stops it dead! You would think BLI would have tested this thing so that wouldn't have happened... Originally posted by PRR 4800 - January 04 2015 :  9:37:39 PM

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It's really that bad? Gosh, and BLI calls themselves a high quality brand? Pathetic, really. Originally posted by kovacste000 - January 04 2015 :  11:39:13 PM

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quote: It's really that bad? Gosh, and BLI calls themselves a high quality brand? Pathetic, really. Originally posted by kovacste000 - January 04 2015 :  11:39:13 PM Stephen summed it up well. From the Bachmann handcar to these Hi-Railers, these things are really just novelties. Their miniscule weight and short wheelbase mean they lack traction and dependable electrical pickup. No matter what you pay or who makes them, they'll never be operationally dependable, but DCC implies that someone plans to use them in serious operation. So why does BLI, which positions itself to an upscale market, stake its name on a toy gimmick? I have nothing against toy gimmicks and whimsy, but at BLI prices? And, in BLI's market? Bad match. Originally posted by scsshaggy - January 05 2015 :  12:02:16 AM

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The BLI Hi-Railer didn't look that bad in their promo videos, but up against the Bachmann stuff, they look pathetic. BLI doesn't market to toy train collectors (as we've been recently reminded ), so the fact that they put no effort into detailing something that could at least be part of a detailed static MR scene is bizarre. I know the Bachmanns have been retooled, and have all wheel pickup now. As long as they're decent performers there's no contest. But Shaggy's right, school bus aside, these are just novelty 0-4-0's with a tiny wheelbase and no ability to add weight or track sliders to improve pickup. Originally posted by NickelPlate759 - January 05 2015 :  2:47:54 PM