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Post by znutty77 on Feb 10, 2024 14:58:25 GMT -5
My experience has been exactly opposite of yours. I have over a hundred Z locomotives, and they are over 95% American Z Line. The only MTL locos I have any interest in these days are the old coffee grinder F7s, and that's mostly nostalgia. The MTL SD-40s, GP35s, and GP9s that I owned for years never got used, because they were inconsistent runners, and they wouldn't pull NEARLY what AZL locos will. I've sold almost every MTL loco (non F7) that I owned for these reasons. And even the F7s that I've kept have been modified with wheel wipers to make them run at all. I just don't understand trashing an entire brand because you had ONE bad experience. I just received my SP Tunnel Motor.. she runs very smooth at any speed.. no pickup or binding issues.. Noise level is low.. and speed wise blends in fine with older AZL locos, (I tried with a GP30)... BR Boris I too have over 100 locos, perhaps 75% AZL, 20% MARKLIN, & about 5 MTL. I agree with Kez..no problems with AZL locos or products. Rob, Rob & Hans make a great team and produce very high quality products. Rob Kluz has been exemplary in providing service, answering question and has gone the extra mile to help me solve my errors. Zscale is not for everyone and takes skill and patience to operate. Is it possible your gp38-2 problems were from the early well documented zinc pest run which AZL has provided a replacement chassis? I think you misjudge AZL , give them another try. Znutty77 |
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Post by Rob Albritton on Feb 10, 2024 17:22:03 GMT -5
BTW.... am I the only one who finds it odd that someone would judge a whole company based on one locomotive released 12 years ago? And then be part of a forum for a company they detest so much? Curious, right? Nope. Makes perfect sense to me! đ¤Łđ𤣠A better question might have been: âbut how will you ever know if AZL locomotives meet your Kato reliability expectations if you wonât ever try them again?â đ And in fairness, I donât think he ever said âdetestâ âŚ. So weâve got a chance to win âem back!! |
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Post by Scott on Feb 10, 2024 22:04:41 GMT -5
Forgive me AZL principals. I found âcoffee grinder F7sâ description for Z scale MTL F7s to be almost as endearing as my Z scale MTL F7s themselves.
Hans mentioned something that seemed mildly derogatory about the GP38-2s (in a video) which I never could understand. That sent me on a rip-roaring quest for weeks examining detailed photographs of AZL GP38-2s. âCourse my scrutiny was restricted to the appearance of the shells and not under the hood-slash-performance. (Duh. And that âduhâ is directed to me.).
Though Rob K has offered troubleshooting, I had to bubblewrap and pack my AZL beauties. It was beyond words to test run the last locos to be wrapped and boxed: My AZL E7s and E9s. My AZL E7s and E9s are smooth and responsive. They run like butter. Hereâs whatâs churning them (For a double-pun, what does one get?): (Again) MTL modified Railpower 1300 powerpack, eighteen- or sixteen-gauge wire, and Z scale MTL feed track and straight track. âCourse if I had gone Rokuhan all I would have to say is Rokuhan.
âRun like butterâ means headlights run too.
Iâm too gung ho scenery. Mitre joints and pilot holes are the extent of my carpentry. Maybe some HO is needed to break and fix. May be the best way to learn under the hood[?].
Scott
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Post by shamoo737 on Feb 11, 2024 11:27:57 GMT -5
CSX joe, I feel your frustration. My first 2 locos in Z SCALE were AZL GP38-2's and they were lemons. That why 95% of my Z loco's are MTL. The rivet counters say they're out of scale, BUT THEY RUN And THEY'RE DEPENDABLE. Until AZL makes every locomotive at KATO or ATLAS N scale "running quality" level, right out of the box, I won't buy. Always check under the hood. One burned, twice shy. All the detail in the world added to a shell DOES NOT MATTER if the mechanism is crap! As they say in politics "slap lipstick on a pig and it's still a pig". Good Luck In your defense, the first run of the GP38 are the worse engine AZL. Itâs just in front of the last run of the SD70M, so they donât all run great. Thatâs from somebody that has an about 90 locomotive. Also, letâs not kill the messenger for telling the truth. |
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Post by Rob Albritton on Feb 11, 2024 14:44:09 GMT -5
In your defense, the first run of the GP38 are the worse engine AZL. Itâs just in front of the last run of the SD70M, so they donât all run great. Thatâs from somebody that has an about 90 locomotive. Also, letâs not kill the messenger for telling the truth. What you say is true! First run of AZL GP38-2 were made at Sanda Kan (aka Bachmann - before we switched to our current factory) 10 years later, many of them have âzinc rotâ (we do still sell replacement chassis / motors at our cost to support the product even though it is 9 years past warranty expired) And I donât think weâve ever tried to âkill the messengerâ around here. We might be a bit grumpy if we feel like the criticism is unfair, but the guiding principle of this place is to be a safe place where we can all exchange ideas and views about our favorite scale. Thanks to all for your support! |
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Post by DAZed on Feb 11, 2024 17:03:55 GMT -5
And I donât think weâve ever tried to âkill the messengerâ around here. I would say I would have to "agree to disagree", but I'll also say that AZL has done a complete 180 regarding customer service versus when I got into Z-Scale 9 years ago. So I would disagree a little less sternly these days. But how the GP38-2 crumbling chassis was handled early on left a bad taste in my mouth for awhile. I got over it, but when I see a statement made like the one above...maybe tap the brakes on that a little. At least until there's a little more water under that bridge. Falls under the "type the confrontational e-mail out, but don't hit send" category. Most reasonable customers don't want the impossible...sometimes they just want to hear "hey, sorry you're experiencing that. Give us a chance to see if we can help you, and we'll try to do better going forward." When accusations, insults, and denial that a problem exists are the first tools you pull out of your tool belt, it ensures that even if you eventually solve the problem it still won't be considered a positive experience. Again, I think AZL has done a great job of late. Keep up the positive vibes! |
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Post by sjl on Mar 2, 2024 15:36:11 GMT -5
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Post by Tiest van Gool on Mar 4, 2024 11:04:31 GMT -5
Any chance the UP âDesert Victoryâ can be added to the second run? Also a very cool version of the SD40-2 with a great back story. Thanks, Tiest Attachments:
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Post by sjl on Mar 11, 2024 15:34:58 GMT -5
Kind of remarkable all differences in the locos â yet they managed to keep the price reasonable:  |
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Post by DAZed on Mar 11, 2024 16:30:08 GMT -5
Kind of remarkable all differences in the locos â yet they managed to keep the price reasonable: View AttachmentIt really is incredible the number of variations they are offering. And it really opens up what can be modeled in Z. I'm a bit surprised that the tunnel motors have hung around on the shelves. I figured there would be a good contingent of Z/N/(HO?)-scalers that were just waiting around to take advantage of the Z track-to-scenery ratio and model the grande Colorado Rockies or the various other western hot spots like Cajon or Tehachapi on the SP. But even the standard SD40-2's broaden the spectrum. (including the nice ATSF units alongside SP in CA) And being (mostly) proper for their roadnames is really great. Come to think of it, modeling the Joint Line in Colorado would really be a possibility now...it has a mix of all the above depending on the era...DRGW, ATSF, BN, SP...do 1987 and throw the Oakways in the mix too. |
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Post by stevew on Mar 12, 2024 17:25:51 GMT -5
I also would have expected the tunnel motors to do well. The job that AZL did on the SP units is amazing. I purchased all 3 of the SP units as well as 2 DRGW.
The only straight SD40-2 I have right now is a CSX unit. That will change when the Conrail SD40-2s come out. My poor wallet is trembling.
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Post by Edward on Mar 15, 2024 0:19:56 GMT -5
I will end up purchasing more SD40T-2 in the future, but I got hit hard with all of these releases at the same time. So I expect the sale numbers to go up.
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Post by ednadolski on Mar 15, 2024 10:23:50 GMT -5
I figured there would be a good contingent of Z/N/(HO?)-scalers that were just waiting around to take advantage of the Z track-to-scenery ratio and model the grande Colorado Rockies or the various other western hot spots like Cajon or Tehachapi on the SP.
Tunnel motors on Tehachapi? Hmm, sounds like a very interesting idea to me.... 
Ed
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Post by smr on Mar 15, 2024 15:48:49 GMT -5
Could somebody please compare the brass tunnels with the new ones? Highly appreciated!! Best, Sven  |
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Post by rgs455 on Mar 17, 2024 10:39:21 GMT -5
I figured there would be a good contingent of Z/N/(HO?)-scalers that were just waiting around to take advantage of the Z track-to-scenery ratio and model the grande Colorado Rockies or the various other western hot spots like Cajon or Tehachapi on the SP.Â
Tunnel motors on Tehachapi?  Hmm, sounds like a very interesting idea to me....
Ed
SP used their Tunnel Motors all over the system... |
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