New Product: TRINCool 64' Reefer w/ 3 different refrigerator

Hi Folks,

An update on the Modern Trinity Reefer:

We just got our first shot plastic samples and wanted to share them with you. This car looks great, and the details are unbelievable! The porch under the refrigeration unit is made of etched stainless steel, and the under-frame brake lines and reservoirs are separately attached. As promised, we will deliver this car with three different refrigeration units.

Enjoy the pictures! More details will follow as this project progresses.

Best,
-Rob(A)
AZL

Thanks Rob - wow, that looks really cool (pun intended)! Any chance we'll see them in a Tropicana juice train outfit ? Would be a shame to not have such a first rate car carry a first rate produce... LOL

cheers
Adrian

Nice looking cars. I'm in for a few UP's. Maybe a couple of close-enough Cryo-Trans later on.

I like where you're going with this, but I really, really wish some time can be spent getting the car at the proper ride height. The couplers bother me too, but I understand that truck mounts are necessary until larger radius curves become more of the standard.

The unit price seems to be inline with N & HO for similar construction: injection mold with etch metal features.



It wasn't that long ago that people were saying the same thing about N scale, and before that HO.

Unfortunately before we start worrying about body mounts, we need to get a common coupler design in Z like "they" did in N scale.

Mark

Its been a while since I did any injection plastic work, but in general the unit cost of materials is almost negligible. Costs are more related to the number of nests in the mold and the level of detail and thus the size of the press needed; setup costs and number of passes through the paint shop and pad printers.

I haven't done much in N scale since the mid-1980s so I am hardly current. But an early 2012 issue of MR had an N scale column that proclaimed that one of the major reasons for N scale success was the availability of a common design from KayDee. I tried unsuccessfully at the last Z scale convent to suggest to "people" that a common coupler could do the same for Z.

The AZL couplers do hold the trains together, but they are the pits for switching operations. I like to substitute the MTL on cars I intend to use for switching. Unfortunately its getting harder to change out the couplers.

Body mount couplers really shouldn't be an issue. I have a several Nn3 cars and an Aztec track cleaning car with them and they all work well on my layouts down to 145mm. And there are a number of Z scalers who routinely convert their rolling stock.

I think "stone age" is a bit harsh for Marklin: they're just slow, methodical Germans. After all they did work with AZL on the E units. They're priced competitive and rumor has it the couplers are easier to change out than the AZL.

Mark