Jack:
Not that it makes a bit of difference to the subject or discussion, but I am a lifetime rail fan and model railroader. I got my first Lionel 0-scale train when I was 4 years old and ‘helped’ my father build an H0 scale 0-4-0 switcher from brass when I was ~6 years old. I have had a life long affinity for anything that moves on rails.
I first took serious note of LGB’s LS models when I lived in Europe during the 1970s and started buying LGB equipment in the first half of the 1980s. I have had a large scale RR since the mid-1980s.
My profession is systems design and engineering. I have a reasonably good eye for proportion and an even better eye for measurements and ratios. On the other hand, I am not in any way a rivet counter and truly do believe in the liberal application of the 10 foot rule to outdoor model trains.
I hope the information above is enough qualification to allow me a personal criticism of PIKO’s new effort. It doesn’t matter much, because the previous company that did the “everything in this box is about the same size” line is out of business. My prediction is that if this is the best PIKO / Silvergate can do, they will eventually suffer the same fate. I truly hope this is not the case, but the business model is already there.
Happy RRing,
Jerry
