Marsilius Line Announces New Cars!

Marsilius Line has announced new passenger cars!

First, due to the popularity of the Penn Central cars, Marsilius has released three new road numbers. These are road numbers 3003, 3004 and 3005.

Marsilius has also announced three new named UP passenger cars! The UP Marsilius cars are stunning. To compliment the 'named' car series, Marsilius is releasing car #5449 'Arden', #5448 'St Louis' and car #5446 'Keneflick' . These cars are based on the ACF car body, style 2 and represent 44 seat coaches.

Also, Marsilius is quite excited to announce US Department of Transportation, Alaska cars. The cars are based on prototypes that ran from 1971 - 1982. They are Pullman Standard cars (style 2) 44 seat coaches. The road numbers are 5404, 5413, 5416, and 5443. The following link is of the prototype fo 5413:

alaskarails.org/fp/passenger/pass-retired/UK-5413.jpg

Ztrack Center is now taking orders for these cars. Cars will be shipped as soon as they arrive from Marsilius. The Alaska and Penn Central cars are a limited run. As always, Marsilius cars feature fine detail, many add on parts, pad printing and metal wheels. To order, please visit:

www.ztrackcenter.com/marsilius/cars/

Rob Kluz

Sheesh Rob, I wish AZL and MTL wouldn't do tandem runs! I've waited how long for ARR and you both come out with it together, same with UP. How about you guys doing different lines than each other and spread the "love" around instead of this comparison stuff. I dread the thread where you all tear apart each other's ARR passenger sets. Lets go easy here and keep things cool. I'm glad to see so much coming out so let's just enjoy it and not take the joy out of it.

Ok, I'll interject a little light hearted humor here.

I say phooey on all the ARR. How about some runs of "thing a ma jig" and "what's it called"? I love both those road names, but being how I can't remember where I saw them or how they were pronounced, I'll take ten of each. Detail?....we don't need no stinkin detail. Just keep those wheels on the track for at least half a loop.

Speaking of looped, good thing I don't drink or I would be looped about now.

Enjoying any and all Z, detail or no detail.
Loren

Karin, Loren,

FYI these are Masilius Lines cars, not AZL. Totally different company. No relations. Actually, the Marsilius cars are produced right here in the US by Bowser. It was a shame that the Alaska runs are being produced by both manufacturers. I know Marsilius has been working on the Alaska cars for well over a year. MTL just beat them to the punch on the announcement.

Karin, I am not sure about what you refer to when you say 'you all tear each others product apart'. I haven't commented on the thread and really don't plan to.

Loren, you are so wrong, we need the detail! Z scale has always been about extreme detail in a small space. That is one reason I love it! But those Marsilius Line metal wheels do stay on the track oh so well.

Rob

Rob,
When you get older and the eyes begin to fail the question then becomes......"detail, I don't see any detail"

I think Karin was referring to other folks making comments, not smart folks like you and me.....uh huh.

Loren

As long as the Marsilius line cars are all coaches, how about doing some D&RGW ones? How about a Z Ski train? Perhaps AZL could fit a F9 shell & mech to pull it?

Hi Rob, I just hate to see two polarized sides to this kind of discussion. If I could choose I would rather we all chill and enjoy what we get. I wasn't meaning you specifically, nor anyone else. I find that when the discussions turn to "this one is better than that one" and visa versa, it tends to get a little ugly and I don't really think we want to go there, do we? If I can afford it I want the ARR coaches from both companies. I am an ARR collector in every scale and try to get one of everything. My budget won't allow that! But in Z scale oh yes I want it all! Hold on to an ARR set for me and I will add it to my ARR set from MTL and all of my Alaska GP35s will pull them all! I can show you photos of them in all shades and styles on one train. In fact, I would love a set of the Alaska McKinley Explorer in Z... by anyone who comes out with it. What a magnificent sight my long consist will look on our Oregon and CA modules. But the plan is for me to have a set of Z Bend modules that can also take everyone else through my favorite part of Alaska. Only in Z can we bring our states together into one layout, how much cooler can that get!!! (pun intended) But mine will be summer themed, no snow

Palmer Depot

This is really what I wanted to show, but bigger...
My sons...

Karin,

You will always have comparison when it comes to competing products. It is natural. But is it a bad thing? True, I have been upset by some comparisons, especially if I feel attached to a product or a company. But comparison is a good way to show strengths and weaknesses and allows consumers to be better educated. If also allow manufacturers to see consumer responses to their products and work to make them better if they so choose. I know both AZL and Marsilius have done just this. AZL for instance has drastically improved their couplers to be better. They also improved the ACF 3-bays based on feedback to the pre-production photos. Marsilius has upgraded to metal wheels based on consumer feedback. The fact is, competition can be good. It challenges companies to be better.

You are right that too often these comparisons turn ugly. But this is often based solely on over reactions. I have never been so saddened when I saw the response to David Smith's excellent and well researched, written and detailed comparison between AZL and MTLs GP7/9s. This was a gift from David and he received personal attacks and brutality for what was perceived as unfairness to one manufacturer.

As the editor of Ztrack, I have realized that running comparative articles should be avoided. This upsets me since an unbiased and detailed article like the one David wrote would have been ideal in Ztrack. But, we are afraid that such over defense of a product is polarizing and damaging. So instead of running articles that would educate consumers and promote multiple products, we put our editorial integrity aside and avoid the whole subject. Quite sad and I am bothered deeply by this. But the thread on the MTL cars only enforces my decision.

As for the ARR, I am one who really want to see that Alaska GP35 released! What a beauty.

Rob

Rob,
A little bird told me......there might indeed be a ARR GP35 in the offering.
But with all this going on concerning MTL's passenger cars and perhaps low numbers, (I don't know the count) things might change.
It makes sense to release a loco to pull any passenger car road name releases so one can perhaps "dangerously" assume that a loco in each road name matching the passenger car release would make sense.

We'll see.

I think complaining about new product only hurts the industry. If you got slapped every time you went up to bat no matter how you swing at the ball, you'd soon get discouraged and take up another sport. Same with manufacturers.

Why don't we all keep our personal likes and dislikes to our selves and be thankful that there is more on the market today than anyone would have dreamed of ever seeing several years ago.
Enough said
Loren

Hi Rob, I agree with what you said about comparisons. David did a good job and in most industries this unbiased critique is welcomed and published. But I think your position as a distributor of both the magazine and several products being compared is what has probably been the main reason Ztrack cannot justifiably run these types of articles. Can you imagine if the Micro News or a Marklin magazine published such an article? I am not putting down or defending anyone's product here but we must look at the whole picture. I love Ztrack magazine, we advertise in it, I enjoy seeing new products come out from the various companies whose products you distribute. I love MTL but honestly I think I own more Marklin and FR than any other simply because they/he has made much more in my favorite road name. I know about constructive criticism and how it stings, I am married to my own But all of us should try to tread softly in our criticism at this point when Z is growing faster than our wallets and frankly I don't want any of the manufacturers to pull back because of us whiny modelers.

I haven't seen AZLs new couplers but between MTL and Marklin I think that Marklin couplers suck! Now I have Andy mad at me, see how it goes? These forums are almost what letters to the editor are in magazines. The public gets to read the readers comments. And we are a country of free speech. All I was saying is that I'm very disappointed in the cutting tone that these "product reviews" have taken. But then again there is the free speech thing, so on it goes...
Karin

GWoodle wrote:

As long as the Marsilius line cars are all coaches, how about doing some D&RGW ones? How about a Z Ski train? Perhaps AZL could fit a F9 shell & mech to pull it?

actually, AZL makes the FP40, which is exactly what pulls the Ski Train. Good idea about the coaches. i think the ski train is a very popular item. i see references to it from east coast to west coast. maybe one day ...
dave f.

David, are you talking about the F40Ph. Its made by FR and not AZL.

I need approx. another 2 weeks to finish off my FR F40PH in Ski Train colours .....

alaska-rr wrote:

Palmer Depot

Wow Karin, you actually have grass in Alaska.

Imagine that! Isn't that a beautiful depot? That will be the centerpiece of my Palmer module.

davidf wrote:

GWoodle wrote:

As long as the Marsilius line cars are all coaches, how about doing some D&RGW ones? How about a Z Ski train? Perhaps AZL could fit a F9 shell & mech to pull it?

actually, AZL makes the FP40, which is exactly what pulls the Ski Train. Good idea about the coaches. i think the ski train is a very popular item. i see references to it from east coast to west coast. maybe one day ...
dave f.

The F9 i was thinking about was #5771 that also pulled the Rio Grande Zephyr for many years. On other occasions, it also pulled the Ski Train. Hard to beat the D&RGW Apen Yellow paint on passenger engines & cars.

Another fun scheme could be for the Rocky Mountaneer cars. IIRC the Rapido co is making a nice set of Nscale cars, since they are mostly CN prototype cars. The difference is the windows are supposed to be larger than most coaches so you can see.

AZL offers the F59PHI and FR the F40PH. I would love to see FR and Marsilius work together to offer locomotive and car sets. The 40PH is perfect for the Ski Train. It also has appeared in Alaska livery. FR's Amtrak version would be perfect for the Amtrak cars planned by MTL.



Check out:

www.fr-model.de/index.php?lang=en&what=products&cat=us

Rob