Neat video on Made in USA train mfg..

Good evening

Mike

Great video Thank you very much !!

Makes me want to build an N gage

Clem

nice video- we can all hope...

Absolutely amazing! This is Weaver on steroids. I've been to Weaver many times over the years dealing with club car projects, and have seen most of the production processes. I've also seen the PCN Tours video on the PCN network many years ago, but this is incredible; everything is done in house. Thanks so much for sharing.

Don

I have a ton of Micro Train cars and so this was great to see.  I was wondering if they really were USA made - now I know!

The N layout remains in the 'planning stages'.....   But I do have a loop of about 40 feet on my O Gauge layout table.  Why?  Cause more trains on the same table the better!

Micro-Trains does make nice stuff. I still have some very early examples in my collection.

A few things that make their USA based manufacturing possible.

1. Age.....they are a spin off of Kadee which was started in the 1950's and much of their tooling was done in the 1970's -80's so long paid for. They do tool new items but can do it in house. Very helpful today to control QC and cost.

2. Size. As the video shows N scale molds, even when set up, can be carried by had and the molding machines are very small as far as injection machines go. The same box car mold in N scale would be 8 times bigger in volume, need a lift truck to move and set up, and require a much large 'shot' injection machine. Bigger cost more.

3. Market. They have a little bigger market in N scale than current O which if you think about it is fragmented into 3 rail scale, 2 rail scale, Traditional, tinplate, etc. N scale has one basic group.

There are  a number of other reason......but nothing to do with O really.

If I win the lottery I will loose all my money trying to build a O scale train company based in the USA....but until then......doubt anyone else will try.

Very cool video.....show how much work goes into those tiny things!

Awesome video. I started in n scale 44 years ago. I still have all my stuff. I often wish I would never have gotten into O scale especially when the expensive Lionels and Mth's have issues. I have also often thought about getting out of O altogether and start up in N scale again. I find myself buying Kato N scale on occasion. Yes, they are harder to see with aging eyes,but you can toss a loco in the trash when it fails.(which is rare)

Great video, Mike! Thanks for posting it.

Digital control items can be assembled here, too.

In addition to O, I'm into HO. Here's a short video of NCE (a really great company, btw) doing their thing in America ....

Great video. I think it shows it can be done here in the good old USA. Even though everything is smaller molds, tooling, etc. than O gauge, the cost of the end product is a lot less also.   

My wife likes Z scale and I have been looking at some of Micro trains offerings recently. Thinking about maybe getting her one someday.

Living in Oregon I am familiar with their facilities in the southern section of the state.  Great company making great quality model trains.  As who said model trains could not be made in the USA?  Micro Train's customers seem to pay the extra to get a quality product.  The video is very professional and informative.  Thanks for posting for a forum members to see.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Also, let's not forget about Micro-Trains sister company, Kadee, also producing American made products in Oregon.

Bill in FtL

A LOT less........The $28 vs $47(MT box car vs Weaver box car)  taking into consideration the material mass difference ( 8 times the mass)  and all the other variables  about cost....Not drastically different. And Micro-trains is the only N manufacture in the USA but lets not forget we in O have Weaver with most their product made here.....sourcing a few items in Asia/China to stay competitive and in business.

We go round and round on this topic all the time. Nothing has changed yet.

I have supported Kadee and Micro-trains for years because the have great stuff....not ONLY because it's ISA made.

Great video! Very interesting. Thanks for posting. 

Very interesting video of an American model train success story.

Excellent!

Peter

Awesome...Come on LIONEL, you can do it too!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have read a couple of articles about companies that moved all their manufacturing overseas because all the other manufacturers were doing it and they had to also to remain competitive. Now there are a couple that have moved back to the US and increased production and actually lowered costs and have a lot less headaches. One item was a big refrigerator that they lowered the price on by $300.

At the time of the article they were planning on moving even more manufacturing back here. Don't remember which, but it was a big appliance manufacturer with a huge factory in the midwest somewhere that they re-opened, using some of the old employees they had before the move (GE, Whirlpool, Maytag, maybe in Indiana? That could all be the same company now too?)

I have also bought some Kadee couplers, just not sure what to do with them yet? Switching was the plan, but the conversion seems like it will be a little more than I was expecting. I think some of my cars need butchering, not sure I am ready to butcher them yet. Must acquire the correct mind set for that sort of thing.

Very impressive. It would be nice to think that they would branch out to O scale. For now, I am and continue to be a big Weaver fan.

Gilly

I think we can all see why an item 6 feet tall, over a hundred pounds would make more sense to manufacture here. Transportation, like everything from Asia, has gone through the roof. (FYI shipping a container TO China is almost free) 

And you are correct....things are coming back. But items made in VERY low numbers, like all our trains, will still seek out lowest cost manufactures. If not Asia or China it will be some other emerging area like the African continent. Change....the only thing that stays the same.