As they say...beauty is in...how many layers of make-up there are...or something like that.
Good points all. It probably is what you say for their reasons of placing the Cow catcher so high. I am picturing their first prototypes with a lower, more realistic cow catcher and it failing the incline straight rails. It had no trouble with mine in its raise position but I am curious as to how it would do on the ramped curves of a spiral. I have removed our spirals in the layout so I can't do a test Your reason makes sense however...
My thoughts would be that the train would have been better served with the battery in the tender like the original and if you check out their own picture from the box of the real train they then could use a permanent coupling to move the tender closer and to protect the wires, shorten the cab backwards bringing it closer to the size of the real one and at the same time it would shorten the front end. Without the need for battery space the boiler could be lowered more like the real one and at the same time making the smoke stack look taller and bigger around. This lowering would also bring the cow catcher down with the possibility of making it a bit bigger. Maybe I was expecting or hoping for too much so I was bound to be disappointed.
I know I am micro managing here and I should keep telling myself that.....these are just toys, these are just toys, these are just toys, but that doesn't diminish my disappointment for one of my most favorite Plarail trains, my first big disappointment for Plarail. But I am fortunate and happy that I have two of the originals and quite satisfied with them.
![[Image: 001_zpsolekkbqt.jpg]](http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee502/conameche/Super/001_zpsolekkbqt.jpg)
Good points all. It probably is what you say for their reasons of placing the Cow catcher so high. I am picturing their first prototypes with a lower, more realistic cow catcher and it failing the incline straight rails. It had no trouble with mine in its raise position but I am curious as to how it would do on the ramped curves of a spiral. I have removed our spirals in the layout so I can't do a test Your reason makes sense however...
My thoughts would be that the train would have been better served with the battery in the tender like the original and if you check out their own picture from the box of the real train they then could use a permanent coupling to move the tender closer and to protect the wires, shorten the cab backwards bringing it closer to the size of the real one and at the same time it would shorten the front end. Without the need for battery space the boiler could be lowered more like the real one and at the same time making the smoke stack look taller and bigger around. This lowering would also bring the cow catcher down with the possibility of making it a bit bigger. Maybe I was expecting or hoping for too much so I was bound to be disappointed.
I know I am micro managing here and I should keep telling myself that.....these are just toys, these are just toys, these are just toys, but that doesn't diminish my disappointment for one of my most favorite Plarail trains, my first big disappointment for Plarail. But I am fortunate and happy that I have two of the originals and quite satisfied with them.
![[Image: 001_zpsolekkbqt.jpg]](http://s1231.photobucket.com/user/conameche/media/Super/001_zpsolekkbqt.jpg.html)