I do not have any VI Train models. I was rather impressed with the documentation that I was sent about the Minuetto trainset and the photos I have seen appear to back up my first impression.
The model can be rather easily converted to AC, something that I am hoping will also be the case with the GTW.

For US Modellers, they will be releasing a model of the new Austin TX trainsets.

VITrains was founded by former employees of Lima. The quality rivals Lima and Rivarossi and for some models ACME. They are available in the US through Eurolokshop and in Benelux through Euroscale Models. There are other distributors in other European countries.

I will likely order the SBB Seetal GTW2/8 and maybe the BLS/RM version when they are released.

Regards

Mike C

Some friends have DC models (Minuetto, double-deck carriages). They run well and detailing is great.

All their models can be converted easily to AC (some of them are in AC version). I will buy an E464 and convert it.

Pietro

Hi all,

There was a review of their NMBS series 16 model in a local MRR magazine. It was rather positive, the model has good driving chars. They use a new way of painting chrome surfaces, looking very realistic, with real 'mirror' effects on their newest models.

Downsides were, if I recall correctly, the difficult way to open a model for maintenance, and the fact that a lot of details still need to be applied by the buyer. I have seen locos at my dealer and they really look unfinished. No handle bars, steps, isolators, ... mounted from factory etc.

Bert

I have a locomotive that I converted to 3rail AC operation, can see pic and description in this topic .

I also bought a couple of passenger cars from them.

So far quite happy with the models and service (one car was missing some added parts and I e-mailed them and they sent them to me).

<u>Further edit</u> I did not run the locomotive that long but it's operation is very smooth. The motor is very quiet and the running characteristics are comparable to a marklin 39xxx series. The loco has metal frame and plastic body. Railings and additions are in metal (very nice, better than Roco's plastic). Lights are very bright and nice and direction dependant. Price is very competitive and I will look at VI-Trains also in the future.

@Bert: The birth of Vitrains has involved much MRR people in Italy, because this company has somehow inherited Lima (Hornby has got the brand and the old models, but Vitrains has got the employees, as Mike tells, the philosophy, and the production region, near Vicenza).

The marketing strategy of offering models with some details to mount depends on the choice to keep the production in Italy (instead of transferring in China as almost all other did) with competitive prices. IMHO I fully agree with this idea.


@jeehring: I never heard about mechanical problems for Italian models, a you say it could be that série 16 suffer for a defective project. Now I surfed some italian forums and nobody reported problems with mechanics.

Pietro

Steven, the production is not in the old Lima factory, because it was too big and too expensive. Lima was located in Isola Vicentina, Vitrains is in Costabissara, approx. 7 Km away from old Lima headquarters.

An update.
Last weekend I visited a MRR fair in Verona.
I asked in Vitrains stand about the transformation in AC. They told me that they try to make all their models easy to convert.
Depending on the marketing requests, there are three kind of models:

1) Models offered in AC version (mainly Belgian models)
2) Models prearranged for conversion, with a seat for the pickup shoe in the bogie: this seat has a hole for the screw and 4 crevices for inserting the metal flaps of a 7164 pickup shoe. (Minuetto, ALn 668, and all the models where this is is possible without great costs increase).
3) Models not preapared for conversion, but often convertible (as for E464 converted by Mario).

They assured that AC market is important for them, and they will make the conversion the easiest they can. If this will be true, it is a good new

Regards

Pietro

Hi Nev.
As a fellow Australian, I must warn you about Italian manufacturing companies, at least the experiences I've had with a few over the years. I have purchased woodworking machinery from several Italian companies over the past 25 years and I can sum up these companies in a single statement - They ALL oversell their products !!![V] Don't believe everything they tell you - take it with a grain of salt.

My experience with Italian salesman, is that they'll tell you what you want to hear and when they can't deliver, they have every excuse in the world - even to the point that "It's your fault, as you bought the machine". I mean their reasoning and logic is worse than an woman's. I'm the only person in Australia who has successfully had a total refund on a machine worth over $150,000 and I'm talking 1995 prices - the 7 ton machine was even returned to Italy at their expense, because it was so badly made - they couldn't afford the bad publicity.

In short - don't buy any Italian made products. BTW, I'm of Italian origin and my belief is that ALL the good Italians left years ago.

Sorry if I've offended any Italian Marklin users, but this unfortunatley is the world reputation about Italian manufacturing companies.

I think this is a grossly unfair comment, possibly provoked by a bad experience on your part.

In my previous job I dealt extensively with an Italian electronics company who made great products. Their TV and radio transmitters proved much more reliable than the previous American and French products they replaced.

I've also had an Italian made Fiat which, apart from the rust, proved one of the most reliable cars I've owned.

Ray

Greg: yes, you're off topic! and full of it! (IMHO)
Have you ever actually owned a Fiat or Alfa?

My parents own a Hymer motorhome on a Fiat chassis. The German-made motorhome part has caused far more problems than the Italian chassis and engine, aside from an incident caused by the last owner fitting the wrong type of alternator drive belt.

Lima were the subject of a fair bit of (IMO well-founded) criticism for their British OO range, which combined very poor chassis units with toylike detailing and still charged the same money that Bachmann were asking for far better models. I understand that their European HO models were a lot better, which made it even worse!

Sorry Greg, maybe I should not interfere in this topic, but I believe you're wrong. This seems to me an old platitude... as we in Italy sometimes joke at foreign people, saying they think we're just able to eat spaghetti and pizza and doing nothing else!

I know Lima and Rivarossi models were not the top of quality, but this can't be generalized to everything. I have an old Fiat "Punto" that is 12 years old and it still work perfectly. (a friend drove more than 350000 Km with a Punto!)

If "this unfortunatley is the world reputation about Italian manufacturing companies" please tell me why so many people in the world dream to drive a Ferrari or to wear Armani clothes or...

Back to topic, when I'll buy something from vitrains I will tell you about quality!

Proud greetings from Italy

Pietro

This all encompassing statement could not be more wrong!

There are good and bads as with every country.

I could not be happier with my Rivarossi, Vi-trains, Acme and (lately) Oskar models. Sure, Marklin is still number one but I believe my "Italians" are a notch over, for example, Roco, Piko and Liliput. This is only my opinion.

As far as this thread goes, if Nev has any of the other German speaking brands other than Marklin, then adding some Italian speaking models would be a valuable addition

According to breaking news on the German-speaking HAG forum, ViTrains have decided not to continue their GTW 2/6 and 2/8 development at this moment after a reassessment of the general market and competition situation.

The alleged postponement or cancellation of the GTW models from VI Trains is disappointing to me.

According to the information provided here and on the Swiss (German) Hag Forum, the VI Trains models will not be produced. The decision was reportedly arrived at during discussions between VI Trains and Arwico, the Swiss distributor.

One of the posts in the Hag Forum reports that another company will be announcing a model of this trainset later this year, and that this might have played a role in the decision to stop production at this time.

The GTW models were announced in 2008 and further models of the same series were announced as 2009 New Items. So far, there has been no pre-production drawings or samples exhibited by VI Trains, which led some to question the model at this year's Messe.

Arwico is, in addition to distributor for VI Trains, the Swiss representative for Liliput, Hornby (Lima, Rivarossi, Jouef) and Electrotren.

So far, only the Austrian company Signalmeister has brought a model of the GTW to market. Hag's model should be released later this year.

My primary interest would be the SBB RABe 520 "Seetal" trainset, which VI Trains had announced. So far, there has been no info from Hag as to whether they will also make this livery.

Hag's asking price appears to be well over 1000 CHF, which is a little steep for me. I think a more reasonable price would have been in the 750-900 range. I don't think that I can justify the Hag model at the announced price.

I think that I am instead going to look into one of the SOB BDe 4/4 units available from HUI. Those trainsets used to run by our house in Wollerau every day and I would love to have it in HO. The model is made using SPS Plastic Technology and built on the frame of a Lima RBe 4/4 model with a new Faulhaber drive.

Maybe next trip I'll take the Thurbo and then have more incentive to look at that model.

Sorry Hag, but for the moment, I'm out.

Regards

Mike C