# 1:29 Leader, Aristo or USAT?



## Truthman (Dec 13, 2008)

I've always wondered who sells more loco and/ or rolling stock: Aristo or USAT? Anyone have any idea?

Nate


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

Nate 
its all guess work.. I don't think either would tell for sure.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Number of ebay items for sale is pretty close for both. 

Of course LGB has the most on E-bay (5 to 1) and they have not shipped to the US for almost 2 years now. 

Interesting that Bachman has more items than Aristo or USA on Ebay listed, but perhaps some other scales are mixed into their listings.


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## Truthman (Dec 13, 2008)

Well I was just curious. Not that it matter because I like both.


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

My sense is that Aristo is a bigger company and probably sells more units. They make more stuff--built up houses, a full line of figures, power supplies and throttles., and the new RC system. They make several lines of track. They make a battery car. I'd say they are the "leader" in terms of trending towards simplicity and ease of use on the consumer end. You can use their locos with track or battery power out of the box, for example. I've had some issues with the plug and play socket on aristo steamers, but when it works the way it's supposed to it's just great. Aristo wants to grab the market share that LGB used to have, which is to be your all-in-one supplier. 


Everybody knocks Aristo, and I have my critcisms as well, but on the whole Aristo is doing more for the hobby than anyone else. Hard core modelers and rivet counters hate Aristo for using 1:29, and they have balky quality control, but for someone starting out Aristo makes it easy and fun


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## blattan (Jan 4, 2008)

I have both Aristo and USAT. The detail on USAT is better (finer), but it is fragile. I mostly run Aristo at shows because it endures rough handling better. 

Bert


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

According to AC USAT is larger. Later RJD


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## eheading (Jan 5, 2008)

Who's AC, RJ?? I tend to agree with Bert. The USA equipment has better detail, but it is definitely more fragile. I tend to prefer the Aristo because it is more rugged and has a reasonable amount of detail.

Ed


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## W3NZL (Jan 2, 2008)

I'd have to say Aristo is the bigger player at this point, no so much because they sell more than USA
currently, but because they have been in the 1/29 game a lot longer than USA, so it follows that there is a 
lot more of it out there... USA got into 1/29 about '99 with the GP-38 if memory serves, then a few more 
engines, and more recently some rolling stock... Aristo showed up in about '88 if I recollect correctly.. hehe
At my age "recollects" ain't a strong suit though.. hehe
Paul R...


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## altterrain (Jan 2, 2008)

Interesting question without a definitive answer. I see a lot more Aristo (track, cars, locos, buildings) in person on people's layouts, in the few stores around here and on line. I would find it hard to believe USAT sales are anywhere close to Aristos but I'm just talking out my butt. 

-Brian


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By W3NZL on 01/13/2009 9:42 AM I'd have to say Aristo is the bigger player at this point, no so much because they sell more than USA currently, but because they have been in the 1/29 game a lot longer than USA, so it follows that there is a 
lot more of it out there... USA got into 1/29 about '99 with the GP-38 if memory serves, then a few more 
engines, and more recently some rolling stock... Aristo showed up in about '88 if I recollect correctly.. hehe
At my age "recollects" ain't a strong suit though.. hehe
Paul R...



USA Trains have been around a lot longer than you think - In 1998 their range included -

GP7 and -9 in 12 roadnames....and 

20-tonner in12 colour schemes

44-tonner in 12 colour schemes

GP-38 in 13 colour schemes

NW-2 in 21 colour schemes [with matching calfs]

21 different caboose schemes

12 different depressed-centre cars and loads

4 Overton-type passenger cars

5 different rotary snow-ploughs

20 piggyback cars and trailers

2 two-tier auto-carriers

17 spine cars

7 flatcars with pipe loads

25 single-sheathed OB boxcars

10 different OB reefers

63 steel boxcars

16 wood boxcars

6 Pepsi-themed boxcars

11 diifferent work cars in a wide variety of road names, 

and 127 wood reefers.

Sure looks to me like they started up before 1999......but ****, what do_* I*_ know, I'm a furriner... 

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## Allan W. Miller (Jan 2, 2008)

My guess would be that Aristo is the largest of the two in terms of annual sales. Just a guess.


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## W3NZL (Jan 2, 2008)

USA trains has been around forever, but I believe we were talking 1/29 Terry, which all got underway about 99 I believe, 
they did have before that, and still do have their 1/24 line which most of the stuff Ur talking about falls into... I think the 
Gp-38 was the first one in1/29, I know I got the first one I could get my hands on to bash into a GP-40, pretty sure I got 
that in late 99 or early 00... The 1/29 stuff came out of Malden rapid-fire for a few years, slowed down a lot lately though...
Paul R...


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Dear Mr Paul R - with the exception of the Overton passenger cars, which ARE 1/24th scale, EVERYTHING on my list was for sale on the pages of June 1998 Garden Railway magazine. And is 1/29th. 

The GP-7/9 was voted 'Winner of 1998 READERS´ CHOICE AWARD for BEST G SCALE LOCOMOTIVE' by the readers of Garden Railways magazine. It also says that on the box it came in, which I am looking at right this minute.

Mine was bought for my birthday on March 2, 1998, and I ran it around the table at my birthday party in the Officers' Mess at the Defence Intelligence & Security Centre, where I was Chief Instructor of one of the schools. 

tac 
www.ovgrs.org


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

The woodsided USA reefers are not 1:29-I have one, it's in 1:24. Also the outside braced boxcars, in 1:24 or 1:24-ish, definitely not 1:29


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Ed AC stands for Aristo Craft. Where ya been? Lewis even mentioned at one time they where not as large as USAT, close maybe. Later RJD


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## Truthman (Dec 13, 2008)

I think USAT's success has because they have stuck to what has worked for them. Great locomotives and rolling stock, some track and kept with it. They didn't put a little bit of money in this and that and everything else. Now Im not pretending to know USAT or Aristo's business plans or even which one is better but I will say that USAT seems a lot more focused on TRAINS.


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## GaryY (Jan 2, 2008)

fyi
In the December 2008 Garden Railway Magazine there is an interesting story (advertisement) on pages 102-103 about USA Trains 'A Brief History'. 
It says they'd been making trains for awhile but made the decision in1995 to expand the product line including track and locos and and their first loco (1:29) was the NW-2 switcher, which took 2 years to get on the market...
so that's about 1997...followed by the GP7/9 in 1998.
Gary


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Weird they don't have a web site with a forum.


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## Truthman (Dec 13, 2008)

Yeah, but there's already forums out in in cyber world. Besides, Aristo's forum isn't exactly what I call great. It is mainly a place where people can exclaim their utmost loyalty and allegiance to Aristocraft and sing Aristo praises all day. And that's because they simply don't ALLOW anything else.


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

I actually think Aristo is surprisingly tolerant of criticism on that forum. I've learned a lot about what can go wrong with aristo stuff there,. I've posted a lot of criticism myself. I know they've banned people, which I'm sorry about, but I'm trying to figure where it's in a manufacturer's interest to have a forum filled with constant complaints about the product? That's what forums like this are for. On the aristo forum you can still post a question and have the president of the compnay answer--even if he doesn't always give the answer you want.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

USAT don't need one,there product says it all. AC does not like any type of criticism even if constructive. There forum has become a sales pitch for how good everything is. Later RJD


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I'm not cranky because I was banned from that forum. I was banned because of the things I said about the products. Nothing mean or nasty, just facts. 

But having the a forum where the owner answers questions is not good if the answers are questionable or not believable. There were too many answers that were just not believable. Read the "kuppler" thread where it is presented as a new concept, would not couple to Kadee or other Aristo couplers because the knuckle opened the other way. Now, a 180 degree reversal, and direct competition to Kadee. The word "misdirection" was used to cover the 180 degree shift. 

I can point you to tons of threads where the answers conflict with themselves. Aristo will eventually get smart and delete all these old posts, but for now, you can see a lot of "misdirection", like there are no problems with loose drivers and they have never had a complaint. 

They used to be more tolerant, but now it is "no negatives, only positives".... and that is another quote... 

So, the usefulness of that forum is about zero to me, and a number of others. Volunteering your time to help others needs to have some slight rewards, being hassled about your statements, even when based on fact, is not a reasonable return on the personal investment in time. 

Regards, Greg


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## spodwo (Jan 2, 2008)

First - why is the format of this post so jagged up?

Second - USA Trains is a big online Retailer of trains. They are also a distributor for Lionel Trains...so in the grand scheme of things - Aristocraft may 
have more rolling stock produced but consider what USA trains makes that no one really had the gumption to take a chance on:


ALL metal 1:29 scale locomotives. And NOT Brass! 


In short - USA trains overall probably does more revenue as it is a divested business - Ogauge is tremendously larger than in sales than Large Scale in the USA...Lionel alone sells over $100 Million Ogauge...and USA Trains is the largest seller of Lionel in the USA - I believe...


As far as them not having a website? Probably the best thing. C Ro just do their own thing with little fan fare. One day, you go to their website and BOOM - there
is a new engine. 


Much less headache that way...


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