How good are West Side Models products in terms of running quality? Are they something that could be made to run smoothly and reasonably well, or total shelf babies?
Thanks in advance,
tbdanny
Theyre’ generally good runners although their age is at the point you may need to remotor them.
My experience with Westside was limited to their HOn3 models (e.g., class A Heisler, SPNG #1, NCNG #9). They ran well (quiet, smooth) even though these smaller models have a greater opportunity to be problematic.
Tom White, you’re needed here.
Mark
My two Westside models run great, especially for the late 1970’s early 1980’s vintage they are. Both have can motors and move very smoothly without hardly any stalling. They also are capable of running fairly slowly.
One is a 2-10-2 wheel arrangement (PRR USRA rebuild) and the biggest issue with it is ridgidity and minimum radius requirement.
I have a newer Proto Heritage 2-10-2 that will take 24" radii with ease. The WSM can be coaxed, but derails easily. I am thinking of swapping the drivetrain from the Proto under the boiler of the WSM. That will also give me both rail pickup from the drivers. I tried it on 27.5 and it wasn’t noticeably any better.
The other is a 4-6-2, and is fine. It’s a passenger loco so I think I will see about installing a decoder and otherwise leaving this one alone.
Is there a specific model and year of manufacture you are looking at? Based on my experience, I’d say that if it has a can motor and you have the radius to handle the wheel arrangement that these are probably some of the best values in brass currently available.
I only have one Westside, a 3 truck Shay in HO standard gauge that is pushing 25 years old and it is super smooth. No issues at all.
I have no clue what their newer stuff is like.
The specific model I’m looking at is this one here:
http://www.caboosehobbies.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=1125&products_id=90919
I’m planning to redo it with a can motor, from NWSL, along with Sountraxx Tsunami DCC & a paint job. It’ll be one of the 2-3 locos on my new HOn3 D&RGW layout.
I ever had only one brass loco - it was a Westside Model D&RGW T-12, just like the one you are planning to buy. It was a nice model and required only a little tweaking (de-burring of a hole in one of the side rods) to turn it into a smooth performer…
[banghead] I sold it!
Seem’s to me that Samshongas was the builder for most of Westsides steamers and as such were fairly well made and quite running locomotives as well as reasonally priced, I still have my GN.H7 pacific that was imported I believe in the late 70s and It still runs nice and smooth.
They also were one of the first to install can motors plus they tended to on occasion make a few of the more odd pieces as well.Maybe not up to todays standards but you have to remember these models rarely sold for more than $3-400 new.
Another couple of questions:
How easy are the West Side models to get into, for DCC installation, etc.? This includes the tender and loco.
And are they capable of running on a minimum radius of 18"? I’m also looking at this one:
http://www.caboosehobbies.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=1125&products_id=163713
Again, the same questions apply.
Thanks again,
tbdanny
18" minimum radius eeeeh’ thats gonna be kinda tight for the connie,The Mogul might be o.k. on DCC and sound remember that brass steamers only pick up power from the firemans side of the engine and the engineers side of the tender and DCC can be really perticular about that…It preferrs all wheel pick up like the lastest plastic DCC offerings.
I don’t have experience with these locomotives. My Westside HOn3 Consolidations handled 18-inch curves readily, but those were smaller than the outside-frame locos which were nearly the size of some standard gauge locos.
I’d guess the locos could handle those curves because brass models of Consolidations (and Ten-Wheelers) were usually advertised to take 18 inches. Perhaps Caboose Hobbies can answer your question.
Mark
Westside’s models are one of the better runners on the market along with PFM ect. Samhongsa made many of them, as did Micro Cast Mizuno. MCM did Westside’s fine NYC Hudsons that still hold thier own very well with todays models. I wouldnt hesistate to purchse one from Westside, in HO or HOn3. You can take a standard 9vt battery with you in your pocket, touch one terminal to the draw bar if its a steam engine and the other terminal to the frame or low hanging pipe ect at the rear to see if it runs. I dont like running them on a track till I have gone thru the drive system, espicaly if the model has been in storage for a long time. Mike
One of the things that Westside advertised a lot of was the running qualities of their brass steam engines, like the excellent slow speed control, low current draw, and innovative designs for their time (enclosed gearboxes, coreless motors).
I have one of the Samhongsa built PRR 4-4-0s. The original motor was weak, but after a good cleaning and adding a more powerful motor, it is the smoothest running steam engine I have.[:D] It’s also very simple to disassemble, and I would expect that most of their steam engines would be similar.
HOSeeker has a lot of Westside catalogs and other model information that you can look through.
For what it is worth, I found a Balboa Scale Models catalog listing the same/similar locomotives: D&RGW C-21 outside-frame 2-8-0 and T-12 4-6-0. The minimum radius of the Consolidation was given at 16 inches. No minimum was listed for the Ten Wheeler.
Mark
The one who knows brass HOn3 locos is Wayne Weiss of Salida Roundhouse, aka LocoDoc. He sells Roundbell remotoring/regear kits for various HOn3 and HO brass locos. His web site is http://locodoc.com/index.htm. Also see http://roundbell.com/hon3conversions.html. I am a happy customer with the remotor kit for my FED 2-6-0.
That said, I have heard from both Aussie and US modelers that Caboose Hobbies will test run a particular brass model for you and give you an honest assessment before you buy.
And welcome to the wonderful world of HOn3. I’m glad I didn’t scare you off. You might want to consider joining the Yahoo HOn3 group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HOn3/ - if you haven’t already. There are several fine folks from Oz in the group.
Bill Nelson, another fine HOn3 modeler, posts frequently on the narrow gauge section of the Zealot forum (http://www.zealot.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=244).
Fred W