I’m a European railfan living in Italy and loving fascinating US railways too. This is the first time I partecipate to this forum: the reason is that I need your opinion concerning the PRR GG1; in fact, I’d like to buy the best HO reproduction of above mentioned great locomotive actually available and, with this purpouse in my mind, I’ve observed TRIX GG1 and BLI one too. Being undecided, I want to ask you which one you’d choose, APART FROM PRICE and SOUND UNIT… Which one is better detailed? Which the closest to the real, having the best profile? And, finally, which one is mechanically more convincing, better absorbing the track roughness?
I apologize for my horrible english and thank you for every enlightening answer.
Welcome to the forums! Don’t worry, your English is very good. I model in N scale so I can’t anser your exact question, but let me just congratulate you on your good taste! The GG1 was a most excellent locomotive. I have faint memories of them running on Amtrak when I was a young boy. Amtrak quit using them in 1981 and New Jersey Transit got rid of theirs in 1983.
I’m no expert but I do have the Broadway Limited GG1. I really like it (it was my first engine with sound), I got it for a reasonable price (about 150$ I think) and the sound is terrific. It runs beautifully, but for some reason it derails going in one direction.
If price were no object I would go for the Trix especially if what you want is fine detail. I haven’t seen the Trix except on the web, but the Broadway model doesn’t have (for example) separate handrails; they’re raised from the body shell instead.
ETR-500 [#welcome] and Wilco [#welcome] - (two in one post must be some kind of record!)
If you don’t mind scrimping on quality but want a cheap GG1 look no further than the offering by IHC trains. They have a range of paint schemes, some by railroads who never even had GG1s.
I’ve seen the BLI GG1 up close and it’s really impressive.
For Dave VOLLMER: Thanks Dave. My… “own good taste”… (what a pretty definition) and the awareness that you saw, as a young boy, GG1 during Amtrak age really give me the opportunity of being envious… I think that, leaving out of consideration the natural affection for one’s country railways, there are some locos almost in every world railfan hearth… GG1 is obviously among them…
For WILCO: Thanks for your kindness. I’ve seen the BLI GG1 and, moreover, I’ve HEARD it. It’s an impressive model (but I like almost all BLI and PCM production, although, at this time, I don’t know a lot about the whole north-american rail model-market). The problem is that, never having seen a real GG1, neither possessing a dedicate publication, I’m a little undecided… Strange the derailing behaviour into one direction…
For CHALLENGER3802: Thanks a lot. Yes… [:)]… Wilco and I are such odd recordmen… However, from an european to another one, how do you proceed with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link? It should be near the ending, shouldn’t be?
Umm reports are that it will be finished sometime in 2007, or 2008, or 2009, or 2010…Being British it’ll be done when it’s done. Seeing as the tunnel was about 5 years overdue on completion, I’d reckon the link will be just as long to complete.
Here’s a few. The top 2 are from BLI and the bottom from Trix. If it were me I wouldn’t even consider it in Green. I would go for the TUSCAN REDW/GOLD STRIPES. They look stupid IMO in Green.
I have 8 GG1’s at last count. The 1st one I got is a brass model built by Lambert over 30 years ago. The detail is excellent but the running quailty is poor. Being my 1st brass loco, I never painted it and keep it in a display case. I have 4 made by IHC and they run reasonably well but lack the finer details of the brass model. I also have 3 from BLI that look & run great. I have not seen the Trix model first hand so I can’t compare it to the others. I have other BLI engines and would definetly recommend their GG1 for not only the price but their running & sound quality.
Growing up in the Philadelphia area, I was lucky enough to see this beautiful locomotive in every paint scheme that it had over it’s entire life. My personal favorite was the Tuscan Red scheme with the broad stripe and large Keystones. This loco has such a timeless look that it even wore Penn Central’s black very regally. IMO though, Amtrak’s silver, red & blue paint scheme did not do justice to this handsome machine.
Check out the Trix model first hand, if you can, before you make a decision. I certainly do highly recommend the BLI unit. Whichever one you choose, you can be sure that you’ll have a beautiful model of the greatest electric locomotive ever produced in the USA. Hail - GG1!!
For a diehard PRR fan this is a difficult question. Since the GG1 is an all welded body ( no rivets or other details there) there isn’t a lot of difference in any of the plastic ones. I have Pemco, AHM, Rivarossi and IHC engines (28 total). I defy anyone to tell me which body is better than another or who made which one. All of them leave off the steps under the ladders that hang down from the carbody. All of them represent engines from 4857-4938 in the second group built. This is because they have the pilot bulge under the coupler designed to streamline the coupler when dropped. 4800-4856 had a straight across pilot under the coupler and is an easy backdating job. All the roof details are identical in my opinion. There aren’t many things to change on any of them. I know of one modeler who replaced the cast on chains on the nose door with guitar strings to better represent them. Most of us use Alco FA steps to replace the missing steps. They are available in brass but the manufacturer escapes me at the moment. All of them have a slight decrease in body depth at the nose to allow the trucks to swivel upward when staring up a grade on a model railroad. Later (1960 or so) a channel was cut in the cab side to allow a worker to move forward from the ladder to clean the windshield. A great number had modified air intakes with the stock location welded over and new ones put high on the narrow part of the nose. there were at least three distinct variations but none are available and need to be scratch built if modeling that era. In my opinion if you are going to run it just about anyone will do. If you want a static model in a display case that might be a different story.
Greetings ETR, and welcome! Nice to talk to someone from the (former) home of Rivarossi.
I’d have to do some research to compare the Trix and BLI, but I don’t think you could go wrong with either. The BLI can be had at a more reasonable price, and they make a very solid product. I have one of their Hudsons and wouldn’t think twice about buying another of their locos.
My first encounter with a GG1 was when I caught a glimpse of one through some trees from a store parking lot when I was about 8. It was in dingy Penn Central black pulling a freight, and I kept telling my father about this strange locomotive I’d seen. It wasn’t until years later that I found out what it was.
Later I rode behind them on Amtrak Metroliners, and I remember standing on the platform at the Metropark when one would blow by (literally) with an express doing about 80 MPH. We had to stand against the back of the platform just for safety. Their acceleration was impressive too. In 1978 my father and I took an excursion behind one from here in New Jersey to the Stasburg RR in Lancaster PA. It was going to be a freshly Simonized Pennsy unit with the five gold pinstripes, but it broke down and was replaced with another dingy PC GG1. Boy, were we disappointed. Today I wouldn’t care as much what paint scheme it had, I’d just like to see one run.
Here’s a photo from happier days: January 5, 1969 in New Brunswick, NJ. Happy 2007!
Just a note about Green vs. Tuscan. I agree that Brunswick Green engines pulling Tuscan passenger cars looks odd, but that seems to have been by far the most common scheme. If I remember right GG-1 were painted Tuscan only for little while in the fifties. Presumably they showed the dirt more.
I know, in my BLI GG1 thread in this forum I’m a little annoyed with BLI right now - but it’s not their GG1 engines I’m annoyed with, it’s with BLI itself. I’ve seen the TRIX and the BLI GG1s in person too - and to tell you the truth, other than TRIX being more expensive … I really couldn’t tell the difference between the TRIX or the BLI as far as detail. As far as operation, they were pretty much the same except initial DCC programming the BLI GG1 on a Digitrax Programming track - couldn’t do it. Had to take the BLI GG1 and use another DCC vendor’s Program Booster track (this isn’t uncommon with BLI and the decoders they use). Trix programmed on the Digitrax without a hassle.
I opted for a BLI 5 Stripe Brunswick Green unit. :^) Was never really into Tuscan Red - mainly because all the GG1s I remember seeing were green.
(But that doesn’t mean I don’t own a Tuscan Red GG1 - I do. A 1977 Brown Box Tyco Pennsy GG1 #4173. After all these years, it can still pull it’s fair share of cars on my analog layout.)
It actually is just a matter of price at this point. I’d lean more to the BLI GG1. Since BLI and Trix GG1s are almost indestinguishable and require the same amount of maintenance - I (personally) can’t justify the price Trix wants.
Model Railroader did a Product review on both of these brands of GG1. The Trix model had an eight wheel drive with traction tires while the BLI model was equipped with 12-wheel drive. The BLI engine had a slightly higher pulling capacity but you will find that a lot of this forum’s respondents prefer to avoid traction tires since they frequently wear out or come off under heavy use.
There were only five Tuscan GG1’s the remaining 130 were Green. The Tuscan ones were painted and used primarily for the Comgressional Limiteds when the stainless steel Budd cars were delivered in 1952. There are pictures of them on some special trains but there was one for each of the four trains and one spare. Off the top of my head 4907 was one. I do not recall 4929 being one of the others. If there is any ineterst I can look up the others.
Another thing to consider is potential service, if you are unable to do it your self. I notice you are in Italy. Is a Trix service center closer to you than BLI here in the US? How about warranty? Does either company have a advantage?
Yes Jim, you’re right… The main problem is that BLI isn’t close to me… here in Italy. On the other side, Trix (MARKLIN giant) is everywhere. Besides, I’ve found a TRIX GG1 priced about 403 US Dollars (exactly 310 Euros). Sincerely, I’ve bought it, above all to avoid logistic complications joined to the necessity of ordering the BLI loco directly in the USA…Without any doubt, a foolish act from me…I’ve seen it, I’ve got it… After reading all your advices, I’m gone with the Brunswick Green fethered stripes… What can I tell you? It has fascinated me more than the five stripes one (as ancient Romans said, “De gustibus non disputandum est”). I’ve read on www.spikesys.com/GG1 that unit 4829 was the only achieving such a 1937 paint scheme.
For Newyorkcentralfan: I can confirm your assertion, at least regarding the Rivarossi one…
For Leon Silverman: Yes, I know that… I’ve purchased several MR numbers, nevertheless missing the one you’re focusing on. However, my new Trix GG1 has no traction tires…
For ndbprr: It’s undoubted that you, being a diehard PRR railfan…[:)], go in the depht approaching this particular argument… Tuscan red GG1, conjugated with similar colour cars, was the state-of-the-art… in my opinion, obviously.
For jpwc50: reconnecting to your passionated declaration and altering it a little “…a beautiful model of the greatest electric locomotive ever produced in the WORLD…”. Above all, considering the '30s technology and engineering… there were a few GG1’s competitors on our planet…
For 8500HPGASTURBINE: now, having purchased a green unit, you’d be angry with me… [angel]
For SteamFreak : Thanks a lot for your very friendly welcome [:)]… Former home of Rivarossi… Yes, w
