I’ve been interested in buying one for a while now. Are they better with the round motor or the square motor? Are they smooth? Could I have a positive response please? I don’t really want to hear something like “forget the Rivarossi junk and buy a P2K”. Just the positive things about them.[:)] And I’m not really interested in the new Rivarossis all that much, just the AHM ones.[:)]
With the AHM limitation, it does not make any difference; they are not smooth by today’s standards; no
Some are smooth, so are not, its hit and miss, definatly not as quiet, but then non of the older steamers are. Best bet is to check it on a test tract at the train shows, or take a 9v battery and some test leads with you to fire it up. If its on ebay, then you take your chances. I can resurrect dead and ill AHM/RIvarossi locomotives, email me off site if you need tech help with one that is ailing. Cheers Mike
Get one of the newer Rivarrossi units.They have RP25 flanges whereas the older AHM have big flanges and will jump on your turnout frogs.Dan
I posted this in another thread about Rivarossi earlier.
Be careful of the older AHM Rivarossi loco’s especially the 2-8-4 and the 0-8-0. They had a flat pancake motor in the cab and deep flanged wheels. Unless you use code 100 rail those deep flanges will ride the ties. Also those old pancake motors have no torque. I had an early AHM/Riv. 2-8-4 that would barely pull 4 boxcars and a caboose up a 2% grade.
The more recent Rivarossi loco’s in the red boxes have improved motors and drives.
Most of the Rivarossi steam loco’s have well executed molded on detail but are not railroad specific in detail. Again, as an example their 2-8-4 Berkshire is pretty close to being a Nickel Plate prototype but is much less accurate for the other rairoads that it was decorated for, especially the C&O Kanawah. I have one of the newer Berks in Pere Marquette markings and only made a few changes to make it more or less correct. I got it on E-Bay for about $75 which in my opinion is about all it’s worth.
Bob DeWoody
I would recommend the newer Rivarossi Berkshire with the can motor and Rp 25 flanged wheels (with traction tires installed) , it’s not as detailed as my Proto 2000 LifeLike but it will outpull theProto 2000 Berk like it’s tied to a tree (the Proto that is).
Before bidding on E-Bay, the last time I checked Trainworld was still selling brand new Riv Berks for $79.00
Bob DeWoody
Something positive about the Rivarossi 2-8-4? Well, they USED to be top of the line, way back in 1968…
Seriously, don’t bother. I’m a HUGE NKP steam fan, and at one time or another owned 12 of them, with both the new and old motors. The only thing than made them better than the new P2K engines was in their pulling ability: I’ve had a Riv Berk lugging 75 twin hoppers on the flat, while the best the P2K can do is about 45. But even then, the Riv engine only did that with traction tires, and Riv TT’s have a tendency to come off REAL fast. They also overheat relatively quickly, making running one for more than about 1/2 hour chancey at best.
In all other categories, the Rivarossi engine is MUCH worse than the P2K. The detailing is cruder, the detailing is horribly WRONG in most dimensional ways (and there are some really glaring foul-ups!), the slow speed performance of the engine is bad, the engine is off balance, and it’s really hard to work on.
As soon as I got my first P2K Berkshire, I reviewed it for the NKPHTS, taking a micrometer to it to compare it to a set of original blueprints. I also measured out the Riv Berk, an Arbour Berk, and an old United Berk, to see how they compared. I ALSO eyeballed all three engines sitting next to each other to see which “looked” the best. .The P2K engine won handily on all respects, and beat out the others performancewise (except for the pulling ability). I promptly sold my 12 Riv Berks, one Arbour and four Uniteds and bought seven P2Ks.
Do yorself a favor: if you REALLY want a NKP Berkshire, go with the P2K engine. Trainworkd has 'em for sale at $195.
I can’t afford the P2Ks. That’s why I want an inexpensive one from Rivarossi. (preferably $60 or less)
I believe because of the OO gauge and european style, the engines are slightly oversize
also the wheels are slightly undersize to make ado for the larger flanges.
If your ONLY going for the RR berk…
DO…buy the newest with rp25 wheels and round can motor.
My fidgety with the Proto berk is no mars light and the RR does.
But I contacted LL and got new boilerfront parts so I can modify the front and add a mars light (leaving the original intact)
I have an old RR berk, relnumbered it to 765, and really played on details.
Everything I did to it is thus…
filed down the large flanges with wheels spinning and a file or dremel, lightly touched the flanges
and brought them down patiently.
One of the MR mags had an article about making a tool with rp25 contour to jam them drivers to rp25 on a lathe. If you owned a lathe.
I sprung the drivers, because of their prototypical attachings, (but not so prototypical details)
they sprung out decently. I used a spring pickup, folded it around and made a spring, and filed down the axle bearings. Wheels sprung except the driver. now has better electrical pickup and power.
I handlaid my track and it wasnt always smooth and it derailed sometimes, springing solved that.
Lit numberboards… I found some numberboard details (AHM berk of course) carefully concaved it in to accept a microlight, then I had actual 8mm film of the 765 numberboards, and glued them on. heh, how realistic…
working mars light, took the mars light off, put a new one on and put the mars light lamp in it, cool!
1.5v bulb in the headlight, plus constant directional lighting.
Also changed the motor to a can motor and regeared it down with NWSL regear kit.
Slows it down nice.
This is what makes the RR berk better.
but
I bought the LL berk and its going to get the treatment like above where suited.
Actually, the Rivarossi Berks are slightly UNDERsized. The boiler is too narrow, the cab is too short, the drivers are too small, the wheelbase is too short, the tender is too narrow…etc. Only the Brits really model in OO, and the model wasn’t made by a British company, so it really is supposed to be true HO scale.
The real NKP Berks were first delivered in 1932. Mars lights weren’t completely added to the fleet until 1953 (and a few engines NEVER got 'em). The Berks were retired in 1958. That means that in average, a NKP Berkshire spent 20 years WITHOUT a Mars light, and only six with one. Personally, I prefer NKP steam without the Mars light, but with the flying numberboards (which weren’t added until after 1947, with the exception of the S-2 class which were delivered with them in 1944). The newest announced release of the NKP Berks WILL be coming with a working Mar’s light.