I read all of this praise about Williams being bullet proof, never needing repairs, great runners etc. I’d like to hear from actual Williams owners, is all of this true? Who sells Williams at reasonable prices? My hobby shop doesn’t carry the line and says they won’t for some unknown reason.
Bill[C):-)]
Bill, depends what you are looking for and how you operate. If you are looking for non-command control engines without the fine tuned scale detail that is commond today on many locos, Williams are a very good deal.
Williams locos are mostly a throwback in time as far as details and features are concerned. But they are well built (die cast trucks, couplers, pilots, sheet metal frames, metqal gears on the drive versus the plastic used on many others) and reasonably prices when compared to much else out there. Their Alco FA is probably the exception, being a much more detailed engine than some of their other models.
I was never wild about their box cars. Williams ar one time used a high gloss paint on everything they made. They have since changed to a satin finish which is much nicer. Their porthole Pennsy-type cabooses are very nice as are their new tank cars.
It’s not like something couldn’t go wrong with a Williams loco… the do have DC can motors which unfortunately do not last forever. But Willams has a very good warranty. When folks say they are “bullet proof” I’m certain this is a reference to their solid metal construction and their lack of extra electronics.
Obviously if you prefer command control, or more refined details (notice the sheet metal handrails on the Williams locos), you might want something else. Otherwise for the money, Williams locos are the kind of quality and price many of us wish Lionel was making but isn’t. Fortunately Williams is.
I have more than a dozen Williams locomotives, and am completely satisfied with them.
If you want command control and all the bells and whistles, Williams may not be for you. But if you want a nicely made, good looking, reliable, and very affordable locomotive, then Williams is definitely worth taking a look at.
And they offer the best warranty in the business, although chances are good that you’ll rarely, if ever, need to take advantage of it.
Got two Williams SD90’s and one box car. The box car has stuband couplers [don’t like to uncouple]. I have had to send one engine back to Williams after a few hours of use. Reversing unit went bad. Now, I think they are great for conventional control engines. I sent the engine back and within 5 days [yes, only 5 days] it was back on my stoop. Works great now. They can be converted to command control later. If I were looking for conventional control engines, I would buy Williams. Very strong pullers. They can be lashed together and run great without the old E unit problems of geting out of sequence. My desire is to buy a set of Santa Fe F3’s from Williams one day. Go for it.
Bill, Williams locomotives are a good deal. They are for the most part scale sized, smooth running, and pull with the best. They lack electronics except for the basic horn/bell and reverse unit. The true blast II horn is sweet sounding.
MA & PA junction and Jus Trains of Delaware are big dealers of Williams and their prices are attractive. A couple dealers have told me they resent Willimas direct mail order marketing. Every so often, Williams sends out emails with direct blowouts sales on certain items. This upsets them too. This is just hearsay from two dealers, mind you.
Forgot. Join the Williams Platinum Club and you get a discount on certain items being run as specials and catalog sales fliers [and you get a free car or caboose]. Also, any purchase over $200, you pay 50% first month and 25% the remaining two months. Gives you a way to finance big purchases. I do think that Marty at Ma & Pa Junction prices them a little less than Williams direct. Marty is very good to work with.
I own two WIlliams trains, and I feel ashamed that I ONLY own two. I like to run trains conventionally, no handheld for me, so WIlliams is the best bang for the buck. I have had one problems, the lightbulb burnt out and I had to replace it with the extra one that came with the engine.
I own 5 Williams engines, and the 6th is hopefully on the way. Are they 100% without problems? Not mine. One of them has a horn problem (the speaker is hot-glued in, and had come apart), and all of them have reverse sequencing problems that pop up from time to time. The reverse unit problems may be a result of dirty track, though. One of them has a front coupler (NW-2), that occasionally pops out and shorts, and lastly one of the squeaks around some curves, which lubrication does not seem to solve. I still believe that they are a great deal, and are almost trouble free. They are not perfect, as some people think, but they do seem to be about the best value out there at the moment.
I have 6 Williams locomotives. All of them diesels. No steam (yet). I love every one of them. The detail is greatly improved on the latest offerings. I have had no problems with reverse sequencing. I have Lionel, Mth, Kline, Weaver, Industrial Rail, the “beeps”, & Williams. Williams is my favorite runner.
I have 3 Williams diesels that look and perform superbly. It is interesting that a full-scale model SD-45, with thin handrails, 2 motors with metal gears, lights, horn and bell, is less expensive than a comparable dummy made by other mfgrs.
I have a Williams Sd-45 and not knowing the actual length of the prototype, it appears a little short. The shell is fatter than the prototype to fit the motor. The tooling was made in the early eighties before can motors were streamlined. I have a GN Hustle Mustle. I love the scheme and it gets ran a lot. At $135 discount, it’s a real bargain.
Just received my 6th Williams engine today, the berkshire. I ran it about 10 loops around the layout after adding smoke fluid (my eyes are still burning), this thing smokes!!! I can’t run it anymore until I oil and grease per the instructions. If postwar Lionel engines are your thing, you might want to look into this one, especially at the reduced prices.
It would be nice if Williams put those smoke units in diesels. But then the price may go up.
I own a few Williams engines and cars. [tup][bow] Glad I bought them. I run them hard and pu***hem as much as I can. Haven’t needed any repairs yet. They are just like my post war lionels only you get new ones (Williams) for less than the price of postwar.
Yes…Yes …Yes… Yes… Yes Buy some and youll like them…Tim