Now that I’ve got your attention, I would like to get some input from you. In an e-mail to BLI, I asked them about the drivers on their newly released M1 4-8-2. The pre-production photos all show a locomotive with flanged wheels. But the actual models have blind drivers. And I wanted to know if future steam will have blind drivers as well.
They told me the following.
"This issue is yet undecided. We will see the customer responses to the engines already offered and make a decision once we get a feel for what the consumer wants. "
I’m posting this poll to get an idea of what other BLI customers think. Well, consumers? What do you want? I say future steam offering should come with blind center drivers so they can negotiate the minimum recommended radius, and include replacement regular wheels.
Also give any input you would like BLI to know. I will be sending them a link to this page so they can see whats up. Hopefully this will help influence their decision.
I e-mailed them regarding diesel horn sounds on their E-units and upcoming SD40-2. I also gave them links to the Tsunami and Lawsuit threads regarding Mike’s Train House (I’ll be writing an “lonnnng” update soon as I just received an update from LItchfield Station owner Bruce Petrarca).
BLI is pretty good about answering e-mails inqiuries. Takes a few days sometimes.
Blind wheels would be the way to go on the steamers!
More important to me than the flange issue, is getting rid of the traction tires. I need to send them an inquiriy about getting replacement, non-traction tire wheel/axle assemblies for my A’s.
I have BLI’s J1e Hudson, which I converted to Northern Pacific’s 2626, the famous Timkin engine. Yes, I know the Timkin was a 4-8-4 and not a 4-6-4. However the similaritys between the two is stunning, if you can get past the fact that a pair of drivers are missing. I have found that on my 22" minimums, the Hudson wanted to climb the outside rail in some places and wonder if maybe this is why.
BLI is a little out of my price range at this time. However I am very interested in their C&O Texas. So a blind driver may be a good thing when negotiating tight radius curves. I can’t see any Loco with 4 sets of drivers or less requiring blind ones. Correct me if I’m wrong.
I currently have 22 and 18 radius curves on my layout. (Someday I hope to build a bigger layout with wider curves.)
I have a BLI PRR T-1 and PRR M-1b and if it were not for the blind drivers, I would not be able to run them on my layout.
The T-1 includes replacement flanged drivers for those layouts with wider curves.
I’d like to see BLI include replacement drivers in future releases, or make them available for those who want them.