What is your opinion on the BLI 2-8-2 Heavy Mikado? How does it run? How much can it pull? How is the Sound?
I own a undecorated 2-8-2 Heavy Mike. A friend also has a 2-8-2 BLI Heavy Mike. His is first run, mine is second run.
Both engines exhibit a ability to haul 15 cars (Accurail, Atlas, Athearn etc etc) up a 3% Grade around 24" and 22" radius without too much trouble. They can haul more on the flat.
Specifically for me the ability to stop and restart 15 cars on a 3% grade is the “standard” I expect of HO steamers. The Life Like 2-8-4 will handle 15 cars up that 3% until it gets to the 24" curve on the top and the increased drag will stop it. The BLI 2-8-2 will maintain speed around this curve after climbing the grade with the bulk of the cars still on grade.
I also own a BLI M1a PRR 4-8-2. Both engines are very similar on uphill performance. When double heading I can go from 15 cars to about 30 only that we dont have the room to swing any more cars. The biggest problem with the BLI engines is the lack of Operating Kaydee front couplers.
I still get kind of mad when I see those dummy plastic couplers on the front. A $300 dollar engine ought to afford a $1.50 front kaydee coupler.
The sound is all I could want in HO. In fact, I am saving my pennies for a Life Like 2-8-8-2 also with QSI sound. Simply the reputation of the QSI’s good performance on BLI steamers is enough for me to order one of the LL’s engines unseen and unheard 9 months ago.
I am also influenced by the fact that there was a deadline for orders and you had to either order that time or risk waiting years for a OOP Item to show up somewhere.
There are other sound products on the market and some do work really well. But it does not exhibit the “Consistency” I have come to expect from BLI.
In short, this engine is capable of performing to a 3% grade with 15 cars which I consider good performance for a freight engine on the main.
I have a pair of those engines, and mine will pull at least 15-18 cars up my 3% ‘hill’ as well. Really nice engines - well worth the price.
Jim Bernier
I’m very happy with my BLI Mikes.Though I haven’t put thier pulling power to the test,Thier detail,slow speed operation,throttle response and of course the QSI sound are great.I too am disapointed about the dummy coupler on the engine…can anybody tell me why on such a well thought out model?
I’m still trying to figure out to replace the stupid dummy coupler on my Rivarossi FEF-3 and my Bachmann 0-6-0. Why dummy couplers!? They don’t even couple with regular couplers and they look bad.
Be careful wuat you aks for! I have a new BLI K4 and it has a real working Kedee coupler up front and it looks awful. It has way too long of a shank and actually droops. It is attached with a small screw through the shank I can’t figure out why they did not shorten the shank. I’m going to try and replace it with a Kedee 58 and see how that looks. It may turn out to have be easier to have replaced a scale dummy coupler than to undo there attempt of putting a working coupler on this engine.
I’ve got three of them and I really like them. The low speed performance is excellent, as is the sound and pulling power. The dummy front coupler was a disappointment, but replacing it with a Kadee in a cut down and reshaped #5 box wasn’t difficult. The hardest part was enlarging the opening in the pilot for the box to slid through. I like them well enough to have recently bought serveral of the light mikes.
Have Fun,
Tom Watkins
Tom,
How did you attach the #5? Is there enough “meat” on the pilot deck to drill & tap for a 2-56 screw?
Thanks very much everyone for your responses, Its much help to me since I’m new to BLI products. I recently got my Class A from Trainworld and I just ordered the Heavy Mike. [:D]
Congrats.
Make sure you lube that engine. I am not sure but I hearsay that BLI sometimes very lightly lubes that brass worm.
Let us know how it does on your pike.
Yea, I had that problem on the Class A. It had virtually no lube.
Mike, I opened up the hole in the pilot with a Micromark saw blad that’s shaped like a #11 blade and fits in it’s handle. I trimed the ears of the #5 box and cut off the rear corners of the box. I tapered the top of the box down with files to increase the amt. of clearance for the pilot truck to swing. After I tested the fit, I super glued it tinto place. After the superglue set up I ran a bead of Tenax around the box. The bond seem to be plenty strong enough. I’ve had no problems so far. A #27, medium overset coupler comes out at the right height.
Hope This Helps,
Tom Watkins
Does the #27overset come into a #5 Kaydee box?