I was brought back to the hobby with a blast. I have been wanting a specific loco (SD70MAC w/slant radiators in ARR road, HO) for about six years now and the only production one I could find was OMI’s by Ajin. I have been bidding on those that have come up on e-bay but have been out bidden every time. That is until a couple of weeks ago. Definitely paid a premium but finally got what I wanted (see photo below). It is really sweet and according to the seller only 30 some units were made for this number.
Now the choice. I told myself in the past I wouldn’t buy anything just to collect it. Kind of rethinking that now. If I want to use it on the layout, I will have to upgrade it to DCC but the unit did not come with any documentation at all. I am reluctant to open it up. Besides, upgrading would likely effect the value in a collector’s POV I suppose.
So the question is should I preserve it and hold on to it as collector’s item or upgrade it to run on my layout? If I do upgrade it, is there some documentation our there on these specific models?
I wouldn’t worry a bit about collector’s value since you really want the engine. But you have an investment in it and certainly do NOT want to have to buy a replacement, so it may be worth the additional expenditure to have the decoder professionally installed. Those guys are used to opening up an Overland or other make so the chance of damage is reduced compared to your own “learning by doing.”
Hmmmmm. Good question. As an N scaler with five brass locos, I would ask myself, did I buy this to run it or to save it for my kid’s college fund? If I bought it to save it I would have bought gold or a crystal chalice and put it in my china cabinet. However, I did not buy a precious commodity nor some antique heirloom hoping to make some money at some yet to be determined future date, I bought a fine piece of model railroading that will bring me hours of pleasure here and now. Run it till you hearts content because the world is going to end on Dec 21, 2012 any way.
Thanks for the input guys. I guess I am leaning towards just using it. With that said, I would have to send it out to have someone “professionally” install a decoder as we don’t have anyone that I know of up here. I done all my own up to this point but I feel a bit hesitant without a diagram / instructions. Does anyone have any insight on how to disassemble these creatures?
In me experience, brass is easier to disassemble than modern plastic. Brass always uses screws instead of tabs. I don’t have any experience with Overland, but I would guess the body is held on by a few screws under the frame (likely under the trucks). It’s all just a matter of finding them and not forcing anything. The couplers will also need to be removed if they’re frame mounted. If your SD70 doesn’t have headlights installed, it will be that much easier getting the shell off. Again, I don’t have any Overland, so I may be wrong.
I’m definitely on the ‘run it’ side. As an investment you would have probably been better off to buy a Certificate of Deposit, even at a low interest rate. It sounds like you’re comfortable doing decoder installations and perhaps, once the shell is removed, this one would be a breeze for you. Is the unit ‘dcc ready’ to your knowledge? Is there any documentation on the internet that would help you?
Congrats on your find, I too was on a quest for a unique unit a while back, & succeeded myself. It is a good feeling!!! Mine is an OMI Dash8-40CM, well here is a picture. Although I am not concerned with DCC right now, I would like lights & to detail paint around the window trim, hoses, etc. However, when I look at it, I just leave it in it’s little case I placed it in. (also too many other projects). This is the only OMI unit I have & was very impressed with the craftsmanship & detail. Then I put it on the track & almost fell over as it was the quietest & smoothest mover I think I own. I will run this one, probably not often, but I know it will like running & being on live rails. Someday I will disassemble it to do atleast, the finish detail painting. I have a feeling you admire your nice SD as much as I admire my BC Rail unit, Enjoy!
I have searched, I contacted OMI, and even tried to contact Ajin and there is just nothing out there. I was really hoping someone here has actually done one or even a similar type.
According to OMI, this unit (built in 01/05) is not DCC ready. Hard to believe. But shouldn’t be a problem to isolate the motor once I am in there. As as mentioned, I will look for screws and gently remove the shell.
Nice loco Chad! The detail is exquisite on these model for sure. One thing I notice is that wheel-base must be longer than my other SD70MAC (Athearn and Kato) because the front wheels pop up on the rail around one of my corners. The other units have no problem. It is a rather sharp corner but not that bad. Perhaps I need to elevate the outside edge… ahh I forget the term for that.
