I wonder if Broadway Limited locos are good runners?
Can they be compared to Kato and Atlas?
I also wonder if precisioncraftmodels are related to BLI in some way or is this two different manufacturers?
http://www.broadway-limited.com/
http://www.precisioncraftmodels.com/
Electro,
Yes…and yes.
BLIs are good (and strong) runners. My 2-8-2 Mike is very nice. PCM is an offshoot of BLI. I’ve been trying to understand the relationship of the two myself. I originally thought the PCM was going to be tackling the N-scale market for BLI. But, PCM is coming out with their own HO models. Someone on the forum suggested that i might have something to do with the lawsuit with MTH.
Tom
Electro, I know nothing about their diesels, but I have two of their steamers; a NYC 4-6-4 Hudson with sound, and a PRR 4-6-2 Pacific. Both run well, but they are a bit quirky.
Let me explain. My Hudson makes noise in reverse, and BLI basically said that’s the way she goes. It runs well in both directions, but I have long since broken it in, and fiddled with CV’s 2, 3, and 4, all dealing with motion. It now runs very beautifully, although still ‘geary’ in reverse.
The K4 is still too new for me to say anything definitive…except that it is far and away my nicest loco. It is very finely crafted, and sounds great, although I cannot say if the sounds are remotely real for that locomotive…I suspect they are not. However, I have not been able to get it to start smoothly. I have lubricated the running gear, and fiddled with V-Start (CV 2), although not methodically to find the right solution. I suspect that it needs a great deal more breaking-in. Right now, I have to dial the throttle past 3 or four to get it to move with a load on it.
My advice to you? You will almost certainly be very happy with a BLI steamer. If not, BLI was very good and quick about rectifying a problem with a tender pickup… I broke it while cleaning it, and they said to ship it back with a check for $7.00 US for return shipping…that was it! I had it back 21 days later!!! [:O][8D]
So, what locos interest you? Big steam, middle, small?
-Crandell
BLI run great, but for some reason the AC6000 is a little jerky. I belive its something with the decoder. Even with the jerkiness, the AC6000 still runs good, and is thier worst runner in my opinon.
I have two, and ATSF 4-8-4 and an NW-2. The 4-8-4 is also kind of quirky. It won’t start smoothly at a low speed if it’s pulling anything. By itself it runs better. If I consist it with another steamer it also runs better. I think the second engine helps overcome whatever makes it sticky when starting. Once it gets going it’s fine, though it is also noisy in reverse.
The NW-2 runs very smoothly and sounds nice but has almost no pulling power. If it has more than about 3 NMRA-weighted 50’ grain cars behind it, it bogs down. Even a small switcher should do a little better than that. My solution is to keep it consisted with a Kato NW-2, which does the pulling. Also, the headlight castings are too small and there are some other detail problems. I plan to repaint the engine eventually and fix the details, but it’s still mildly annoying considering how much these things cost.
Overall I still like my BLI engines, though I would hesitate before buying any more.
Dacort-
I seem to remember hearing that BLI doesnt oil siderods at the factory. Try oiling all the bearings on your siderods and see if that makes it a little smoother.
I have a BWL MW2 and RSD-15 both withsound and in my opnion they run better than kato or atlas loco.'s I allways have tubble with the factory insalled DCC on my Atlas units!!
Joe,
It’s funny you should mention that. I had a guy in my train club stop over last month and brought his new BLI AC6000. (Boy, is that a looooong beast. [:0]) Anyway, his exhibited the very same “jerkiness” or hesitation that you mentioned
I only have a Bachmann E-Z Command so I couldn’t adjust any of the CVs. However, once we put a load on it, the AC6000 smoothed right out. I did have to lubricate the side and piston rods on my BLI 2-8-2 because of squeaking. After about an hour or two “break-in” period, I haven’t heard the squeaking since.
Tom
The steam models run fairly well overall, but a couple of my engines needed some breaking in to get them running slow. I had to run the UP mountain about twelve hours on the rollers to smooth it out.
Sorry about the steam BLI comparison to Kato or Atlas as they are diesels and are probably the best runners today for that catagory. I have watch the E6 set run and they are fairly good,but not as good as Kato or Atlas overall. Get to a dealer and ask for a demo.
My father-in-law’s BLI M1a runs GREAT, very quiet with the sound muted - makes the bargain basement price ($130 during Standard Hobby’s closeout sale) a steal even if it DIDN’T have sounds. It had squeaky side rods that a little dry lube (Labelle) cleared right up, otherwise the motor and mechanism are very quiet and smooth.
His GG1 also runs really well. Dual motors, but a more disel-type mechanism. And the BLI SW7 I saw demo’d at the LHS also was a real smooth runner.
–Randy
[#ditto] mY BLI AC6000 also runs jerky, Haven’t really looked into why yet, Will tear it down some day and try to isolate the problem.[:)]
Broadway Limited locomotives are extremely good. I know someone who has a 2-6-6-4 and it runs smooth. The power is awsome, but i don’t know the limit. He has pulled very long coal trains with it, which it is a natural scene of N&W steam. If you find a Broadway limited at a good price (around $150-around $300), you won’t choose wrong.
One of the speakers on mine picked up a stray spike at the club[:0] a couple months ago. I tore it apart and everything seems smooth. That leads me to belive its an electronic problem. I think im going to email BLI about it. They were very helpful about the speaker rewiring for extra volume.
Don’t know about the diesels, but I’ve got no complaints about the BLI steamers I have, except that the side-rods need to be oiled when you start running them. I’m not DCC, but on DC, they’re very smooth running and the sound is quite nice. The two articulateds I have (N&W 2-6-6-4, SP AC-5 4-8-8-2) are incredibly powerful locomotives, only the size of my layout limits the number of cars they seem able to pull. On DC, the starting voltage for BLI is fairly high (6 to 8 volts) but they have a good response–mine will crawl just as well as my can-motored brass locos.
I like them.
Tom [:D]
I’ll chime in to echo what everyone’s saying about the BLI steamers: they run and sound great. I’ve got three heavy Mikes and two lights, and I love them all. I’m planning on eventually having a fleet of eight of the light Mikes.
If they didn’t run good, the word would quickly have spread throughout the modeling world and Broadway Limited wouldn’t still be in business, selling hundreds if not thousands every month.
I have several BLI locomotives. I think they all run just fine. I’ve had two very minor problems, both with the Santa Fe 38xx class steamers. I haven’t had any problems that I can think of with any of the Diesels.
The sound is too loud out of the box but can easily be set to a more reasonable level.
I would compare them to Proto 2000, and can recommend any of the products they have made so far.
I presume you are considering their locomotives to power the CZ. While all three railroads originally ordered F units, I am not going that route. My CB&Q California Zephyr will be pulled by 2 or 3 Broadway Limited Es. The Rio Grande CZ will normally have a Proto 2000 Alco PABA set with Pheonix Sound on the point. If I ever decide to allow a WP locomotive on my trains, that is where I will consider the BLI F units.
Same exact company, it is just a different name for marketing purposes. I used to know the distinction they made and was hoping to remember it by the time I got done with this note, but it is not coming back to me. I guess it wasn’t important enough to me for my brain to file properly.
I have 2 M1a’s 4-8-2. and a K4 4-6-2. all are great runners and will pull everthing you put behind them. Fantastic level of detail.
The C30-7 is also a nice engine, and will pull 35 cars up 1% on a curve but will start to slip towards the top. But the truck sideframes are wrong for Burlington Northern, and some of the other smaller details are either wrong or missing. 8.5 out of 10.
The new Atlas Gold series GE Dash 8, A strong runner like the BLI and uses the same QSI sound decoder, but the details are just a little better than BLI and it features working ditch lights! As close to a perfect 10 as I have seen.
In a word: no.
They’re alright, but not Kato or Atlas.
Greg
I have two BLI steam locos. A 2-8-2 heavy mike which is just over a year old and a 4-6-4 Hudson which was a Christmas present. Both are quiet, smooth runners and good pullers. The sound is awesome. With a year of almost continuous use on the Mike I have had zero problems. I’m waiting for the prices to drop on the Niagara. It’s next on my list.