Broadway Limited Imports Bringing Back Stealth Series Locomotives!

Most BLI diesels have left me cold detail wise, I don’t own any.

Sheldon

Same here.

I come from this group but not out of choice. I have no room for a giant layout where I live especially since I live with roommates and the housing market is atrocious and getting worse. That is something for another day and another forum. My only outlets are to collect or to run trains. To do this I had to join a modular rail club where we run at train shows because again real estate is so expensive and the members are so spread out that a permanent fixed location is simply out of the question. The days of large basement empires are over unless you are making six figures or you live far out in the countryside but who knows how long that will last too.

That and I remember a post said about how you did not enjoy having to hunt down models. That is why I am forced to collect and buy what I can when I can especially for steam since manufacturers only do certain runs for a year then they may wait 5, 20, or never for them to return at a higher price. I never pay MSRP or even street pricing I do all my buying from train shows, auction houses, train stores when I can (the county I live in just had the last two left go belly up) so that forces me to go to eBay when train shows aren’t around to find models I want that aren’t always available.

To be fair the only reason it is gone is because Mike Wolf decided to retire. If he was still around it would still be going strong despite DCS and ScaleTrains would not have bought the tooling to revamp it with ESU. Later models were more DCC friendly and less of a hassle to program compared to their first generation of models. What can I say I am a glutton for punishment and enjoye

[quote user=“scott7891”]

ATLANTIC CENTRAL
These new models also created third class of customer - not previously common in HO - Collectors with no layouts, or just small “test track” layouts.

I come from this group but not out of choice. I have no room for a giant layout where I live especially since I live with roommates and the housing market is atrocious and getting worse. That is something for another day and another forum. My only outlets are to collect or to run trains. To do this I had to join a modular rail club where we run at train shows because again real estate is so expensive and the members are so spread out that a permanent fixed location is simply out of the question. The days of large basement empires are over unless you are making six figures or you live far out in the countryside but who knows how long that will last too.

That and I remember a post said about how you did not enjoy having to hunt down models. That is why I am forced to collect and buy what I can when I can especially for steam since manufacturers only do certain runs for a year then they may wait 5, 20, or never for them to return at a higher price. I never pay MSRP or even street pricing I do all my buying from train shows, auction houses, train stores when I can (the county I live in just had the last two left go belly up) so that forces me to go to eBay when train shows aren’t around to find models I want that aren’t always available.

ATLANTIC CENTRAL
We see were MTH HO is now…

To be

I have the light 4-8-2, 2-8-2, and 2-8-0’s. Oh, and a 2-6-0, but I’m not counting that one. It was only intended as a temporary stand in and since been retired from regular use. Besides, it’s a really little engine. One shouldn’t expect much with that. Admittedly part of my issue is I have a rather challenging grade on my mainline that I knew could be problematic, but only the Bachmann steamers have struggled on it. My BLI and Proto steamers can handle it, as can all makes of diesels (no surprise there). In all fairness to Bachmann, those steamers run well, look good, and have not been my poorest pullers. That award belongs to the Trix 2-8-2 I have. Straight out of the box it couldn’t start a string of 8 cars plus a caboose on straight and level track without spinning the drivers. (I was starting gently too)

OK, that explains it.

The Heavy 4-8-2 and 2-10-2 with larger die cast boilers are much better pullers, and even with a plastic boiler, the 2-6-6-2 is loaded with weight in stock form.

In fact I double head my 2-6-6-2’s with Proto 2-8-8-2’s (which I have converted to 2-8-8-0’s) and both locos pull about the same.

The 2-8-4 is light, but has plenty of room for more weight.

Here is tip for the 2-8-0, remove the boiler and fill the domes with lead. Then remove the spring on the pilot truck. I have never had tracking issues without the spring and they really do pull better without it.

And I weight all my tenders with an extra oz or two for be

[quote user=“ATLANTIC CENTRAL”]

scott7891

ATLANTIC CENTRAL
These new models also created third class of customer - not previously common in HO - Collectors with no layouts, or just small “test track” layouts.

I come from this group but not out of choice. I have no room for a giant layout where I live especially since I live with roommates and the housing market is atrocious and getting worse. That is something for another day and another forum. My only outlets are to collect or to run trains. To do this I had to join a modular rail club where we run at train shows because again real estate is so expensive and the members are so spread out that a permanent fixed location is simply out of the question. The days of large basement empires are over unless you are making six figures or you live far out in the countryside but who knows how long that will last too.

That and I remember a post said about how you did not enjoy having to hunt down models. That is why I am forced to collect and buy what I can when I can especially for steam since manufacturers only do certain runs for a year then they may wait 5, 20, or never for them to return at a higher price. I never pay MSRP or even street pricing I do all my buying from train shows, auction houses, train stores when I can (the county I live in just had the last two left go belly up) so that forces me to go to eBay when train shows aren’t around to find models I want that aren’t always available.

ATLANTIC CE

Those groups have existed for a long time, long before BLI or MTH. It is why we have had model railroad clubs for years. People that either don’t have the ability/space or desire to have their own layouts at home. I too belong to this “third class” (interesting choice of words) of customer once moving to the land of no basements (Florida). I belong to a club, and it has its pluses and minuses over having a layout at home.

BTW, don’t bother bringing the steath engines to the club I belong to, or any I have visited in the last 10 years. DCC only.

As a side note on housing, it runs the gauntlet depending on where you want to live, where I am it is very very expencive.

Having been around this hobby for 55 years, I can tell you that as a percentage, collectors in the smaller scales were a very small percentage until the last 25 years or so. Now they are a significant market segment.

Unlike O and S which had significant collector followings going way back.

Third only in that sense, being the newest group of the three to represent a significant percentage of the market.

I expect new people to go DCC, I expect clubs to be DCC, but that does not change the actual numbers still using DC and the potential market for the m

Builders are fixing this for the current drop of transplant retirees. Many upscale home models are now built with a “man-cave” bonus room above the main living area. The examples I have seen are about 20 by 30 or so. Usually with one small window.

Think of it as an inverted basement. My friend Rob’s house in Spring Hill has one, and it would be a perfect train room.

Which club?

-Kevin

Yes I think that last part is important. I suspect there are a fair number of people who like the advantages of DCC (“keep alive” circuits, lighting options, Back EMF, etc.) but have no interest in sound. I have to admit, if I had it all to do over again, I would for sure still do DCC, but maybe skip sound. Not only are sound decoders (or sound equipped engines) more expensive, but I found that in many older engines converting to DCC was easy (often just replacing a dummy plug with a decoder) but finding room for a decent sized speaker and enclosure too was a problem.

I am really glad to hear this development too, having had poor experiences with a couple of recent BLI steam locomotives. I have always been, and can’t see me changing from, DC so like others have said the notion of paying for electronics that don’t work well and are of no use to me is annoying. It seems to me that the QA issues are more of a recent thing though and just that because – famous last words – I have a 1st run Niagara that will be verging on 20 years old now with the old QSI system that I silenced on day one with the magnetic wand and it runs amazingly to this day. I also have a very different experience of MTH on DC to others. Mine run very well, other than my Allegheny which was good for about a month and then conked out. As a fan of steam powered passenger trains I feel very glad to have been in the right time and place to get the beautiful locomotives and prototypical consists for, really, little cost and remember pondering and pondering should I off-load a mountain of money on a Key NYC 20th Century locomotive and cars in the 90s, so people can blow a gasket at BLI and MTH (I have myself at times) but in the round I think we are seeing the tail end of a great period in modelling but very glad to see DCC ready back.

If you have MTH locos that run good on DC, and other dual mode decoders that are running good on DC, then you must be running a pretty high voltage, 18 volts or more?

Surely not the 12-14 volts originally specificed in the NMRA Standards.

I run DC and no decoder equipped locos locos run well on my throttles because they are full voltage pulse width modulated (PWM) for better speed control.

And they set dual mode decoders nuts. I take all that stuff out and throw it away, or sell it to someone.

Sheldon

You are right, Sheldon. I use MRC Tech 3 which, from the dial, tops out at 20v although I don’t go up to that. Now I did buy these after I bought an Athearn Big Boy which was very sluggish at 12v, but before that I used H&M transformers - a British make - and here’s an example of my Niagara with 12 cars 6 of them brass on the 12v H&M and although it was a long long time ago I think it would go faster than it was here. It was limited by wheelslip because I’d replaced the traction tyred wheelset. I will say though that the speed modulation on straight DC I much prefer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtmEx8uZf4Y

For my rolling road I use this ancient trainset freebie. It runs all my different DCC locomotives just fine. I know without any load. The only thing I have it is maxed out on is some Proto 2000 E units from maybe the late 90s.

https://flic.kr/p/2ooHiik

Thanks for the info Sheldon. I’ll have to try that with one of my 2-8-0’s. The first one I got had a little hitch in the driveline, so I went to remove the boiler to investigate. The first screw on the bottom just kind of disintegrated when I tried to turn it. Looks like any other stripped out phillips screw, but it was perfect when I started and my screwdriver didn’t slip. Four little pieces of metal between the blades of the screwdriver just kind of sheared off, so Bullfrog Snot was my only chance. When I got the second one I flipped it over to pull the boiler, felt more resistance than what I thought I should have on that first screw, remembered my experience with the other one and stopped. Might have to try again.

I’m nervously awaiting their new Hudson I’ve had on order for a year now. Fingers crossed it won’t require much work to make it pull well.

Last year I undpacked my trains and started testing out my stuff that had been packed away for too long. Twenty years in boxes and I was surprised most the N scale diesel locos were fine with just a little bit of maintenance. But the only steamers that survived were the Kato units. As I started looking for replacements I decided to try one the BLI switchers which was advertized to be DC/DCC. The detail was great, however I was surprised the throttle had to go 50% before it would move (yes that is in the instructions). I thought I could get used to that but when I tried a switching puzzle I discovered the couplers were unreliable. It would couple but no amount of magnetic power could get it to reliably uncouple. I suppose I could change to Kadee.

Then there was the annoying loud sound which I discovered could not be turned off. Overall except for appeances I was not satisified with the first loco I had purchased in way over 20 years, so it was returned. However if BLI comes out with a non DCC model I might reconsider. In the meantime as I continue testing and planning I pre-ordered a new Kato DC only Big Boy,

-Mike in NC,

Mike, if I am getting you correctly I agree that it is annoying that these days BLI stuff can’t be muted without a DCC programming track. Back in the day there was the option to turn up or down the sound with a magnetic reed whereas the last 2 or 3 I’ve bought have left me with no oprion but to take the tender body off and pull the plug on the speakers. But that’s where we are today and as maligned as MTH sometimes are to the end they allowed the DC user to adjust the sound and smoke unit with a screwdriver.

With a dual mode decoder there’s always that initial 5v or so that has to be used to power the amp up. I did find a way around that last year by fitting a DC board to an Atheard Genesis DCC locomotive but that was a proprietary unit and I’m not aware of a generic one of those.

The point remains that for those running traditional voltage levels in DC (12-14 volts) and those of us running higher quality/newer technolgy Pulse Width Modulated DC throttles, dual mode decoders are not an acceptable option.

Only a locomotive without a DCC decoder will perform properly for us. Broadway had thumbed its nose at us for decades even as we still represent nearly half the active modelers.

Broadway may finally be realizing just how much business they have lost to Walthers, Athearn, Bowser, Atlas, Bachmann, Rapido and others still offering DC/DCC ready locomotives.

No decoders left in locos here, sound disabled or not.

I actually did pretty good years ago selling those Bachmann basic decoders that I removed from 20 or so locomotives to install the DC jumper pins.

Smoke - I NEVER had any interest in that, a smoke unit would head right for the circular file under the workbench.

Lucky for me, none of the few Broadway locos I removed decoders from had them.

Sheldon