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Broadway Limited Imports HO scale Blue Line C30-7
I also own a Blue Line C30-7; in fact I liked the first one so much I bought a second one. The one quirky thing about running Blue Line locos in DCC is that you have to install a motor decoder - the loco already has a sound decoder installed. Therefore, the key to getting it to run as you would expect is to program a new address on the main - i.e., in ‘Ops’ mode. That way both the motor decoder and the sound deocder both receive the new address at the same time. It is not possible to program a new address on a programming track. Other than that, the Blue Line brand is a fine line of locomotives.
Another way of dealing with the two decoders is by means of the decoder-lock facility, which many decoders now offer. There is s reasonable “paper” about it on the Digitrax website: http://www.digitrax.com/kb/index.php?a=888 I wonder a bit, why the separation of sound- and motor decoder in the Blueline series is advertised as an advantage. Sure, if you have a DC layout, it is alright, because you are not paying for the motor decoder part. But if you are using DCC, then the lack of integration between the two decoders can be a nuisance, e.g. the loco starts running, before the sound had time to rev up, or the breakes start squeeling, when the loco has long stopped. One can try to alleviate this by setting a suitable momentum (accelleration/decelleration), but it just doesn’t do as good a job as an integrated decoder. I have one Blueline loco, in the future I will stick to the “adult” version (I think, it used to be called Paragon-series, but no more).
The product is a great copy of the GE locomotive type it is modeled after in just about every detail.I compared it to my n
scale kato C30-7s.look great i have yet to install decoders but as far as pulling power look out she has got the sand to do it and then some.i cant wait to digitize the ole girl look out coal drags