It appears I will need to purchase a NEW HO locomotive…(I’ll have to use mail order as the hobby shops here are closed)…The 5 locomotives that came with my recent “group buy” have not performed. I thoroughly cleaned track and wheels and even opened 1 or 2 locos to check,clean, oil the innards with no big improvements…My frustration builds.
I have no particular time period, geography or theme at this time…I simply want a good dependable new Locomotive that will perform as it should…It could be a diesel or steam loco…I’m just getting my feet wet. Later, I can be more discerning in my choices.
I am a relatively new “rookie” who unwisely bought a lot of bldgs, bridges, landscape, track (brass!), switches, controller etc in a group purchase…The locomotives have simply not performed…So I’m looking for DEPENDABILTY and Reliabilty….Please tell me not only your recomendations of which one(s) to buy but also WHERE to buy…This will help me a lot
…I’m stopping my benchwork until I get a functioning Locomotive… ( I have not even tested the 10 or so railcars that came with the lot)…You guys mostly told me to buy NEW…I beginning to see your wisdom.
I am looking forward to your thoughts and will place an order later this week based on your advice…Thasnk you guys!!!
The last report I have, you are using a RailPower 1300 15v and brass track, HO scale.
Without knowing what’s on the market you are looking at, if I walked in to a hobby shop, when they would have been open, for a dependable model and not wanting no particulars at this time, I would look at Atlas brand HO diesel with eight wheels for my money and what I know of their track record. If you want low cost stay DC. If you may be interested in future DCC and sound, it would be an easy upgrade at a later date.
I would go DCC ready so at least in the future you can upgrade it with a decoder if you wanted to. As for which locomotive brand, i would recommend Athearn RTR, Walthers Mainline, Kato and Bachmann (modern bachmann is eons better then their old train set stuff from the 80s/90s).
My best advice is to dump the brass track and buy some nickel-silver track.
Regarding locomotives, forget about steam locomotives and 6-axle diesels. Stick with a new 4-axle diesel as a start. Get one that is “DCC Ready” but run it on DC power for now.
For manufacturers, I would go with Atlas, Bowser, Intermountain, or Proto 2000 for diesel and BLI, Proto 2000, or Bachmann for steam. Steam selection, however, is generally more dependent on the actual model. Every manufacturer has their studs and duds.
If I were to make my first choice of locomotives for you it would be one of the following diesels:
Stewart F3 A- or A-B
Atlas RS1 or RS3 road switcher
Atlas MP15DC switcher
Each has been a very solid performer for me and I would not hesitate to recommend them. They would also be easily upgradeable to DCC, should you eventually go that route.
My choices for brand new locomotives based on models I currently own, would be Athearn, Atlas, Bachmann, ScaleTrains, and Walthers for diesels, and Bachmann and Bachmann Spectrum for steam. I do have other locos that were new when I got them, but the companies that made them are no longer with us. To point out a few notables in my opinion, I will say that you can’t go wrong with ScaleTrains for diesels. Most of their locos are available in two versions, the super-detailed Rivet Counter model, and the more budget friendly Operator model. Both versions use the same drivetrain, but the Operator model doesn’t have the super-detail parts. (You can buy and add them on at a later date if you choose to do so). I have an Operator ET44 GEVO, and it’s one of my favorite diesels. If you want something simpler, I’d say Athearn’s Ready to Roll or Roundhouse line would be a good choice. Most steam engines tend to be a little more pricey than an equivalent sized diesel in my opinion, but Bachmann makes some reasonably priced steamers. I’ve had two of their USRA 0-6-0s for at least 20 years. They both have their original can motors, and they still run quite well with basic maintenance. I also have one of their 4-8-4s that I’ve had since it was new and is around the same age and runs even better. As for where to buy them, most can be bought directly from the companies that made them, or on sites like TrainWorld or Model Train Stuff. One bit of advice, don’t get rid of the used locos you already have. Hold on to them till your skills improve. You may yet be able to get them running satisfactorily at some point in the future. Or they could be useful for parts later on. Case in point, I had an old Bowser PRR T1 kit that someone had started before I bought it a while back. The actual build wasn’t that hard, but I couldn’t figure out the wiring and just could not get it to run. So, silly me, I got frustrated with it and traded it in for something else. Now, a few years later and with improved
The problem with Stewart is it is old stock, if not out right used, and you don’t know what you are getting on Ebay.
Bowser took over Stewart and I think they are an under appreciated brand. At this point, having bought the pig in a poke, you want something reliable, reasonably priced, that will run without any repair skills on your part.
While I still think you should have an era and a location in mind, if this doesn’t suit you down the road, you can get a decent amount of your money back on Ebay.
Excellent advice from everyone…In 2-3 hours, you gave me valuable direction.I’ll check in with Model Train stuff and Train world…Unless you have other mail order sources I could try…THANK YOU…I’ll be ordering by end of week…Thanks.
While I like both, Train World (per their web site) is not filling orders until May15th and only if alllowed. Model Train Stuff is 8 days behind, so I would order from them just to get started.
That’s exactly what you’ll get with Stewart. Old stock, perhaps, but still a very solid, reliable, and extremely smooth-running locomotive with either the Kato, Canon, or Buehler drives. I have purchased several new or NIB Stewart FTs & F3s on eBay over the years and every one of them have been terrific runners. Bowser also has their newer “executive” line with better detailing that should be as reliable as the Stewart.
And, although mine is the older Stewart version, I agree with you that the Bowser VO-1000 is a fine choice. However, I would choose a NYC over PRR, if one were available in the newer line. [swg]
Not sure, but I think some of the older Stewart locos, need frame milling for DCC installation, it that become important to the OP.
Recently I bought a Life Like Proto 2000 GP, advertised with cracked gears. That part was true, but the motor shaft was also seized up in the bearings, because of old grease. Not a big fix for me, but the OP needs something that works out the box.
I have no idea if that is a problem with old Stewarts. I bought one recently and it had no grease at all on the gears that I could tell.
Lastly there are some unscrupulous sellers on Ebay. At this point in the hobby, the OP doesn’t need any more discouragement.
I hear what you are saying, Henry, but the OP asked for “dependability and reliability” and a Stewart F-unit would give that to him.
And, while I can’t speak for all older Stewart locomotives, the VO-660s, VO-1000, FTs, and F3s I have in my roster all came with 8-pin NMRA sockets wired to them and installing a decoder in each was straightforward; with no need for modifying the chassis. Also, none had cracked gears that have plagued the older Like-Like Proto 2000 locomotives.
And you’re right about unscrupulous sellers on eBay. That’s why the rating system is a good initial indicator of the seller’s prior history. When possible I always look at any seller’s neutral or bad ratings to see if a gripe raises a red flag or not.
I wouldn’t take the previous buying experience by the OP as a deterent to purchasing an older but good-quality new or NIB stock locomotive that is reasonably priced. There is no guarantee that a newly manufactured locomotive will not have its own issues.
I’d stick with a diesel rather than steam. Having said that, what railroads are you interested in? Any preferences?
I’d also choose a 4-axle diesel rather than 6, because the newer, later, and longer contemporary diesels might get balky on sharper curves. A 4-axle engine will be much more tolerant of such things.
Do you have any particular diesel designs that interest you (such a F-units, Geeps, Alcos, etc.)? I still have copies of “The Diesel Spotter’s Guide” from 'way back when. Not sure if it’s still in print, but a book like that would help with telling one from another.
For model manufacturers, I’ve had particularly good experiences with Atlas. Also with Bowser and Walthers Proto.
I took a chance as I was not familiar with this company (out of business I understand) and I have to tell you that both run extremely smooth and quiet. I was shocked. Id say that they compete with any of my Kato units as well as both Athearn Genesis models I have. That said I only run DC and have had great experience with any of the above mentioned units as well as Stewart and even most blue box Athearns (even though the BBs usually need cleaned/tweaked).
Best bang for the buck easily has been the NOS E-R Models I bought from the above seller for $36. Both are D&H Sharknose and VERY happy with them.
Do some thinking and planning before you spend money on something you will eventually be unhappy with. A Southern Pacific engine will look silly if you end up modeling the New Haven. I have a bunch of out-of-place engine shells I ended up with from an old box-of-trains purchase.
It is always tempting to buy things on sale or for a great price, but really, you should try to get what you really want the first time. Sometimes, that means delaying a purchase until you’re sure about it. Don’t settle for “just anything.”
Yes PC 101, I called one and they are doing significant business through mail…But I still can’t feel, see before purchase…Oh well…
[jjo, I adjusted the format of your post slightly. FYI - When using the quote feature: Make sure your response comes after the 2nd bracketed quote - i.e.
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