Examining the Athearn/Roundhouse Oldtime 2-8-0 - New Downhill test

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

We examine the new Athearn/Roundhouse Oldtime 2-8-0 at:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/1905/roundhouse_2-8-0_page/

Thank you if you visit
Harold

2

Thank you for your review. I find it to be very helpful. I did battle with the sounds in the 4-4-0 and could never get it right.

Do you know if this new 2-8-0 exhibits “Bucking” with a decent size train going downgrade… say 3% or so?

3

I don’t build railroads with grades for that reason, I learned early that grades really suck with worm gears. Sorry can’t help you with grades.

The third chuff type really improves the sound and shutting the speaker holes makes it so much better.

Harold

4

Someone asked how does it go downhill? We put it on the Buck-o-meter and it will do 4% with a 1/2 pound of solder on the tender and no worm gear bucking.

Harold

5

Thank you for taking the time to make a pic and run a test. Too bad that balance bar cannot be on the other side of the engine.

You appear to have a hole in your backdrop… is that track going to another part of the layout in another room?

6

That leads to other side of the 4x8

Harold

7

I still have a kit for that locomotive, Guess I better get busy and build it. Must be about 15 yrs old maybe, I bought the kit about three yrs ago at a swap meet. $50. My biggest problem with the 2-6-0 I built in that series well two probs, was to get it running smoothly and to keep it from stalling on my Atlas turnouts. I used a trick from two guyz and sum trains to put pickups on all the tender wheels and that helped a lot. Finally had to change out one of the turnouts. Could not get 3-4 locos to cross the frog, even with a hot frog.

8

The new locomotives are night and day better than the old kits. They improved them basically in the important performance area; new gears, all wheel pickup. I have old kits that I am adding Soundtraxx Tsumami’s.

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/1905/roundhouse_sound/

I will now add pickups to the locomotive and update the article.

Harold

9

Thanks for the test - was planning to buy one - now I will!![:)]

10

I will probably go ahead and get this one also… there is a train in need of an engine of that type and era.

Yes Im aware of what I posted in the past about MRC decoders.

11

The new 2-8-0 has a lower boiler and the drivers are now 51 instead of 52. The lower boiler makes a big difference in appearance. Now the modeler won’t have to do the boiler lowering.

Harold