I am planning to purchase two Life Like Proto Alco FA-1/FB-1 from Walthers. They are on sale for $42.00(nscale) This will be my first purchase and I was hoping for some insight prior to commiting to the sale. I know it is not high end but it will be my first and I plan to to use them as a filler until I find something better.
I have some and they run just fine! Not a great idea if you plan to go DCC later (they’re not DCC-ready), but as a beginner, you can do a lot worse than those.
I run mine on Digitrax DCC address 00 (analog) until I can get them convered to DCC (the frames need to be milled).
Here’s an A-B-A set in service on my N scale layout.
The DCC conversion for these isn’t too hard, really. You can modify the frame yourself, or look here http://www.sodigi.com/DigiFrame_Life_Like.htm or here http://www.sodigi.com/DigiFrame_Life_Like.htm .
For the money I think they are a good buy.
I do not plan to go DCC. Things can change, but as it stands DC is the route I am taking. Thanks for the pictures. The Army has me home for a while so I plan to build my New River Mining Company this weekend and work on my track laying. So much to do and so little time to do it all. (sigh)
I’ve heard some very good things about these locos and have been tempted to get a pair myself. They are supposed to be smooth runners that pull well. Various places have been trying to clear these out for a while now. MB Klein has them for $39.00 a pair (as a comparison):
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/manufacturer/lifelikep2kn.html?scale=N
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For a first loco, I think they should do well for you. Can’t beat the price either!