Hello all,
I am just starting out in model railroading,and was wondering what would be a good choice of diesel engines on 18in radius.
Looks like my low end bachman wants to go off road a lot…
Is the atlas engines a lot heavier, than say bachman…
I really like something like the gp38 or 40s.
I just started using the prodidgy system.
Dont really want to spend a bunch of money on engines for the kids to tear up,but want something that will run good…
I asked the same question myself when I started off in the hobby. [#welcome]
Basic answer was, 4 axle diesels are good on 18" radius. Six axles less so. Keep to engines 9" long or shorter for a more realistic looking loco. But that said, larger ones will probably run fine, but not look good.
Experts? How say you?
Trevor[:)]
Hello biggun1963, and welcome to the forum.
If you’re talking lower end diesels, you have Bachmann, Life-Like and that bunch to pick from. I’m an N scaler myself, and own a few Bachmann’s, but they’re all sluggish and don’t sit up well for long periods of time. You might consider buying complete sets if you want to save money at places like Hobby Lobby. That way you’ll get the engine, possibly a dummy engine, cars, track, a transformer and other accessories a lot cheaper than you could go out and buy them piece by piece for.
Sorry if I’m not much help.
trainluver1
4 axle engines are the best choice for 18" radius curves. The P2K, Atlas, and Athearn offerings will all fill the bill. The Atlas GP38/40 series are very nice engines…
Jim
Over at the Chicago Museum of Science & Industry the premium Kato diesels out perform the Athearn Genesis & Atlas.
Throttle down a few notches the LifeLike P1K gives you a good bang/reliability for your buck but less details.
Is there a chance that your track or your axles are out of guage? I don’t see why a diesel should behave that way unless there are problems with either the track or the wheels and axles. Weight would help, but you’d be, in all probability, ignoring the underlying problems.
Thanks for the very fast replys. I was planning on going to my lhs this weekendand pick up a couple atlas engines,of course my lhs is only 3hrs away…lol
Really looking forward to running a few locos at a time with the kids…
Take a look in MR and see the ads run by Trainworld to give you an idea as to cost.
Atlas might be a little more expensive then what you want. I would suggest an athearn engine, theyre cheap and run pretty well. The only drawback is you will have to wire in your own decoder. If you feel comfortable doing that then go athearn. If not then the Atlas with a decoder already installed may be the better choice.
selector, is right.
You need to check the track thoroughly to make sure it’s properly aligned. What kind of bachmanns do you run. I have a couple F class, a mogul as well as a DD40AX (these three ranges from short to very long engines) and they run without derailing on a 18. Another factor could also be the wheel to track codes. My tracks are Atlas code 80. Hope this helps.
Richard
I run the f7 on bachman ez track,sometimes it goes around 3 times without derailing but never longer than that,everything seems aligned well. my layout is 24x11,getting old walking from the throttle base to the other end to put it back on…
I cant solder with a darn so i must buy with decoder pre installed…I hope to check out the lhs in columbus this weekend, that way maybe i will get a chance to see something up close instead of a photo in a mag…thanks again
biggun1963,
Welcome to the forum! As Crandell suggested, it’s worth checking into into seeing if either your track or wheel guage is out of whack.
Since you mentioned that you don’t like to spend money and your looking for a good deal, go to Trainworld.com and pick up one of their Proto 2000 S1 switchers. They are regularly $110 MSRP. Blowout price from Trainworld is $29.99 to $39.99 - depending on the road name. Here’s the direct link for the S1: http://www.trainworld1.com/lifelike/lifelike_proto.htm
This is one sweet lil’ switcher. It both runs very smooth and the detailing is just terrific. However, if you want to install a decoder into one, you’ll first need to isolate the motor from the frame. It’s not a difficult operation but it will depend on whether you feel comfortable doing (i.e. soldering, wiring) this kind of work. I also replaced the incondescent headlight with an LED. It’s a lot brighter and more prototypical looking. If you are interested in seeing what it looks like, click the link at the bottom of this post.
Hope that helps…
Tom
P.S. Just a suggestion. If you are a bit squeemish and/or unsure about isolating a motor, from the money you would save purchasing the S1 from Trainworld, you could send it off to a place like Tony’s Train Exchange or Litchfield Station and have them do it.
18" radius curves are much tighter than ‘real’ railroad curves, so engines using 4 wheeled trucks and shorter cars run better, look better, and perform better - regardless of brand.
Cheaper engine’s tend to have ‘jerk’ start’s and stops compared to more expensive brand’s due to more (or less) mechanical friction - not a big deal once they’re up and running - but nevertheless less realistic than real train’s. Atlas is one of the ‘better’ brand’s.
Pay attention to thing’s like ‘do all the wheel’s pick up power?’ and checking all new equipment with an NMRA guage to minimize derailment’s.
As for ‘Mail Order’ and ‘EBay’ , my opinion is it’s far better to SEE what your buying when starting out. A LHS that has someone working there that know’s train’s can be invaluable helping you and keeping you from making the mistakes that other’s make…
[#ditto]
I was hoping someone would mention that. For children the Proto 1000 line should also be considered. Same motor and drive mechanism but less details to break off, and generally cheaper. Trainworld carries them also. As I recall they make F3, RS2, C-liner, and RS11s that would be appropriate the 18" curves.
http://www.lifelikeproducts.com/proto/proto1000/proto1000.htm
‘Newbie’ problem: Bachmann F-7A consistant derailing on 18" radius.
IE the wheels aren’t following the track. WHY?
Answer. Close examination of track and wheels.
(a) NMRA guage check for accurate wheel spacing
(b) 'kink’s in trackwork - check alignment & for smooth track joint’s - proper joining
- in case the above doesn’t solve your problem …
(c) truck’s binding on something?
(d) WHERE do derailment’s happen?