Can someone direct me to a good 2 (or smaller 3 axle) HO diesel? I’m looking for something that is (somewhat) modern protypical and would haul general merchandise trains.
Athearn GP-60, Walthers Dash 8’s, Atlas Dash-8’s these are good HO choices. Three axeled diesels won’t work with 18" curves.
Aaron -
Depending on your railroad (large BNSF or small IMRL), other good choices could be Atlas’ new GP-38 (reserve NOW, I just did in BN colors) or Kato’s SD-40. Just got the latter on e-Bay bid (and saved $40 over list)in our local I&M Rail Link version (see 'em all the time going thru Davenport/Bettendorf) - a great loco, both real and model !
- George
PS
Although the SD-40 is three axle, it handles my
E-Z track 18-inch curves quite nicely - as does my older Athearn RI SD40-2. If worried, go with the Geep.
- G
If by “good” you mean “runs well”, I would stay away from Athearn. I have owned only 1 Athearn diesel and that ran so noisily that I replaced it with a Proto 2000.
Very briefly Aaron, Proto 1000 & 2000 series by
Life offers a lifetime warranty and you can finger thru the adds in MR and pick some up thru trainworld at a good discount. I’am told Walthers
trainline also has an implied warranty against
premature failure during the life of the model.
Unfortunately the KATO SD40-2(the early and snoot
versions) have mechanical & electrical problems.
Off the record, KATO USA admitts to a defective design, but KATO JAPAN prefers to ignor it.
Yes, but don’t confuse the SD40-2 troubles with the new SD-40 ! The latter is one great loco !!!
Also Stewart makes some really fine locos, too !!
- George
George, good point on the SD’s. Also talking
with the folks at Stewart, they also have an implied lifetime warranty. They repaired both
my FT A & powered B free after a year.
Personally Aaron I would get an Athearn C44-9W because I like big engines. But you could get yourself an Athearn GP38-2. They’re realistic and not that expensive.
Personally, I would also suggest that you make your purchase at a “local” hobby shop instead of by e-mail or some other means. The big advantage is that you would have individual people who have knowledge and experience with model trains helping you with brand names, reliability, and help should there be anything wrong after the purchase. Can you tell I once worked in a Hobby Shop? We helped a lot of people with models purchased other places.
I agree with Lisa - try out some of the models that people suggested on your local stores layout. Pay attention to try to recreate your layout conditions i.e. If you have 18" radius curves on your layout make sure that you “test” these locomotives under the same conditions in the store. You can still purchase elsewhere or on line but his way you are not buying sight unseen. Another piece of advice always ask the same question to two or more different people. It allows you to weed out the knowledgable from the disgruntled and also shows you how many solutions there are to a particular problem or question. I’m curious to know what radius your layout is and what locos you run or will run.
I agree with Lisa - try out some of the models that people suggested on your local stores layout. Pay attention to try to recreate your layout conditions i.e. If you have 18" radius curves on your layout make sure that you “test” these locomotives under the same conditions in the store. You can still purchase elsewhere or on line but his way you are not buying sight unseen. Another piece of advice always ask the same question to two or more different people. It allows you to weed out the knowledgable from the disgruntled and also shows you how many solutions there are to a particular problem or question. I’m curious to know what radius your layout is and what locos you run or will run.
I will have a minimum of 22" radius curves, and am free-lancing a very-modern day branch-line. Currently, I have an old Bachman GP-38 that I’ve had for a decade, and use it for testing the track.
In short, I need a roster of locos that would haul everything from intermodal to general merchandise.
Aaron
Oh yeah with the 22" you’ll be able to use most any modern diesel such as the dash 8 or 9 that I can’t use now because of my 18" curves You want to ask about the freight cars some of them are 80 and 90 feet long and may need a larger curve than the 22. Again this is where the local hobby shop comes in because you can test the loco you want with the type of cars that you want on a 22" curve before you buy.
right now I have an Athearn f59phi pulling my freight because I like its modern look and it fits the 18". I really like the style of the gullwing cab diesels but most of them are too long for my layout.
Boy! are you lucky! You know, a lifetime warranty is only valid for the lifetime of the person who packed the order and most companies employ octagenarians for that task.
Be wary of taillight warranties offered by used-car dealers; they are only good for as long as the salesman can see your taillights.
I have been out of HO-Scale for more than 25 years now but the majority of my N-Scale fleet is from Kato and Atlas and I would feel confident in recommending those brands for HO-Scale. I have an acquaintance who gave up model railroading because of one of Bachmann’s notorious three lap smokers; it was under that famous lifetime warranty but it was a hassle getting it repaired and by the time he got it back he had lost interest in–and exited–the hobby. With that experience in mind I shyed away from Bachmann for many years until I finally ventured a risk with their Spectrum dash eights. They have not gotten much exercise of late but they have gone far towards changing my perception of the manufacturer. I have a handful of Life-Like PA/PBs which run well if a little bit more noisy than comparable Kato drives. I did own some Athearn HO-Scale units many years ago and they ran fine but I got rid of them because I did not like the non-scale width hoods. PICKY! PICKY! PICKY!
Stewart’s ‘Baldwin’ locomotives are outstanding, and and GP series or Alco RS are good bets.
3 axle loco are longer, bigger, and ‘iffy’ when using 18"r curves. ‘Overhang’ is alive and well.
Ya pays yer money, and takes yer chances.
Hi Aaron, for typical modern 4 axle diesels the GP38/40 are very common and both are available through Atlas. As for typical modern 6 axle units, the 22 in. radius should be OK but will not look realistic. Your choices can be Atlas Dash 8, Kato SD40-2(the newest release w/ditchlights) or Kato Dash 9(might be a little big) or Proto 2000 the SD50s/60s. I, personally, would stay away from Athearn. I have never had any luck with them.
I model CN in the modern era and use Atlas GP38/40 exclusively for yard/local duties. I have T55, Kato, Atlas and Genesis for road duties and heavy hauling. The Genesis units, I had to do big time upgrades for it to work properly, not my best purchases and all the Athearn stuff I did own a very long time ago I gave away, not worth any time. I have heard that the new Athearn RTR is different from the old stuff but you’ll have to get other comments on it from other posts to make a good decision.
As another poster has mentioned, buy from your local hobby shop if possible. If you ever have an issue they can usually help you with any problems you may have even if the manufacturer wont.
Gook Luck,
John
Here we go again - Athearn bashing from an “expert” that has ONE Athearn loco!! I bought my first Athearn 49 years ago (1959) and now own over 50 of them - with practicaly no problems with any of them!! They are all still running with nothing more than occaisional wheel cleaning, and some lubeing even less often!! I also have locos from almost every other mass producer except Tyco, without major problems. If you are comparing an Athearn Blue Box to a Proto2000, you are comparing a Chevyto a Caddy!! If it were noisy, did you give it 6 or 8 hours of break-in time and add a little lubrication to the bearings & gear boxes?[:-,]
I have a funny feeling the OP will not see the recent responses to this thread.
Hi guys!
PLEASE GO TO THE FIRST POST in this thread and LOOK at the ORIGINAL DATE in the upper left hand corner. 08-2001, this thread is OVER 7 years old!
The TROLLS hit again!!!
Please help selector ( Crandell) and QUIT replyig to this thread.
TheK4Kid