Has anyone ever built one of these? I was wondering about quality?
I have one that I have been working on for about five years! Whenever things go right for a while at the workbench I dig this model out and try to work on it. I have it assembled but body does not want to fit the frame very well. The detail looks good and it really looks neat but I just can’t get it to run reliably. I will get it right one day. Jim
Yes. I built one and have another to build. The quality is good. Lots of weight needs to be added though for them to run anywhere near good. They are just way too light for good track contact. They come with weight, but it’s not enough. Their detail is quite good, too.
I built one of these recently. They are nice little creatures and the quality of the kit is first-rate but it isn’t the easiest beast to keep running. One problem I have encountered is that sometimes all four wheels don’t contact the track at the same time, because each axle is held in place by a single clip. Weight is a big problem: I have crammed about 1.5 ounces of lead inside by filling the cab with weights (obscuring detail) and taping a couple of weights to the undercarriage. I even chose a metal air horn over a plastic one hoping to add a few fractions of a gram.
I think it may just need some breaking in. It works okay when clean, it even pulls 4 or 5 cars (probably more than the prototype) but it’s not the smoothest runner. The gearing means that it doesn’t zip super-fast even at full speed.
I have one of their little boxcabs. Like the 25t it has wonderfull detail.Weight is the issue iof the day with both. I’ve had some success with filling the voids with the self sticjking tire balancing weights. I’m seriously concidering looking into a NWSL flea 2 drive and see if I can get it to power it in place of their own unit.If it creates more space I may be able to add more weight. They are a wonderfull little kit though.Unfortunatly this is a less important project at the moment so for the time being it sits in a siding at a factory on my layout.
I too have built the box cab version. Just follow the instructions & you’ll have a great addition to your layout…after you fill the cab with lead. Only problem is there is not enough room for a decoder & enough weight to make good contact. Was thinking of permantly attaching some sort of work car that could carry the decoder & possibly more electrical pickup. Jerry