Help! buying a second DCC/Sound loco.

Walthers has some on sale. Modeling 50’s era steam and diesel

  1. Steam USRA 060 Proto 2000 DCC/Sound for $169.98. Question - will it fit on an Atlas 9 inch turntable? and what road names are ACL and GM&0? Also for anyone who has one, do they like it?

  2. Alco RS-27 also DCC/Sound for $129.98 Question? Will this fit the 50"s area? When were these first made. and what are roadnames PC, CR. There is also available an undecorated and a Demonstrator, what ever that is. I love the Alco RS-2 and know that would fit my era but its available in DC only in this sale. Is this a goodbuy?

Thanks for your help.

DON

Don,

Are you sure those are with sound for $170? That seems more like a non-sound unit price. I think MSRP for those was $250 (non-sound)/$350 (w/sound). That how it was for the 0-8-0s.

[Edit: You’re correct. They are for indeed for $170. That would be a very good price if you are keen on those particular roads.]

ACL = Atlantic Coast Line, GM&O = Gulf, Mobile & Ohio. I have a Proto 2000 0-8-0 and love it. Even some steam switchers survived up to the late 50s.

PC = Penn Central, CR = Canadian Railway. Penn Central was the short-lived merger of the Pennsy and the New York Central (ca. 1968-1970). So, it wouldn’t fit your scheme. Not sure about the CR but I would guess it was later, too

Tom

I’ve got one of the 0-6-0’s with sound. Yes, that’s a really great price. And yes, it’s a really great engine. A bit light on pulling power, but mine came with traction tires (not installed) and I’ve left them in the box.

It will fit on a 9-inch turntable. It’s a pretty tight fit, but it does work. I’ve got one of those, too.

You can’t go wrong with this engine.

Thanks for the info TOM.

There is a GP-7 Proto 2000, DCC and Sound on sale also for $129.98 which I know will fit my era. I had one , one time DCC but no sound. So I think it is either the steam 0-6-0 or the GP-7. By the way, what road is KCS? I think I am leaning toward steam this time.

Also TOM, BLI has the SW-7 Switcher but its there busy repair season and what ever is wrong may take awhile so I have been laying track.

Also I noticed that you model the New York Central, my favorite railroad as I was born and raised in Upstate New York. Rode it many times.

DON

Don,

I’m always partial to steam so I would lean towards the 0-6-0 - especially if it has sound. It’s always nice to have a variety of locomotives, if possible. That’s why I like the steam and early diesel era. [:)]

KCS = Kansas City Southern

Don, I had to send my PCM F3 back to BLI for repair a few months ago. When I got it back it was fixed - NO COST! It’s always good to look for constructive diversions while you wait for your SW7 to get back; whether that be trackwork or spending $$$ on another switcher. [:)]

I got into modeling the New York Central only because my first “real” HO locomotive was a NYC 2-8-2 Mike. It wasn’t until I started learning more about the NYC that I began to realize that I was living “along the route” and only 10 minutes from the famous Collinwood facility. My older cousin has fond memories of riding a NYC Hudson from southern Ohio up here to Cleveland in the 50s.

Don…since you’re just starting out…it’s not to late to switch to a NYC theme. [:-^]

Tom

I will vouch for the 0-6-0. Great little loco, and it has excellent slow speed control and very reliable power pickup. You cant go wrong.

In terms of the road names, you can always spray bomb it with some flat black and then re-letter it if you wish.

David B

I would just like to point out the CR = ConRail not Canadian Railway [#dots]

Well, I did it.

Ordered the Steam Switcher 0-6-0 Proto 2000 from Walthers today. Everyone who had one liked it. The best other price I saw for this loco was $229. Walthers has it for $170. Only had one Road name left but like someone said, paint it black and start over! LOL I like to weather them anyway.

Cheers, DON

[D)] Oops! Thanks, Bapou. [:I]

Tom

Alright, Don! [^][tup]. You’ll love how your P2K 0-6-0 crawls.

Tom

The RS-27 came out in Dec. '59, so the only steamers they saw were the ones they towed to the scrapyard.

A demonstrator is a loco that is painted in the manufacturer’s colors, and hasn’t been sold to a railroad yet.