What brand HO engines would you recommend I purchase and what has been you experience with them ? Athearn Genesis? Bachmann Spectrum ? Braodway Limited ? Lifelike ? Atlas ? Kato ?
Thanks, Gary
Well, I only have a small stable or 4-5 P2K engines, and I’m satisfied with them all.
Every manufacturer that you list above has its poor stuff and its good stuff. Your answers here will be as varied and as firm as those who favour Ford over GM, Toro over Poulan, McCain’s over Old South, and so on, ad nauseum.
Athearn has a good reputation in the modest and upper price range for diesels, but Boradway and Kato enjoy solid reps for the upper prices.
For steam, Bachman Spectrum has a decent name in the mid-range, but Life Like P2K are better detailed (or have been in the recent past). BLI and Kato are the premium range winners, but BLI locos are not especially strongly detailed, and they tend to run noisy in reverse.
My advice. Go to as many hobby shops as you can in the next few weeks, and to a local club. See what they offer for sale, or what they run as roaders. Then, mix in the hard logic with the emotion that makes your heart lurch when you see “THE ONE” loco for you.
That’s the one that will grace your road.
Good luck.
Obviously, your not really interested is sound at this point. For diesel I would recommend Atlas, Kato or P2K. For steam don’t overlook Bachman Spectrum or the better detailed P2K Heritage. Stewart has recently produced some of the best swichers ever to hit the market since the Atlas(Austrian) S models. If you do want sound the BLI would be my choice. Stay clear of the BLI SD40-2, they have had some trouble w/ noisy drives and deformed details(hand rails)
Bob K.
P2K and Atlas are both coming out with sound,and Athearn’s updating their older units better motors and details,thier new gp-35 is totally changed,plus there are many different F models to pick from.
I have had excellent luck with Atlas and LL (both P1000 & P2000) as well as excellent performance with 3 of 4 BLI right out of the box.]
I’ve tried Bachman (Spectrum & not) diesels and steamers, every one of them have died within a short period of time. I’ll NEVER buy another one.
Mark in Utah
I belong to a local model RR club and all the engines i have bought so far i bought there as second hand. I have 7 athearn, and a couple bachmann spectrums and they are all good runners. They are all quiet, pull well, and run very smooth. Maybe i have just been lucky as a beginner, but i have also had the chance to hear every one of them run before i lay down the cash.
I have three Kato RSC2 locos that cost about 85.00 each three years ago. They have never been used and now that I want to add DCC and Sound, it will cost me about another 175.00 each to send them out for this to be done since I am not willing to screw up my engines with a soldering gun. Make sure you get locos that are DCC ready and if you are not handy with a soldering gun, locos that have the DCC board already installed.
Gary,
You’re are going to get a real hodge-podge of opinions and answers.
As Selector stated, any of the manufacturers that you listed are going to have their good and not-so-good models. I only have two locomotives: an Athearn Genesis 2-8-2 and a Proto 2000 Alco S1 switcher. I have been pleased with them both. The detail on the P2K S1, as well as other P2K locomotives, are very good.
Gary, are you looking at diesel or steam? There are good bargains out there, depending on what you are interested in.
Tom
Tom
Hi. I would reccomend both Atlas and Proto locomotives. Both can be purchased for a fair price at most major train shows. Both are good runners, but while the Protos are very powerful, atlas engines aren’t quite as strong. I also would not pay more than $60 for an unmodified used locomotive of this type. Just my thoughts.
Again, personal preference as much as anything. I have been pleased with the LL P2K, Bachmann Spectrum, Atlas, Stewart, and Broadway Limited. I have not been too pleased with the original Athearn, since they are so noisy. I think their Genesis series is nice, however. A lot of the new Bachmann Spectrum series uses a blue tinted LED light. I don’t think this is very true to prototype, and find this makes them look very out of place on the layout. I don’t know if you are wanting steam or diesel. Most of my steam are all Broadway Limited, and I am quite pleased. I am modeling the PRR and have 3 of the M1 Mountains, 2 K4 pacifics, 1 GG1 electric, and 1 T1 duplex. I have a BLI RSD-15 on order, so I can’t comment on it…yet.
GO with whats best for you, dont go with lifelike regular. try browser & broadway limited
on the steam.
oh & any remaining rivrossi item
As I mentioned before, here’s where opinions differ. With all due respect to mac 4884, personally, I would stay away from Rivarossi. They are great looking locomotives but tend to be inconsistent runners.
Tom
Gosh…and golly! Maybe the wise shopper looks first to the manufacturer’s return policy and warranty. Quality assurance seems to be a problem in the industry, no matter who you pick and how much you pay.
Caveat emptor.
Please read my profile for my favourite saying. It seems highly germane to these types of questions.