I got my Walthers Magazine in the Mail…
I stumbled upon a International Hobby Corp. 2-10-2 Sante Fe type NYC locomotive for 109$…
Worth it? Share your thoughts
Heres a link to the product…http://www.ihc-hobby.com/cgi-bin/bsc.cgi?sn=V780D9412034065084236E7Y74W10W&id=23434
IHC quality and this locomotive specifically has been the topic of many threads. It seems they are a value locomotive if one doesn’t mind its genericness (is that a word?). They run OK but don’t have great detail.
http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/958459/ShowPost.aspx
http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/865108/ShowPost.aspx
http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/1033702/ShowPost.aspx
http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/968237/ShowPost.aspx
http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/988176/ShowPost.aspx
Texas Zepher hit it right on as far as I’m concerned.
I run four IHC steamers (two Moguls and two Mountains) all of which I have installed decoders (for DCC) in and they all run great! For the money I feel they are a good investment.
Well detailed…They are NOT! But on the other hand, with all of the detail parts available, a fellow could take a super-detailing project just as far as you would want. And what a great project, either making it a specific prototype…Or just giving it some extra detail.
The 2-10-2 is in the new IHC higher detail line. Every print review or discussion on this forum put this in a higher class than the run-of-the-mill IHC streamers. There have been a couple of excellent threads that showed modelers custom detailing of this model. By all accounts this is an excellent loco. On sale it is a mere $210 less than the Protp 2000 2-10-2 non sound unit. Unless you are an expert and really in to accurate detail I would be curious if there is $200 of extra value in the Proto unit?
This loco is much better than all the earlier IHC steamers. It has a metal chassis, axle bearings, sprung RP25 drivers and comes with a DCC ready plug in the tender.
It runs as well as any steamer out there. It has lots of details but, they are not really correct for any particular road. If you can live with that, or do a little modification, you will have an excellent loco for the money.
Here is a photo of mine with a few mods…
Do you have broad radius curves? If what I’ve heard about this loco is true, it’s severly allergic to anything less than 24" radius and may have a problem with it as well.
Not true. It is designed to run on 18" track and mine is quite happy on 18" and 22" on my kid’s layout at home.
There is lots of side play in the drivers and the center drive is blind. (no flanges)
Jeffrey, I have one and it runs on Atlas True Track 18" radius curves with no problem. Mind you the track is only a test track until I get the permanent layout up and running but mine didn’t have any difficulty on the 18" radius curves.
On a second note, I purchased mine online from a merchant that I have dealt with many times before with excellent results. However, the first one was a complete disaster. Parts were broken and pieces were falling off of both the loco and tender.
I sent it back for replacement. It took almost 2 - 1/2 months to get the replacement. The second one still had broken steps on the tender and after running it for just a couple minutes a pin popped out of the loco’s wheel / arm mechanism.
I pressed the pin back in and flaired the end and it seemed to work ok after that.
I would like to believe the merchant had something to do with the broken parts due to handling but I’ve dealt with him numerous times before and never had anything damaged. It’s ironic to get two IHC locos and both have similar problems with broken parts.
Bill
Well that shows that my info source was wrong and I’ll have to add a box of salt to his advice.
Not true. I put it ONLY at the same level as the rest of the IHC engines: good price, reliable, runs well, and not particularly well detailed (in fact, it WORSE than most IHC engines in that regard)
YMMV. The extra $200 converts a completely fantasy engine into a completely prototype engine, with better detailing, better pulling ability, and better overall fine running characteristics.
That said, I’m going with the IHC version over the P2K, mostly due to the lower cost. Of course, I’ll be completely stripping the model of ALL its detailing (including cab and tender) and redetailing it for an IC engine. For the sort of money P2K wants, they should have done all of that work for me!
There is wide variety in the detail of IHC engines. The newer ones have more separate piping and details.
The older 2-8-2 and 4-6-2 engines share the same boiler and have the least detail.
The 2-6-0 “Mogul” and 4-4-0 “American” share the same Pemco tooled boiler and have a little more detail.
The smaller 4-4-0 “Old Time American” is actually the old Pocher, Rivarossi/AHM 4-4-0
The 2-8-0 and 0-8-0 share the same boiler and are based on old Tyco/Mantua tooling.
The most detailed are the 4-8-2, 4-6-4, and new 2-10-2 which all share the same Pemco tooled boiler. This is a large,heavy engine, with lots of details. The details are pretty much the same on all 3 of these larger engines, and that causes some people to complain about accuracy.
Here is the review by Model Railroader :
http://www.trains.com/mrr/default.aspx?c=a&id=1004
You won’t be dissappointed!
This was the loco in last years President’s Choice train set for $100 Canadian & it sold out FAST!!!
A lot of people were left yearning for it as they thought it might go the way of the year before set & have lots left over.
Gordon
I have stayed away because of the 90 day warranty. For a lower prices engine I will stick with Bachmann. I know there are many here will bash them but I have had great luck with my GS-4’s for $80.00 each. Bachmann has the same Santa Fe type with DCC installed for around $115.00 at my local hobby shop. About the same cost but life time warranty! Bachmann also has the new sound version for $220.00 or so. Yes twices the prices but I have heard they sound great.
Cuda Ken
With a SoundTraxx Tsunami Heavy Steam decoder and a good speaker, the IHC 2-10-2 sounds just as good, if not better, than locomotives with QSI systems; and it is far more configurable. Something in the neighborhood of 200 CVs to play with on the Tsunami.
I am curious, Cudaken you say you stay away from them because of the 90 day warranty. What is the norm for this hobby. I would have thought that 90 days would apply to most of the items we buy for our hobby, with the possible exception on the Operating Systems. Maybe in that case you would get a 1 year warranty. Just guessing on that one of course. One other thought on warrenties. If you modify the locamotive, as in adding a decoder or additional details isn’t the warranty voided anyways? Anyone now if you weather a locomotive is the warranty still valid? Justathought.
GUB
Look at micromarks ad.
Page 69 of march model rr. A few deals-
2-8-0 with sound $142.50 2-10-0 for $67 2-10-2 for $130, DCC equiped.
I would say these are better.
Thanks Hoople! I will definately check that out!
My BLI’s come with a one year warranty. I think my PK’s came with a year warranty as well. As far as adding dcoders and such I have no idea yet. Have not had any that where worked over go bad.
OH, seems I posted the wrong E-bay ad.
Cuda Ken
What decoder would you recomend for the 2-10-2 from IHC?
Lillen
Lillen,
The SoundTraxx Tsunami Heavy Steam sound decoder is a very good choice for the IHC 2-10-2. The tender has the NMRA DCC 8-pin socket and holes in the tender floor above which the speaker can be mounted. An oval speaker with a baffle gives the best sound.
The Tsunami comes from the factory with a solder-in wiring harness, but it can be removed and a new harness with a JST 9-pin plug on one end and the NMRA 8-pin plug on the other can be substituted, making it a simple plug-in installation.
Since you’re in Scandinavia, a LokSound decoder made in Germany may be easier for you to acquire.