Who makes the most detailed complete modern locomotives for HO scale? Just curious!
Thanks for the input guys!
Other than brass, I would say Kato. They are also the best running, but you pay for that stuff…
Detailed?
Hard question to answer.
If your referring to body details, it varies from model to model, but Proto 2000 locomotives feature beautiful details. IMHO, a nice job on the E-units with those lift rings on the roof.
Athearn Genesis F units are also beautifully detailed as the bodies are Highliner shells.
Mechanically, it’s hard to beat Kato.
Hmmm, how modern are you asking about? AntonioFP45 is talking about F and E units. I was thinking more along the lines of SD70MACs and such.
Overland seems to have the market cornered in brass and possibly plastic. I haven’t seen the Tower 55 stuff first hand, but if they maintain the same quality as their brass, well…
Im looking for freight models from the modern era… Like GP’s and SD’s… Stuff thats still around! Im jus curious cause im just now starting to streatch my legs and get into this stuff… Thanks guys! any more opinions are welcome im still curious!
But im off to look at KATO’s and then Im going to sleep lol!
Night guys See ya in the mornin!
I have a Athearn Genisis SD70 which I think is pretty detialed. Oddly enough, anytime I run at the club meets at shows or conventions, poeple always ask me if its a Kato. Go figure. Oh and far as perfomance, its smooth and by far and away, my best puller.
I think the Athearn Genesis is mighty nice.
I’d say Atlas and Athearn Genesis have the best detailed modern diesels. The Kato diesels don’t have any see-through vents, making them look more toyi***han the Atlas or Genesis diesels. If you look at pictures of the Atlas DASH 8-40B, you’ll see that it has almost everything, including the chain on one side and sanding lines coming down from the frame instead of being attached to the truck sides.[:D]
http://atlasrr.com/Images/HOLocomotives/hodash8/HO_DASH840B_Conrail.jpg
Here’s a picture of a DASH 8.[:D] I hope I get one for Christmas.[:D][:D][:D]
I wuold say ATLAS MASTER, KATO, PROTO 2000 ATHERN GENISIS and TOWER 55 are the best platic diesles out there!!!
kato, proto 2000, atlas, and then athearn genesis …but, when did my opinion matter?
Of course your opinion matters! I got a train show commin to town in february, and Im gonna save up and take advantage of the cheap prices!
I have an LL P2K GP7 that’s pretty detailed. However, some of the plastic details are a little oversized.
O.K, Dock.
I wasn’t too sure about how modern you were referring. Geeps and SD’s have been around since the late 1940s.
From what I’ve read, modern locomotives are supposedly 15 years of age and down, such as SD 60s, SD70s, AC4400, AC60, Dash 9s, MK50s etc. However, there are still loads of older units running around. I’m amazed that SD40-2s, which I think were introduced in 1972 or 73 are still rolling, though the ranks are thinning. A number of SD45s and other older power are running around as modified-rebuilds as well.
CSX is still running GP38-2s and GP40-2s in my neck of the woods! These old girls have millions of miles on them! What amazes me is that they’ve outlasted some of the SD50s that were introduced new a decade later.
So for modeling today’s era, some of these older units would fit comfortably into the layout scene.
I own a few Kato AC4400CW’s that are very detailed, 2 Athearn Genesis SD75I’s that are just as detailed and a large number of Proto’s that in my opinion are just as nice as the others. My Kato GP40’s are at the bottom of the list but are still nice.
WOW… I just took a look at the overland site! TALK ABOUT DETAIL… and the price shows it, 700 to 800 dollars more for one of there brass locos! WOW
nothing comes from nothing, but money does grow on trees, you just have to pick fruit to find that out! I’m happy with the kato, once there is too much detail, it makes them fragile, ect. [soapbox][2c]
Atlas Master Series followed by P2k. The new Athearn RTR is very good for the money.