I finally got the new engine, its a PRR A unit & B dummy unit. Exterior wise, its exactly the same as the Paragon version. So far I have only run it in DC, the lighting is good, there is a nice bright LED head light, but unfortunately the cab is not lit so the engineers appear to be driving in the dark (although there aren’t any figures inside anyway). So thats a little strange.
The sound is ok…some of you may actually prefer the blue line sound actually, apparently the recordings are more accurate this time around, but to be honest, I kind of miss the loud generic QSI version of the E7 diesel horn. Maybe this will change with time, I actually only heard the horn blow a few times at the store before purchasing (the owner had the DC master).
There is something very different about this version of the E7 however. Unlike the Paragon one, the couplers are meant to hook up extremely close so that the diaphragms literally lock with one another. Although this looks more realistic, it requires an extremely large radius. It constantly derailed on my 30" radius (this was not the case of the paragon version which could easily handle 30" and 36") The blueline (at least mine) requires at least 40" to look normal and to not derail, that being the absolute minimum. On anything less it looks absolutely hideous and unatural and the B unit jumps the rails each time.
So I won’t be running this one on my layout anytime soon due to the need for such wide curves, I simply don’t have the space yet. [:(]
Overall though its still a gorgeous engine. Maybe I’m spoiled by Paragons, but I seem to prefer them better. Although the Blue Line is really a bargain. The set was sold to me for $195 so I jumped on it. Maybe it was an impulse purchase, I guess we’ll see in time.
Over the last few months, I’ve really turned into a retro steamer enthusiast, but I’ve always thought the original E7 and E8’s
I don’t own any of the E7s, but I am curious as to the material that the diaphragms are made out of. Are they plastic or metal or fabric? That is a shame that the close coupling and diaphragm locking are causing derailments. If the diaphragm were made of some kind of soft fabric, I would have to believe that derailments wouldn’t be such a problem.
Check the couplers and see if there is any flash or something that’s causing the derailments. I can not believe that the minimum radius is 40 inches. Is there longer shank couplers in the box to retrofit? I have always been told that the Bluelines were externally the same as the Paragon. Only the electronics are different. My Blueline M1a is exactly the same except for the road number as my original Paragon. It does sound better to my ears than the QSI and runs just as well if not better.
The data below copied from the BLI web site on the E7 set indicates or believes it will run on 18" radius curves. There must be something wrong with your units. You could call BLI or send them in for repair.
Yeah, I was going to say I have the Blueline F7s, an A & B unit. I know F units aren’t quite as large as E units, but these also have diaphragms and couple very close. Their movement around the track is not affected at all by the diaphragms and I don’t think your units should be either.
An E8 on 18-inch curves would be scary! (Halloween theme). Its a long loco, and even if they engineered it to take 18 inch curves and stay on the track, I imagine it would look rather toy like on that sharp of a curve. I consider even 24-inch curves rather sharp and stuck with 30-inch on both of my last 2 layouts - where autoracks still look rather oversized on those curves.
To quote Hamlet: “Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark.”
Those E-7’s should run with no problem on curves less than 30". In fact, FAR less than 30", even if the overhang would be unprototypical.
I’ve got a BLI A-B-B set of E-6 ‘City of San Francisco’ units, and they have run extremely well on the 24" curves of a friend’s layout. It sounds as if you might have either a coupler or diaphragm problem with your lashup. Check the diaphragms, they should be extremely flexible. Mine are. They bend in with just a slight touch.
Check the couplers to see that they are swiveling properly and not getting hung up in the draft gear. Another thought would be to get a slightly longer shank Kadee, even though that would give you a ‘space’ between the units.
And check the trucks to see that they aren’t hanging up on a possible factory burr in the bottom of the locomotive casting.
On my MR, my minimum radius is 34" my A-B-B set snakes through those curves very smoothly, and the difference between an E-6 and an E-7 is almost negligable. You shouldn’t be having problems with a 30". Holy cats, if a brass Yellowstone can do a 30" radius, an E-7 shouldn’t be having any trouble at all.
Unfortunately, these days, even RTR has to be ‘tweaked’. Sometimes, considerably. [:(!]
Best of luck. Keep us informed of how they turn out.