First the review… have to delay the pics to prolong the anticipation…
After 3 weeks waiting for this engine to arrive from the dealer I was a bit put off about the whole situation. Actually was considering cancelling the order out right and forgetting about this purchase…
BOY WAS I GLAD I DIDN’T!!!
This is a huge switcher, let me state that first. It is a full 18.5 inches long and over 4.5 inches in height. The detailing is superb, and a joy to handle and observe. It was a bit pricey for me at $349.95 purchase price, but worth every penny.
Likes:
Fan Driven Smoke
Tooling
Detailing
Fan Driven Smoke
Weight
Sounds - Crew Talk and Tower Com
Fan Driven Smoke
Railsounds access panel under water port on tender
Wireless Teather
Fan Driven Smoke
Spead response
Firebox Glow
Fan Driven Smoke
Illuminated Cab
Dislikes:
Sounds - chugging - this portion of the sounds seems to be off it sounds more like static than actual steam chuffing and operation
I have yet to put cars behind it and see how it pulls, but from what I’ve seen of it so far this little girl is going to be able to pull her fair share of the load! I have affectionately named her ‘Susieq’ in honor of my wife (she didn’t kill me, castrate me, or belittle me for this purchase - and because she loved it when she saw it chuggin on the layout). There are going to be years of fun with this engine to come.
Thanks for the review! She looks like a beauty. Unfortunately, for some reason, when I clicked on the pictures, they did not get any larger. Does the unit have Railsounds? I thought the catalog indicated that it had a TrainSounds system. In any event, how is the sound?
I am a fan of O scaled models, because I like how big they are. I also like all of the detail. At $350.00, it sounds like you got a good deal off of MSRP.
John,
It has TrainSounds… sorry for that mixup. The manual reads that you access the Railsounds controls from under the flap on top of the tender… that confuses me still to this day! [:)]
The pics you have to click just off to the right… I don’t know why that is… happens to me every now and again… I’ll try and play with the post…
Laz,
No TMCC… that is the ONLY drawback to it. I have a feeling that this is one engine that is definitely going to receive that upgrade! The problem is it has a wireless tether and I don’t really want to lose that… but if I have to to get TMCC I think I will.
The CrewTalk and TowerCom are excellent, very clear and crisp.
The railsounds - I’m not certain if the speaker is blown or if there is a problem with the sound itself because it doesn’t sound like a steam engine, it sounds rather scratchy - at least not like the Railsounds in my Mikado or Berkshire… I turned the volume down and it doesn’t change the sound either.
This is a Conventional Control engine, and so is my Mikado. When I power down the track using the dial, and the Mikado is on the track, the track powers off (switch lanterns go out and sounds stop), however when the 0-8-0 is on the track and I power down with the dial, the switch lanterns never go out and the sounds never stop… I have to hit AUX-0 (emergency shutdown) to power off the track… that doesn’t sound right to me, but I’m not familiar with the Trainsounds vs Railsounds and if that would make a difference?
I have the B&A 0-8-0 with TMCC. Ran great til about a week ago. When I would run it at a fast speed it wouldn’t run right, was lurching forward and back. Took it to the LHS and is now getting fixed. Otherwise a great little engine. Good luck with yours.
Does the engine have a battery? Otherwise the problem might be with your transformer. If there is no power on the track, how could the engine lights stay on?
Anyway, thanks for the review. If you decide to upgrade, let us know how it goes.
John,
No there is no battery. I have the layout wired for TMCC control, when you dial down the track from the Cab-1 the power is supposed to go out for that track, when this engine is on the track the track will not power off - the track powers off when any other engine is on the track… just strange.
It is about 99% probable that it will get a TMCC upgrade. Just have to decide which one…
Ooops, I did not realize you were running TMCC, sorry about that. That is strange [%-)]. I wonder if there is a TMCC expert out here that can explain why that happens?
