Hi all
I am looking for a good steam loco have heard that IHC are good but want some ideas
UPDATE: my curves are 18inch for now at least my layout is on a 4x8 plywood table
thanks to all of you for your ideas and help… not sure you all know yet but i am legally blind meaning my sight is left eye hand motion right eye 20/200 so these days modeling is very hard for me… even searching sites for parts like ebay is hard i can spend like 20-30 mins at a time on computer…
thanks all hobojim
What is the minimum curve radius you want to run this engine on? That will make a big difference. Some of the mid-sized steamers will take 18-inch curves, but many won’t. The larger engines might require even bigger curves.
For a short steamer, I’d recommend the Proto 0-6-0. I’ve got one with sound, and it’s a great little engine for switching or short local freights.
My BLI Hudson 4-6-4 will handle 18-inch curves. That’s another engine I’m happy with.
I second the proto 0-6-0 recommend.
Curves will be important. If you want to run 22-26" you probably can run up to about a 2-8-2 without trouble. 26 to 30 will take you 2-8-4 into the 4-8-4’s
Long rigid wheelbase steamers are going to want very large curves. I once owned a BLI 4-4-4-4 that required 34 inches to run well on my road and the inside set of drivers “Underhung” the rails and would click back onto them coming out of curves. It will also pick the track and find flaws you didnt know existed. With fine tuning that engine ran perfectly.
I had also a BLI Mountain class a PRR 4-8-2. that one was a good all around engine with the 6 axle tender. Ran it reliably on 23 inch or so up and down grades and pulled 20 cars or so with it. Good little engine.
I like my Proto 2-10-2 first run heavy. That one is deliberately engineered to fit through number 4 switches and around very tight curves. But with traction tire on; and on the club layout of 36 inches it turns in very good performance. I find that the drivers being so flexible are able to somewhat follow the uneven track better in places that derailed more high bred engines.
The BLI J1 2-10-4 simply slowed to a halt on 26 Inches for me because the tension on the drive rods around such a tight curve is a bit much. It liked the 30 inches better.
The Proto Y3 2-8-8-2 is light on pulling power however can run down to 22 inches or so being specifically built to break in half and follow tight curves. Sometimes the 2-10-2 helps out if the train is too heavy.
The only experience with IHC engines I had was with the 4-6-2 pacific. That one will run around anything 18 inches and up. I could not tell you too much about it’s performance because it sat in the box for like 20 years while I trucked. Engines arent supposed to sit in boxes, they are supposed to get out and run.
Finally but not last, the Bachmann 2-8-0 Spectrum ran on the hobby shop’s 4x8 with like 18 inch curves, steep grading and tight sp
My favorite ready-to-run steamer is my Bachmann Spectrum Consolidation 2-8-0. Price is reasonable, it’s beautifully detailed, it runs smooth and slow. It’s a generic design that looks right painted for any road except the Pennsy. It looks just right on the point of short-to-medium length freight trains, for any era from the early 1900’s right up thru the end of steam in the late 1950’s. With a two wheel pilot truck and small diameter drivers, it’s clearly a freight hauler.
Second favorite r-t-r steamer is my IHC Mogul 2-6-0. Runs very well. Detailing is adequate but not quite as nice as the Consolidation. Price is also reasonable. Looks just right pulling commuter trains of wooden truss rod open vestibule coaches, or a short peddler freight. It’s a small engine, so it won’t pull all hat much, but then the prototype wouldn’t pull all that much either. The type was popular 'cause it’s light weight allowed operation on the second and third class trackage where a heavier locomotive might break down the bridges. With some dremel work it is possible to put a working coupler in the pilot.
My all time favorite steamer is a Mantua Pacific 4-6-2 but it wasn’t exactly ready-to-run, it was a fun kitbash project. The basic locomotive came from a trainshow for $20. I added brass detail parts, extra weight, a can motor, spoked drivers and speedletter decals for the B&M. It’s a great locomotive, but it was a modeling project rather than R-T-R.
I’ve got a BLI Blueline N&W J 4-8-4 and it’s the best locomotive I own. Superb looking and excellent running. It’s not DCC ready but it has a spot where I can plug in a decoder in the future as I am currently running DC. I’d never buy another loco without a flywheel again.
HJ:
I like my Bowser H9 a lot. You get a lot of loco for a good price. Of course, it is a kit. It wasn’t super-duper-hard to assemble, but of course it wasn’t shake-the-box, either.
Of course, I favor older engines, but I have a Bachmann Old-Time 4-4-0 that has nice detailing and runs good right out of the box. Nice price too, as I recall.
Okay, back to the original question. IHC steam engines have can motors and run very smoothly; they just don’t have the amount of detail as the more expensive ones. The newer models are mostly “DCC ready” with decoder sockets in the tender.
As stated before, a lot of this is going to depend on your minimum track radius. However, I will join in on the Spectrum 2-8-0, it’s a nicely detailed, quiet, smooth running locomotive that will take an 18" radius with ease, and for its size, it’s a surprisingly good hauler.
Although this is not a ‘written in stone’ guide, this might be of some help in deciding on the locomotive wheel-arrangements:
18-22" radius: 0-6-0, 0-8-0, 2-6-0, 4-6-0, 2-8-0
22-26" radius: 2-8-2, 2-8-4, 4-8-2, 2-10-2, 2-8-8-2
26 and above: 2-10-4, 4-8-4, 4-6-6-4, 4-8-8-4
I’m talking about RTR plastic here, with somewhat looser tolerances. Brass steam would be an entirely different ball of wax, because of tighter-to-scale wheel tolerances.
Tom
Jim, it is a question that begs other questions, as you are beginning to see. What does “good” mean in model trains? Good running, good looking, good mechanicals, good longevity, good quality overall, good value…it means several things, and as you specify, so will the list become specific, and perhaps more useful for you.
I like the idea of the Bachmann 2-8-0. Never seen or used one, but it gets so many thumbs up, most quite enthusiastic, that you can’t go wrong. It is relatively inexpensive, runs like a top, looks like it could be a much more expensive brass engine due to the detailing…what’s not to like?
Well, it may be that you actually hanker after bigger engines, and while you would consider the rather small 2-8-0, you really want a beast, something like a 2-10-2 or a 2-10-4. Lots to choose from, but now you are going to have to consider the track curvature, and you may be in a bind from that standpoint…or your longer wheelbased steamers will be. They literally bind in tight curves and will stall or lift themselves right out of the tracks.
The IHC engines are good runners, but they rarely look a lot like a real engine that existed. They are a generic steamer, even though they come painted up and decaled for a specific railroad. Also, they are quite light on details. Still, if you are skilled, you can detail them up and kitbash them to look very good…several recent threads here attest to that.
Each manufacturer has its good, or A-line, and even in those premium lines there are clunkers…or more like clinkers. If you want a “good” steamer in a generic sense, Bachmann, Athearn, Broadway Limited Imports, Walthers Proto 2000 Heritage series, Trix, and Precision Scale Models (part of Broadway) all offer a range of choices that should please you immensely and that will work well for you on your track plan.
-Crandell
As you have been informed IHC locomotives are considered to be good running engines but are to say the least lacking detail and in most cases do not follow exact prototypes.
My suggestion is to carefully consider the Spectrum engines. If you check with the main on line vendors you will find they can be purchased at a reasonable price. The Spectrum 2-8-0 a great little engine and pulls well. My favorite Spectrum is the high boiler Spectrum 4-6-0, this engine while usually on passenger duty also was used for freight service as well. Does not pull as well as the 2-8-0 but the running qualities are good and the detail superb.
IHC is upgrading some of their engines currently so be aware there is a lot of old stock engines for sale. Newer engines will have the smaller flanges and the blackened side rods.
The Walther Heritage steam engines (later runs) are extremely nice engines but note that they come at a premium. Their street prices are was above those of the IHC or Spectrum engines.
I have no experience with the new Athearn engines as my layout is smaller steam and the Genesis engines are large engines.
Roundhouse engines are available in small steam configuration however their detail is lacking and I have opted for the Spectrum engines over the Roundhouse engines.
Jim,
Along with the 0-6-0, the Proto 2000 0-8-0 is a real jewel - both mechanically and detail-wise. I picked up a couple of the DC versions (2nd run [tup]) off ebay when they were going for under $100. ($90 and $80, to be exact.) One of them I installed a decoder in. It’s been a terrific little runner for me.
Jim, if you do decide to get one, make sure its a 2nd run locomotive. The 1st runs only had partial electrical pickup on the tender. The 2nd run came with full-wheel electrical pickups. This means that they are less likely to stall at turnouts with insulated frogs.
Tom
Well, if you don’t mind bashing a few pieces of American rolling stock to have coupling hooks(and picking up some tiny chain to make the rest of the coupling), or using stock based on UK prototypes, look into Bachmann’s Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends range. The engines run very well and can handle 18" radius and up. So can the rolling stock. That includes while being pushed at full speed. Gordon and Henry can pull very heavy trains. I’ve always been happy with them. As for their couplers, that’s so they’re compatible with OO scale rolling stock. To be frank, I find the hook-and-loop couplers more reliable than knuckle couplers.