Guys
I’ve started modelling American outline diesels fropm the 1970’s to date. Could you tell me how the following manufactures rate as I have to order mail order as my local hobby shops stock only British outline.
Kato, Atlas, Model Power, Bachmann, Life Like & Athearn
Many thanks
All of those rate good tp excellent. You can find all of the on walther’s website at http://www.walthers.com/
Kato, Atlas, Model Power, Bachmann, Life Like & Athearn
Kato = excellent
Atlas = excellent
Model Power = good (avoid the the steamers)
Bachmann = good (some quality issues)
Life-Like (Proto 1000 & Proto 2000) = very good, excellent (avoid the standard line stuff like the plague)
Athearn Blue box = good, RTR = very good, Genesis = excellent, but Athearn doesn’t make N scale unless something changed that I’m not aware of.
Athearn does make N scale. Athearn N scale is RTR and seems to be pretty good. my SD70M has some features that the Kato does not, and the Kato has the correct nose. Kato and Atlas are great, Bachman engines are ok, Model Power stay away from. life-like stuff proto and standard aren’t too bad, they’re better than the bachmans but not nearly as good as the Atlas and Kato. Spend the extra bucks and get an engine that will run great. Atlas, Kato, and Athearn are the most expensive, but probably the best running out there.
Jeffrey
Thanks for the info.
So far I have 1 Kato, 1 Bachmann Spectrum SD45, 2 ordinary Bachmann and a Life Like SW9. The Kato seems to be the best followed by the SW9 with the Bachmanns about equal. The only run is on a straight piece of track as I’ve still to build my shelf layout. Can the cheaper line of Bachmann loco’s be detailed and brought up to standard or are the basic shells (GP40 & GP50) not really up to standard?
Uh, Jeffrey, where have you been? [;)] Athearn has been in N-scale for over a couple years now. I’ve heard their loco offerings are ‘OK’. They also make many N RTR freight cars and other detail items.
I much prefer Atlas. Mine performs quite smooth and the detail is excellent. I have two Lifelike engines that I use for display only. Their quality has proven quite unsatisfactory. Kato is superb also, but since they don’t manufacture engines that fit my needs, I’ve never purchased any. I’ve not had Bachmann or Model Power since I switched to N scale, but when I was in HO scale they were considered nothing more than train set quality. I’ve heard that they’ve been working on their image though.
My mistake! I just ignore the N-scale stuff in the newsletter and go right on to the HO offerings.
Yes, Backmann is working on their image. Maybe they can get it back to where it was 25-30 years ago. I’ve got a Bachmann GP40 thats almost 30 years old and has yet to break down. I keep it clean and lubed, and replace the motor brushes and wheel pickups every three years. Aside from that, I’ve done nothing else to it, except paint it.
And yes, the newer Bachmann’s can be super detailed, to a point. With a little work, they can look really great.
I have a few of all that you have listed and the KATO and Atlas are the best out of the box runners, then Athearn.
I am like to tinker so I will not say that any of the others are of less running quality as I have always been able to make them run quite well, but you will want to test run before you buy!
I do a little N scale modeling myself. Kato and Atlas are the elite brands in N. Of my Kato E8A, RDC, or my Atlas U25B, I’ve had no problems with them. Since I don’t have Model Power or Athearn (at least in N…their HO stuff is great value for the money) locomotives, I can’t comment on them. I have a few Life-Like engines as well. Their SW900 and E7A run pretty well. Bachmann seems to be hit-or-miss quality wise–some things are crap, yet others run great. Keep in mind too that some Model Power and Bachmann stuff is sold in train sets, so might not be up to the same standards as the other makes. You might run into some Trix stuff at shows. Their F units aren’t the best out there–I have a pair, and they’re tempermental until they get warmed up.
I have some of the Life-Like engines, including an old pair of Northern Pacific GP-18s. They’re not Kato or Atlas quality, but they’re not bad. They still run reliably for hours at train shows pulling consists of up to fifty cars.
I’d rate Atlas as first, Kato second. Both have excellent motors W dcc frames & automatic couplers. LL has good motors, but until now have been difficult to convert to DCC. Athearn is a new player in the Nscale market. Their ex-MDC steamers are excellent. Their diesels semm to get better with the new release. Standard line Bachmann tend to be junk. Spectrum steamers can be good. You have to try tem to be sure you have a winner. Model Power seems to be inconsistent. The FP9 has been delayed for years. Steamers would be good if they spent time on QC. Newer models may be better, but check with your dealer. Not on this list are the MTL FT’s, which are fine but pricey models. IM makes some good looking F units.
Frankly, if you built your fleet with A/K units, you will put together a fine collection.
I’ll put it like this. If it’s free - take it!.. Otherwise, you might want to follow the advice these guys are giving you so you don’t find out the hard way like I (and some of them) did. I own a few Kato’s, a few Bachmann/Spectrums, a couple of Model Power’s including one of their 4-6-2 pacific’s I wish I hadn’t bought and a couple of high end Life Like’s. So far, the worst of them all have been the low end Bachmann’s…
Good luck to you.
Tracklayer
The biggest problems with Model Powers steamers are the pickups tend to wear out quickly and the drive rods wear quickly where they contact the drive wheels, causing them to get out of balance and lock up. This can tend to burn out the motor also. For my money, they’re worth avoiding.