Given the lack of really quality N Scale steam equipment, what are your favorite and least favorite brands and configurations of N Scale steam and why?
My steam fleet consists of:
Kato Mikado. Very smooth runner, very quiet. You have to apply the detail parts, but that’s OK. Not a great puller, but I didn’t put the traction tires on it. It pulls a few cars and that’s good enough. On a small layout they are all going to see mostly shortline service with short consists. I’m very happy with it. DCC installation is very intimidating and not for the weak of heart. I sent this one off to have it done. Not that cheap, but it runs and I didn’t destroy a $100 loco.
Model Power 4-6-2 Pacific. Also a good runner, but a little noisier than the Mikado. In fact… very noisy, but I’ve heard that from others, so I don’t think I got a bad one. I think it’s just the nature of the beast. Again I don’t expect it to pull a house, I like the detail. I personally think Model Power is on the right track in N steam… No pun intended DCC installation was a snap. it goes in the tender with no hassles. If you can solder, you can install a decoder in this one. I’ll probably buy more MP locos when they come out.
Spectrum Consolidation. The jury is really still out on this one, but right now, I’m leaning towards not really happy with it. The detail is great. A very smooth runner, but it seems to have a speed problem with decoder installed. Like half the speed that everything else runs at on the same throttle settings. It comes with traction tires and appears to be a decent puller. This is the first steam that I’ve installed a decoder in that required major disassembly and it was …um… challenging…
If you don’t mind using adress 00 occasionally,you can get a Minitrix or two,or even more.I have a few of these that I like a lot.However,I don’t think installing a decoder in them is easy though,being older technology.But for occasional running it’s OK and you can find some on Ebay at very reasonable prices.I also have a Con-Cor (Kato made) 4-6-4 Hudson that is a great runner.
The only real bad steamer I’ve set my hands on so far was a Bachmann 4-8-4 Northern and it seems that I’m not the only one who had problems with this particular model.The motor runs fair at best and the leaders keep jumping off the tracks.
My favorite N scale steamer? My LL 0-6-0t. It doesn’t run worth a darn. The ancient couplers are rusted stiff but it is the only one I have. so for now it is my favorite and one day I will get it running.
I had the same trouble with my Bachmann 4-8-4 Northern’s front truck jumping the tracks that you’re having. So finally one day after trying everything else, I removed the truck and Super Glued a small piece of foam rubber to the front top of it so that when I put it back on the loco, it would pu***he truck down on the track, and wa la!, it worked. You might try this and see if it helps.
Seems like most of the Spectrum stuff has motor problems. My Connie runs at the same speed on DC as another Spectrum loco, both being very much slower than any of my other locos on the same throttle setting.
I was told that this slower speed is actually scale speed, and that they were designed that way on purpose. This wasn’t a problem with mine as much as the front truck jumping the track was, and because I didn’t want to attempt to alter it to fix the problem as I did with my Bachmann 4-8-4 Northern, I figured the best thing to do was sell it and buy something else to replace it… I think this time I’m going to try a Spectrum 2-8-0 Consolidation.
The Kato Mikado is still the steam engine all other Nscale steam engines are measured against. However, if the current trend continues, the release of better and more Nscale steam, then its place may be challenged in a few years. The other manufacturers have closed the gap significantly. The Atlas Shay is just magnificent. If you like the era, in my humble opinion, the MDC/Athearn 2-8-0 is just as good as or better than the Kato Mikado. Except for the lack of factory installed knuckle couplers and its propensity to shed its traction tires, the Bachmann Spectrum Consolidation is darn near perfect. I like the fact that it runs much closer to scale speed than most locos. Standard Bachmann locomotives are crap and some of their Spectrum offerings are suspect. I have both a Model Power Pacific and Mikado. For the money, they are a very good steam engine. The Life Like Heritage steam engines, except for lack of pulling power, are darn near perfect. Certainly they are far more detailed than Kato’s Mikado. The trend of making steam engines with drives similar to an Atlas diesel has radically improved steam locomotive performance. I would love to see more Nscale articulated steam locos and, on the other end of the spectrum, more Nscale steam switchers. If the current trends continue, I think the future of Nscale steam is very bright.
I too have heard the scale speed explanation about Bachmann and it’s a great marketing point, but the problem is when you are having to set the throttle on drastically different settings just to get all of the locos running at the same “scale speed.” I use the Digitrax Zephyr, and it doesn’t remember the throttle setting for each loco. When you switch to a different loco, the newly selected one “jumps” to the speed that the throttle is currently set for. This can be very interesting when you switch from the Bachmann running on 6 to an Atlas that was running on 2. You have to wonder what Bachmann was thinking when they decided to not conform. But then, maybe it’s not as big a deal to everyone else as it is to me.
I have to keep the Spectrum Connie because I’ve modified it for DCC, but it will probably will spend most of it’s little life decorating a siding or as an occupant for the engine shed. It won’t see much service and I certainly won’t be buying any more Bachmann products.
Actually the Spectrum Consolidation is one of Bachmann’s best products. I think it is their best Nscale product. I do wi***hat they had done more than one road number for each rairoad. Look at Atlas and other manufacturers. They are moving in the same direction. Atlas has the new slow speed motor. The scale speed of the Consolidation is a big plus. It gives far more control when varying the speed of the loco. Maybe the problem is with the lack of flexibility of your DCC system. I haven’t gone to DCC yet and probably never will, but a big bonus to DCC, I have been told, is that it is adjustable so that dissimilar engines can run together. As for not buying another Bachmann product, that may not be a bad thing. Bachmann’s prices have caught up with, and in some instances surpassed, Atlas’ and Kato’s prices. Their reliability and quality is not consistently anywhere near Atlas or Katos.
I’ve got a fleet of about 20 N scale steamers. In order of favorites:
My two Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0s. They run well, look good, are readily available, and won’t break your budget. They will run for hours with a decent sized train without overheating (25 cars on an Ntrak layout for 13 hours nonstop is pretty good!)
My six Kato Mikes WITH traction tires. They’re as good as the Bachmann 2-8-0 above, but are a bit more expensive.
My Bachmann Spectrum 4-8-2. While as good looking and smooth running as the two above, these engines don’t pull as well. A shame, considering the prototypes were power beasts.
My three Atlas/Rivarossi USRA light Mikes. While they haven’t been in production for decades, they’re still available on Ebay, and for only a little money. While they don’t run as smoothly as the newer engines, they’re still nicer than the new Model Power USRA lights, and are MUCH less expensive (I had one of the MP 2-8-2s. I wasn’t impressed enough with it, and sold it)
My two Atlas/Rivarossi 4-6-2s. See above.
My one OLD Bachmann USRA 0-6-0. With a little tweaking and TLC, this is the best steam switcher on the market. But it’s still not bery good at slow speeds and switch frogs…
Finally, my four Con-Cor/Rivarossi 2-8-4 Berkshires. While not as correct, finely detailed, or as smooth runners as the new Life Like Berkshires, they’ll pull three times as many cars. For a mainline speeder with no slow switching duties, pulling power is more important than slow speed finesse.
I just picked up a Model Power 4-4-0 and I was wondering if one anyone has traction wheels that will fit this loco? It’s having a little difficulty pulling up my biggest grade without spinning the wheels. Also has anyone done a DCC conversion on one of these? If I can’t convery it to DCC I’m going to put a switch on one of my lines so I can run it either DC or DCC…
Pull the cover off of the tender and see if there are some wires soldered and covered with heat shrink. if so, that’s where you install the decoder. Just match the colors, solder and heat shrink. Assuming it’s set up like the MP pacific…
I recently purchased a Bachmann N-scale 2-6-6-2 Steam Loco.
Attempted to run it on my pike however it would not stay on the track so I checked the wheel gage and found every wheel was out of gage.
I corrected the wheel gage problem only to find when attempting again to run the unit that the connecting rods now hit on the valve gear on both sets of drivers and on both sides.
This is a beautiful loco (and will run on Atlas Code 55 Track if the Connecting rods would clear the valve gear) but I want it to operate correctly.
The reviews that I have read (prior to making the purchase) indicated that the Locomotive’s wheels conform to the NMRA standards but the one that I purchased did not.
In doing a web search I discovered that I am not alone with this problem, however I did not see any fix.
I think Bachmann is aware that they have a problem with these Locomotives, when
I contacted Bachman they said send it back and they would repair or replace it.
So I returned it as directed.
About 3 weeks later I received a new Locomotive from Bachmann.
I was excited, took it down to my hobby room checked the
Gage of wheels with my NMRA standards gage and found that all of the wheels were out of gage, I corrected the wheel gage put, it on the track and attempted to run it, well the tie rods hit on the valve gear on this locomotive the same as the first one.
Now I would like to know why this locomotive’s wheels are not in gage?
This is the problem that I had with the first one and now the same problem
persists with the replacement.
It dose not comply with the N-scale NMRA standards when checked (Not even close).
when I correct the wheel gage so that it meets the standards the connecting
rods hit the valve gear and bind thus making the unit unable to run (different Locomotive and the same problem).
I have two of the 2-6-6-2s and was surprised at the MRR review. I can’t help but wonder if Bachmann sent a specially picked or doctored version of the 2-6-6-2 to MRR. I don’t have code 55 rail, so mine stay on the track just fine. To get two relatively decent 2-6-6-2s, I had to try out several at my LHS. Of the two, one had to be returned to the hobby shop and swapped with another. I now have two 2-6-6-2s that run fairly well and stay on the track. I ran them together to break them in. Run by themselves, they tended to stall. I did notice from the units at my LHS that the build quality of each locomotive is not consistent. That may be why I was surprised at the glowing report MRR gave the engine. If they had picked four or five units at random from a hobby shop, I bet their review would have been radically different. Good luck getting your loco straightened out. Keep us posted as to what happens.