Opinion on a few locomotives?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I’m kind of looking around at some different engines for future purchase for my RR. I model NYC in about '54 or so, and am looking at some various diesels primarily. I already know steam-wise the Trix or BLI Mohawk are worth getting, and I’m really hoping for a Pacific someday.

I like Alcos, but I didn’t really care for the Proto FAs I had. Just too noisy and difficult. It was easier to get some Blueline F7s for road power instead of fooling with adding DCC/Sound to the FAs. I wouldn’t mind an RS-1 or 3, but I’m not sure what to pick. I’ve seen the Athearn RTR RS-3, and I wasn’t too impressed with the slight growl it had. I’ve seen older Atlas RS-1s as well. What is really the best RS model out there?

An EMD type I like is GP-7s. With those, you have the Proto2k version, older Atlas versions, and Bachmann Spec. is coming out with one soon. Which gets the nod out of these versions?

I really don’t have anywhere nearby to actually look at these engines, and with some of these older discontinued models, you can only find them online (such as the Atlas models) and I don’t really know if they are better than the newer models or not. I would love input from owners of these mentioned engines.

2

the old yellow box Atlas Alcos have a Kato produced drive in them, ubber smooth and quiet, nice bright lights in dc mode, but the details are molded on like grab irons ect. Kato did thier own RS2 and RSC2 with seperate grabs ect, both excellent models and either are easily converted to DCC. Athearns are hit and miss, some are quiet, others growl a bit. But the drive is almost bullet proof and runs smooth desite the typical “Athearn Growl” Beyond that your into high $$ Overland brass to get Alcos. Bachman does the Baldwin Shark nose cowl body engines. They run excellent, very smooth and quiet. The trix Mikado and BLI engines run very smooth. I myself prefer older brass steam from PFM/United and Tenshodo.

3

Atlas RS-3. I’ve got a few of 'em, and they have an excellent power train. The shell is an early RS-3 (Phase 1a?), and I think it’s okay for NYC prototype. I don’t know if you’ll be able to find one in NYC colours. The Atlas RS-1 is also a good loco.

If you want GP7s, again, Atlas is a good choice. They have the same power train as the RS-1s and RS-3s.

Steam locos, I don’t know. BLI, Bachmann’s Spectrum line, Athearn Genesis, and Life-Like Proto 2000 are probably the best plastic locos available.

4

For diesels, Atlas all the way. I have Atlas RS3s, RS11s, RS36s, C420s, C424/C425s, and GP7s. All run flawlessly, have excellent paint jobs, and good detailing.

Although Athearn’s RS3 is more accurate, the Atlas one runs better.

Nick

5

NYC,

If you aren’t opposed to switchers, Stewart has a VO-660 & VO-1000 in NYC scheme. Although the detailing isn’t as nice as the Proto 2000s, the Stewart Buehler and Canon drives are the best runners around. Stewart also has some F-units.

Alco NYC S-series switchers can be had from Proto 2000* and Atlas.

[*CAUTION - Although the Proto 2000 S1 box says it’s “DCC-ready”, it isn’t. You’ll need to isolate the motor from the frame before installing a decoder into it.]

Proto 2000 recently came out with a very nice F3 A/B. The Precision Craft Models (PCM) EMD F3s are also very nice. However, they got the “headlights” wrong. (NYC F-units only came with a single headlight. PCM’s release is a dual-light version. [:(]) If that doesn’t bother you, you can pick one up at a fairly discounted price. I bought a powered F3 A/B w/sound a year or so ago for under $200. At some point I plan to drill out, cover, and paint over the extra headlight.

Atlas will also be releasing an Alco NYC HH600 next April. It will be available in both sound and non-sound versions.

Hope that helps…

Tom

6

I appreciate the info, but I honestly am not interested in any of the VO switchers, and F3s are really only a Passenger loco on the NYC, and I’d get a PA for that instead.

I really have already decided my “roster.” Who knows how long it will be until I have all of these, but Steam-wise: 2-8-0 (already have it), a Pacific, Hudson (have it) and a Mikado. Diesel: F7s (already have them), GP7s, RS1 or 3s, and maybe a SW switcher.

So, I already know what models to buy for the steam engines, but I really just don’t know whet

7

I have a few Proto GP7’s and a bunch of GP9’s, they are very good running and well detailed loco’s. The only drawback is they probably will have cracked gears in them. That’s not a big deal though, it’s a very simple fix to do and the price will reflect this. They are also very simple to convert to DCC if your going that route. I’ve got a couple that have over 1000 hours on them and they still run like they are new. In my opinion they are the best bang for your buck. I also have a few Atlas RS3’s that are very nice running loco’s. Mine are newer releases and I’m very happy with them. I don’t really care for the Athearn RS3’s because of the growl they produce but they do look good. You can’t go wrong with either one.

8

9

If you want a Pacific, you may want to get some insurance and buy the Bowser K 11 kit. They are going out of production and while I think any NYC Pacific would be a big seller in plastic, I’m not holding my breath. If you do,be sure to get the details kit and a Helix Humper repower kit. Takes a while to build,but produces a nice locomotive.

10

Well I have had ahm/rivarossi rs-2’s and they stink single truck drive and some double truck drive. I have had model power rs-2’s and they stink no weight and crude details. I have athern sw-7 or something switchers. Thought they run nice they are noisey with the growl. I have had gp-7 or 9 from athern as well and same deal. All blue box atherns run great after you do the power upgrade to them so that you have a more reliabe running train. I now have an older atlas/kato rs-1 and love it. Upgraded it to dcc and it is sweet. Also have the newer black box rs-1 and it is silky smooth and very quite. Upgraded it to dcc as well. Both these engines are heavy due to the metal frame. I am in the market for at least one more rs-1 from atlas. I will probably also buy an rs-3 from them. I have a couple proto 2000 gp-30 and they both had cracked gears out of the box new. No problem in that walthers replaced them for free with a copy of the reciept. It was an easy 10 minute fix and now they run quiet and smooth. Not converted to dcc yet as I don’t have the time to really dig into it to isolate the motor and junk. I have also had roundhouse rs-3. They also run sweet but the metal railings and plastic stantions are a real pain in the butt to get right. Not to mention the railings(metal) were made of spring steel and were not bent properly and don’t bend so things didn’t line up. A good fix is to buy an altas frame and body and rails from atlas and put it on the drive frame. I did this and all it took was to do a little cutting and drilling to get the tabs to fit right. Pretty easy job and you can find them cheap on ebay.

Hope this helps ya.

Mike

11

Well, actually I found out Roundhouse is redoing the Genesis Light Pacific:

http://www.roundhousetrains.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=RND85129

I assume these are just common USRA models, but they will have Tsunami sound in them, and maybe the NYC could be detailed a bit to look like the prototype. Even so, it is a Pacific and I’m excited about that for now.

12

I’m happy with my Proto 2K GP9s. They are reliable and quiet, and the detail is really very nice. These are older models I picked up from a blowout sale at M.B. Klein (www.modeltrainstuff.com.) I installed motor decoders in both, and then upgraded one to a Tsunami.

My Proto 1000 RSC-3 is also a favorite, although the detail isn’t as nice as the P2Ks. It also runs well, and has a Soundtraxx LC that I put in.

I replaced all the incandescent lights with LEDs while I was doing the decoders. Here are the Geeps after a bit of weathering:

The MU hoses are on the model, but the whole pilot is initially painted black in these Milwaukee colors. By weathering the pilot with rust powder and then hand-painting the hoses black with silver connectors, the details come out much stronger.

13

I personally love RS-1’s but vote for all early RS units, including C’s and D’s. I like small 6 and 8 wheels steamers, E-units for passenger, F-units for freight. Pacifics with smoke lifters, Hudson/4-6-4’s and Northern/4-8-4’s with the “box top” semi-streamlining, and of course Mountain/4-8-2’s with smoke lifters. All answers are personnaly biased.

14

Slight correction needed here: You do not need to isolate the entire motor from the frame when converting to DCC. You only need to isolate the brushes from the frame. This is because the power must go through the decoder before it gets to the brushes. The isolation can be as simple for an open-frame motor (and not all are bad motors) as slipping a piece of insulation stripped from a wire over the brush spring, and soldering a wire from the brush to the decoder. If you have a can motor it’s usually not an issue, as the brushes are usually isolated already from the body of the motor. If not, it can be as simple as bending a metal tab away from the motor shell.

15

Hi!

I’ve been through a lot of locos over the last 15 years, in total just over 100. I started out with mostly Athearn bluebox and IHC, and eventually moved “up” to Stewarts, Kato, P1K & P2K, Atlas, and BLI.

For those on a budget, nothing beats an Athearn BB. But if you have more money to spend, I really like the Stewart (now Bowser) F units (I now have 6 ABBA all powered consists) with either the older Kato drive or the newer Stewart drive. I added details to all of them, and the end result is just great.

For Alco RS locos, I have several of the Atlas models and find them to be extremely nice runners - and they look good too!

For E and PA units, I have P2Ks, and they are pretty good. Also, I have various switchers that are P2Ks as well, and they are good buys.

For steamers, the BLIs are my favorite, especially with sound, but of course they are a bit expensive. I also have some Spectrum, and for the money, they are a good buy.

From what I have experienced and read, these days you pretty much get what you pay for. That being said, before you buy a specific loco, I would run it by the folks on this Forum to get their viewpoint.

In that regard, when I switched to DCC I asked the Forum about the “DCC friendliness” of various locos, and found that a few of mine - which were great with DC - were a bear to convert to DCC.

Hey, for what its worth!

Mobilman44

16

It’s hard to go wrong with an Atlas RS or GP or anything else they offer. Maybe an NYC FM H-16-44?? Although the old Life-Like Proto series can be hit-or-miss, their E-units have consistently been great runners and pullers in my experience, so don’t overlook an NYC E-7 or two for your passenger trains.

I haven’t tried one yet, but Model Railroad News reviewed the “Bachmann Plus” line of steam engines, including an NYC Niagara, and gave it surprisingly good reviews considering it’s relatively cheap price tag.