Are the Proto 2000 and 1000 series kits or are they just someting that you just snap the body shell on?
If you’re talking engines, no, you just pop the body shell on and on some, you mount grabs.
If you’re talking rolling stock, they come as RTR, Timesaver kits (~ 1 hour assembly) and straight kit (complicated assembly)
i’ve bought 2 P2K locomotives. all you have to do is take off the couplers. snap the shell on. then if you want you can screw the shell to the body ( i didn’t do that) or you can just put the couplers back in place and you’re done. the kits i guess are really hard. i bought one but it was already put together.
The Proto 2000 (P2K) locomotives are as simple as putting the shell onto the frame. I have only seen two Proto 1000 locomotives, and both seemed to be exactly the same smooth running mechanism that is used in the more expensive P2K line, with slightly less detail on the shell. As for P2K rolling stock, there are different grades of difficulty of assembly, depending on the type of car you have. The P2K drop-end Gondolas, for example, required quite a bit more assembly than a box car. The P2K 1,000 gallon tank cars were fully assembled, complete with metal wheels, knuckle couplers, and correct weight.
thats what i got the gondola. the guy i bought it from said it took a lot of time to build. sad part is he had like 15 of these with different road names. i think from now on the locomotives i buy will be P2K. i love how easy they are to put together and they look great with very little to add. i still have to add the awning things onto them.
Good. I was thinking about getting an E8 (or whatever it is, some sorta E).
Anyone have Proto 2000 Santa Fe PAs & PBs? Doodlebug wstolper@yahoo.com
The newest P2Ks (GP38-2s, etc) come with the shell on.
I got a P@K FA-1 that came fully assembled with the exception that I had to put the shell onto the chassis. I also have a P1K C-liner that the shell came mounted on but I have to take it back off to add the grab irons . Speaking of that, do you have to dril out the holes for the grabs?
i have a proto 1K RS 2 it came rtr shell on and everything got it new at the LHS. its a grate runner but its not dcc ready the box dosent say it is anyway and i havent taken the shell off to find out .
Both my P1000 came with the body on the frame.
My P2000 S3 & PA the shell was off but my SD50 the body was on the frame.
My one & only P2000 freight car came unassembled.
I bought it almost eight years ago & I still haven’t finished it yet.
Gordon
P1K units are preassembled. Keep in mind, they aren’t DCC ready so adding a board will be a little more than the now typical plug and play. I think they run as well as our P2K units though and, with a little work, look almost as good.
P1K locos are, as stated, not DCC read, but it’s not a real handicap - the wires are all neatly arranged for easy connection. Not a bad idea since depending on the P2K loco, the DCC socket isn’t ‘ready to use’ anyway. P1K locos come fully assembled. P2K locos now are starting to come with the shell already attached, but there are usually extra specific detail parts to be added, like MU stands, sunshades, and pilots. Sometimes drilling is required.
Both use the same motors, so they run pretty much identically.
P2K car kits come in two versions, regualr and Timesaver. The Timesaver ones are partially built with less assembly work required. The regular ones - if you have never done anythignmore than an Athearn blue box kit, you might want to try something a little more difficult before attempting to build a P2K kit. Coupel of tricks I learned building P2K rolling stock (specifically the tank cars, but it applies to all of them), one is to use a FRESH #11 blade to carefully cut the grabs and other fine details from the sprue - a sprue nipper is TOO BIG and you WILL break parts, the second is to drill out all the mounting holes - the fine parts can take NO pressure to press fit into a hole, a drop-in fit is essential.
–Randy
does anyone have a list of engine lines for the Proto 1000 series?
Great! You won’t be dissappointed. These locomotives are HEAVY, smooth running units. They will pull more than the prototypes.
I have five E7s and plan on getting 2 more E7s and two E8s. IMHO, these are Life Like’s overall, best running units. My only criticism is the Mars light. A friend of mine recommends the Mars kits from Circuitron or Richmond Controls. What a difference! [:D][;)]
I would go for the E8. I have only had P2k hood units, but they are really quite good, and the P1k cab units I have are also really good, at a little more than half the price, but they are all terrific units, the mainstay of my 1960s fleet. (My 1980s fleet uses primarily Kato SD40-2s)
trainboy
You will find that a P2K E unit will be the best pulling loco that will add to your roster. This is also true with their SD50 and SD60’s Can’t go wrong, very good engine.
Bob K.
I have a P2K SD60, and all I can say is I love it. The newer P2K engines come with the shell assembled to the chassis, but the older ones come with the shell seperated from the chassis. The P1K engines come fully assembled.
The P2K cars come as complicated kits, not-quite-so-complicated kits and ready to run.
My P1K Santa Fe F3’s have a board installed and were very easy to install a decoder in. Digitrax has a link on their website on how to wire this model. Maybe I got some of the late run units.
Mike
i love the protos E-8//PA1 i have both war bonnets can post pics if you interested ,yes bigboy there nice and easy
Carl