Hi all, my name is Jim, and I’mnew to the forum. I’ve would like to get your opinion on Walthers Proto N locomotives. Is the quality simillar to Atlas or more like Bachman? Thanks in advance for any response.
Jim
Welcome to the forum!
Walther’s (formerly Life-like) is much closer to Atlas than Bachmann - in my opinion.
Which locomotive were you considering?
I’m partial to the diesels. I like the GP-30 and GP-38 low nose, As far as roadname, I like SF andCSX
Stick with Atlas and you will much happier…
Smaller flanges on the wheels and much better running qualities.
pc
Walther’s makes a decent GP38-2 (recent release - stay away from the older LL version). They have a SF & CSX model.
Atlas also makes a GP38 (SF Only) and a GP30 (both SF & CSX are represented).
Price wise, both manufacturers seem to be in the same ballpark. If this is the case, I’d most certainly go with Atlas. You can never go wrong with Atlas.
Although you might be able to find deeper discounts on the Walther’s GP38 these days.
I do not own any but tried some out at the LHS. They look great and ran nice and smooth on the test track–I was surprised. I have heard lots of good things about the Proto N from the N-scalers that do have them. Cost is great but I believe the DCC installation is a bit of work. Jamie
Thanks for the responses, as it turns out, I called to order them today and they were sold out. So I guess its off to Atlas on line catalog.
There are a number of good on-line sources to find this stuff. You don’t have to go through Atlas (who would likely charge MSRP anyway):
Some of my favorites for N-scale:
MB Klein: http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/
Brooklyn Locomotive Works: http://www.blwnscale.com/
Toy Train Heaven: http://www.toytrainheaven.com/
Wig-Wag: http://www.wig-wag-trains.com/
There are several more, but this can get you started. I just saw MB Klein has Walther’s GP38’s on sale for $30 each (There was one SF). [wow]
Try Trainworld, the fastest shipping I’ve found.