I bought the undec model with the baker gear and took it home today.
This review is going to be very short.
1- It moves on one click on the DT400 throttle.
2- Does not exhibit any bad manners, no duck waddle, no square wheel hop no nothing.
3- It is a joy to drive and operate.
I lubed it up and put it back in the box pending lettering and numbering. I probably will assign it #112 which is the number in the Serial paper. I dont know what the total production run is but having such a low serial has to be pretty good.
The only thing I find wrong with the model is that I may have to shave off the bottom pegs on the doghouse because they left the tender deck intact.
It does pull ok but I dont have the room to really get down and haul anything yet. I expect this engine to work in concert with the Y3 2-8-8-2 when needed.
Oh one other thing, 30" radius is availible in my home and I will NOT run this engine on anything smaller. I can horse a BLI around something smaller but this one has ALL the drive wheels flanged.
I dont want to create any further marital difficulty but one wonders if one of these babies is GOOD, why not two?
I’ve heard pretty good reviews of the Proto 2-10-2. It’s certainly a handsome looking loco, and I understand it’s a pretty good puller, too (unlike some Proto steamers). And since you’ve got a 30" radius, you should have no trouble at all with it binding on curves.
Keep us posted on its performance, okay?
Double-heading it with a 2-8-8-2, either as helper or road engine, sounds pretty terrific to me. I’ve done it with several of my brass steamers, and the results look really spectacular! To say nothing of the number of cars the combination can pull.
This tells me one nice thing - they are using the latest QSI chip in these, with the full BEMF - which is why it starts and runs on speed step 1. Very nice. A while back it was reported on the QSI list on Yahoo that BLI han’t ordered anything with the newest chip.
So, what are you saying, Randy? That BLI is getting out of chipped locos, or just QSI, or that they have no plans to provide the new upgrade in new orders?
Sorry, this question is off topic…so maybe it could wait or we could do another thread. [:)]
I hope BLI will be putting the new chips in their new releases - e.g. the NYC 4-8-2 Mohawk due out at the end of the year. Big or little locomotives, I like 'em to crawl. There’s just something disconcerting about a locomotive starting to move at a prototypical speed of 5 MPH/8 KPH*! [V]
Tom
[*For our brothers up north and across the sea. [:)]]
I have two now they run great,sound great, pull for [censored]. I put the wheel set with the traction tire on it pulls much better, (but) theres always a but it seems. With this wheel set on it likes to stall on #6 swicthes? Think i’ll take it back off and put up with only pulling 14 cars on my grade.
14’s good. I team mine up with the Y3 also from Proto so that I can handle heavier trains.
I found that the driver set rods are very “Loose” apparently an effort to horse it through tiny curves and small switches. Ive started to evaluate tightening them up just a little bit via the bolts.
14’s good. I team mine up with the Y3 also from Proto so that I can handle heavier trains.
I found that the driver set rods are very “Loose” apparently an effort to horse it through tiny curves and small switches. Ive started to evaluate tightening them up just a little bit via the bolts.
Yes they are light on the pull but have such good manners and sooo smooth on the DCC. Makes my BLI look like 30 year old Athearn units.
If this is what Back EMF can do with creating such a smooth runnier,Im going to have to “Upchip” the other QSI engines in my fleet. Damn that lawsuit that delayed the technology’s use.