Review of the BLI 2-8-2

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

i was searching the web for a review of what is probably BLI’s number 1 selling engine. I was quite surprised to find that I could not find one.

Has anyone seen a review of this engine?

2

Which engine - USRA light or heavy?

Which version - original Powerhouse or new Blueline?

I have an original Powerhouse heavy and a Blueline heavy.

The sound in the Blueline is, by far, the worst onboard sound system I have ever heard.

Both locos run nice, especially now that they have Bachmann tenders and NO sound or DCC electronics to interfere with my Aristo Train Engineer throttles.

The Blueline has traction tires so it pulls a little better, and it came with a working front coupler, rather than having to be modified.

They disassemble easily enough for work or painting and run smooth.

I got them both for less than half price, so rebuilding/rewiring them was a reasonable path to get what I wanted - two quiet, DC powered, USRA heavy mikes with long tenders.

This is not likely the review you where looking for, but it is my experiance with the two I have.

Sheldon

3

I have two of the original Paragon 2-8-2 Mikados with QSI sound. Both run very well and are good pullers. I have had no complaints or problems with either one.

4

I have a pair of the original USRA Heavy 2-8-2 engines(QSI sound decoders). They operate smooth and pull very well. I did modify them as follows:

  • Kadee coupler on the front of the engine(#33)

  • Soft foam in the plastic tender shell to cut down on the ‘vibration’ noise

  • Some weight in the tender(helps prevent derailments when backing a train)

Very good value for under $200 each. The operate and sound good. I have run them on 22" radius curves and they perform well with my trains.

Jim Bernier

5

Yeah, it kind of depends on which you are talking about: Older Paragon/Powerhouse, or Blueline model.

I just recently bought one of the Blueline Light Mikes new. The tooling/detail is basically the same I would imagine as the Paragon units that came out several years ago. I think the engine looks good, maybe not up to some of the newest offerings but very good nonetheless. The engine has a plastic coupler on the front that probably should be replaced, while the tender on mine had a nice Kadee coupler installed. The locomotive tracks well and is capable of running slow and smooth.

The Blueline, after adding the required DCC decoder, runs pretty well motor-wise. I found that the separate motor and sound decoder setup a little cumbersome. Sound wise, tender has two 16 ohm speakers wired together, and has some electronics in the locomotive to sync the chuff. Besides that, I will second the opinion that the Blueline sound is third rate, or maybe even worse in comparison to other manufacturers. Also, I don’t like the fact it doesn’t have an adjustable EQ, reverb effects, different whistles, and the stupid volume “double-click F8” system. I tried setting the Blueline to a set volume level like my Tsunami’s, but always seemed to have to turn it down everytime I came back to the layout the next day.

So, locomotive wise I would highly suggest the BLI Mikado. If you go Blueline, that’s not my personal choice but you may feel differently. I decided I didn’t like it enough to keep it, and instead just picked up a Powerhouse series Mike with QSI sound/electronics for a good deal, and will be finding a buyer for the Blueline.