Hello all,
I plan on buying ,two loco’s from steward,if their worth a flip. A C628 and C630 ,both N&W. They don’t really fit on the pike,but hey ya got to love those ALCO’s. If their not worth a flip,then I’m eyeballing two Atlas NS 8-40-C’s. Somebody has to own one,{the C628 -C630 }how do they run ?
Patrick
Don’t know anything about “Steward” locomotives.
On the other hand Stewart locomotives are very good. I have several of their VO 1000 and VO 660’s. They are now owned by Bowser.
Dave H.
How silly of me to mispell Steward and then have you spell stewart. opppppppsssss
Patrick
I don’t have any of the C6xx locomotives, but I do have an enormous fleet of Stewart FT-F9s, and some VO-1000s. They are all good runners. The Fs detail isn’t quite up to snuff with the current super detail types.
Patrick,
Stewart (Bowser) locomotives are VERY good and smooth runners. I bought one of their Baldwin VO-660 switchers and have been very happy with it. [^] [tup]
Tom
I have been very happy with the Stewart FT ABBA I have had for about 6 years. When we had a club layout I was running 65+car freights on 1 1/2% grades and around 24" radius curves. I love them. Since that time I have gutted one B back to a dummy , converted he remaining three to DCC, and filled the dummy with sound. It is right behind the lead A unit, and the total effect is awesome! I run all my sound equipped locos at around 40-50% volume. The Stewarts are a beautiful set.
Stewart imported Kato drives for their line, then copied it when Kato stopped supplying,.and never lost a step.Aka Excellent. Their 'F’drives are still more dependable than the Genesis, and unlike Genesis, their drives can be purchased separtately to power up dummies.
Stewart ls one of those ‘select’ product’s that alway’s get’s good review’s ln MR, and as i remembe that incudes those big Alco’s.
Don, you woke me up and I went back to my old MRs.
The C-628 was reviewed by MR June 99.
“The 14.8 oz model has a well-detailed body and a powerful smooth-running mechanism.
Minimum radius:22. DCC receptable. Suggested price in 1999, $135.00”.
Stewart was a respected name enjoyed a good reputation.
Patrick
I have 7 of the Stewart C628’s and have nothing but good words about them. They are probably the most powerful locos on my layout. They are also very smooth running.
Dan Pikulski
www.DansResinCasting.com
I can only vouch for their Baldwin switchers. They run as well, or better, than my other switchers … Atlas, Kato, and BLI.
Jim
We just got a Stewart FT set. They’re running great. I’ll agree with TZ, they need a few details added. Our have already gotten handrails. I’ve got some windshield wipers but they haven’t been installed yet.
I believe the detailing kits for the Fs & FTs are ~$11 per unit. Here’s the link for more specifics: http://bowser-trains.com/New_Products/new__calscale.htm
BTW, grande man - those are some VERY handsome looking FTs. I have a set of NYC FT-ABs (with sound!) on special order but I’m not sure when I’ll actually be getting them. Maybe in December, but mostly likely next year sometime. The dealer has to get 35 reservations first before placing the order. (Last check, he still has 16 to go.) We’ll see…
Tom
Too bad the real C628/630/636’s didn’t run as well as the models. If they did there would still be a few of them around.
Tom
I have two C&NW highnose C-628’s from Stewart, one with a TCS decoder and one with the Soundtraxx ‘plug and play’ sound decoder. A few days ago I ran an ore train with them, 30 cars and a caboose. They drifted around the layout at 12 mph very smooth and steady even up and down some short 2% grades. I’d have to say they’re two of the best engines I’ve ever had in 30+ years of model railroading.
Yes, Stewart locomotives are smooth and reliable runners. You have to apply the details yourself and this does require more skill than it takes to apply the details from a blue box kit. They are smaller and thinner. If you feel you don’t have the skills then find someone willing to do it for you for a price. It is better than ruining the shell like I did one Christmas morning.
Also, Stewarts can be a bit sensitive if you have less than perfect trackwork or a tighter radius.
Thanks guys,
Stewart locomotives it is than. I quess I’ll wait,for the atlas 8-40C’s. Maybe the
jolly old fat guy ,with the snowy white beard, will begin the C630’s.
Patrick
If you want that to happen, you better be a good boy and stop stealing your wifes funnels![swg]
Hello Ken,
ILMAO… I guess I better or the jolly fat guy,will bring a whole box of 50 funnels.
Patrick
\i certainly agree with the Stewarts being more dependable and run better, but I was able to purchase the F Drives from Athearn without the chassis. I am not sure they have them all the time, but I purchased two about one year ago.
Just a note. After a kick of powering everything, I realized it wasn’t real productive. As johncolley noted I found out that an AB set could pull about 50 cars up our club’s steepest grade 3.5%max:2.7% ruling (65 if I didn’t mind grinding the wheels), and I couldn’t find the limit for the ABA set. This is WAY more cars than any layout I operate on can handle so I began “depowering”. All my ABA, ABBA sets will have two powered units in them. I haven’t decided about the AB sets. I’ve been watching ebay to get the unpowered chassis from people who are doing the opposite.