A little more than a year ago Walthers came out with an HO scale USRA HEAVY 2-10-2 from PROTO 2000. There were two different releases including road names such as Pennsylvania, Illinois Central, CB&Q and Colorado & Southern. I am considering purchasing one of these, either a CB&Q locomotive or a Colorado & Southern from Caboose Hobbies in Denver.
Does anyone out there have one of these engines, and if so, are you happy with it? Does it run well? I am assuming that if it is from PROTO 2000, the quality must be pretty good. Also, can anyone tell me if Model Railroader has ever done a performance review of these locomotives? And if so, which issue would I find it in?
Many thanks to anyone who might be able to answer my questions!
I have one. It is clear to me that it contains good manners and runs well. It glides off to a start at the first notch of the DT400 throttle and stops where it is supposed to without jerking.
I will get a second one later this year. One of the stores I go to has a few at a good price.
I have not had a chance yet to let it out onto the main to pull something because it is still under construction and will be for some time.
There is a video on the MR website that shows one of these rolling along.
Good loco, but suffers from QSI sound (if you get the sound unit). Watch the videos and count the chuffs…It is good for about 10% of the throttle, after that it is WAY off.
I purchased a B&LE version of the Proto 2000 2-10-2 in March 2007. I am very impressed with the fine detailing and the smooth performance. On my freind’s layout, it took 25 weighted ore cars up a 2.5% grade with two 32" radius curves in the middle of the hill at a slow & steady pace. This performance was with the supplied traction tire driver set installed, which I recommend for any steam locomotive that comes with the option. I did the same thing to a BLI PRR J-1 2-10-4 and it’s pulling ability improved about 33%. I am so impressed with the Proto 2000 Heavy 2-10-2, compared to my two BLI’s,(PRR J-1 & M-1a), I will gladly purchase another one if funds and the chance presents itself, and will closely watch any future releases from Proto 2000. Since the price of Proto, BLI, & PCM are about the same, I feel that the Proto is a better value. I will also check out anything from PCM if I get a chance.Good luck & good modeling.
ALL sound throttles sync at a certain speed because the ‘chuffs’ are electronically obtained*.* The wheel rotation is mechanical. A mechanical device (such as a cam) is needed,- and those add cost.
Once sufficient speed is reached the eye cannot count the revs. anyhow. Now the question becomes “is it worth the additional cost”?
You speak as if I dont know this. Yes, I am aware of chuff cams and there are simple ways of constructing one (Minauture magnants with a reed switch as the cam). The soundtraxx offering doesnt work that well (because of its need to have clean contacts…not to mention the difficulty of the installation).
My point is this. Reviewers still dont mention this flaw with steam locomotives with sound. It is like we all turn a blind eye to this shortcomming.
Most aftermarket sound decoders have an input for a chuff cam. The Tsunami takes this one step forward with the user able to set the BEMF to sync the chuff with the drivers. Even without setting the BEMF, I can get my Tsunami locos to sync with the drivers very, very closely.
If you watch the review video, at one point you hear 2 chuffs per revolution. This would be WAY off in my opinion. It is just lazyness on the part of the Manfuacture.
There is something to be said when the drivers and the sound is in sync.
For non-sound decoders, any decoder will work with the Digitrax system, just use one with BEMF (such as the DH163 or equivilant)…just steer clear of MRC decoders because they are junk.
Stay away from MRC Decoders and everything will be fine.
You will find that the engine pulls a little bit without the traction tire but with the traction driver installed it should pull a fairly good sized train.
What I should do is open a space downtown that accomodates a 3% grade without any curve in it and start documenting every single HO scale engines ability to pull X cars up that grade; something that manufactors are unwilling to do.
Not true. Not every review is a glowing one. Sometimes reviews point out ‘issues’ and usually MFGs take note and fix it.
This issue is probably the next step. If a steam loco was advertized “Chuffs syncd with Drivers” than that would be another selling point for the item.
David, there must be four…because with a revolution counted on any one driver, both pistons go through a complete cycle. That means both pistons chuff, and since there are two chuffs per piston, there are twice the two chuffs per piston per driver revolution, which comes to four chuffs.
Also, being articulated has nothing to do with the chuff rate. What matters is how many pistons the boiler is driving. For example, the PRR Duplexes chuff twice per cylinder per driver revolution per engine under a single boiler, but they are not articulated.
I too plan to buy one after I buy the 2-8-8-2 Mallet. For the SMC’s heavy freight loco’s I am looking for those that not only look the part like some but actucally can pull 30 to 40 cars up steep grades without fail. And my club’s layout has heavy grades too which I love to run trains on, so the clubs another factor as well.
Plan on installing the traction tire equippted wheels, Proto is not that famous for pulling power.
Consider yourself warned before you spend anything on that 2-10-2. I think I can probably more 30 cars on the level but on hills? Errr. I doubt it.
Remember 24 heavy ore cars was the best I can do with the 2-8-8-2 and that engine is not all that different than the 2-10-2 in manners and pulling.
Dont get yourself in a transfixed trance with the big boiler, many drivers and sound… sometimes HO steam turn out unable to pull it’s own tender anywhere.
If the MR staff still has the 2-10-2 that they used in the recent video and review, they can settle this question by hooking it up to 30 cars on thier MR Layout and running a extra.
Each side has 2 chuffs for a total of 4 per revolution. They only way you would hear 2 chuffs per revolution is if the drivers were at 180 degrees from each other. But they are at 90 degrees (called quartering) and the effect is 4 distinct chuffs.
Haven’t you heard of a little thing I like to call traction tires. I have planned all along to add traction tires to any locomotive I buy after reading their MR reviews. Like the Berkshire, the 2-10-2, and the Santa Fe BLI 2-10-2 (Still a maybe on my roster considerations).
And besides, your mallet was the old run. I am sure the newer run will have traction tires included, as with the 2-8-4 and 2-10-2.