Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Whit omb 65t

3764 views
14 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    March 2011
  • 1,950 posts
Whit omb 65t
Posted by NVSRR on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 11:25 AM

Piko's next batch has hit the shore Of the whitcomb 65t. I just got notice from trainworld.   Now to see if they were worth the wait.    i think they are up to 5 preorder runs now.  Interesting who they ended up all over the place out to the 80's 

A pessimist sees a dark tunnel

An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel

A realist sees a frieght train

An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Canada, eh?
  • 13,375 posts
Posted by doctorwayne on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 11:24 PM

Over 35 years ago, I was offered a 65 ton Whitcomb,  for free, and immediately began contacting people that I knew who had connections with others who could move it to our farm. 
Someone mentioned that I should also contact the town hall, and when I followed though on that, I learned that it was not permissible for railroad equipment to be used or stored on agricultural land within this area...end of the story.

Wayne

  • Member since
    March 2011
  • 1,950 posts
Posted by NVSRR on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 5:48 AM

I have always wondered what ever happened to the two that have a place in ww2 history.  The one first to cross the rhine in the push for Berlin and the first into Rhome after kicking the Germans out.   

kind of a shame you couldn't keep it or save it somewhere Wayne.

 

shane

A pessimist sees a dark tunnel

An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel

A realist sees a frieght train

An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space

  • Member since
    December 2008
  • From: Heart of Georgia
  • 5,406 posts
Posted by Doughless on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 6:22 PM

NVSRR

Piko's next batch has hit the shore Of the whitcomb 65t. I just got notice from trainworld.   Now to see if they were worth the wait.    i think they are up to 5 preorder runs now.  Interesting who they ended up all over the place out to the 80's 

 

Don't want to buy one in stock?

https://www.springcreekmodeltrains.com/product-category/ho-scale/piko-ho/

 

- Douglas

  • Member since
    February 2019
  • 49 posts
Posted by Nevin Wilson on Sunday, December 4, 2022 9:08 AM

I model the Maryland Midland, so getting one of these is a requirement.  It just arrived and it looks great.  Very smooth drive on clean track.  However, the flanges look a little big.  The couplers are definitely bigger than I prefer but are attached with NEM adaptors.  It has traction tires which means electrical conductivity is compromised and there is no Keep-Alive circuit.  The decoder is one of Piko's new 5.1 sound decoders.  Very little information is available on it and I have no idea whether a keep-alive circuit is installable.  JMRI doesn't recognise it.  

  • Member since
    January 2023
  • 2 posts
Posted by Kevin Rhodes on Sunday, January 29, 2023 6:34 PM

Kadee makes couplers with NEM stems in a few different configurations. Though the problem I ran into with my British outline locomotives is sometimes none of them are underset enough for some of the VERY low mounted NEM couplers.

-Kevin

  • Member since
    February 2019
  • 49 posts
Posted by Nevin Wilson on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 8:01 AM

I contacted Piko about my Whitcomb and they eventually got back to me.  They will have wheel sets without the traction tires available within a few weeks.  They asked me to contact them about the replacements.  It turns out that there is a capacitor in the circuit but mine still runs poorly.  Well see what happens when I remove the traction tires.  Be patient when you email them, it takes a while for them to respond.  

  • Member since
    March 2011
  • 1,950 posts
Posted by NVSRR on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 12:19 PM

I was thinking of doing that.  Taking two axles off one unit that has no tires on them and swapping th'em out on the other u it to see what happens.  I will just get the placements and change out on both.  I don't see the need for the tires considering how heavy these things are.

 

shane

A pessimist sees a dark tunnel

An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel

A realist sees a frieght train

An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Canada, eh?
  • 13,375 posts
Posted by doctorwayne on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 4:19 PM

Here's a photo of one of the locomotives which was offered to me...

If it had been allowed, I'm not sure if I could have afforded having it delivered on a large truck, and accompanied by a suitable crane.

Wayne

  • Member since
    March 2011
  • 1,950 posts
Posted by NVSRR on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 5:07 PM

That actually looks familar. did you know the Owner histroy by change?   You could have had it delivered by lowboy so it could be rolled off. 

 

SHane

A pessimist sees a dark tunnel

An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel

A realist sees a frieght train

An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Canada, eh?
  • 13,375 posts
Posted by doctorwayne on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 6:47 PM

NVSRR
That actually looks familar. did you know the Owner histroy by change? You could have had it delivered by lowboy so it could be rolled off.

I was actually in a hobby shop, dropping -off more of my TH&B Athearn diesels when the guy came in. 
I don't recall his name, but he introduced himself as an employee of Dofasco Steel, a competitor of nearby Stelco (the Steel Company of Canada) where I worked.

You are correct in mentioning a lowboy as a means to get it moved, but I learned that large railway equipment was not allowed on the Region's rural farmlands and orchards.
Since that long ago incident, more and more of the rural areas are being covered by residential homebuilding, which will eventually eliminate one of the best fruit-growing areas in Canada.

Wayne

  • Member since
    December 2008
  • From: Heart of Georgia
  • 5,406 posts
Posted by Doughless on Thursday, February 2, 2023 2:11 PM

Its disappointing that an expensive higher end locomotive would ignore the issues with eletrical pickup and not install a keep alive standard...especially if it decided to use traction wheels.

- Douglas

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • 117 posts
Posted by PennsyLou on Thursday, February 2, 2023 2:53 PM

Doughless

Its disappointing that an expensive higher end locomotive would ignore the issues with eletrical pickup and not install a keep alive standard...especially if it decided to use traction wheels.

 

 
Indeed.  I was giving the Broadway Limited folks crap at the Amhearst show for not including one in the streamlined K-4.
  • Member since
    December 2008
  • From: Heart of Georgia
  • 5,406 posts
Posted by Doughless on Thursday, February 2, 2023 3:01 PM

PennsyLou

 

 
Doughless

Its disappointing that an expensive higher end locomotive would ignore the issues with eletrical pickup and not install a keep alive standard...especially if it decided to use traction wheels.

 

 

 
Indeed.  I was giving the Broadway Limited folks crap at the Amhearst show for not including one in the streamlined K-4.
 

I can understand not having them in longer locomotives....but a switcher?  Traversing frogs at slow speeds is pretty much what a switcher does.

- Douglas

  • Member since
    March 2011
  • 1,950 posts
Posted by NVSRR on Thursday, February 2, 2023 6:51 PM

I am wondering if it isnt something in the electronics.  it does the intermittent thing on straight and curves where no turnouts or electrical issues are.  I sometimes wonder if it is an issue in the eelctronics on board.  like a trace on one of the two boards got cut that shouldnt have. 

A pessimist sees a dark tunnel

An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel

A realist sees a frieght train

An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!