looking for opinions on the the new run of intermountain sd40-2 nscale locomotive can you run them with non dcc kato and atlas locomotives. Do they run smooth are they better than a kato sd40-2
I purchased a pair of them back in January, but had been unable to really run them until I finished the mainline on a layout I'm building for my grandson. Just moved here last summer, just no layout for me just yet. On to business.I tried them with both DC and DCC. They run very smoothly on DC, in my opinion more smoothly at slow speeds than Kato. I don't have the Kato SD40-2, but I do have other Kato locos. I like Kato, except for having to swap out the couplers.
These Intermountain units run very smoothly on DCC. I'm using NCE DCC, and at speed step 1 these babies very slowly move into the slowest crawl. I've run them alone and as a consist and the results are the same, the most realistic start I've seen, even better than my BLI units.
I made the mistake of installing an Atlas 11.25 degree crossover (Code 55) on this layout, and these locos will cross even that at speed step 2 (speed step 1 as a consist). All my other Kato, Atlas, and BLI locos will stall when moving that slowly over that horrible crossover. (If you're thinking of installing one, don't do it. Just don't. I'm considering destroying a lot of work and ripping it out and replacing with a 22.5.)
However, these locos aren't perfect. I have to make the time to call Intermountain about a couple of issues. One of the locos makes a clicking sound while running. Sounds like plastic. I suspect a cracked gear, but I don't know and I'm not taking a new $190 loco apart to find out. Oddly, the loco runs smoothly and pulls well in spite of that.
Another bigger issue is coupler height. The couplers are nearly half a coupler height higher than the MicroTrains gauge. This causes occasional uncoupling on the sharper curvers of the grandson's layout (12.5") There really isn't enough of an opening in the shell to add a thick spacer, which means knife work on a brand new unit. That's a bit disconcerting, so I'll have to get Intermountain's take on that.Also, the headlights are barely noticeable even in a dark room. The number boards don't appear to be lit at all. This isn't an issue for me, but might be for others.The sound is terrific. I was quite surprised at the amount of sound that's generated out of that chassis and shell. No complaints there at all.
I like them so much I'll order the other two available road numbers. Of course I'm hoping the coupler issue can be easily resolved.
I hope this helps.
stickman716 looking for opinions on the the new run of intermountain sd40-2 nscale locomotive can you run them with non dcc kato and atlas locomotives. Do they run smooth are they better than a kato sd40-2
Bobzoom,
.
That is one of the best replies I have ever read. Very good reading. Thank you for taking the time to write your thoughts.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I want to make a quick update to that review.After speaking with Intermountain they asked me to return the loco that makes the clicking sound in reverse.They also suggested the coupler height issue may be caused by the bodies not being fully down on the chassis. And that's exactly what it was. I put both locos on the rails with the MicroTrains gauge next to them and pushed down gently on the loco bodies. And then the coupler height was exactly right on.I still highly recommend these locos. Great runners, great detail, and the best N scale sound out there.
Unfortunately I have found a similar problem with my SD40-2 couplers and "microlighting" of the headlights and ditch lights. You said that you contacted Intermountain, did they offer you any resolution of your issue?