I was wondering anyone has experience with locomotives from Intermountain, in particular F7 diesel. How do they run - smoothness and low speed, compared to something like Stewart? How simple/hard would it be to convert to DCC?
Thanks in advance.
The Intermountain F units look better than the Stewart/Kato F units.
Running wise, I believe the Stewart/Kato F unit is the perfect HO scale locomotive, for my needs, so I am very biased in this subject. I will let more subjective people answer this part.
I have never operated a Stewart/Kato F unit that was converted to DCC.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Hi ChrisVA,
I have a bunch of InterMountain F series locomotives and I love them! They run very smoothly. They all have Loksound decoders which I installed myself, with one exception. The decoder installations were very straight forward. I can't say enough good things about Loksound decoders!!
I have only had a couple of problems with them. The first was that I bought a used FP9A on eBay and there was a noticeable squeak in the motor. No amount of lubrication or adjustment or run in time solved the problem. I finally decided to ask InterMountain if they had any suggestions. They sent me a brand new motor with the flywheels installed at no charge including shipping to Canada!!! How can you beat that level of devotion to customer service?!?
The second problem is with the side grills. They come loose, at least on the older models, and gluing them back on cleanly (i.e. no excess glue) is a challenge.
I have had other excellent experiences with InterMountain customer service. I bought an F7B from them with a Loksound decoder factory installed. I wanted to install a back up light but the B unit decoder didn't have a reverse light option. Intermountain offered to contact Loksound to see it there was a fix. I figured out a fix on my own, but I think the offer to spend the time researching how to solve the problem was exceptional!
They have done other things for me as well. I asked to buy some F series winterization hatch covers from then. They sent them for free already painted in the proper CP maroon.
I'll give you one final example. I bought a Rapido FP9A. It runs really nicely but not as nicely as the InterMountains. The InterMountains barely crawl on speed step one. The Rapido lurches. It isn't prototypical. I know that the start speed is easily adjusted, but I think the comparison right out of the box is significant.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
ChrisVA I was wondering anyone has experience with locomotives from Intermountain, in particular F7 diesel. How do they run - smoothness and low speed, compared to something like Stewart? How simple/hard would it be to convert to DCC?
In terms of converting your F7s to DCC, contact InterMountain directly for assistance. They will be more than helpful.
Rich
Alton Junction
I have probably a dozen Intermountain F7 A and B units. Never had a problem with any of them. Mine all had Loksound Select decoders factory installed but I've had them apart and installing your own would be a reasonably simple task, sound or silent.
IMG_6818 by Edmund, on Flickr
This Penn-Central F7 is from Intermountain.
TCS, among others, makes a simple, plug-in decoder. Here's a few pictures:
https://tcsdcc.com/installation/ho-scale/1335
Good Luck, Ed
ChrisVA I was wondering anyone has experience with locomotives from Intermountain, in particular F7 diesel. How simple/hard would it be to convert to DCC?
I was wondering anyone has experience with locomotives from Intermountain, in particular F7 diesel.
How simple/hard would it be to convert to DCC?
richhotrain ChrisVA I was wondering anyone has experience with locomotives from Intermountain, in particular F7 diesel. How do they run - smoothness and low speed, compared to something like Stewart? How simple/hard would it be to convert to DCC? I have several Intermountain F3s (but no F7s), and they all run smoothly and run just fine at low speed. My one gripe is that they seem to be limited in their top speed, such that they run too slowly at top speed for my liking. I have spoken to InterMountain about this and their only response is that the locos are geared that way. In terms of converting your F7s to DCC, contact InterMountain directly for assistance. They will be more than helpful. Rich
I have several Intermountain F3s (but no F7s), and they all run smoothly and run just fine at low speed. My one gripe is that they seem to be limited in their top speed, such that they run too slowly at top speed for my liking. I have spoken to InterMountain about this and their only response is that the locos are geared that way.
Rich, the low top speed is an issue I have heard before. It is my understanding that it is mainly a decoder thing, as mine run at similar top speeds to my Genesis F units, both DC with no decoders, running on only 13.8 volts.
Yes, they are geared slow, but I think the factory lighting board and the decoders on the older versions combined to lower the available motor voltage. Not sure if they have changed that.
As someone who removes decoders, I have found a number of locos from different brands run noticably faster after the dcoders are gone.
While my Train Engineer throttles will not run dual mode decoders, I do often test dual mode locos with a conventional DC pack before removing the decoders.
And I know other modelers with similar experiances.
For me personally, Intermountain F units are tied as my favorite with Genesis.
They completely own me over as a freelance modeler when they made undecorated shell kits for their FP7's, which Athearn has never offered.
All that is changing now with less undecorated models being offered, but I have what I need and simply need to finish building the rest of what I have...
Sheldon
ATLANTIC CENTRALRich, the low top speed is an issue I have heard before. It is my understanding that it is mainly a decoder thing
I have four Intermountain F3 diesels.
Two of the diesels are an F3A and F3B consist with a LokSound Select decoder that I install in the A unit and a Digitrax DZ143PS decoder that I installed in the B unit.
The other two diesels are both F3A units that I run as a consist. The lead unit has a factory installed QSI decoder and the trailing unit has a Digitrax DZ143PS decoder that I installed.
Thoughts?
richhotrain ATLANTIC CENTRAL Rich, the low top speed is an issue I have heard before. It is my understanding that it is mainly a decoder thing Now that is interesting. My call to InterMountain led me to believe that it was strictly a gearing thing. I have four Intermountain F3 diesels. Two of the diesels are an F3A and F3B consist with a LokSound Select decoder that I install in the A unit and a Digitrax DZ143PS decoder that I installed in the B unit. The other two diesels are both F3A units that I run as a consist. The lead unit has a factory installed QSI decoder and the trailing unit has a Digitrax DZ143PS decoder that I installed. Thoughts? Rich
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Rich, the low top speed is an issue I have heard before. It is my understanding that it is mainly a decoder thing
Now that is interesting. My call to InterMountain led me to believe that it was strictly a gearing thing.
Did you just plug in the decoders you installed?
Hard wiring them and removing the Intermountain light board may speed them up.
I have to say, knowing what I know about electronics, if I was in DCC, my decoders would all be direct wired without any "DCC ready" (read DC) lighting boards in the circuit.
Another thing that keeps me away from DCC, rewiring 140 locos.
I will take a look at one of mine and see if the lighting board gives away any secrets that might cause this problem.
gmpullman posted a pic with an intermountain F7 and (it looks like) a Rapido FL9...
Nice engines, the both of them, but... By the time I got to work on the real 5027 in your pic above, it didn't look anywhere near that good ...!
OldEnginemanBy the time I got to work on the real 5027 in your pic above, it didn't look anywhere near that good ...!
I "grew up" in the NYC/Penn-Central "black-dip" era so any color was an improvement for me
You deserve another look, Old Engineman:
PC_MTA_FL9-5027 by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
ATLANTIC CENTRAL richhotrain ATLANTIC CENTRAL Rich, the low top speed is an issue I have heard before. It is my understanding that it is mainly a decoder thing Now that is interesting. My call to InterMountain led me to believe that it was strictly a gearing thing. I have four Intermountain F3 diesels. Two of the diesels are an F3A and F3B consist with a LokSound Select decoder that I installed in the A unit and a Digitrax DZ143PS decoder that I installed in the B unit. The other two diesels are both F3A units that I run as a consist. The lead unit has a factory installed QSI decoder and the trailing unit has a Digitrax DZ143PS decoder that I installed. Thoughts? Rich Did you just plug in the decoders you installed? Hard wiring them and removing the Intermountain light board may speed them up.
richhotrain ATLANTIC CENTRAL Rich, the low top speed is an issue I have heard before. It is my understanding that it is mainly a decoder thing Now that is interesting. My call to InterMountain led me to believe that it was strictly a gearing thing. I have four Intermountain F3 diesels. Two of the diesels are an F3A and F3B consist with a LokSound Select decoder that I installed in the A unit and a Digitrax DZ143PS decoder that I installed in the B unit. The other two diesels are both F3A units that I run as a consist. The lead unit has a factory installed QSI decoder and the trailing unit has a Digitrax DZ143PS decoder that I installed. Thoughts? Rich
Two of the diesels are an F3A and F3B consist with a LokSound Select decoder that I installed in the A unit and a Digitrax DZ143PS decoder that I installed in the B unit.
So here is another question, have you actually clocked the scale speed of these locos?
ATLANTIC CENTRAL So here is another question, have you actually clocked the scale speed of these locos? Sheldon
Scale speed gearing was Intermountain's answer when I called to inquire about the perceived slow speeds.
GM offered a lot of possible gear ratios with speeds up to 102 mph, but a great percentage of F units were only geared for 65 mph.
I have found that with my 13.8 volt power supplies and my Aristo throttles most locos made in the last 20 years run pretty close to their prototype top speeds at full throttle. Which I think is great, allowing use of the full range of the speed control.
But as I said, it is very possible the light board is a factor.
Well, it would certainly be an interesting experiment to remove the IM light board and see if the loco runs faster. All of my other non-IM passenger locos can easily overtake my IM locos.
Hi Chris,
no need to do conversion. For many years all their locos have been DCC, even the non-sound models. Quote from the InterMountain site: HO models are factory ready to run and are equipped with either an ESU® LokPilot® Non-Sound DCC decoder or an ESU® LokSound® Sound decoder. An optional DC only plug is available upon request.
have a pair of InterMountain F7s. Number 1821 is used as the lead engine and has a Tsunami sound decoder. Number 1814 is always in trail and has a SoundTraxx motor and lights only decoder. With the reverberation effect in the Tsunami, the sound of two locos is quite convincing.
The locos were 'speed matched' right out of the box and operate very well together and will just creep at speed step 1 with a 15-20 car coal drag.
The locos are comparable to a pair of BLI Santa Fe F3s with ESU decoders I purchased recently. I'm partial to the F7s, mainly because of the NYC livery.
Remember its your railroad
Allan
Track to the BRVRR Website: http://www.brvrr.com/