Good Reactions to the New HO BLI BlueLine Pennsy M1a/b

[dhy4buva1]

Hello everyone. For anybody who's been curious about Broadway's recently delivered BlueLine PRR M1a/b, this just off BLI/PCM's new forum:

Werner Joined: 19 Jul 2007 Posts: 7 Location: Franklin, New Hampshire	Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 4:54 pm    Post subject: Blueline M1 I got my Blueline M1b a couple of days ago and the engine is great. Aside from the electronics and a different finish on the wheels it's a twin to my BLI M1. The only failing is in the Operator's Manual. As with the Blueline diesels I've read about there is no specific set of instructions on how to get to the decoder. It mentions that this may require removing 4 screws from the tender body. I pulled out the instructions that came with my BLI M1 and discovered that there are only 2 screws. They are located in the middle of the tender either side. I read a post by the Forum Moderator saying that this issue will be addressed on future diesel models and I hope that the same is true for steam. The other short coming is the lack of a trouble shooting section in the Operator's Manual. I know from past experience sooner or later I'm going to need one. I installed the MRC 1650 decoder and it works just fine. I didn't change the lighting connection and see no need to. This was both my first Blueline engine and my first pre-order and aside from the shortcomings in the manual I'm very happy with the experience.
Back to top
Big Steam Joined: 16 Jul 2007 Posts: 28	Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 12:22 am    Post subject: But does that thing sound the same and pull the same as the QSI version?
Back to top
Werner Joined: 19 Jul 2007 Posts: 7 Location: Franklin, New Hampshire	Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 8:12 am    Post subject: Blueline M1 The sound is different. This is totally subjective, of course, but the BLI engine sounds a bit more tinny and the Blueline engine has a more hollow sound. I can live with either and at first thought that the BLI engine had better sound, probably because that was what I was used to. After running both I now find myself leaning towards the Blueline sound. It's a bit softer and easier on the ears. My ears, anyway. As for how they pull, I ran a fast and completely unscientific test this morning. I've got curves of about 24 and 26 inches, code 83 track and no changes in elevation. I'm using an MRC Prodigy Advance system for power. I put together a 25 car train with a mix of everything from 40 year old Athearn cars to brand new Proto 2000. Original trucks on all the cars. I ran both engines in turn and after a while I was having to check the engine numbers to see which was which. There may be some differences but I really couldn't see them. Both engines were run straight out of the box, aside from installing the decoder in the Blueline engine. Neither engine strained to move the train. But, when I tried my PCM Reading 2102 on the same train it did even better. It started at a lower voltage and could move the train at a lower speed. I hope the PCM decapods will run that well.
Back to top