IHC engines, good or bad quality?

[Anonymous]

I'm intersted in a Chessie SD-24 that IHC is releasing in April. Are their engines any good?

[AggroJones]

I always thought IHC diesels were even crappier than their steam. If it doesn't have 12 wheel pick up, at least 8 wheels driven, and have at least 1 flywheel, you should probably stay away from it.

[Anonymous]

They are not a premium manufacturer. The SD24 picture on their
web site shows a hook-horn coupler with a asking price of $35.00.

Good premium diesels usually go for $80.00 plus
Go to www.ihc-hobby.com CLICK on new products,click on model trains,
click on HO 1:87, click on diesel NEW, click on the diesel picture an
exploded shot..

You get only what you paid for.

[CP5415]

I have had no problems with there steam locomotives but I have not heard nice things to say about the diesels.

Gordon

[nfmisso]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MOJORISEN

I'm intersted in a Chessie SD-24 that IHC is releasing in April. Are their engines any good?

Why? Chessie did not have any SD24 locomotives. Many believe that the IHC model is the old Tyco shell on a IHC SD35 chassis. Not a great combination anyway you look at it.

If you want an inexpensive relatively small SD unit, go with a P2K SD7 or SD9, which can be found for very good prices at Trainworld, MB Klien and others.

If you want an HO scale SD24, go with the new Atlas release, not the old yellow box.

[Anonymous]

I only have experiance with their steam locos, which I find run well and look o.k. I have the Mogal and 0-8-0. I know nothing of their diesels.

[darth9x9]

IHC is complete garbage. You will be better off sending me your $35 as in time you will forget about me but if you buy the engine, everytime you see it - it will be a constant reminder of how you wasted 35 of your hard earned dollars.

[Roadtrp]

Would anyone care to give reasons why this stuff is garbage? The locomotives certainly aren’t very detailed, but you wouldn't expect that given the price.

Are the measurements consistent with the prototype?
Is the engine quiet?
How is slow speed operation?
How many cars will they pull?
What type of couplers are used?

I know this doesn't concern me directly, because I'm in N scale and IHC doesn't do locomotives for N. But it really would be nice when products are being evaluated to provide information a little more useful than "this is garbage".

Another point....

We ALL KNOW that a $35 diesel isn't as good as an $80 diesel. That falls in the category of DUH! But not all of us want to spend $80 on a diesel. What we need to know is how does THIS $35 diesel compare to other $35 diesels?

Not meaning to rag on anyone, just looking for more useful information. [:)]

[darth9x9]

Hey Roadtrp,

I would love to tell you why they are garbage. They run very poorly. There is no low speed at all. They are often noisy. I have a dishwasher that makes less sound than an IHC diesel.

To answer your question about couplers: horn hook.

I had one of their SD35s once upon a time. The first thing I noticed that it sat a scale 12" higher than all the Atlas SD35s that I had. I decided to run it anyway. Then it died after approximately 12 hours of running time (not continuous running....I can see the gears turning in your head). It is truly toy junk.

If someone offered you really cheap motor oil for your car engine - let's say a penny for an entire oil change - but the oil was nothing more than sand, would you put it in your car? Of course not. The same should be said about IHC engines.

As for the argument of cost of an $80 engine, that simply isn't valid. Yes, Atlas's retail price on their diesels was $80+ dollars but I have seen GP38s and GP40s for $40-$55 and Kato GP35s for around $60 on eBay and at stores like M.B. Kleins. Spend a little more money on a quality product and it will more than likely outlast you.

[Roadtrp]

Bill,

Thanks!! That was very informative... the type of information that helps rookies like me make better decisions.

I guess one thing I still might like to see occasionally is a comparison between IHC and other low cost brands like Bachmann or standard Life Like. I of course know that Atlas or Kato will give me better quality than any of those. But it would be nice to able to make a comparison between the cheapies. My personal opinion (at least for N scale) is that standard Life Like is better than the other low priced locos. It would be interesting though to see what other's experience is. [:)]

[AntonioFP45]

Majorisen, Rdtrp

Darth9x9 is, IMHO, accurate.

Go ahead and shop around. High quality locomotives can be found on internet dealers as well as e-bay. Another source, that at times has been criticized by modelers on this forum, are train shows. GATS, Greenburg, and even local shows do have sales. Yes, some vendors do sell right at the MSRP but if you take your time, ask questions and really look, you can find deals! Best time to go to one of these trains shows is on the last day. Wait til the afternoon an hour or two before closeup time to purchase locomotives. Some vendors will want to unload the items and will slash prices.

At the December GATS in Tampa, a very good friend of mine bought a new $100 Atlas for $45 after the vendor cut the price!

I bought a Proto RDC at another show for $45 and if I would been patient and walked further down the aisle I would have seen another vendor selling the same model RDC's for $40!

Hope this helps! [:D][^][8D][:)]

[Anonymous]

Only have two steamers but they seem allright by this amateurs standards.
Question: does anyone out there have any information on anyone issuing or announcing a 4-4-2 Atlantic?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by AntonioFP45
[I bought a Proto RDC at another show for $45 and if I would been patient and walked further down the aisle I would have seen another vendor selling the same model RDC's for $40!

Trainworld offers RDC-2 and 3's for $19.95 all the time, for some reason the RDC-1 is $29.95. Can't beat those prices!

http://www.trainworld.com/

Bob Boudreau

[SpaceMouse]

I have no complaints with IHC steamers of which I have 4 of the Premier series. They are easy to convert to DCC. They are quiet and the run smooth at slow speeds. How slow?

I had a 4-4-0 pulling three boxcars smoothly across a 9" straight. Took 22 seconds.

How many of your engines can do that? Other than the fact that they make one style and apply it to too many prototypes and stretch reality, what is the problem with IHC locos? I'd run that 4-4-0 up against my Proto 2K switcher in terms of slow speed operation and control.

So I say again? What is your definition of crap?

They are smoother running than my Broadways and rival my Protos--In fact two of the 3 Protos I have are being worked on by Life-Like right now. They don't have the pulling power, but hey, their small steamers.

[selector]

My definition of crap would be a $28 loco made by (fill in the blank) or a $280 loco made by (fill in the blank) that crapped out after 10 hours of operation. Crap, by any brand-name, and no matter the price, would smell as...

Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances. These models are made by cheap and ancient technology (yes even the sound systems and decoders) that are often stamped out. I find it hard to believe that the can motor and gearbox in brand X costing $28 on e-bay is any different from the one pushing a $280 DCC equipped loco. If they are different, why are there so many returns on both products?

[jsoderq]

The difference is in the production quality. If you take ten IHC locos, you will find many with problems. The precentage with better manufacters IS lower. IHC diesels go back to the 70's with a company called Pemco -They were what we call "quick and dirty" - not necessarily accurate, plastic underframes, gears that were molded with tolerance from 1 to 100 some parts fit, some don't. Motors are whatever they could buy cheap including some of the pancake motors that some don't seem to have a problem with, but if they are any good why doesn't any one else use them. Now the most revealing fact is that IHC used to be AHM and they have been in and out of business several times over the years. They did bring Rivarossi to the American market which allowed many of us to have fairly good RTR passenger trains. The current IHC passenger cars are a far cry from the old Rivarossi ones, but still allow people to have a passenger trian which "looks OK" at a reasonable cost.

[gvdobler]

Mouse

That is about 2 mph--not bad.

Jon - Las Vegas

[56chevytimes2]

I have 3 IHC steamers 2-6-0 mongals they converted to DCC very easy and run great. I had to add a little weight to increase pulling power but nice andsmooth running. I even converted one into Duck from the Thomas gang. One runs a touch faster than the other 2, but thats easy to fix with DCC.

[dinwitty]

I had been exploring for something looking like a Belt Railway of Chicago 0-8-0, and lo and behold, IHC has a model that is very close to it even lettered for it.
Not bad. I have heard good things about operatability, but I have looked up close at the engines and they have the deep flanges. Not going there anymore, staying NMRA standards.
I found LifeLike 0-8-0's on Ebay, got 2 cheap, one was smashed from a floor fall, but repairable. The other in great shape, I will mod them to BRC. Great runners.
If its for your budget, not bad, but personally I will save for the better equipment or look for good deals somewhere, like Ebay.

[WilmJunc]

I just purchased a 2-6-0 steamer and am attempting to convert it to DCC. I must admit that I was a little disappointed when I disassembled this engine. Plastic gears, no flywheel, and cheap looking motor. I know a few folks above said that they are easy to convert to DCC, but I have to disagree when I compare this to other decoder installations. It does not look like IHC was remotely thinking about DCC conversion when they built these engines. I have not reassembled the unit yet so I cannot comment as to how well it runs, but I do not think that I would pay more than $30 for one of these engines.

[bikerraypa]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CP5415

I have had no problems with there steam locomotives but I have not heard nice things to say about the diesels.

Gordon

Same here. I have two 2-8-0's and a 4-6-2 from IHC and they run smooth as butter at all speeds. Everyone I know with an IHC diesel, however, says that they would be better used as a doorstop than as a locomotive.


Ray out.

[hd8091]

I have about twenty steamers , had trouble with one. Sent it in they fixed it for the cost of postage. Not really prototype but at that price who cares.In my experience they are smooth good running engines, you can always add detail parts if it bothers you. The diesels are the worst of the lot however, there are many better choices out there.
Tom

[jon grant]

My only IHC steamer is a 2-6-0 Mogul and runs well, if a little fast. It is chipped with a MRC soundchip and sounds good too.







Jon

[rrgrassi]

I have 2 IHC Premiers, one SD-35, and one 4-6-2 Pacific. Neither one is noisy, but the 4-6-2 has electrical pick up problems, and will stall with out warning. I have had no problems with the diesel, in fact, converting the horn hooks to Kadee was not a problem. The diesel also has dual flywheels and a can motor. It pulls 30 cars by itself with out slipping. I cannot MU it, though because it's much speedier than my Athearns, but is will creep along nice and slow as well. I have heard good and bad about IHC. With the 50/50 results I have had, I will not buy another IHC unless there is a great return policy.

[Anonymous]

I would get a newer Athearn blue box before I would buy an IHC.They make a few in Chessie colors if that is what you want.IHC diesels are a childs toy.If its for a kid to play with,fine.If you want to use it as a reliable model diesel buy an Athearn.They will take a licking and keep on ticking,Dan

[espeefoamer]

If IHC is the old Pemco,it is JUNK[:(!]! I have a Pemco GG1. The motor screams and howels,and it derails running through switches.The gears are plastic.Save your money and buy something better!

[sparkingbolt]

I thought that as much as I agree with everything said above, I'd add just a bit of technical reason why everone answers as they do.

I bought one of their Alco C-415 Diesel locos just for the shell, fully knowing they were not good runners, but this gave me the opportunity to see why they run so poorly. Autopsy reveals:

They are geared way too high, and have a mediocre 3 pole motor, no flywheels, and pick up power on 1/2 of their wheels at best. They are driven by one truck, not both. They have plastic construction even for the structural components, no metal frame. Each of these is a cost saving compromise, which also compromises how well they perform. But all added together (or more accurately, multiplied) makes for pretty much a no go engine. Add this to the poor detailing of the visable parts of the loco, Whattaya got?

I bought a "Mogul" steam engine, and while it is admittedly rather budget too, it runs very smoothly and quietly, and has better electrical pick up. It's detail is rather simple but at least fairly accurate for the prototype I'm going to use it for. I like it.

Everything else I've seen in person and heard from others regarding their steamers is positive too. But their diesels leave everything to be desired. Dan

[Don Gibson]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Roadtrp

Would anyone care to give reasons why this stuff is garbage? The locomotives certainly aren’t very detailed, but you wouldn't expect that given the price.

Are the measurements consistent with the prototype?
Is the engine quiet?
How is slow speed operation?
How many cars will they pull?
What type of couplers are used?

I know this doesn't concern me directly, because I'm in N scale and IHC doesn't do locomotives for N. But it really would be nice when products are being evaluated to provide information a little more useful than "this is garbage".

Another point....

We ALL KNOW that a $35 diesel isn't as good as an $80 diesel. That falls in the category of DUH! But not all of us want to spend $80 on a diesel. What we need to know is how does THIS $35 diesel compare to other $35 diesels?

Not meaning to rag on anyone, just looking for more useful information. [:)]

(Information) Ho Ho.
I think
You are looking for justification to buy a CHEAP egine. Let me help.

BUY IT !

[Anonymous]

I've got an IHC 4-6-2 Premier Pacfic... My only complaints about it is that it doesn't pull many cars at a time (I got up to 15 and it started to slip - compared to some Athearns I had that pulled 15 no problem).... But the one that drives me nuts is the starting/stopping of the loco - the low speed doesn't seem to exist. If I slow the thing down, at least with my DC power pack, it seems that if you're coming down from a speed of 5...then 4...then 3... then 2... then 0. There's a whole speed range missing. And then the rolling stock all slam into eachother and inevitably one of them uncouples. Same thing starting up, really jerky.

[Anonymous]

I have a IHC GG1 and it runs ok, but I have a IHC Pacific and it stops when it wants to. I will not buy any more IHC loco.