Texas Zepher PackerI'm still waiting on that BLI S2 Northern.Yup me too. BLIs name is sort of like mud around here.
PackerI'm still waiting on that BLI S2 Northern.
FYI not long ago I contacted BLI about the S2 and was informed that it is still in the works and it should be out in the next year.
steemtrayn I bought a Pemco GG1 on ebay for 20 bucks. Good looking engine, but as soon as I got it out of the box the wheels fell off. Really.
I bought a Pemco GG1 on ebay for 20 bucks. Good looking engine, but as soon as I got it out of the box the wheels fell off. Really.
I bought a Pemco GG1 when they were new.
Likewise, the treads have fallen off the wheels, so it too sits in a box.
The Bachmann news is very exciting to me - I'd love a reasonably priced GG1.
The MTH models I've seen look like they need to be repainted, as the stripes have a hard time following the contours and the detail around the grills on the side of the carbody.
And the re-release of their heavyweight cars, especially if they more closely match PRR P70 coaches, would be great.
Now, with Con-Cor's MP54s and a bunch of GG1s trailing P70 coaches, it will be easy to model high-density passenger action on the NEC.
Maybe they can look into a P5a, or at least an E44 ...
Eric
I wish I was a headlight
On a northbound train
Thommo Hm, new number for Bachmann PRR GP7 is #8809. Unfortunatelly, PRR #8809 was not Geep 7 - it was Fairbanks Morse H16-44! I do not plan to buy Bachmann GP as I have few Protos, but I do not understand - whole Pennsy diesel roster list is easily found via Google, It would be better for Bachmann to letter locos with real prototype numbers. http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Rosters/diesel.html
Hm, new number for Bachmann PRR GP7 is #8809.
Unfortunatelly, PRR #8809 was not Geep 7 - it was Fairbanks Morse H16-44!
I do not plan to buy Bachmann GP as I have few Protos, but I do not understand - whole Pennsy diesel roster list is easily found via Google, It would be better for Bachmann to letter locos with real prototype numbers.
http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Rosters/diesel.html
The initial release Bachmann GP7 in PRR was 8805, which was a good GP7 (ERS15) number. Due to the PRR's helter-skelter numbering practices,pre 1966, most GP7s were in the different 8500 series numbers, but 8801-8806 were GP7s. Bachmann's PRR H-16-4-4 was number 8110. It's a logical mistake
On the other hand thats what decals are for. I model the PRR after renumbering, and since most of what is available is original numbering, I need to change the numbers on the GP7s, RS3s and S2/S4. I also need to add some details, but they run fine and are priced right.
Joe
Hmm...
I LOVE my Bachmann locos. Only one of 14 "growls" at low speeds, but works just fine. I have both Spectrum and atandard and both steam and diesel.
That said, I MAY just have to the get the HO GG1 version to match the N scale Kato version I bought MOH for CHristmas 2 years ago. {helps to have an OH who is into trains too!}
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
As far as I can determine, the "sound value" decoder is the equivalent of the old Soundtraxx DSD100 decoders, with prime mover, bell and horn only. With no prime mover, you basically get the bell and horn.
SHeldon it is N scale, a special run by lowell smith. it's equipped with a dual mode decoder(no sound), it runs just as smooth as my Katos and looks just as nice if not slightly better because of the seperately applied details. unfortunately E7's are far and few between in N scale by LL and BLI.
packer, I can see why you'd be a bit disappointed with them.
SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide
Gary DuPrey
N scale model railroader
Garry, that is nice, but I have had some issues with their products. One of my NW2s constantly derails over switches and "drops" when I reverse direction... My C30-7s are kind of an odd color green, but good weathering makes it look pretty good. 1 was delivered with wrong sideframes from the prototype...
ATLANTIC CENTRALBut If you are talking about an HO E7, I will take a 10-15 year old Proto E7 over a BLI E7 any day. The Proto has much better detail and a drive that will pull paint off of walls. My biggest problem with BLI is not the products, it is the pricing and the marketing. My second problem with BLI now is the fact that everything comes with DCC and sound. I don't like paying extra for stuff I then have to remove. Sheldon
My biggest problem with BLI is not the products, it is the pricing and the marketing. My second problem with BLI now is the fact that everything comes with DCC and sound. I don't like paying extra for stuff I then have to remove.
Sheldon
x2. I run DCC/sound, but I don't want it for every loco. On top of that, I dislike their proprietary sound system as there is no customization for light functions. I'd like another C30-7 (the newer ones have a better color and correct sideframes), but I don't want it to have sound as I have 1 already.
Vincent
Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....
2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.
Burlington Northern #24 Texas Zepher PackerI'm still waiting on that BLI S2 Northern.Yup me too. BLIs name is sort of like mud around here. seems like I have a conflicting view then with lots of members, I love my BLI SP&S E7A.
Is that N scale or HO?
I don't know a thing about current N scale, so I can't and won't comment on BLI regarding that.
But If you are talking about an HO E7, I will take a 10-15 year old Proto E7 over a BLI E7 any day. The Proto has much better detail and a drive that will pull paint off of walls.
steemtrayn ATLANTIC CENTRAL dti406 I have always wondered, why sound in an electric locomotive that does not have a prime mover! Rick J Well, I don't have sound in any of my models, but, a GG1 does make some noises. In addition to the obvious bell and horn sounds. The GG1 had large powerful blowers that cooled the traction motors, as do diesels. But with no prime mover sounds, you can actually hear the blowers on many electric locos - GG1's are known for that sound. Sheldon Drive you car over a bridge with a steel grate deck and accelerate. That's what a G sounded like.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL dti406 I have always wondered, why sound in an electric locomotive that does not have a prime mover! Rick J Well, I don't have sound in any of my models, but, a GG1 does make some noises. In addition to the obvious bell and horn sounds. The GG1 had large powerful blowers that cooled the traction motors, as do diesels. But with no prime mover sounds, you can actually hear the blowers on many electric locos - GG1's are known for that sound. Sheldon
dti406 I have always wondered, why sound in an electric locomotive that does not have a prime mover! Rick J
I have always wondered, why sound in an electric locomotive that does not have a prime mover!
Rick J
Well, I don't have sound in any of my models, but, a GG1 does make some noises. In addition to the obvious bell and horn sounds. The GG1 had large powerful blowers that cooled the traction motors, as do diesels. But with no prime mover sounds, you can actually hear the blowers on many electric locos - GG1's are known for that sound.
Drive you car over a bridge with a steel grate deck and accelerate. That's what a G sounded like.
Not to mention the clickety-clack of 20 wheels. (Remember, this was before welded rail.)
Dave
Just be glad you don't have to press "2" for English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_ALEdDUB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hqFS1GZL4s
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/steemtrayn/media/MovingcoalontheDCM.mp4.html?sort=3&o=27
Packer ...I do wonder if Bachmann will ever upgrade their SD40-2 to the sound-value line?
...I do wonder if Bachmann will ever upgrade their SD40-2 to the sound-value line?
Sign me up for a few if they did..UP and CP please Bachmann. I have been really enjoying Bachmann's new EMD F7a and b "DCC Sound Value" models that I got a month ago. Solid runners, strong, reliable, adequate detail (which I added to here and there), sound that is more then fine to me considering the price, but more importantly...I can get the A and B loco's with DCC and sound for less then I can an A with factory DCC from one of the higher end companies. Don't get me wrong, I love my Athearn Gensis factory equipped DCC and sound locomotives, but if Bachmann keeps chalking up these well priced DCC and sound models I would have no problems supporting them.
Keep up the good work Bachmann.
Happy modeling!
Don.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly."
ATLANTIC CENTRAL It is rediculous to expect that every consumer who wants a given product is going to be able to buy it in the first 60 days it hits the shores - BLI, and a lot dealers could have made more money had they just waited for people to want them - but admittedly it takes money to make money - and it has become clear money is in short supply at BLI. Sheldon
It is rediculous to expect that every consumer who wants a given product is going to be able to buy it in the first 60 days it hits the shores - BLI, and a lot dealers could have made more money had they just waited for people to want them - but admittedly it takes money to make money - and it has become clear money is in short supply at BLI.
I was gonna say 30 days, but I agree with you on that. I'm still waiting on that BLI S2 Northern. lol
I do wonder if Bachmann will ever upgrade their SD40-2 to the sound-value line?
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
ATLANTIC CENTRAL alexstan Maybe I should get rid of the Mehano GG1 I just got... If your happy with that model good for you. Have they gotten rid of the pizza cutter wheels yet? Sheldon
alexstan Maybe I should get rid of the Mehano GG1 I just got...
Maybe I should get rid of the Mehano GG1 I just got...
If your happy with that model good for you. Have they gotten rid of the pizza cutter wheels yet?
Modelling HO Scale with a focus on the West and Midwest USA
For its day the AHM GG1 wasn't bad..A relic of the past but,still a good looker.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
don7 The only HO items announced by Bachmann that interest me, is that they are releasing a series of 72' HW coaches. At present there are only a few roadnames but hopefully they can take a lesson from Con-Cor and also release some painted but unlettered versions in Pullman Green and Tuscon Red. These can be re lettered quite easily into a number of road names. The 73' coach was a common sight on Canadian trains.
The only HO items announced by Bachmann that interest me, is that they are releasing a series of 72' HW coaches.
At present there are only a few roadnames but hopefully they can take a lesson from Con-Cor and also release some painted but unlettered versions in Pullman Green and Tuscon Red. These can be re lettered quite easily into a number of road names.
The 73' coach was a common sight on Canadian trains.
Yes, some unlettered versions would be nice. This is a retooling of the coach they sold before in the Spectrum Line. It has better coupler pockets, allthough still coupled too widely spaced for my tastes, and I suspect better trucks since the 4 wheel truck versions with the current doodlebugs have redesigned trucks.
The rivet detail is also better/finer than the old version. Could be these are just the first two in a whole new line of HW passenger cars?
The price has not been announced, but you can bet it will be lower than Walthers - also due in October.
rrinker And Trix had a GG1. This is coming close to the Big Boy, although at least there were a lot more actual GG1's than Big Boys. How many do we need? The BLI one was never limited in availability, that was before they learned and they made way too many of them, so the only people who paid full price for one of those were those who had to have it on launch day, kinda like the latest smartphone, or video game, or whatever. Anyone who waited a bit got them at 50% off. Great runners and they could actually pull a full length passenger train, even one made up of older Walthers carts, without resorting to gimmicks liek traction tires, because they were all metal bodies. Used to have access to one, it was a great runner. The Mehano ones aren;t bad either, but the single motor ones actually pull more, because they have more weight. The dual motor ones run nice, but need to be doubleheaded or else run with a shorter consist. Of course there were probbaly millions of the Tyco ones made - if you can stand a GG1 on Alco 6-wheel trucks (with only 4 wheels in each). Hmm, freelance streamlined version of an E44, anyone? --Randy
And Trix had a GG1.
This is coming close to the Big Boy, although at least there were a lot more actual GG1's than Big Boys. How many do we need?
The BLI one was never limited in availability, that was before they learned and they made way too many of them, so the only people who paid full price for one of those were those who had to have it on launch day, kinda like the latest smartphone, or video game, or whatever. Anyone who waited a bit got them at 50% off. Great runners and they could actually pull a full length passenger train, even one made up of older Walthers carts, without resorting to gimmicks liek traction tires, because they were all metal bodies. Used to have access to one, it was a great runner.
The Mehano ones aren;t bad either, but the single motor ones actually pull more, because they have more weight. The dual motor ones run nice, but need to be doubleheaded or else run with a shorter consist.
Of course there were probbaly millions of the Tyco ones made - if you can stand a GG1 on Alco 6-wheel trucks (with only 4 wheels in each). Hmm, freelance streamlined version of an E44, anyone?
--Randy
Generally I would agree, I have never thought it made sense for all these different comapnies to make the same thing.
BUT, the Trix unit is not readily available and suffers from a high price and euro coupler conversion.
The Mehano has been hit and miss in availablity.
The BLI tooling now belongs to MTH with their "proprietary" electronics and high prices.
Just try to buy a BLI GG1 right now - maybe there was plenty of demand, maybe I am right about BLI and their "dump" marketing and lack of working capital.
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Someday, after I've retired and moved to a house with a train room large enough to support it, I'm going to have an electrified main line so I can run a GG-1. It's always been one of my favorite engines. I had a Lionel one when I was a kid. But now, it just wouldn't fit on my layout, and I don't have a main under wire for it.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Paul3 So, Sheldon, Bachmann already released the GG-1? And they also released the SD70ACe and the GEVO which they also announced at this year's NMRA show? Or did they just announce them, just like everyone else does, and it will take some time (months, at the least, since they don't even have painted samples yet) before they hit the market? And for your general knowledge, neither BLI nor MTH's GG-1 "required" a pre-order. Heck, I recall seeing dozens of the BLI's for sale at the Springfield Show for 50% off the MSRP (with sound) about a year or two after they first came out (it was at Des Plaines Hobbies' booth). AFAIK, the only non-brass model that I've ever heard of that "required" a pre-order was Rapido's "The Canadian" train set. There was nothing before that and nothing since in plastic. Paul A. Cutler III
So, Sheldon, Bachmann already released the GG-1? And they also released the SD70ACe and the GEVO which they also announced at this year's NMRA show? Or did they just announce them, just like everyone else does, and it will take some time (months, at the least, since they don't even have painted samples yet) before they hit the market?
And for your general knowledge, neither BLI nor MTH's GG-1 "required" a pre-order. Heck, I recall seeing dozens of the BLI's for sale at the Springfield Show for 50% off the MSRP (with sound) about a year or two after they first came out (it was at Des Plaines Hobbies' booth). AFAIK, the only non-brass model that I've ever heard of that "required" a pre-order was Rapido's "The Canadian" train set. There was nothing before that and nothing since in plastic.
Paul A. Cutler III
Paul,
Bachmann is currently giving an October shipping date - they generally are pretty close with their actual ship dates.
October is by any measure only 65 days away, that means they have likely already made thousands of them, or are about to as we speak, without asking for preorders, taking peoples money, "measuring the demand, etc, etc.
They will simply bring 5,000 or 10,000, or more here and start selling them. And make more right away when those sell out. And they will be discounted 30% or more from the day they hit the streets, not a year latter after they have been picked over.
MTH - no thank you on any count.
BLI - gee they lost their GG1 tooling that they never owned...........