Broadway Limited USRA Steam Light Mikado

[sparkyjay31]

Have any of you had any luck with this in the 2-8-2 configuration?  I've found one DC ( DCC ready ) and sound equipped.

[cacole]

What are you trying to ask when you say luck with the 2-8-2 configuration?  A 2-8-2 is a Mikado configuration.  If it is advertised as a DC locomotive, DCC ready and sound equipped, something is wrong -- they have both DCC and sound in the same QSI decoder, unless you're looking at a new, cleaper, Blue Line product.

If it's a Broadway Limited Blue Line locomotive, you need to perform some more research on these forums and look for Joe Fugate's tutorial on how to install and program a decoder into them.

[sparkyjay31]

It is indeed a Blue Line.  And it is advertised as a 2-8-0 DC and sound equipped.  DCC Ready.

Thanks, Ill do the research.

[Virginian]

IF you are DCC, I'd shop around for one of the older QSI DCC equipped versions.  Although I have the Heavy Mike, it runs beautifully on DC or DCC, and it sounds great.

[cacole]

In order to save you some research time, here is a link to Joe Fugate's tutorial on how to progarm a Blue Line locomotive once a decoder is added:

http://www.trains.com/trccs/forums/22/467545/ShowPost.aspx#467545

Personally, I will stick with the full-blown Broadway Limited products with the QSI sound system and decoder in them instead of the Blue Line.

[Bdewoody]

I don't recall BLI doing a 2-8-0, must be a typo

[sparkyjay31]

It is sorry.  It's a 2-8-2.  I didn't realize the Lite Mikes in the Blue Line were this bad!  Wow.  Some of these threads really rip this thing to pieces!  Thanks for saving me!

[Anonymous]

Hold on there pard...

The BLI heavy mike with the 2-8-2 was a FINE engine. I had mine for years with the QSI until it found a good home. I will miss that engine. In mean time I have new engines... sorta.

The BLI Light Mike is a good product. It has a coupler on the front and rear, should pull pretty well and operate decently.

BLUELine? Well.... it's got messy. For me I think having to downgrade to a Analog engine with sound is defeating the purpose. I would want a full factory QSI sound and DCC. This... this... blueline... the nuetering, the butchery...

In fact, Im not satisfied with anything less than full DCC, QSI and sound with good pulling power. If that makes me a spoiled brat with a silver spoon. So what.

Now I did own the athearn 2-8-2 and it was probably the best smooth runner I have ever seen anywhere in the hobby. But it cannot pull one car. There are those who made such a fine engine work well elsewhere in this forum.

The BLI Mike was a good engine. Dont get distracted by the house of horrors on the blueline butchery.

Broadway limited represents some of the very best in repairs as far as trouble free service of onery engines that catch a cold or lose a speaker etc.

[selector]

As a general rule, BLI puts out a fine product.  Leaving aside quibbles about paint, details, misplacements, and its own share of defects from time to time, they have offered the modeller fine engines all the way down their line.  The problem with the Blue Line is that folks don't know what they're doing with them, and one could be forgiven for insisting that BLI, themselves, must accept the heaviest poke from the Big Finger on that one.  Still, now that people are asking for help, they have posted numerous stickies on their forum that tell folks how to deal with the Blue Line decoders.  Adding a motive decoder should be quite straightforward...that is how BLI intended it to be.  Then come the "issues" of the interface between the sound and the motive decoder, if I have that right.  Not sure where that stands, but it seems to me that BLI has done all it can on their site to deal with, and to help, those who ask for it.