Anyone have a DCC & sound 060 that runs smooth and is reliable. I was looking at the Mantua. Bachman also makes one. anyone have one of these or another that they really like?
Gary
The best running steamer I've ever had is my Life Like P2K USRA 0-6-0. The little fellow runs extremely smooth and slow through #4 turnouts. I installed a Tsunami in it and it is just a great switcher. I haven't tested it's pulling ability but I normally handle about 8-10 cars. Walthers bought LL and was producing their line of steamers but I don't know if the 0-6-0 was produced by them or not. They are frequent feebay items.
I have an old Mantua "Big Six" I built years ago and it has the complete valve gear with original motor. I have a Digitrax decoder (non-sound) installed and it also runs very well and is a nice switcher too.
I can't speak for the Bachmann. I understand they have greatly improved it from the ones I saw many years ago. That would be a very good thing as it wasn't very impressive.
Hope this helps you out.
Roger Huber
Deer Creek Locomotive Works
I still see them once in awhile on eBay. They make a beautiful locomotive and they run very good too.
This little brass switcher has an open frame motor, but I replaced the magnets with some rare earth ones, then added all-wheel pick-up to both loco and tender, plus quite a bit of weight. I run DC, but this one is good at low speeds, trouble-free over non-powered Atlas frogs, and can pull 19 or 20 cars...
The price was right, too, as it was free.
Wayne
The Bachmann USRA isn't going to cut it. I have one I put DCC into, and it's a nice little runner for a few cars, but it takes a lot of work to get it upto 21st century detail/standards, and the front coupler is fixed. I haven't even tried to replace it with a Kadee.
Mantua ones are a bit smoother, but they were really designed for DC, and the one new one I own (0-6-0 goat) that was DCC ready, has so many wires between the engine and tender that the tender fails to stay on the rails at times, resulting in intermitent contact.... If you are alright with doing some surgery you might be able to improve it. They have a new DCC + Sound equipped one coming out soon.
I'd most likely go with a Proto engine if you can find one - they aren't too hard to find on ebay -- although I wish BLI would make one. I'd pay a pretty penny for a BLI detail level 0-6-0 or 0-4-0 with Paragon3.
TheWizard...I'd most likely go with a Proto engine if you can find one - they aren't too hard to find on ebay -- although I wish BLI would make one. I'd pay a pretty penny for a BLI detail level 0-6-0 or 0-4-0 with Paragon3.
It's not all that difficult to detail steam locomotives, as there are lots of parts available from both Cal-Scale (Bowser) and Precision Scale.This is a Proto-2000 USRA 0-8-0. I was going to get rid of it, as it was a very poor puller, but I found a way to add more weight to it, which made it useful enough to re-detail it to match a specific prototype.
I removed all of the piping, as it's all undersize...apparently, whoever was reading the blueprints when doing the work for the models was unaware that pipe sizes refer to the interior diameter, not the exterior. All of the replacement piping was done with brass wire. The inboard-mounted air tanks are brass tubing, filled with lead, and the front of the loco's frame was lengthened to accommodate the CNR-style front-end. Mine's the early version, with no tender pick-up, but it's a smooth runner and a decent puller, even with the flywheel replaced with a block of lead. Operation is DC....
Gary,
For smooth operation I would go with the Proto 2000. And, if you are up to it, you can probably find a DC version and install the sound decoder yourself. It wouldn't be that difficult as the Protos come DCC-ready and you can install both the decoder & speaker in the tender.
If you want terrific motor-control look at either Loksound or TCS Wow! Tsunamis sound nice but motor-control is only okay. It just bugs me to see a locomotive - especially a switcher - start out/lurch at 5sMPH on speed step 001.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I too have a Life-like PK2 0-6-0 and it is the smoothest running loco I have by far. I put a Digitrax decoder in mine with a soundbug. It runs at a crawl and doesn't stall on my non-powered frogs. The detail level is very good in my opinion. I have thought of putting in a Loksound decoder but jusn't haven't got around to it.
Try to find one on e-bay, I don't think you will be disapointed.
CN Charlie