Reliability

[Anonymous]

While any maker can have a lemon, the terms "reliable" and "smooth" can only describe KATO locos as a rule.

Atlas would be in second place (if detail is thrown in, Atlas comes out on top).

Athearns might be "reliable", but "smooth" ???
Not any of mine !!!
In fact, I would not choose the term "reliable" for them either - I had to hard-wire my blue box SD40-2 to get it to run again, and will get around to doing this to all my blue box locos to make them "reliable".

[jsoderq]

Reliability is operation over a long period of time - think 200,000 miles on your car. There are more old Athearn locos out there than anything else. Is the new technology better? yes, but more reliable ? think of all the posts you see about problems. Some BLI dont even run out of the box new. LL gp-38 had problems and had to be redone. Bachmann still hasn't built an outstanding diesel.Etc.

[orsonroy]

Believe it or not, THE single most reliable engines in HO scale are old Mantua/Tyco steam engines. They're indestructable. I've got some that were built in the 1950s, that still run with only a little oiling once a year. I've got three of my father's engines that he built in the mid-1960s! And they'll pull the bumper off an old Chevy.

Admittedly they're all freelance engines, and they're slow speed control isn't asgood as an engine with a can motor and gear tower, but if you buy a few, you'll DEFINITELY get a lifetime's worth of use out of them!

I'd probably rank Athearn Blue Box as the most reliable HO diesels on the market.

[bnsfkline]

This is a poll about what you think is the most relaible Model locomotive in model railroading, Pulling power and smoothness of operation is the most important factor in your decision