Worst model locomotive

[jsanchez]

Someone started a discussion on most favorite locomotive, but I thought it would be interesting to read about least favorite locomotives.
Mine was a Yugoslavian made N scale Model
Power Chessie Alco Fa. I think this thing had over sized traction tires for lousy electrical pickup, started at 90+ mph, very little body weight even though it would have been easy and rather cheap to add more, it had only the front trucks with electrical pickup, sounded like a coffe grinder ran it ran which was seldom, the headlight sometimes worked, its a wonder N scale survived hese monsters. It sure wobbled nicely and could never get past a turnout with out stopping or jerking, Mehanho Yugoslavin made loco's are the ANTI-KATO'S.

James

[NscaleMike]

I couldn't agree with you more James, I too probably have a few of those Mehanho built locos somewhere in a box. They were the worst...Back then Bachmann was about the best..for the money...I still have a couple from them that still run. Alot has changed for the better in the past 24 years I have been in Nscale.

Mike

[Anonymous]

My biggest disappointment has been with the old
(Pre-Walthers)HO Rivarossi Steam Engines. The poor electrical pick-ups in the 4-8-4 Northern,the 4-6-6-4 Challenger and the 2-8-8-2 Mallet. I have been burnt by these steamers but that's history.
The new Allegheny has staggered pick-ups,both side all the way back into the tender but it's out of my income bracket.

[Anonymous]

Well, Im probably not old enough to have been lucky enough to have a Yugo model. HOwever, I recently purchased a Bachmann SPectrum Dash 8, and boy does it suck. Starts running at about 60, and runs slower than a snail in tar at that. First and last Bachmann Ill ever buy, thought I got a deal. Oh well, might be pricier, but Ill stick with Kato and Atlas.

Matt

[Anonymous]

Well my vote would be anything from CONCOR,Lucky for me my kids got ahold of them!!!Also MATT at least your SPECTRUM DASH 8 ran it took a complete over haul to get mine to budge.And yes those YUGOS were something else.

DON

[Anonymous]

Mine has got to be an HO scale IHC 0-4-0. I can never seem to keep the tender on the track or from jumping the track altogether from running too fast even when I barely have the transformer on!

[MAbruce]

I have a couple real stinkers from the old days. The worst is an N-scale Lima FP45. While the shell looks pretty nice, the mech was junk. As someone else put it: "It couldn't pull a fist full of smoke."

I have some old Bachmann's that are pretty pitiful, but at least they still run.

Thank you Kato for leading N-scale out of the dark ages!!

[Anonymous]

I could not agree more about the bachmann spectrum locos. i made the mistake of buying 3 of the 8-40CW's. the first one ran for a week or 2 before it started having problems. I disassembled it and fiddled with it a while and got it running for another week, hen it died forever. I removed the motor and gears and it does make a nice rolling dummy loco. i still have the other 2 in the boxes, never been run. i also have one of their 40 tonners and a centennial, both of them i have never run so i cant tell if they are as bad as the others.

[BRAKIE]

My biggest diaappointment came from Atlas in the form of 2 Alco RS11s.The frist RS11 the motor burnt out in 6 months under normal club operations.Both went through motor brushes like they was going out of style.I did manage to fix the problem.There is a happy collector with 2 custom painted N&W Atlas RS11s in his collection.

[cbq9911a]

I've had a number of really bad locomotives, both in the running and in the looks department. My worst runner was a Bachmann Spectrum NYC 4-8-4. The rear driver would always work loose and hose the valve gear.

My worst looker is a Marx HO Santa Fe GP-7. This engine is lettered "Santa Fe" but is yellow and gray - Union Pacific colors! I've got a caboose to macth. The proportions of the hood are funny. The long hood is too narrow and the short hood is too wide. Sort of a hammerhead look. But it's a good runner.

[Anonymous]

Walthers train line sux.Bachmann spectrum sux.AHM sux.Tyco sux.Some athearn aint worth a stink and that is true.ATLAS ROCO helped me stay in the hobby.If it wasnt for them I dont know where I would be.Thank you ATLAS...

[sumpter250]

Life Like F40PH...
Shell was very nicely done but the mechanism????
It now has a modified Athearn GP38-2 chassis and looks and runs great!

[Anonymous]

The worst? Anything Bachmann, Model Power or Minitrix in N scale and Bachmann in HO!

[Anonymous]

How about the best loco? In my opinion Lifelike has the best for the money range, especially their SD7&9 in N Scale. At some hobby shops or train shows one can buy these locos for $25 and they can't be beat at that price. Twelve-wheel pickup, eight-wheel drive with two flywheels. I wire two units together with the one-amp wires and tiny plugs, with a piece of styrene in place of the couplers, and it results in 24-wheel pickup and 16-wheel drive that almost never stalls and will creep along with 14-18 cars like a real train. I have my cars weighed heavy so they ride right.
Earl, Tug Fork R.R.

[Anonymous]

How about the best loco? In my opinion Lifelike has the best for the money range, especially their SD7&9 in N Scale. At some hobby shops or train shows one can buy these locos for $25 and they can't be beat at that price. Twelve-wheel pickup, eight-wheel drive with two flywheels. I wire two units together with the one-amp wires and tiny plugs, with a piece of styrene in place of the couplers, and it results in 24-wheel pickup and 16-wheel drive that almost never stalls and will creep along with 14-18 cars like a real train. I have my cars weighed heavy so they ride right.
Earl, Tug Fork R.R.

[Anonymous]

I think that's funny about your terrible Rivarossis!...My father gave me a Rivarossi Hudson he purchased in 1967 that has been through all kinds of abuse but now runs on my layout and other than some standard lubrication has NEVER failed me in performance...maybe I have an exception!

[tankertoad70]

I dunno if'n anyone remembers the Lionel GP30. The puppy had a power truck with what was called a ring gap motor. The puppy took off like a rocket, but I purchased it because it was the first really good lookin' GP30 produced. The shell now resides on an Athearn mechanism.

[Anonymous]

The worst loco I have is the IHC 4-4-0 old time steam loco, I should have sent it back but the shipping would have been more than its value, I posted a question about adding flywheels to it thinking that may help, The best locos I own are a 2-8-2 Mantua and a 0-4-0 Lima both still run great for 30 year old's

[karmakreations]

I agree. I have all of the HO streamliner Rivarossi's and the older ones actually run better than some of my newer engines. Now if I could just keep the cars coupled I would have it made.

[Anonymous]

You have a good point. LifeLike has been the most improved manufacturer in my book. I like their switchers, both N and HO.

[Anonymous]

My vote is the Bachman N scale Dash-8, what a let down. I've been looking for a Kato Dash 9, but settled for a Bachman Dash8, OUCH! You get what you pay for! I'll say they look pretty good and run ok if they are running solo, but if you add 4-5 cars or more, they slip like a rock on ice and can't take a turn with more than 6 cars without getting stuck, (this is on FLAT TRACK!). I did recently find an undecorated Kato Dash 9 which runs excellent! Pulls good medium sized trains, no slips! Kato SD90 is a real good unit too, pulls like a raging bull, a lot of cars! like they say, you get what you pay for.

[Anonymous]

After the Tyco set in HO, lots of Athearn diesels after that, and now my entry into N scale, with little doubt the worst model locos are Life-Like. Maybe I have been cursed with purchasing the wrong models (SD7's), but they are noisy, they stub their toes all over the layout (neither Atlas nor Kato do this), and the detail is mediocre to poor. If there is an oxymoron in N scale it is "Quality Life-Like" product!

[mnwestern]

I would agree with you about the quality of the basic LifeLike loco in HO scale, but their Proto 2000 line, in both HO and N, are top notch. I have N scale SD7s, SW1200s, GP18s, etc., and they all work fine. I can see where the SD7, SD9, etc. might cause problems on track work with too tight of radius, or poorly laid track. I have some 9 and 3/4-inch radius that they handle well. They run fairly quietly compared to Atlas and Kato at about 60 to 70 percent of the cost.
As for my least favorite loco of all time, it had to be a AHM Alco C424 painted in Milwaukee. I bought it used and I never figured out why. I don't think Milwaukee Road even had a C424. I was able to unload it for about what I paid. There was one speed — full, and the noise rivaled a real train running up a 3 percent grade in Run 8. I've always said that if some of those makers of beginning train sets had given customers a better loco and power pack for a few more bucks, they would have encouraged more people to stay in the hobby and make repeat purchases. There was nothing as frustrating for some kids as those cheap, ill-running Christmas trains that were ready for the scrap yard by New Years Day.

[Anonymous]

I once bought a Bachmann trainset because
it had four ex Santa-Fe domes in Westours
paint. The cars were great. The engine, a GP
40, didn't run at all. Just no good. The power
pack ran for a few hours then quit.
So much for Bachmann.
Peter

[Anonymous]

Matt
I have a Spectrum GP-30, teaming it up with
a Spectrum Baby Train Master, and they are
smooth as silk, pulling a fifty-car freight with
ease..
Peter

[Anonymous]

Is the AHM line also Mehano-Made?
Peter

[Anonymous]

Reading all response I am beginning to suspect that some people are not that skilled with small electrical items

[Anonymous]

Kristian,
How so? Why don't you teach us something.
Pete

[Anonymous]

A MEN.......THANK YOU...

[Anonymous]

Actually, Kristian, the brands I've seen listed on this thread as having problems are the same ones I've heard about on other forums as being troublemakers. Even for an electrical engineer I know.

These locos are all well known "lemons".

I'm surprised you don't know this.
Are you new to this hobby or just uninformed?

IMRL393