Came across two MRC Platinum F7 A's today at my LHS. Normally small details do not impress me being half blind and running the trains 8 feet away from me. But these really impressed me!
Did Inter Mountain make them for MRC? Box said Decoder 300 was installed, so I am guessing it is a MRC decoder.
They are $69.00 and that seems pretty fair.
What do you folks think or know about them?
Thank You for your time, Ken
I hate Rust
I have a pair of the MRC F7's in Green Pennsy livery.
When these engines came out in 2001. I myself liked the engines.
They got a bad review from MRC and word of mouth spread like wildfire and soon everyone had negative comments
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,421806
Then again some people quite liked them
http://www.internetmodeler.com/2001/january/railroad/mrc_f7a_review.htm
In 2005 MRC had a fire sale, the were selling them for $15.00 each through their site.
There are people who are happy with anything - which is fine. It is still worth making comparisons with other brands just so people who do care will be informed. I know I was never very happy with the old Athearn (Globe) F unit, so I was tickled when Stewart brought out their F unit, and that was a new standard by which to compare.
Anyhow, for $69 you should be able to find a Stewart which as a rule are pretty accurate and the drive was made by KATO generally runs like a swiss watch. No brainer!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
riogrande5761 For $69 you should be able to find a Stewart which as a rule are pretty accurate and the drive was made by KATO generally runs like a swiss watch. No brainer!
For $69 you should be able to find a Stewart which as a rule are pretty accurate and the drive was made by KATO generally runs like a swiss watch. No brainer!
Yes it is a no brainer, I bought 2 Stewart's F 9's and there motors and drive Where Not Made By Kato! I gave both of them to a member here at the site. Both motors had gone bad and had to be replaced. Far as detail, no better than a Proto 1000. Just wished they ran as long.
If I pick up another F unit, I might try the MRC's.
Cuda Ken
The MRC DCC equipped F7 locomotive I purchased way back when MRC first began to enter the DCC market was a Walthers Trainline product.
The locomotive itself was not a bad product but the factory installed MRC decoder was totally dead, as were 3 out of 4 additional MRC decoders that were part of the same introductory offer.
That was my first and only foray into the world of MRC DCC products.
A few years ago I saw those MRC introductory locomotives being dumped for as little as $15 each, so the price you saw them advertised for is a real ripoff.
don7 They got a bad review from MRC and word of mouth spread like wildfire and soon everyone had negative comments http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,421806
Ken:
Suggest that you read the link Don7 suggested, above. It pretty much mirrors the review that MR did. That review was in the March 2001 issue.
In case you're wondering, the list price quoted in the review was $79.
cudaken riogrande5761: For $69 you should be able to find a Stewart which as a rule are pretty accurate and the drive was made by KATO generally runs like a swiss watch. No brainer! Yes it is a no brainer, I bought 2 Stewart's F 9's and there motors and drive Where Not Made By Kato! I gave both of them to a member here at the site. Both motors had gone bad and had to be replaced. Far as detail, no better than a Proto 1000. Just wished they ran as long. If I pick up another F unit, I might try the MRC's. Cuda Ken
riogrande5761: For $69 you should be able to find a Stewart which as a rule are pretty accurate and the drive was made by KATO generally runs like a swiss watch. No brainer!
Do yourself a favor and buy a KATO made Stewart - again there are plenty out there. The Stewarts made in the US did have a different motor but I have heard they ran smooth and quiet - your's is the first instance that I heard that they went bad. Anyway, I'd say your odds are still better than MRC, your choice of course - as the saying goes you pays your money and you takes your chances.
cudaken I bought 2 Stewart's F 9's and there motors and drive Where Not Made By Kato! I gave both of them to a member here at the site. Both motors had gone bad and had to be replaced. Far as detail, no better than a Proto 1000. Just wished they ran as long.
I bought 2 Stewart's F 9's and there motors and drive Where Not Made By Kato! I gave both of them to a member here at the site. Both motors had gone bad and had to be replaced. Far as detail, no better than a Proto 1000. Just wished they ran as long.
Ken,
Were those Stewart F9s used or new units. The newer Stewart drives (i.e. Buehler and Canon) are the absolute best on the market. I have a Stewart FT and a VO-660 and VO-1000. Each one of them is an exceptional running unit.
I would strongly encourage you to give Stewart another try.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Say what now????? I'm getting confused, heh heh... This made me check my 'Box 'o Stewart's!!'They were the ones in the slim 'White with Red & Black trim' boxes, with a white foam cradle..This is my Stewart-Kato Drive F chassis. It has the older Kato Light Board, & the lower truck gear covers have the 'Kato Crown' logo on them. They run smooth, strong, & silent as the legend says. Feel free to use this as an Identifying photo against other units.
So, what WAS the Verdict? MRC Made their own? or used Life Like components? ( I too, was side tracked, & apologize for furthing that confusion, but thought I could help identify one chassis manufacturer/OEM).
Well thank you folks for your answers.
Tom I did buy the Stewart's new and was very pleased with them till I hit around 100 hours. Then the bearings in the motor started squeaking. I would oil them and get a few more hours out of them, then the squeaking came back. This went on till the motor ate a decoder. The motors where Buehler's.
I did give them another try as well, that is why I had 2 bad ones.I cannot see chancing it again after two failed.
Chad Mine all so came in the Red and White box with white foam. They where sold in pairs, one powered A unit and a dummy B unit. My light board was white and had a 8 pin hook up for a decoder.
Don 7 How do you like your MRC's?
If the ones I am looking at do have MRC decoders, I know they will go straight into the trash can.
Far as there details not being right, not a big deal to me. While I do have some nicely detailed trains, I enjoy my BB and Proto 1000 engines as much as my PCM's.
So, MRC made them then? Any other comments?
Again thank you all for your time.
Ken
Hey Ken, Wow, I have not seen or heard of that version, I really wonder what the ones you have are!?!?!?!??
My example is prior to DCC plug tech, I also have a couple GP35's with this "wire manager" board, but a newer GP35 actually has a PC circuit board that does have the DCC connector on it.
I will really count myself lucky to have what I got.
All of mine are powered & only one set is 'A & B packaged', the rest were single units.
Could you take a picture similar to mine, so we could look it over, & try to figure it out?
Thanks,
Chad, I still have one of the boxes. Part # listed is 5910 F9 A/B Set Santa Fe. Instructions say's 5100-5900 Series Revised 11/20/0.
Does not really matter, only thing I have left is a dummy chassis.
Cuda Ken;Hey, I braved the hot room & found that my units may have been repackaged or stripped of their shells.Which explains their colors!
I have stock numbers of boxes;521552175711
The earlier pair do not have the Chassis painted & one included a dummy chassis with gearless trucks. All the rest were powered, so my apologies.
It definately looks like we have very different production numbers, & they may have changed during that time. If, & only if, my chassis were placed in the correct boxes after the shells & accesories were removed. I got these from an eBay store, so I can[t speak to their former lives.Anything could have happened.
Hope that helps!
Let's put it this way:A friend of mine models the B&O, and MRC brought out their F7A in two numbers for the B&O. The funny part is that the units don't match. Why? Well, if you're familiar with the B&O paint scheme, the lower part is blue and the upper is gray. Then there are yellow pin stripes outlining a wide black stripe in the blue area.
On one model, the scheme is as described. The other is lacking the black stripe. Oh, the pinstripes are still there, but the black is missing. How in the world did they manage that?Here, I found a pic online that shows it:
That's MRC "Kuality"...
Paul A. Cutler III
The one I purchased was decorated for Union Pacific, came in a plain white box, and was most definitely a Walthers Trainline locomotive with only one flywheel and only one powered truck.
I eventually removed the decoder and gave it away to a person who could not afford even a cheap DC loco.
riogrande5761 There are people who are happy with anything - which is fine. It is still worth making comparisons with other brands just so people who do care will be informed. I know I was never very happy with the old Athearn (Globe) F unit, so I was tickled when Stewart brought out their F unit, and that was a new standard by which to compare. Anyhow, for $69 you should be able to find a Stewart which as a rule are pretty accurate and the drive was made by KATO generally runs like a swiss watch. No brainer!
Putting the drives aside for a moment, it is hard to beat Intermountain and the Genesis/Highliner for fine detail and proto correctness of details on EMD F units.
Yes the Kato drive is nice, but not that much better than the Intermountain and Genesis F unit drive based on my experiances.
What makes the Stewart loco better? The Stewart locos lacked hand rails/grab irons? What was that about? I don't care if the shell is a little more accuarate in some way, I'm not buying a loco already painted and lettered and then adding those details - they should be on there before the paint job.
Bowser now sells them with those details in their "Excecutive" line.
And what is with the dummy B unit thing? I have never owned a dummy unit, don't want any. It is still a major deal and extra expense to get powered B units from Bowser.
As for those MRC F units, they always looked a little "toy like" to me for some reason, not sure who made them but I doubt MRC tooled them completely from scratch.
All my ATLANTIC CNETRAL F units are Genesis and Intermountain except for one set of PCM F3's I got really cheap - undecorated stealth verions - ABBA - $100 for the whole set from Factory Direct Trains on closeout.
The detail on those is nice too, but that tooling now belongs to MTH.
As for F units that came lettered, I have Proto2000 (C&O), Intermountain (B&O) and Genesis (WM) units - all look good and run very well.
And I still have a set of old Athearn Blue Box F uints, super detailed, GSB cab interiors, can motors, Walthers dressup kits - they actually hold up pretty well next to the newer models once all that is done. The side grills are really the only telling detail that gives them away.
Sheldon
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Putting the drives aside for a moment, it is hard to beat Intermountain and the Genesis/Highliner for fine detail and proto correctness of details on EMD F units.
I agree, I own Genesis myself, but I was trying to keep it in an apples to apples conversation and suggesting a diesel you could pick up for $69 which I felt was a better alternative.
Again, for $69 the drive and loco is going to be better than MRC.
As long as we are still talking about MRC, I'll make you a deal, I'll take the Stewart, you can have the MRC.
During the days Stewart was made by KATO, dummy's were actually hard to find. All of my KATO made Stewarts B units are powered - stick to those and avoid the dummy problem.
Agree'd and my comparing Stewarts to the MRC IMO the Stewarts win for the $69. The other loco's you brought up are generally in a higher price category so I didn't bring them up. If you want to bring all HO F units into the conversation, then yes, Genesis are widely considered to have the best shell/body. But the price is considerably higher so I was keeping in the price range of the MRC $69 price.
And I still have a set of old Athearn Blue Box F uints, super detailed, GSB cab interiors, can motors, Walthers dressup kits - they actually hold up pretty well next to the newer models once all that is done. The side grills are really the only telling detail that gives them away. Sheldon
The side detail and the windshields both are the big give away. I always found the windshield opening in the Athearn "Globe" blue box F7A to be ugly and I sold my blue box F7's as soon as I had replaced them with the Stewarts. I now have in addition to the 17 Stewarts, 12 Genesis and 4 Walthers P2K F units. I was super detailing a bb Athearn of my own but the windshield was something I still couldn't tolerate, I ebayed them as "project" loco's about 8 years ago.
Maybe I should have asked this question first:
Where are you going to get Stewart F7's for $69? On the used, secondary, Ebay market? That's not at the LHS and that usually involves shipping - an added cost.
ATLANTIC CENTRALMaybe I should have asked this question first: Where are you going to get Stewart F7's for $69? On the used, secondary, Ebay market? That's not at the LHS and that usually involves shipping - an added cost. Sheldon
Well considering all the discussion of how few people have access to LHS's anymore, and more are closing every, absolutly the secondary market. We are talking about two versions of F7's here that have been out of production for years aren't we? Where are you going to find either, other than getting lucky and a random hobby shop having them? Train shows, Ebay, swap meets. I expect KATO made Stewarts can be had for $69. That should answer the question quite well.
riogrande5761I expect KATO made Stewarts can be had for $69. That should answer the question quite well.
Kato/Stewart Fs, especially undecorated units, are common at train shows around me. At a show last fall, I saw several vendors with them at prices ranging from $45 for undecorated units to around $70. I like using the guts out of them, and old Kato GP35s, to repower various Athearn and other models. At typical transaction prices, using the Stewart Fs is more cost-effective than buying aftermarket driveline parts.
Rob Spangler
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Maybe I should have asked this question first: Where are you going to get Stewart F7's for $69? On the used, secondary, Ebay market? That's not at the LHS and that usually involves shipping - an added cost. Sheldon
Sheldon, how many do you want? I think there are still around 6 sets for $59.99 at my LHS. With the luck I had, I won't pay over $19.99 for one. If you want one PM me, I bought a set for Packer. (member of the site)
So I guess no one knows who made the Engines?
cudaken So I guess no one knows who made the Engines?
Your original question was, I believe, what does anyone know about those engines. I don't think any of us here might know where those engines originated, unless someone from MRC answers. However, since those engines were sold around 2001, I think we can assume that they were imported and not made in the USA. Based on the original $79 price, I think we can also assume that MRC was selling them to get their customers interested in MRC's DCC products, since MRC hasn't recently been in the HO motive power business. To sell the model for $79, either the model had to be inexpensively made, or the decoder had to be inexpensively made, or both.
Based upon what has been written about those engines, the reported quality/appearance issues don't make it appear to be a product/clone of a higher quality manufacturer. I think it might be safe to assume that the model had to have been made as inexpensively as possible, and not made in Japan.
Several of the respondees to your question seem to believe that your money is best spent elsewhere, but you seem to have had no luck with their suggestions.
Is knowing the manufacturer of those engines the deciding information you need to make a purchase?
I'm just asking for no other reason than curiosity.
Thanks
Max, some what. If I knew who made them and I need a part for repair I would know where to look. I know the reviews where very unkind but they do not look cheap in person. There detail's are not far off from my PK 2000's even if they are not the right sizes or placement. Far as seeing the mold out line by the nose? I still have a Stewart Rio Grand shell and you can see the mold out line.
For all you Stewart Lovers, speak up! My LHS has other Stewart engines NIB waiting for a owner in the same prices range. I will ship for them if you want one.
cudaken Max, some what. If I knew who made them and I need a part for repair I would know where to look. I know the reviews where very unkind but they do not look cheap in person. There detail's are not far off from my PK 2000's even if they are not the right sizes or placement. Far as seeing the mold out line by the nose? I still have a Stewart Rio Grand shell and you can see the mold out line. For all you Stewart Lovers, speak up! My LHS has other Stewart engines NIB waiting for a owner in the same prices range. I will ship for them if you want one. Ken
Is the store K10's Modelm Trains? http://www.k-10smodeltrains.com/index.php?pagekey=hobby
They do not sell on internet or mail order or ship their merchandise.
In the photos look like a huge amount of merchandise including a lot of old stock. The large train layout is impressive. Be sure to watch the video.
Store looks well worth a visit by Model Railroader living near or traveling in the area.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
D, that is why I said I would ship for the owner.
I guess details for details sake is fine, but again if the basic shell isn't very well done. It may not be a fair analogy but it's like taking a sows ear and making a silk purse from it. Many modelers would rather detail a basic good model (remember alot of the blue box models have made good starting points like the Athearn GP40-2 etc.).
Yes, Stewart F units do hve mold lines on the noses, but as a shell they represented an excellent F unit when they came out around 1988/89. Some folks have sanded the mold lines if they were painting their own, and depending on the model the mold lines are more noticable on some more than others. It seems other than adding details, one of the bigger differences between Stewarts and latter day F units are the etched metal grills.
Also keep in mind about Stewarts, there are 4 phases available for F3's, 2 phases for F7's, and 1 for F9's and FT's. With the MRC, there is only one F7 version and thats it. With Stewart you can match them up to many appropriate F units.
I have 3 of the MRC F7's still in their boxes. I thought the details were quite well done and I did test run all of them. They all ran very smooth and I plan to DCC them later on. I don't know who makes/made the drive but I don't have a problem with them. I paid about $30 each over 2 years ago. I took the body shell off one of them when I first got them to see how much room was in there for a decoder and if I remember correctly it was a little tight but very dooable??. If I get a chance tomorrow I will take one apart again and see if there is a mfg mark or ?? and even photograph it. Just my thoughts.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
Oh well, I just went down to the train room and took one apart. Here are some photos of the NYC F7, Platinum Line loco. I don't recognize the gear box design so it may be Walthers or ??. After looking at it with the gears exposed, I don't know how long these plastic gears will last but it has the square bearings like the Athearn and P2K locos that I have. I still think I will put a decoder in this one and see how it goes. I did run it tonight and it is stlll very smooth.
not sure why no one has posted this but my MRC engine bought new clearly says made in China on the box as well as on the trucks
jsoderq not sure why no one has posted this but my MRC engine bought new clearly says made in China on the box as well as on the trucks
That still does not answer "who" made them for MRC. It is very unlikely that MRC paid one of the China manufacturers to tool them up from scratch. They likely have some heritage that can me connected to some other brand/product line.
Having never handled one, I cannot offer any additional thoughts, but I suspect if I could closely examine one I might have some idea - have worked in the business for a number of years.