Jim,I fully agree the RTR SD45 are great engines that are smooth runners and ranks up there with Geneses as far as details like MU hoses,radio antenna,uncoupling bars, grabs just to name a few.
I just shun some RTR boxcars and Genesis.
I must admit that SCL GP9 does look pretty darn good.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
BRAKIE Jim,I fully agree the RTR SD45 are great engines that are smooth runners and ranks up there with Geneses as far as details like MU hoses,radio antenna,uncoupling bars, grabs just to name a few. I just shun some RTR boxcars and Genesis. I must admit that SCL GP9 does look pretty darn good.
I've gone bananas over the SD45's, and despite their RP shell heritage, they've been gussy'd up pretty nicely - enough to distract you from the RP long hood latch detail. I haven't run all of the but the ones I have really are like KATO's. All the SP SD45' seem to follow the numbered prototypes with L-shaped windshields, nose light package, plow, and generally the correct trucks (low or high mount brake cylinders).
I very few bluebox based RTR box cars, only a blue box based plug door box car and a couple of blue box based covered hoppers. Most of the RTR Athearn stuff I have are the Thrall hi-side unit train gons, which are pretty nicely upgraded from MDC cars, and the Orter 5-bay rapid discharge hoppers, again, nicely upgraded and perfect for D&RGW unit trains. Being an SP fan, I've picked up a goodly number of the Genesis PC&F box cars - any SP fan worth his salt has to have those! Which cars have you had problems with?
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
riogrande5761Which cars have you had problems with?
Here's the list and number of the cars that arrived with stirrup issues-some fell off when I removed the car from its tray.I did glue the stirrup(s) back on the car.
5 FMC 5347
9 FMC Offset double door
7 PS 5277
4 PS 5344
and the RTR PF&C ribside-3.
These are sweet looking boxcars except if you sneeze you run a risk of one of the stirrups falling off.
Here is my solution..I added a tad of glue to the backside of stirrups(inside the car body) on the cars I own that arrived without issues and that ended the problem.
When cars started arriving with 1 or more of their stirrups laying in the tray I had enough even though I like those cars.
They should have added a light touch of glue like I did since its a long trip from China to the U.S then from port to Athearn(or was it Horizon?) then to a on line hobby shop and mailed to Ohio...
BRAKIE riogrande5761 Which cars have you had problems with? Here's the list and number of the cars that arrived with stirrup issues-some fell off when I removed the car from its tray.I did glue the stirrup(s) back on the car. 5 FMC 5347 9 FMC Offset double door 7 PS 5277 4 PS 5344 and the RTR PF&C ribside-3. These are sweet looking boxcars except if you sneeze you run a risk of one of the stirrups falling off. Here is my solution..I added a tad of glue to the backside of stirrups(inside the car body) on the cars I own that arrived without issues and that ended the problem. When cars started arriving with 1 or more of their stirrups laying in the tray I had enough even though I like those cars. They should have added a light touch of glue like I did since its a long trip from China to the U.S then from port to Athearn(or was it Horizon?) then to a on line hobby shop and mailed to Ohio...
riogrande5761 Which cars have you had problems with?
Those are nice looking cars. Are those former MDC box cars? I haven't gotten any of the RTR versions but the ones I've seen looked nice.
I searched Athearn and it looks like all those are all retired. I guess that means they are never going to be made again. I wonder if Athearn lost the molds in the chinese factory closure.
last mountain & eastern hogger Garry Du Puis, What are you doing up at this time of the morning and worryimg about such stuff ? I have an excuse, I am really sick and feeling very shitty and can't get to sleep because I probably slept too much through the day. I like Katos too and I just let the rest of it slide on. mine are HO. Get some sleep Guy, you are a growing boy/man. Rest well. Johnboy out.........................
Garry Du Puis,
What are you doing up at this time of the morning and worryimg about such stuff ?
I have an excuse, I am really sick and feeling very shitty and can't get to sleep because I probably slept too much through the day.
I like Katos too and I just let the rest of it slide on. mine are HO.
Get some sleep Guy, you are a growing boy/man. Rest well.
Johnboy out.........................
I hope you will feel better soon Jonboy!
SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide
Gary DuPrey
N scale model railroader
don7 I wonder if he would consider making a set of Candaian Heavy Weight coaches aw well sometime soon? Jason, are you out there?
I wonder if he would consider making a set of Candaian Heavy Weight coaches aw well sometime soon?
Jason, are you out there?
Hi Don,
The next two years are pretty full for us but once we get the lightweight diner out of the way (late 2015 at the earliest) there are definitely some heavyweights that need to be done...
-Jason
Jason Shron - President - Rapido Trains Inc. - RapidoTrains.comMy HO scale Kingston Sub layout: Facebook.com/KingstonSub
riogrande5761Are those former MDC box cars? I
Jim,Yes,those are the supped up MDC cars I have mention.
For the good news Athearn has announced a new run of the FMC 5347 that's due in late August.
As luck would have it there is one car I'm highly interested in-East Camden & Highland..The last run of this road name was in 2009 and I missed it.
BTW..A lot of those IPD short line boxcars was offered as MDC kits..
I picked up a couple of the newer Kato N Scale SD70ACe's in the Norfolk Southern heritage schemes for my Son for Christmas (Illinois Terminal and Jersey Central). WOW! He and I are VERY impressed. Smooth, quiet, great low speed movement, strong. Without a doubt the best in his N scale fleet...which is saying a lot becuase he has some exceptional other Kato models as well as some great Atlas N Scale locomotives.
Happy modeling to all!
Don.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly."
kbkchooch Michael6792 Apparently you are biased against Athearn for some reason. I'm not claiming they are the best on the market by any means but they have their place on my layout. If I were going to install sound or upgrade to DCC I would not start with one of these though, I would look for something DCC ready from either Atlas or Kato. I've never owned either in HO but I do have a few KATO in N scale and did have a few Atlas & they were night & day difference over the other locos I owned. (they are all gone now and all I have left are 2 KATOs) I didn't start this thread to depate "who makes the best locomotive" I was simply looking for opinions on your best performers. I didn't realize the can of worms I was opening. I think you missed my point Michael. I don't have anything against Athearn at all. At one time, probably 80% of what I had was Athearn. But then I started noticing things. I bought a Stewart F7, suddenly the windsheild profile on my BB Athearns bugged me. Then I bought some Atlas GP9s, and I sold my "widebody" Athearns. Kato GP35s spelled the end of my Athearn ones. Ditto for the SD40s. In all fairness to Athearn, I did buy 2 RTR GP38-2s. I was not impressed, the spline drive was better, but not as good as my Atlas units. All my other units, straight from the box, have been better than my experience with Athearn has been. Now Athearns account for less than 5% of the fleet, and only 2 of those still have their original drivelines.. You said it yourself, if you were going to upgrade to sound & DCC you wouldn't go with Athearn, but look at something DCC ready from Atlas or Kato. Why is that? What are YOUR reasons?? Really, I'd like to hear them. I've gotten to the point in my life that reworking the driveline and throwing a box of detail parts to equal the competition just is not worth it. But I am not writing them off yet. The Genesis units are appealing. As soon as I see a "gotta have it" unit, I'll bite. The RTR rolling stock is great stuff too! I've bought quite a bit of that lately. I've probably had better luck with the other brands (although most of my Proto 4 axle units have Athearn gears now) as far as running quiet as well as smooth. Its buying an engine that I know I will have to upgrade before I can enjoy it that sticks in my craw! Oh and cans of worms, around here they pop open at the slightest breeze! Oh I almost forgot, my LHS is having a 2 hour session/demo with the gang from Athearn Monday from 5-7 pm. I'm planning on being there....Not the behavoir you would expect from a person with a problem with Athearn.
Michael6792 Apparently you are biased against Athearn for some reason. I'm not claiming they are the best on the market by any means but they have their place on my layout. If I were going to install sound or upgrade to DCC I would not start with one of these though, I would look for something DCC ready from either Atlas or Kato. I've never owned either in HO but I do have a few KATO in N scale and did have a few Atlas & they were night & day difference over the other locos I owned. (they are all gone now and all I have left are 2 KATOs) I didn't start this thread to depate "who makes the best locomotive" I was simply looking for opinions on your best performers. I didn't realize the can of worms I was opening.
Apparently you are biased against Athearn for some reason. I'm not claiming they are the best on the market by any means but they have their place on my layout. If I were going to install sound or upgrade to DCC I would not start with one of these though, I would look for something DCC ready from either Atlas or Kato. I've never owned either in HO but I do have a few KATO in N scale and did have a few Atlas & they were night & day difference over the other locos I owned. (they are all gone now and all I have left are 2 KATOs)
I didn't start this thread to depate "who makes the best locomotive" I was simply looking for opinions on your best performers. I didn't realize the can of worms I was opening.
The only reason I wouldn't use an Athearn BB loco for an upgrade like that is I wouldn't want to do the work. I would rather have something plug & play. I mentioned Atlas & KATO but I would also look at Genesis. As someone else pointed out, it will be partially dictated by the models they offer. Keep in mind that I've never owned any of these in HO scale, but I do have a KATO SW1500 in N scale and an Atlas as well and they are both very smooth runners.
Michael
Never attempt anything you don't want to explain to the EMT
Athearn BB is what I use. With a little bit of repairs and such they run great! Just ot the best details on the BB's.
In HOn3, it is obviously Blackstone, by far for detail and sound. (tsunami sound). Two new locoos coming out in 2014 to add to the stable. They turn out far more models per run than the brass makers, but are almost always sold out within a year and have to do another run. It should be little different when they release the K-28 and K-36 this year.
As long as there is HOn3 Blackstone will be "the one".
Richard
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed
My first engine, a Bachmann HO Jupiter, turned into 'Old Sparky' within a year of purchase and is now a wall display. My second Bachmann, a N&W J4-8-4, has seen the Bachmann repair shop 3 times; the last time I received it back I gave it a test run, fine, then it went back into the box until the track is clean, evenly powered and perfectly level, just to be sure...the Bachmann Hogwarts Express, though, works fine and consistently, even through parts of the track that other steamers find difficult.
But the gem of my collection is my Mehano 4-8-4 'Bullet-Nosed Betty'. A strong runner in CN 1954 livery, I use it to pull the rest of my Rapido '54 6 car CN consist with no complaints.
Heading my CN '61 consist is a Lionel engine (with a Model Power shell) from their video train, and a Stewart F7B unit. Both engines are strong and run well at very slow speeds. But the Stewart has the stripes backwards and the other shell is, well, garbage. But it's all I've got until the budget can spring for the Rapido set...
I have two Athearn diesels that I was given; they run well. I currently have them on display with my circus train.
I was on Athearn's website, and it looks like the majority of the RTR locomotives are DCC ready with both 8 and 9 pin plugs. All Genesis either come with DCC and sound, or are ready.
The few RTR that are not DCC would take a little bit of work. I have a RTR GP38-2 that isn't DCC ready, but all the weight is in the frame, so there is plenty of space under the shell. It runs great and has great details.
Mentioning the Athearn BB engines, I have a whole mess of them: 1 Athearn F7 (The drive happens to be the first Athearn engine I ever got [early 90s I think]. It has had the shell replaced a few times and the frame modified for a metal coupler/snowplow, but it is still a good runner.); 3 or 4 SW7 powered cows; 1 SW1000; and 6 GP35 drives that have had their frames slightly modified to fit under Tyco GP20 shells, thusly making what I term Tythearns.
I also have picked up a few other good diesels over the years: 2 Atlas S4s (yellow box), 2 LL P2K GP18s, and the newest (to me) is a Walthers SW1. All of those are good runners as well.
Best is the company that makes the engine you want with the level of detail and performance you want. In other words, it's very subjective. There are some beauutiful steam locomotives out there with an amazing level of detail. Would I buy one? No. Not interested. I very much enjoy my first generation diesels. My favorites are a pair of MDC/Roundhouse EMD model 40 switchers. I love the small switchers.
Just my 2 cents.
Tom
Life is simple - eat, drink, play with trains!
Go Big Red!
PA&ERR "If you think you are doing something stupid, you're probably right!"
narrow gauge nuclear In HOn3, it is obviously Blackstone, by far for detail and sound. (tsunami sound). Two new locoos coming out in 2014 to add to the stable. They turn out far more models per run than the brass makers, but are almost always sold out within a year and have to do another run. It should be little different when they release the K-28 and K-36 this year. As long as there is HOn3 Blackstone will be "the one".
In some ways I think the K-28s and -36s will be an even bigger hit than the C-19 and K-27 were. I own one of each of those, despite not having a permanent layout yet, but I think the fact that people can actually see and smell and hear and ride behind the K-28s and K-36s will bring even more people into HOn3 (463's recent rebuilding notwithstanding.) Established modelers were certainly well served with the C-19 and K-27, but in terms of bringing new people into the fold, the new locos could have an even bigger impact.
Bruce
dc rivarossi
dcc bli
To who ever thinks Athearn BBs are better than Athearn RTR, can I ask, why?
Charles
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Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@trainman440
Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440
Uh oh, old topic got dug up and bumped!
BRAKIE Texas Zepher Best candidate for the trash can - Life Like, If you'r going to be tossing any LL P2K let me know and I send you my address.. Walthers just jack the price on the older P2K DC models.. We should add Atlas Trainman to the list since they share the same drives as Atlas Master and Classic.
Texas Zepher Best candidate for the trash can - Life Like,
If you'r going to be tossing any LL P2K let me know and I send you my address..
Walthers just jack the price on the older P2K DC models..
We should add Atlas Trainman to the list since they share the same drives as Atlas Master and Classic.
I think he meant LL train set loos I have one that I put some Bachmann ez mates on that sits in an unpeeled siding.
Joe Staten Island West
bigpianoguyBut the gem of my collection is my Mantua 4-8-4 'Bullet-Nosed Betty'. A strong runner in CN 1954 livery, I use it to pull the rest of my Rapido '54 6 car CN consist with no complaints.
Atlas-Silver & Classics
Stewart/Kato
Those are what I buy most of the time. I also have old Bowser steam engines (retired from use), Some old BB athearn deisels (also retired) And a couple of Proto 2000 only because they were the only 'E' units I could find.
I recently bought two Walthers Mainline DL-109's. IMHO these are a big step up from their Proto engines. Time will tell how well they hold up.
South Penn
I run ho scale and I love my atherns even though they are older they run like true champs.
love any kind of train
SouthPenn Atlas-Silver & Classics Stewart/Kato Those are what I buy most of the time. I also have old Bowser steam engines (retired from use), Some old BB athearn deisels (also retired) And a couple of Proto 2000 only because they were the only 'E' units I could find. I recently bought two Walthers Mainline DL-109's. IMHO these are a big step up from their Proto engines. Time will tell how well they hold up. South Penn
To me, the Walthers Mainline version of the Santa Fe DL-109 looks identical to the Proto 1000 version. Where do you see the "big step up"?
Joachim
The Mainline engines run much better than my Proto 2000 engines. Smoother and quieter. I don't have a Proto 1000 to compare it to.
Isn't the Proto 100 the models that had the drive gear cracking problem?
Modelling HO Scale with a focus on the West and Midwest USA
I haven't read every post, but there doesn't seem to be any opinion on MTH or BLI. Are these not worth the money?
If there ever was such as thing as a Mantua 4-8-4, I'd like to see a photo of it. This reminds me of my scouting days when we sent all the Tenderfoot scouts out on a snipe hunt in the middle of the night.
ACY If there ever was such as thing as a Mantua 4-8-4, I'd like to see a photo of it. This reminds me of my scouting days when we sent all the Tenderfoot scouts out on a snipe hunt in the middle of the night. Tom
Here is a picture of the snipe in question:
http://hoseeker.net/mantuainformation/mantuacatalog1996pg04.jpg
Last loco at the bottom of the page - nothing more than a Pacific with a 4 wheel trailing truck - BUT they did exist.
Sheldon