Finally got me one of those Mantua Reading Lcomotive Shops 0-6-0's. No, it's not exact, it needs some detail changes to match the real 1251 which sits in the Railroad Museum of PA. But it's close. This is the newer one with a can motor. Seller said it ran, but no lights, Looking at the auction photos - it has a DCC decoder, that's why the headlights didn't work on DC. $37 later it's mine, arrived today and - yup, a Digitrax DZ123 is installed. Do believe I will put sound in this, and LEDs to replace the bulbs. It'll look (and sound) good chugging around my engine terminal if I ever get a layout built.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Gee you don't seem to feel guilty at all!
Dave Nelson
Nice Randy!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
So, how do these run, generally speaking? (the can motor ones) I run DC, and like the looks.
Nice snag!
Make sure that you take out the manufacturer's circuit board before you hard wire that new sound decoder.
Rich
Alton Junction
It's already hardwired in. hahaha. There wasn no board in these puppies.
I haven't test run it. The seller said it ran fast. I don;t have any DCC hooked up, but with a better decoder than the DZ123 (which has no BEMF) it should be better.
rrinker It's already hardwired in. hahaha. There wasn no board in these puppies. I haven't test run it. The seller said it ran fast. I don;t have any DCC hooked up, but with a better decoder than the DZ123 (which has no BEMF) it should be better. --Randy
Southgate So, how do these run, generally speaking? (the can motor ones) I run DC, and like the looks. Nice snag!
although I don't have this particular model, I do have a few similar mantua locomotives, and I love them. They are very reliable and run relatively smooth. I really recommend them. You can get the older ones for relatively cheap and those run pretty well, too.
-Peter. Mantua collector, 3D printing enthusiast, Korail modeler.
Congrats Randy, nice to see others pick up bargains on the Ebay.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
That was a good deal especially with the can motor. Would like to hear how it runs later.
Jim
There are bargins out there all the time. Sometimes sellers don't know what they have. Poor descriptions and titles can save you money.
j..........
The same joker I just got a Campbell truss bridge kit from for a fraction of the MSRP (no other bidders - guess no one wants a craftsman kit any more) - I paid $20 and it's the double track one which lists for $69 - has one of those Tyco rolling lift bridges listed as RARE! And a few other things. He's definitely not a train guy, I can tell by the pretty much complete lack of understanding of any of the older kits he has - some Red Ball and Binkley and stuff - and he throws in a Walthers Peanut One as if they are all from the same era. If you don't know what Peanut One is - when Jimmy Carter was President, Walthers made a special caboose with a giant peanut for the main body. They reissued the Oscar and Piker extra-short passenger cars in HO around that time as well. Peanut One was available in HO and O, maybe N as well. They had a few other 'special' cars around that time too - they called it the "Tongue in Cheek" series. Speaking of, Walthers has the Grandt Line 23 ton boxcab on sale. However, their shipping charges are as usual absolutely insnae. I cna pay more for the kit on eBay with a more reasonable shipping charge (and probably get it a lot faster, too). Oh well, I'll keep watching eBay for one, I have a great picture of one from a local cement plant, in color even, that I would like to duplicate.
Oh yeah, the ebay seller thinks he's going to get $19.95 plus $5 shipping for a set of 5 1947 and 5 1948 MRs, some missing covers. LOL. My favorite thouse is one of his craftsman kit offerings. There's a kit of outhouses, and then there's a kit of who knows what. In the description he says it is missing the box lid and instructions. It's one of those that came with the various sides of stripwood color coded but otherwise uncut - so without the SLIGHTEST clue to what the kit is, there's no chance of ever assembling it. Basically it's a bundle of stripwood and some other pieces, good for filling in a junk box. In another auction one of the items is a binder full of instructions and plans - bet the instructions are in there.
Got the bridge kit. This may take some time to build. If there weren't a couple of pre-cut pieces this is pretty much scratchbuilding. SHould be fun though.
Just picked up another Ebay steal, kind of? Waiting for it to arrive; a Proto 2000 Berkshire, HO scale, New in Box for $115. These don't show up very often on the bay and most are priced over $200. I have a Bachmann Berk with Loksound and it is great but I think the Proto is more detailed; I will soon find out. I had a Rivarossi Berk and it was nice as well but no comparison to the Bachmann or Proto versions. Can't wait to see it. Guess I will need another Loksound decoder!
farrellaa Just picked up another Ebay steal, kind of? Waiting for it to arrive; a Proto 2000 Berkshire, HO scale, New in Box for $115. These don't show up very often on the bay and most are priced over $200.
Just picked up another Ebay steal, kind of? Waiting for it to arrive; a Proto 2000 Berkshire, HO scale, New in Box for $115. These don't show up very often on the bay and most are priced over $200.
farrellaaI have a Bachmann Berk with Loksound and it is great but I think the Proto is more detailed; I will soon find out.
You are correct. The bell on mine likes to fall off from time to time, also the detail part with the safety valves likes to pop off randomly.
Edit: Just read my post, pun not intended, I actually almost lost that part.
I have C&O version of both which I decided to decal for a fictitional Boston and Maine class of Berkshires.
richhotrain farrellaa Just picked up another Ebay steal, kind of? Waiting for it to arrive; a Proto 2000 Berkshire, HO scale, New in Box for $115. These don't show up very often on the bay and most are priced over $200. Which road name did you get? Rich
Which road name did you get?
Well, I got the P2K Berkshire advertised as 'NEW' in box, never run, DC. Surprise, surprise, it isn't NEW; opened box and there was the light board and a headlight bulb? The wheels have 'accumulated' dirt on them? I thought, I better open the tender and see what was inside? The light board was replaced with a sound decoder and speaker! It looks and now sounds like it may be a Soundtraxx Tsuanami? Don't know for sure but the blue shrink wrap looks like the one I have in my Big Boy. It runs great and sound pretty good but not like my ESU LokSound in the Bachmann Berkshire. I may have to replace the speaker/baffle as it has a plastic bottle cap for the baffle and not very large at that. Overall, it turned out to be a very good 'bargain' and I don't think the seller knows it had a sound system in it.
Tsunami has purple shrink wrap. If it's blue it might be a Digitrax decoder. Or MRC.
farrellaa richhotrain farrellaa Just picked up another Ebay steal, kind of? Waiting for it to arrive; a Proto 2000 Berkshire, HO scale, New in Box for $115. These don't show up very often on the bay and most are priced over $200. Which road name did you get? Rich this one is the C & O. My Bachmann is the Nickel Plate version with white strips (not that fond of them?). -Bob
this one is the C & O. My Bachmann is the Nickel Plate version with white strips (not that fond of them?).
Digitrax ones will have a Digitrax logo and the model number on one side. From what I've seen of the MRC ones that come in blue (MRC seems to randomly pick a shrink wrap color), it has no markings on the outside.
Could just read CV8 and see what the manufacturer ID is.