Definitively not 3-rail AC!
I have never heard of any brass loco made to run on Marklin´s proprietary 3-rail AC system. The loco on the picture would not be able to run on Marklin track - the falnges are just not deep enough.
dti406I recall an Alco B-11 0-6-0 that was at our shop that ran well, it was also usable for the NKP. Rick J
Rick J
Actually, Rick, that's the very locomotive that I'm looking at, at the moment:
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Alco imported several brass engines of varying quality. The only 0-6-0 I remember is a USRA with original details, although there may have been others. I have no experience with that particular engine, but the $300 asking price seems a bit salty to me. A P2K USRA 0-6-0 might be as good or better.
"AC" is certainly a misprint. The Alco engines were DC.
Most Alco Models steam depended on the builder, I have a Streamlined PRR 4-6-2 that was built by KMT that runs beautifily.
I recall an Alco B-11 0-6-0 that was at our shop that ran well, it was also usable for the NKP.
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
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Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Thanks for the input fellas. The description states it is HO. I'll double-check with the seller to see if the AC is a typo or not.
As mentioned, I've heard mixed reviews about ALCO MODELS. While the model does look good in the pictures, I also want it to run well - without it dropping important screws or sounding like a coffee grinder.
Make sure it's not for Marklin track. They use AC, but with a 3rd rail (studs in tie center). Don't know if brass was ever made for Marklin track, but you want to be sure.
Also, make sure it's not S gauge which also uses AC.
Paul
I bet the AC is a typo or a misunderstanding. I'd wager it is straight DC.
The sound cam is a whole 'nother animal than the actually recorded electronic sound chips currently used. My memory grows fuzzy (heh - as if it was ever anything but) but I think the cam on an axle was meant to complete (or interrupt?) a circuit with each turn of the axle of something like AM-radio between-the-stations "white noise" that sounded surprisingly like steam exhaust. I no longer recall if the white noise was transmitted at high frequency via the rails, or was mechanically generated by something which rubbed on a wheel rim. Both systems were used. I think it was a sound system created by some Pacific Northwest modelers who wrote quite a bit for MR back in those days about logging and sound. Herb Chaudiere and Lyle Spears? I suspect I am butchering the spelling.
As for ALCO brass steam, I have one, a 2-10-2. A thing of beauty and nicely detailed. However never once was I able to run it on my or any layout. After five (actual, not scale) feet the valve gear would throw a screw (about the size of a pin head) for me to try to find in the ballast and lichen. I no longer have the eyesight to replace those screws, even assuming that somewhere in the workshop I laid in a supply of spares. I do not recall the engine being a very quiet runner, either, which for me made the issue of a sound system rather moot, if not mute.
I am sure whatever I paid for that locomotive was, adjusting for inflation, way over $300 today. The real question is, would I buy that same engine again regardless of price and outdated technology? And the answer is, knowing what I know now, a resounding, no,. But then I no longer model the steam era!
Dave Nelson
tstageJust noticed that the "power supply" is designated as "AC".
I didn't know that there were any brass imports in HO that used AC.
He doesn't mean AC as used with DCC, does he?
Hmmm...Just noticed that the "power supply" is designated as "AC". That would mean needing to remotor it for DC/DCC, yes? How much would a replacement NWSL motor typically cost?
Greetings -
Looking at possibly picking up my first brass locomotive - an [unpainted] ALCO MODELS steam switcher. It's nicely detailed and in very nice shape. Here's the description given by the seller:
The builder is Kumata (KMT) and was [hand] manufactured in 1977.
I've heard mixed reviews about ALCO brass. It is being offered by a reputable brass dealer. Is it worth the $300 consideration?
It mentions a sound cam but there's no mention of a decoder. How difficult would you expect it to be to convert it over to DCC?
Thanks for the input and perspective.