Hello all, I have been wanting a Big Boy since a very young age And There are some new releases this month that split my opinion on which one I should get. I originally started with a 2015 Athern Model #4019 (as I like the smoke deflector "look") but immediately upon discovering the MTH model that hopefully releases soon -that's diecast , beautiful detail , with the PS3 system and smoke unit I thought that was the one, and the beauty even came with an operating coupler!!!! In HO scale!!! Until recently, BLI comes out of nowhere with this release last month that is worth considering. Same details as the Mth, more operating lights (such as the classification lights) and the smoking whistle! (I don't care for the Paragon system sound though) but other than That it blows me away! But it's here I stand with the incredibly hard decision of the Mth or the Bli! Someone help me with this!
P.S.- it's going to be my first purchase that's nots the Bachman spectrum line- yes I know, terrible...but I have my hopes high for my new upcoming Big boy on my layout!
1st is brass, some of these are exquisite though expensive.
2nd is too close to call between Trix and Athearn.
3rd rate models would include BLI and Rivarossi etc.
Matthew
Those BLI ones are FAR superior to the nearly 50 year old tooling of the Rivarossi. Smoke may be mostly a gimmick but at least in this case is billows white 'steam' from places you would expect to see white steam. But even if you turn that off, the detailing level of the BLI is much better than the older Rivarossi.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I'm glad I don't model the UP anymore. I would have to make the same decision. Either that or get one of each and have a fleet of them.
Still have my 1980s Big Boy. Can bear to part with it even though it never sees the layout anymore.
I probably shouldn't be getting a UP anyway, but I'm going more for a time era on my layout versus rail companies...I got a gs4 daylight with a k4 pennsy, my decapod however needs some fixing
EliE98 ... (I don't care for the Paragon system sound though) ...
... (I don't care for the Paragon system sound though) ...
Welcome! Good to see you posting.
I am not sure what you mean by using the word 'system' in reference to the BLI Paragon decoders. It's just a decoder, but it's also a DCC decoder which makes it much more useable on your own or a neighborhood DCC system on another layout. The MTH decoders have limited utility on a DCC system. You'll have to purchase and use MTH's DCS system (and I do mean a system) in order to take advantage of all the functionality of the MTH Big Boy (and others') decoders.
How is it that Athearn is better than the new BLI 4014? i understand the detail working, the separately applied piping and other similiar details, but so far the BLI is all metal, weighs just over 3 pounds, has great detail, quiet motor and from videos i've seen it can outpull any of the competition's big boys right out of the box.
The guy in the video let it go accidentaly and ended up rear-ending another 20-30 car train with locomotive and pushed it around the track without trying, didnt struggle. It then played tug of rope with 4 MTH diesel engines in a consist type style(each one that had been tested to pull 30-50 cars by themselves) and started dragging them as well like it was nothing. I imagine because of its weight its allowed to do this. Something the plastic athearn's couldnt even acheive.
Ive heard Trix are the best, ive seen them too. But the small driver's bother me, thats my opinion of course, but to me accuracy is a big deal when modeling trains let alone Big Boys -possibly the most popular trains to date.
Now the Smoke units I know are gimmicks, ive heard it all. My first Lionel had a smoking unit, I was young and didnt mind the smells. I havnt had one with a smoke unit since, and to be honest i miss the carcinogenic gasses that were released from the locomotive as it went around. The whole purpose of this article is me asking which one is better in your opinion's. I'd rather spend 800$ on "something i wont use but has it when i want it" versus an "i'd have to spend more money putting this in there", thats just common sense though.
I appreciate all the posts though, its helping me make a hard decision easier.
Athearn are available as dcc ready to fit sound. Athearn have a track record of virtually trouble free operation of the big boys and challengers especially with the dcc ready locos.
The problem with BLI is they have a track record of issues with the UP 4-12-2's and the MT-73 4-8-2's. Another is they charge as though the loco has sound, but this is so poor (and in the 4-12-2 case incorrect) it needs replacing.
While BLI quality is sometimes "Hit" Or "Miss", their service department is very top notch. And for the level of detail they bring, they are worth the extra money. Nothing has matched my BLI C&O T1 in terms of realiability and pulling power. I can say the same for their Mikes, and E8's. (Even if the paint scheme is off for the later)
As to the 4-12-2 that's not the fault of BLI. The problem is nobody, and I mean nobody offers a sound decoder capable of handling 3 cylinders. You would have to custom spin a cam chuff and hard wire it to get it to work properly.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
First - era versus railroad - well that's your choice, but remember that the 4-8-8-4 was only used by one company, for only an 18-year service life, and then they were restricted to only a modest part of the UP system. They were great locomotives, but they weren't a "go anywhere, do anything" item like the SD40-2, etc.
I admire the Trix and it's also heavy. They can be hard to get sometimes. I am still waiting to get sound/DCC into mine.
Rivarossi sure improved their offering over the years. They can often be the cheapest of the bunch and they run well on many model RR curves so don't count them out completely.
MTH - looks good, heavy and it's a great puller. On the down side - their DCS doesn't play well with many DCC systems and my personal experience with their customer service (or lack there of) was a nightmare. Buyer beware!
BLI - they run from the "Blue Line" to the more recent models. They look generally good, have heft, and usually run smooth. Some of their models have reliability issues.
Athearn - nice selection of versions. Lighter due to mostly plastic construction, I think their sound lacks bass, but that may be a speaker problem. Athearn usually has great customer service and support, so you should be able to keep your Big Boy running.
Brass - nice but frightfully expensive. Usually smooth running and decent pulling, but repairs and parts can be a horror story of epic proportions. Don't forget that some brass models don't like to be equipped with DCC (short circuits are most common complaint) and you have to paint it (or have it custom painted).
So each one has its good points and its bad points. You get to be the one who decides how much you can spend and what trade offs you will accept.
DigitalGriffin As to the 4-12-2 that's not the fault of BLI. The problem is nobody, and I mean nobody offers a sound decoder capable of handling 3 cylinders. You would have to custom spin a cam chuff and hard wire it to get it to work properly.
Such sweeping statements can be dangerous. You have to consider that some countries had more three cylinder locomotives in service and used them a lot longer. E.g., nearly 2000 three cylinder locomotives of the German 44 class were produced. They were in service until the late 1970s. Two of them are actually still operational. You can hear the waltz-like sounds (Oom-pah-pah) coming from the three cylinders beautifully in this clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVxf8itd9wI
Roco actually made a model of the 44 class with "sounds by Henning":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-UjGLyT6NI
You can also buy a Loksound decoder from "Modellbahn-Henning" (= model trains Henning) with the class 44 file uploaded. Of course, I have no idea how close these sounds come to those of a UP 4-12-2.
My apologies to the OP for side-tracking this discussion.
Define "better".
Do you want one that runs well, or one that looks great.
Do you need a compromise for short radius curves, or do you have 30-60+ radius curves.
So what you want is not one that is "best" or "better" but one that is optimal to your application
Big-Boys do not run in the subway, will not fit in the subway, and will not negotiate transit curves.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I don't have a limit for my layout, my smallest curve on my secondary line is 22' my mains tightest is somewhere around a 40'- couple decimal points I laid it by hand and don't have exact measuring tools- especially since it's more of an open ended curve more so an S compared to a corner-it occupies a huge area and most of the 2 car garage only leaving space to walk of course...I'm moreso asking the comparison of the athearn, mth, BLI, and other major big boy manufactorers-ive eliminated trix and brass-PCM and sunset models, I just lack the funds...Around 900$ is my max and I hate to add another plastic one like the Athearn Genesis. While they are very nice I want to be able to pick it up and feel satisfied with my 550$ not like I'm picking up a Nokia cellphone- I want metal and worth it- I've got enough problems with my plastic engines and rolling stock having trucks fall off the tracks just due to being too light and not being able to pull a long consist. That is why I asked between Mth and bli in my original post-i need heavy and greatly detailed for less cost than a top of the line brass model.
I can tell you that the O scale Big Boy looks really good (MTH). I have not seen their HO offering in person, but they claim it goes around an 18" radius curve. My biggest pet peeve with HO scale articulateds is the pivoting rear drivers. The O guage version does not have a pivoting rear driver set, it goes around a 36" radius (O 72) curve.
I would check the youtube to see if there are product reviews in addition to those on this site.
i have blue line bigboy &the new paragon 3 big boy & athearn big boy&rivarossi big boy ilove them all
but bli is my fav
Can't comment on the new ones, but my old AHM/Rivarossi Big Boy runs great! It did take some tuning to get there, but I'm happy with it. Rivarossi has been using the same shell for 50 years now.
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Darth Santa Fe Can't comment on the new ones, but my old AHM/Rivarossi Big Boy runs great! It did take some tuning to get there, but I'm happy with it. Rivarossi has been using the same shell for 50 years now.
I was waiting for you to say "Bowser."
Gary
I prefer the Big Boy off I-10 near Calimesa. Good service, seldom crowded, the salad bar is always fresh and of course, the Big Boy combo never ceases to satisfy.
Hornblower
garya Darth Santa Fe Can't comment on the new ones, but my old AHM/Rivarossi Big Boy runs great! It did take some tuning to get there, but I'm happy with it. Rivarossi has been using the same shell for 50 years now. I was waiting for you to say "Bowser."
I have Bowser's Challenger, but not the Big Boy.
The popularity of Big Boy models as been increased with the 4014 tours. But beware of buying one on Ebay. Many of the early Rivarossi/AHM lodels are being offered at high prices. Those early models all have the old three pole motor in the cab and very deep whel flanges that will not run on code 83 rail. Parts are also an issue. Rivarossi sold out to Hornby and parts are not available for many of the old locos.