I just picked up my ML-8 from my LHS. I looks nice. I got the Black/Silver version. It looks to be a pretty good match for the one that the B&M owned. It came with Kadee clones (Protomax), with blackend springs, if I were still using Kadees that would be cool, but Im indifferent about it.
The 4 capacitors from the keep alive circuit are visible in the cab... they are pretty big. Its decently weighted for its size at 3.6oz.
The helical gears are visible on the bottom, I guess they ran out of room so they could not fully enclose them. Will have to watch for dirt pickup into the mechanism.
I cant wait to run it and see what it can do.
The undecorated models come with decals for many of Walther's Cornerstone industries, which is pretty cool.
And I droped it putting it back into the box. The foam + paperwork is too thick for the box, when you go to slide it all in, it gets stuck. There is no tape holding the plastic sheet on the foam, so the locomotive can fall out completely when you have the foam half in the box and are fiddling trying to stuff the paper back in. This resulted in a trip to the floor. There is a slight ding on the cab, but not really noticeable. I will have to see if it works. Nothing appeared to fall off the locomotive.
Sorry about dropping it but maybe that's the first bit of weathering for an industrial switcher! They usually got beat up pretty fast.
Thanks for all the good information about the diodes and gears being exposed and all. I sure hope it runs as well as it looks. Best of luck with it.
Roger Huber
Deer Creek Locomotive Works
OUCH . That happened to me a couple of years ago with a Bachmann 70 tonner I had just bought.
Hope everything is OK.
Mike.
My You Tube
BMMECNYCThe undecorated models come with decals for many of Walther's Cornerstone industries, which is pretty cool.
This is incorrect. The Black, Blue and Yellow models come with decals.