# 22, a N.W J, should be arriving today. Unfortunatly 2 others will be shipping out for repairs.
I do not have any.
.
My steamers are all brass except for two Bachmann models, a 2-8-0 and a 2-8-8-4.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
cold stealUnfortunatly 2 others will be shipping out for repairs.
Seems to me I see this a lot in the forum for this particular brand. Put me down for none and no plans to purchase any.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I have six, total - all NYC: (2) Hudsons, (2) Mohawks, (1) Mikado, and (1) Niagara. Of the six, three were returned for repair: Two had slight mechanical (binding) issues; the 3rd was decoder-related. I also have a SW7 switcher and it's been great runner.
My BLI collection pretty much completes my NYC roster for major steam so I don't expect to purchase any more steamers from them. I would love to obtain an L-2 Mohawk and a H-10 "heavy" Mike but I don't expect BLI to release either one of those. It will likely need to be brass and that won't be an inexpensive proposition.
Before losing my job I picked up a couple of unique NYC switchers: An 0-6-0 B-11L and an 0-10-0 M-1. I'm looking forward to eventually converting them to DCC, as well as painting and detailing them.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
BigDaddy cold steal Unfortunatly 2 others will be shipping out for repairs. Seems to me I see this a lot in the forum for this particular brand. Put me down for none and no plans to purchase any.
cold steal Unfortunatly 2 others will be shipping out for repairs.
Henry,
I won't deny that BLI has had QA issues with their steamers in the past but they do stand behind their work. In all three cases for me (see earlier post) BLI fixed the issue(s) at NO CHARGE and they run just fine now. Given their detail for my particular railroad (NYC), I'll take that bit of inconvenience. I also think that BLI has had less issues of late with QA than with their earler releases.
That said, I don't plan on purchasing any more BLI locomotives - unless they release something I don't already currently have for my NYC roster. It would need to be somewhat unique and I don't expect any manufacturer - other than brass - to release something that doesn't have a wider appeal to the current buying market.
All of the importers have had problem runs of a particular engine, sometimes more than one type. BLI went through a bad spell about six or seven years ago, very bad if I recall. Since then, their quality has been what would be called 'average' without any charity to it. The fact is that the hobby has hand-assembled parts by the gazillions in it, and there is bound to be a lot of variation in assembly in any one lot of steam locomotive.
MTH's issue of the Big Boy, whose tooling they took as part of a settlement against BLI's manufacturer, turned out to be a poor item in terms of quality. BLI's issue did well, MTH's was screamed at all over the internet. Don't know what happened, but...
FWIW, I have quite a few BLI locomotives and love every one of them. Every time I have sent them back for repair, now about four times in all, they arrived in good working order. I even have three from their refurbished department, all great runners duly repaired and resold, and 40% off, full warranty.
I have two Hudsons, two Niagaras, two Class J, a Y6b, a K4 4-6-2, Class A, UP TTT 2-10-2 Hybrid, Hybrid Q2, Hybrid 4-12-2, I1a, Santa Fe 4-8-4, Santa Fe 2-10-2, Duplex 4-4-4-4, and a J1 2-10-4.
2, but they are from subsidiary Precision Craft Models as thewy had Loksoound decoders when the BLI models used QSI. Both have been fine runners with no problems - the one did have a loose wire in the tender, limiting the pickup wheelbase but there wasn't even solder involved in that repair. Electronics-wise - well, they are ESU decoders. Zero issues. I was even able to replace some of the sounds with ones recorded off the prototype loco.
--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 have a few:
Two of the PCM Reading T1, that came without DCC/sound,
Two of the N&W Class A, now with different tenders and no DCC or sound.
Two heavy 2-8-2's, now with Bachmann long tenders and no DCC/sound.
One heavy 4-6-2, now with a Bachmann long oil tender znd no DCC/sound.
I don't really see too many more of their locos in my future.....
Sheldon
cold stealStaying with northeast stuff so I don't go broke.
You can still go broke with northeast stuff.
I have three, a Reading T1, a PRR I1 and a PRR H10. They remain secure in their boxed because they are electronicly quirky and I'. reluctant to use them on a regular basis.
FWIW, They are really nice looking models, but the proprietary DCC/Sound is the Achilles Heel.
So I have two HO NYC BLI F3 in lash-up mode. Decoder, motor, speaker in A unit. Motor, speaker in B unit. A vertically mounted six pin connector in diaphragm connect. Pretty much hidden because of close coupling. The A has a Mars that the NYC never had.
HO NYC F7 DCC, A/B units I \added Tsunami and 28 mm speaker to.
They ran great in ABBA setup puling about thirty NYC Pacemaker freights. Even have the proper caboose.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Four.
Why do you ask?
Ed
3. Reading T-1 (Precision), PRR M1b, 1 PRR T1, + 2 PRR E7A,1 PRR RSD15. All pretty good runners, no real problems except a worn-out wire to a truck that was shorting on the tender frame.
Well, they sure look nice and I truly love Pennsy steamers but reading about all the issues folks seem to have with them all the time I will stick with my brass engines. I can work on them and paint them so they get my attention more than stuff that needs to be sent back to the manufacturer.
oldline1
I only have one steam engine and it's a IMRC cab forward. BLI none.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
One. A SP 4-8-8-2, AC-5 Cab Forward. Very nice. I run it with the sound turned off though because I can't abide sound on my layout. I find it very annoying.
7j43k Four. Why do you ask? Ed
None. I don't know why you ask either.
If Ed has four I will take five.
Now will that be Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or can I just send you a check. Lol.
Respectfully Track fiddler
Track fiddler 7j43k Four. Why do you ask? Ed None. I don't know why you ask either. If Ed has four I will take five. Now will that be Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or can I just send you a check. Lol. Respectfully Track fiddler
lol
For me, I own four BLI steamers: 2 x NH I-5 4-6-4's and 1 x NH I-4 4-6-2 (all three are "Hybrid" units), plus a NH "J-2" USRA Heavy Mikado. I have had to send one I-5 back for a fried decoder, but it was fixed at no charge. Since then, I've run my many times around my club layout with no trouble. In fact, I ran my repaired I-5 for our open house this weekend with ten passenger cars up a 3% grade (and no rubber tires).
Now, at my club, we have some 1850+ locos on the roster. Of these, 102 of them are BLI steamers; from a 2-8-0 to a Class A or a 4-4-4-4 and most things in between. Of all these, a few have been sent back to BLI to my knowledge. One lost a chuff sensor, another few fried a decoder like mine did, etc.
But then members have sent back other manufacturer models with some regularity as well. Many a Bachmann Spectrum has gone back over the years (one loco went back three times before they got it right), and so have Athearn, Atlas, InterMountain, Walthers, and so on. These are not "never fail" high-end consumer goods (if they were, we'd never afford them). These are all literally hand made...each and every one. They will have failures. There will be lemons right out of the box. It's what the manufacturer does when that happens that makes the difference.
Put it this way: brass steam was notorious for putting out a lemon or two in a production run...or perhaps the entire run was a lemon. The consumer was rather stuck with them, and was expected to fix it themselves or hire someone to do it (if they even ran it at all).
Edit: I forgot the Mikado.
I have 2.
N&W 611, and a Erie RR Mike.
(611 is a active run steamer for NS Steam program, so fits a modern era layout. The Erie RR Mike was just a too good of a price, so, my freelance line "restored" it for a local rail museum to use on their "dinner train", with the rule that they get to use it for "public good-will" runs of their own.)
Seeing as I run modern era, these will most likely be the only two I purchase.
(Although, if I can get her running, I was given a third steamer, a Mantua Erie RR Pacific. She will be the "OCS" leader, as well as the "railfan special" leader for my line.)
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Well, I tried to reply before and the web killed it, but MLB is SO slow, so I'll chime in again...
I have two. A Paragon 4-8-2 Mountain is a nice engine. It had derailment problems backing through turnouts but my LHS tinkered with something (maybe the training truck spring) that solved that. That loco was modified by them IIRC as that release had issues, maybe with the journals(?) that needed adjustment.
The second is a Paragon 2 2-8-2. It developed a problem of intermittent chuff, so I sent it in and BLI corrected that. The "but" is that it may have developed that again, but I'm not so sure as I have not run it much given other priorities.
I also have 3 Genesis steamers, a FEF3, a Challenger and a Big Boy, all reletively recent releases with Tsunami decoders. Also nice locos. The FEF3 had an intermittent problem so I sent it in and they replaced the decoder. The Challenger tended to lose a traction tire and when I tried to change it I broke an eccentric rod and had to change the rods on one side of one engine. That led to discovering in discussion with the Athearn guy that the particular run of Challengers had an interference problem for some locos with the eccentric hitting the rod bolt or something similar.
The point is, for me, the Genesis and BLI steamers are nice overall and the possibility of a problem is there, but I would buy a model I want from their line.
I also have 2 Proto Heritage steamers, a 0-8-0 and a 2-8-8-2. I think they are both good locos.
I have 3 Bachmann steamers, a 2-6-0 and two 2-8-0s. Less detail, of course. The 2-6-0 is ok but I had to go through 4-5 2-8-0s to get 2 decent runners. I'm not a Bachmann fan, though I think my experience is worse than most and they are "priced right".
I bought an IHC 2-6-0 Camelback at a nice price and converted it to DCC and it's a nice loco. Similarly, I have a IHC Pacific on the bench awaiting the conversion, but it seems to run just fair on DC and it's detail is inferior.
So, I'd like to see more UP steamers from Genesis, BLI and perhaps Walters Proto of locos that I don't have for my UP roster, like a correct non-USRA Pacific, an Atlantic, 0-6-0 switcher, etc. But I understand the market may not drive them to do so.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
I have 12 BLI locomotives: eight 2-8-2s, three 4-6-2s and a 2-8-0; as well as three brass hybrid 4-8-4s on order. I've had to send two back: a 4-6-2 was delivered with a bind in the mechanism and a chuff sensor died in one of the 2-8-2s. I would rate the BLIs as good, but not outstanding.
The Bachman spectrum 2-8-0s are great little pullers, as are the Proto 2000 2-8-8-2s, 0-6-0s and 0-8-0. The Genesis 4-6-6-4s are also favorites although not particularly good pullers. My Sunset brass 4-6-6-4s and 4-8-4s are great photo props because they look great, but they don't run very well (slippery and metal brake shoes cause electrical shorts).
Grinnell
Bli 4-8-2 MT73, PRR M1B, PRR J1a, USRA 4-6-2 erie, USRA 2-8-2 GN, NYC 4-8-4, PRR GG1, 2x GN E series
0
I have one steam loco, it's a Mahano, a 4-8-0 ? It "steals the show" when I have the Christmas layout up and running. It will run steady, smooth and quiet for 5 to 6 hours during our Christmas Eve family get-together. It's DC.
Mike.
My You Tube
cause model train forum exists to chat about model trains. I think.