Like every manufacturer, they have some lemons, but overall I am very pleased with my BLI engines. I have two Hybrid NH I-5 4-6-4's, a Hybrid NH I-4 4-6-2 and a NH J-2 2-8-2 (USRA Light Mike).
At my club, we have a bunch that have come through the door. The C&O Texas is great. Most of the PRR engines have been great. The N&W Class A is outstanding. But, again, some lemons can appear from time to time. Most of their problems are sound decoder related. Worse come to worse, strip out the factory DCC board and replace it with something better.
Mechanically, I'd say they're very reliable. They run smooth and (usually) pull pretty well (my NH I-5 Hudson pulls a dozen passenger cars up our 3% grades without a traction tire). 99% of the time, a problem with a BLI steamer is in the electronics.
I'm surprised by these answers. There have been numerous threads here on problems with the Paragon 3 decoders resulting in mulitple trips back to BLI or replacement by other brands.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/278649.aspx
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/t/259357.aspx
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
The mechanical operation is very smooth, with very decent (my two anyway) power.
The sound functions are a bit finicky though.... The chuff sensors often have issues due to a very poor design flaw in them. (Reed switches only last so long....)
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.
Heck yeah. They're good runners but my Mikado couldn't pull itself out of its own way.
WP Lives
I'm looking into buying a medium size steam engine like a Pacific or Mikado and I have seen some good sale prices being offered. Are the BLI engines reliable and worth adding to my fleet?
Dave