Like most who replied, I have and run BB and YB diesels, along with some nicer Kato powered Atlas, and P2K. All DC. All my steamers are oldies too. Dan
I personally don't have a preference. I'm only interested in finding viable and smooth-running locomotives for my prototype and era. I have newer steam & diesel locos and I also have late 70s/80s brass steam and diesels that run great.
So, age is superfluous; smooth-running locos are essential.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Most of my fleet of locomotives are older Athearn and Atlas locomotives with a couple Spectrum from the 80s through 1997. Then starting in 2017, I got my three newest locomotives, the three Athearn SDP40Fs that have come out.
Kevin
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
Just the other day I pulled out an old BB GP35 and gave it a tune up. Then I got out one of my BB GP38-2s just to compare the advances that were being made at the time when Irv Athearn was still at the helm. I still think the plastic truck side frames are outstanding today and these were hand tooled!
I still have a couple of the yellow boxes, a GP38 that was made in Austria and a Alco C425 that was made by Kato in Japan. Even though I've switched to N scale, I just couldn't part with some of these. I still enjoy setting up some HO track and running them from time to time because they remind me of those early years in the hobby when the yellow box Katos and even the Athearn GP38-2/GP40-2 and GP50 were cutting edge. all of these were also easy to take apart, clean and lube and reassemble by just about anyone.
Ralph
John-NYBWProbably the only thing worse than the coupler boxes on Athearn rolling stock was the coupler boxes on Athearn BB locos....
I have always liked those snap-on covers on the Athearn freight cars. However, using Kadee couplers on some of the early locos, and not just Athearn, often fried the knuckle springs when locos wired with opposite polarity were coupled together.It didn't take me too long to start body-mounting couplers in diesels, regardless of who manufactured them.A stack of sheet styrene behind the pilot, drill and tap a hole for a 2-56 screw, and you were back in business. It not only worked well, but looked better, too.Here's an Athearn U33C with body-mounted couplers and a few other modifications...
Wayne
Probably the only thing worse than the coupler boxes on Athearn rolling stock was the coupler boxes on Athearn BB locos. Other than that, I was OK with Athearn BB diesels although the Atlas yellow box were superior runners. Fine detail is not a high priority with me but as long as somebody else is applying it, I'm OK with it.
When I started my current layout about 20 years ago I decided I was going DCC and the plan was to convert all my old Athearn and Atlas diesels and Rivarossi steamers but when factory sound came out I found it easier to buy new rather than retrofit the old stuff with decoders AND speakers. My decision to go with code 83 track also eliminated the Rivarossi steamers with their oversized flanges.
My LHS deals in used stuff and I am cleaning up a lot of my ancient rolling stock and locos with the intent of selling it to them. Some of the rolling stock still has horn hook couplers. With few exceptions, I'm not sentimental about it.
I had quite a few Athearn diesels, mainly because they were the only decent ones that I could afford at that time. I bought mostly undecorated ones, unless there was a painted used one on-sale I learned a lot by detailing and painting them, and eventually remotored most of them, too. I later got a few Atlas diesels, all undecorated and re-detailed, too. Another of my favourites was Model Power's FAs...most were painted, but like most models in those days, were easy to strip using methyl hydrate (which now is almost useless for stripping current-day paints).
While I still have some of my diesels, the majority of them were sold when I back-dated my layout to the late '30s. I don't regret making that era change, but there are a few locos which I do wish I hadn't sold, mostly for their sentimental value and the work that I put into them.
I do have BB locomotives from the 90s. I confess I don't use them but I have quite a few Kato's - the Made in Japan ones from the late 90's early 2000's - and those have my favourite drives of all time. I'm still slugging it out on DC.
In sticking with the topic:
I still have some BB units, which I've been gradually purging. I'm keeping a pair of Atlas Yellow-box FP7's and a smooth running early 90's production Stewart White-box F7. Plan is to install DCC/Sound in all 3 units.
To me, the Stewart unit is the nicest looking, considering the 80's-90's era tooling. The Atlas FP's have the "squinting eye" windshields, but I think I can live with them once they've been detailed and weathered.
If this counts, I have 14 LL BB P2K E-units (E6,E7, E8). Most will be repainted to SCL's paint schemes (splite image and Bumble Bee).
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
I have owned plenty of the Atlas and Kato diesels through the last 40 years, and I have also dabbled in brass with both very good and not so good experiences with brass models.
For those of us whose tastes are gravitating toward the newer engines, they can be wonderful, but I obviously buy less of them since they cost more.
John Mock
SeeYou190 Easier to maintain and service.
Russell
Half of my diesel fleet is Stewart/Kato F units. Nearly all my steam locomotives are 20-30 year old brass models.
Athearn Blue Box drives are in all of my custom locomotives.
My only "modern" locomotive is my Bachmann EM-1 2-8-8-4.
Yes, I prefer the older ones. Easier to maintain and service.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I'm and oldie guy too, in more than one way too.Most of my Steam are oldies and all of my diesels are old. I prefer the Athearn bb diesels. My E7 fleet are either Athearn or Model Power. I say Athearn E7s but they are really SD40-2 frames with Cary Metal Bodies and the Model Power have Hobbytown Metal bodies. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
I still have my old Athearn BB diesels from the early 1960s. I've done what I could with them, with the best solution in some cases to remove the drive train, put in a lights-only decoder or a Soundbug, and replace the decals. After all, these engines are old friends and I owe it to them.
But, once I realized that I could get a Proto engine for less than the fix-up cost of an old engine, I got a couple of them and those are the engines I actually run trains with now.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I have, and run, many of both. I do like the Atlas YB locos, and if you can find one from Japan, with the Kato drive, that is a huge plus.
Mike.
My You Tube
Am I the only one that prefers older locomotives over this new high priced and much more fragle(to me at least) new stuff? While I started with Athearn blue box EMD's when I was in my teens(I am almost 48 now), I shifted to yellow box era Atlas locos with the silky smooth Kato drive,which is often cloned by the Chinese but not equiled in my opinion. Mostly Alco dominated but I have owned a few of the GP7/9 engines thru the years. Other engines sporting this drive were the earlier Stewart F units. This all shifted when Kato started selling HO engines under their own brand. Yes I know all of those older models either have cast on grab irons or just dimples for drilling(on the later Athearn blue box era diesels). But with my poor eye/hand cordination due to autism, I find them easier to handle. And the uber smooth drive and decent headlights in analog mode make up for the cast on stuff. I have run many other brand thru the years at the local club. And yes many approach that silky smoothness, but the fragile handrails and grab irons are actually a turn off for me. If I want that level of detail, I will buy Overland brass diesels. Just my thoughts, its what makes this hobby so great, there is something for everybody. I am just betting that many younger modelers, dismayed by the high prices of the new stuff, have no idea such smooth and quiet running older models exhist. I know this as I have met them at shows, and helped them find and purchase older models with the Kato drive. Mike the Aspie
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome