crossthedogDoesn't sound like I really want to pursue older Rivarossi steam.
That would be a good choice unless you want to tinker and repower. I have one remaining Rivarossi* locomotive that I bought back in 1971 or '72 from Woolworths the day after Christmas for about $20.
Rivarossi_AHM_Hudson by Edmund, on Flickr
It has pizza cutter flanges and does not like code 83 rail.
Rivarossi_pip-frame by Edmund, on Flickr
There was a late-in-the-game "upgrade" to some of the Rivarossi locos that had a better motor and, I believe, slightly smaller but still oversized flanges. If you could see the motor sticking out of the back of the cab it was the older variety.
*edit: I retract that statement. I did buy a pair of the very recent Rivarossi U25Cs that are excellent locomotives. These were made after the Hornby acquisition of the Rivarossi name.
Good Luck, Ed
Looking further along in the search results, I found this on page three or four:http://www.spookshow.net/loco/riv282.html
"All of the Atlas versions (identified by their clear plastic boxes with blue plastic inserts) have somewhat iffy frames (constructed out of something called "Zamac"), which has a reputation for being quite brittle (especially where the motor screws to the chassis), as well as being prone to heat-related warping and out and out crumbling. No, they don't all have these problems, but enough of them do to merit the reputation (I've certainly run into plenty of warped/cracked frames on these myself over the years).
The Atlas versions also have a very poor quality can motor which was prone to melting down (depending on the year it was made, the motor housing might be black or silver, but regardless of the color the quality is suspect). Right-rail current comes from the right-side tender wheels (via axle wipers), and left-rail current comes from the pilot truck and left-side drivers on the locomotive. All of the rest of the wheels are electrically neutral. Unfortunately, tender current is routed to the locomotive by way of a notoriously unreliable stiff metal wire on the tender drawbar -
All four driver axles are geared and all of the gearing is metal. Two of the right-side drivers are equipped with traction tires. A non-directional headlight is mounted to the front of the chassis. The pilot coupler is a dummy (fixed/non-opertational) knuckle. The tender coupler is a truck-mounted Rapido. The wheel flanges are oversized, so these models will not operate on Code-55 rails."
Doesn't sound like I really want to pursue older Rivarossi steam.
Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.
I searched online for opinions but only saw a similar question asked many years back to very little response. Wondering what you guys think about older DC Rivarossi locos, like Connies, Mikes and Decapods. Mainly I'm interested in two things: do they run well on code 83 track and how noisy are they compared to other locos of the day.
Extra credit: if consensus is stay away, and if I wanted a Mikado or Decapod or Consolidation in DC, what would be a better option, in production or out?
Thanks in advance,
-Matt