Would any of you give me your opinion of where to go for the best selection and highest quality of N Scale steam locos?
There's no doubt that Kato and Atlas are Nos. 1 & 2 in quality but a very small selection. Spectrum has definitely improved but is still a last resort in my opinion. Model Power is hit and miss. You might get one that's excellent and the next one might be biodegradable.
I really would like to build up my steam roster but everything I see is questionable in either quality or quantity. Help me out here, Gang.
FritzvB
I don't have any Kato or Con-Cor steamers. Most of mine are either Atlas or Rivarossi (both old vintages). I have a few MRC (2-8-8-2's) from a long time ago. There are a few old MiniTrix's in the mix.
The Atlas & Rivarossi's run pretty well, given their age. The MiniTrix's seem to work okay. I'm considering a change to DCC in the future and I'm concerned about adding decoders to most of these locomotives. I've been looking for some newer models, hoping that they will be better candidates for decoder installations.
My best running steamer is a little 0-4-0 with no markings on it. Could be an old Rapido? It is THE most reliable steam engine I have! Pulls like a mule, too! I judge it to be nearly 35 years old! Sure got my money's worth out of it!
I did recently purchase a Spectrum 2-6-6-2. It won't run on the tight curves on my little layout so I have only tested it on the straight sections. The pilot truck derails easily. I haven't checked it yet so it might only be out of guage. Can't say that I'm satisfied with it, other than the purchase price was right. From other comments on several forums, it seems to be typical Bachmann: some are good, some are better as targets.
I think you may need to decide what locos you want and accept the fact that some will run better than others. You pays your money, you takes your chances!
Not much help, but plenty of opinion!
Darrell, quiet...for now
This is not an expert opinion, just what I have figured out trying to answer the same question, more or less....
You've pretty much answered your question yourself. From what I've read Model Power seems to be improving each time out, though not as much as we'd like. It does at least sound like they are listening. The newer Spectrum and LL (Proto N?) are supposed to be improving, too. The Kato Mikado seems to still be the class of the bunch. Some of the Con-Cor seems to be good as well. In the end, there's no one place, I think you have to decide what type you want, and get the one with the best reputaion you can find, if there is even a choice!
Good Luck!
Jeff But it's a dry heat!
Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.
The Kato 2-8-2 Mikado is the gold standard and is very hard to beat. Add the optional traction tire though, you won't regret it. Next in quality would probably be the Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 Connie. With Bachmann, quality control can be spotty, so try before you buy. And their standard line might be best steered clear of. They also have a Bachmann Spectrum Light Mountain that can be very good. I have two in service on my RR and they are great, though I've heard others have had problems. Again, try before you buy. The Life-Like 2-8-4 Berkshire is a fine loco, though it is a bear to install DCC into. You have to tear the loco apart entirely and then mill the frame. Not for the faint of heart! Athearn/MDC makes a great old time 2-8-0 and MDC made a great 2-6-0, but these would be very old loco's by the timeframe of your intended layout. Not out of the question, since some roads did not retire loco's often, but very old. The Virginia & Truckee used 19th century steam loco's into the 1960's I think! Also, you could use them for a museum setup if you wanted, or use the mechanisms and put a new shell on it. Model Power is making some excellent looking steamers, but they, with the exception of the Pacific, don't have traction tires, so pulling power is quite limited. They are supposed to make a second run of the 4-4-0 and the 2-6-0 that was just released, and the new ones are supposed to have the traction tires, so I'm waiting to get those. Also, the power pickup system on these is the old wipers. They wear out fairily quickly and the cause friction thereby reducing pulling power. For a loco that doesn't have a traction tire this is fatal on a grade. I have a friend who can only pull 15 cars on level track and on his 1% grade that drops to 4 cars and it's struggling and spinning its wheels! Atlas has had 2 steamers on the market in the last few years, but both of them are not what you're after probably. There's the shay, which is a great little logging loco, and the 2-6-0 that is another 19th century loco. Good little loco, but very old timey looking. Con-Cor makes some good loco's, but with the old man retiring, parts have been a big problem, and they really haven't come up with a new design in a long time. Intermountain makes some really good loco's from what I hear, though I haven't had the opportunity to take one for a spin around the block yet, so I won't say anything more. There are a few others, like the Model Power Mikado, which is OK, but Kato has a better one, and some others from other manufacturers, but that's the major players right now.
I don't know if you're planning DCC or not, but here's a link to a great page that has lots of links to instruction pages for decoder installations for many loco's. http://www.trainweb.org/nrmrc/dcc/conversions.html
Hope this has been some help
IMHO the best Nscale steam may be the Athearn/MDC Consilidation. Athearn s/b releasing the Mogul very soon. It's about the last MDC item yet to be redone. The Challenger is too new to be rated. We'll have to wait till Trainfest to see if it will be ready to roll this year.
Kato's Mikado is the next best, from a few years ago. Try finding one, mostly on*bay, not your LHS. The new 20th Anniversary model will be very sweet. I expect it will be a very hot seller.
Keep your eye out for Bachmann's new J class Northern. The photos from Ihobby look nice.
Atlas took a big chance with the Shay. Hope the new run has better quality. Their little Mogul would be a good replacement for Bachmann's old American.
LifeLike's steamers look nice, but don't pull enough. Steamers seem to need TT to get enough grip on the rail. For a tiny loco, the Little Joe can give cheap thrills. Be careful on the price!
MP seems to have a sharp learning curve with their steamers. New ones come with TT installed. They need modern Kato style pickup to run reliably.
What Nscale steamers need is 1) all wheel pickup, 2) TT on middle drivers for adhesion. 3) The body shell needs to be as heavy as possible. 4) Wheels need to be in gague & balanced in the center of the driving area. 5) Perhaps a more powerful motor can be hidden in the firebox area for better hp & weight.
fritzvb wrote: Would any of you give me your opinion of where to go for the best selection and highest quality of N Scale steam locos? There's no doubt that Kato and Atlas are Nos. 1 & 2 in quality but a very small selection. Spectrum has definitely improved but is still a last resort in my opinion. Model Power is hit and miss. You might get one that's excellent and the next one might be biodegradable. I really would like to build up my steam roster but everything I see is questionable in either quality or quantity. Help me out here, Gang. FritzvB
I'm an N scaler and own seven steamers. Out of the seven are two typical old type Bachmann's that run like crap!. Otherwise, I'm well pleased with the others. They include a Kato 2-8-2 Mikado, a Spectrum 2-8-0 Consolidation, a Model Power 4-6-2 Pacific, a Spectrum 2-6-6-2 and a Life Like 2-8-8-2. If I had to pick one brand I'd go with Spectrum...
Tracklayer
I've read all you guys posts,I have'nt had an "N" scale steam loco in over twenty years,I just got one a few weeks ago off e-bay, an Bachmann 4-8-4 it had no tender but will run with out the tender,and runs like an swiss watch,it is heavy but in excellent shape I tryed to make an tender for it , it came out fine but too light,mean while back to the drawing board.any body have an spare tender for an 4-8-4 laying around????
Jim
One of my favorites is an old UP Big Boy sold by Con-Cor, it has to be 20+ years old but is an excellent looking engine and a good runner. I have older Atlas (Italian/Rivarossi Pacific) in B&O colors that runs well.
You might find pieces that are used ones at your Local Hobby Shop or on the Internet i.e. Ebay. As for the new stuff, I like Bachmann but they are not as smooth mechanically speaking as the Japanese (Kato).
Slim Pickens for N scalers in terms of steam selection although it has gotten better. If only some of the O gauge guys i.e. Sunset 3rd rail/MTH/Weaver/Williams would make N steamers.