Відео

I had the chance to find one at that price last Monday, and I ended up grabbing a Broadway limited NW2 SWITCHER for the same price. Guy was selling his stepfather's collection and after telling him it was worth 200 usd he asked for 80$ cad. You just need to find the rare seller that wants to get rid of stuff.

I paid $59 for mine, with DCC sound. Found it on ebay. I remember not long ago, these sold fairly regularly for normally around $40-80 DCC ready on ebay

Yes!

Im not sure what you mean. The prototype did have boiler bands. Any photo of a GB&W up close the boiler bands are visible.

@@trainman440 I couldn’t see em sorry

@@mr.oliver_11 please fact check before correcting someone else

Glad to see fellow modelers across the pond are also enjoying them :)

I’d be all for Bachmann re-releasing the DCC ready ready version. The current sound version is just too expensive…

That would be pretty cool lol

To clarify, my model could pull 3 or 4 cars up the grade below Coalton at most.

as they say, YMMV. If your track has steep grades and you use clipper oil as a track cleaning solution, then yes you will get less performance.

Hey! I cant share links here without youtube auto removing it. For speakers simply look up "28mm 2w speaker" on ebay. For the stay alive circuit look up "The DCC guy stay alive diy" on YT.

@@modelrailwaybackshop seems like some manufacturers care more about performance than others 🤷🏻‍♂️

oops, what did I say? 450? my b

I currently dont have a layout big enough (4x8) that could fit the length of cars this loco can currently pull.

@@Neb_fallout that particular loco is a dust magnet? cause i dont see why the rivarossi loco is any different from other models that would make it attract an unusual amount of dust.

@@trainman440 it seems like that because it has less pick up points

@@Neb_fallout how so? i thot it picked up on all drivers (minus traction tires) and each half of the tender truck. have you cleaned your track? or the copper wipers?

@@trainman440 yes but it just doesn’t stay clean as long as all my other locomotives

@@barkonious Unlikely. These models are expensive and made in very limited runs. Impact on shipping cost is negligible. And with two screws bolting it down I find it unlikely it being damaged. But who knows I guess.

@@trainman440 Samhongsa was known for cutting corners. Friends who were dealers had problems with their engines brand new. Also because these locos came with the weight installed they had to keep the weight down to avoid damage. The reason the micro cast engines had a bigger weight is because they were no installed from the factory they didn't have to worry about the weight shifting and causing damage to the models.

@@barkonious I know of many other brass models that had preinstalled weights inside boilers with MUCH bigger weights. I dont accept that as the primary "reason" for why they included such a small weight.

@@Bdmrr I absolutely despise bullfrog snot. Have you actually used it before? it makes your driver ever so slightly bigger than all the others, and literally LIFTS your engine up so your engine either see saws back and forth or it lifts other drivers off so they barely touch the track. If you havent used bullfrog snot before please dont promote it.

@@trainman440 I have used it. Did not notice the side effect. Did u apply it too thick?

I think it’s supposed to be a very light application

@@Bdmrr perhaps. Maybe I'll have to try again. In general though I dont prefer using snot. If I cant add more weight, I'll simply doublehead the train!

@@trainman440 I agree but sometimes I want a boiler barker

@@DavidSchubert-h5y hey! Glad to hear my fanbase is of all ages. Pittsburgh is far from where I live though so I dont find it likely for us to meet. sorry :/

Theyre plastic, but decently powerful! especially with the provided traction tires lol. I have a doubleheader of the Paragon2 2-10-2s video on my channel somewhere. It was relatively recent. Feel free to look around!

yes I covered balancing in the video lol. i dont understand why ppl feel the need to comment before listening to the point in its entirety...youd think it would save the effort it takes to write something up. but hey i dont judge. While melting bismuth (or lead, or etc) is the most effective way of packing as much weight to a boiler as possible, it often isnt practical for most of us. Gotta work with what you got.

@@trainman440 Yeah, LOL... You're right of course. I guess it's a matter of attention span. Aside from that... Yes, you have to work with what you've got. I model narrow gauge and the locomotives are small, so space is very limited. Trying to balance between adding enough weight and balancing that weight over the drivers is always a compromise. I equalize the driving wheels using a rigid beam suspension (the scale I model in is too small for springs over the axle bearings), so that just adds another layer of complexity. Good to see someone dissecting and improving brass locomotives. Most guys are too chicken to do such a thing to an expensive brass locomotive. I do it all the time, most don't run worth a darn out of the box (I'm speaking of vintage brass here, modern stuff might be a lot better).

@@WHJeffB agreed! every engine i get will absolutely be run. I have tons of both cheap and more "premium" models. I dont pay much for any of it. And I like getting my hands dirty to get the very most out of each :) cheers!

I think you're over generalizing. CERTAIN BLI models cant pull. But not all. Case in point, their paragon2+ I1sa is a plastic loco and a giant smoke unit taking up most of the space inside the boiler. it barely pulls anything. But if youve ever held one of their paragon1/qsi K4s, I think you would have your mind changed. Its got 100% diecast construction, tender shell and all, AND it has a giant lead weight taking up most of the boiler space. Gosh, that thing can PULL. I dont use traction tires, and i reserve the use of "tungsten putty" or "liquid weight" products for only the hardest to add weight areas of steam locos. Most of the time the cheap 1/4oz lead weights hammered into shape has been sufficient. Making my engines TOO heavy only causes them to potentially be damaged during transport. I also like to doublehead locos frequently, so a loco thats not too heavy isnt a big problem, and not being too heavy only helps prevent wheel wear when the two locos arent perfectly speed matched. Gotta make do with what you got lol. I plan to eventually rip out all the smoke units out of my BLI locos and replace them all with a chunky lead weight, for improved pulling power. Cheers!

@@trainman440 Oh yeah. I actually own 2 BLI QSI era K4s I bought from a guy...that both came dead on arrival due to the decoders. I was rather impressed with the weight of them, but that's also because they don't have smoke units. I have a PCM T-1 too which can pull about 40 cars on the flat without traction tires. But unfortunately I still find that rather lackluster knowing how much the real things could pull. I was primarily talking about their more modern iterations where people sacrifice weight for "ooo look smoke" when in reality that smoke also just gets oil vapor everywhere inside the model. (Rather sticky and goopy mess on the inside) And heck, my PRR L1 is die cast, yet only weighs about 14 ounces at most. I bought a scale to see how much all my stuff weighs, and man that is incredibly low because of the smoke unit. The T-1 still outpulls it by about double.

@@nickb.1095 i think the fact that smoke units in lieu of lead weight means youre giving up performance for a feature has already beaten to death. but yes. smoke units are sacrifices. Its not as simple as some people say "if you dont like it turn it off". They dont account for the lost weight that having an unused smoke unit inside their locos is hurting their performance.

@@trainman440 Exactly, then really don't seem to understand why their locomotive can't pull that much. In fact one guy I watch is British and Bachmann didn't even bother to put a weight in their Black 5. The boiler was completely empty! I was honestly shocked.

@@trainman440 I have a BLI Northern Pacific A-3, and it's fairly heavy and very powerful. I haven't really had any major problems with it. It's also THE most expensive locomotive in my entire collection.

yea, and unfortunately there isnt much free space in the boiler. So its hard to add more weight. Although my experience with my Bachmann K4 actually indicates a weak motor/low gear ratio, and not the lack of weight thats causing poor pulling power. The motor itself stalls when pulling a "realistic" size train.

@@trainman440 yeah then thats the probably the problem with mine may club is mostly flat so even most weak locomotives are fine but the moment i try to pull a realistic train 1361 just cant do it so thats probably the problem

more or less yea

Look at what the full scale thing did, if it can pull what it did in full scale, then that's the right weight to me. To me it being "too heavy" isn't a problem. Why? You want to the thing to be as heavy as realistically possible, but that's REALLY hard to do with steam. Its easy for electrics or diesels and you can create real bricks with them. A PRR L1 should theoretically be able to pull 40 cars without struggling. A PRR H10 anywhere between 35 to 40. Each locomotive was designed to haul a specific amounts of cars and perform specific tasks. The PRR used 2-8-0s and 2-8-2s primarily for locals, so your talking 50 cars max or less in most cases. Double heading sure was a thing, but you didn't tend to see the Connies or Mikes on ore or coal drags, you saw their I1sas and N1s on those more often then not.

"enough" is simply when the engine is capable of pulling a realistic number of train cars. For example a single BLI paragon1 PRR K4 can pull 20 passenger cars. that is "enough". A BLI Paragon2 I1sa (plastic shell, smoke unit) struggles to pull 15 40' boxcars. That is insufficient in my book.

@@trainman440 Agreed...I'll be weighing mine down more. That was one of the 1st things I also noticed, the weight isn't balanced over the back driver to give it traction.

@@nickb.1095 balancing is especially difficult/critical for engines such as 4-4-0s. really hard to find spaces to put weight on the back side.

@@jaymz5267 hoping to get a vid out soon!

yea, i find it pretty insane. but I understand some people are in the hobby more to collect and less to operate. I personally dont understand the draw but I can respect it.

"Shelf Queens" as some call them. My friend has quite a few of those now...primarily because he also bought expensive brass models "just to have", then after receiving them, realized they don't even operate after paying over $1,000 for the model.

My late Grandfather acquired a few locomotives to put on display inside cases. More specifically, he got an HO scale brass Overland Models Inc. Northern Pacific A-2 (which, sadly, doesn't run at all), an O scale MTH Premier New York Central J1e Hudson (which actually runs, and the sounds and lights are really amazing), a brass 2-rail O scale Overland Models Inc. Northern Pacific A-5 (which I have no idea if it runs or not due to the fact that I don't have any 2-rail O scale track), and an O scale MTH Premier DM&IR M-3 Yellowstone (which also runs, has awesome sounds and lights, and it's also the largest and heaviest model railroad locomotive I have ever held, period). All four of those models are really amazing.

Its harder to do in RTR models but yes. RTR models are generally better designed to utilize all the space inside the boiler. They tend to be light simply due to inefficient design and overuse of plastics or other lighter weight materials. For example, the addition of many plastic brackets, large gearboxes, smoke units, excessive PCBs or electronics, etc. Therefore it is generally more difficult to add weight to RTR engines, but certainly not impossible.

@@Nathanplayz.shorts putty! to make them interchangeable

ngl even in person its trippy asf

youre welcome :)

hehe thanks! I was afraid the running boards were diecast and part of the boiler. thats why i was hesitant in buying one. cause no way i was gonna leave the boards stock. as soon as i learned they were plastic (implying they were a separate detachable piece from the diecast boiler) AND BLI was selling them for $299 refurbished, i knew i had to get one :)

@@trainman440 heheh now it’s perfect 🤩

Thanks! actually both models have similar weight, despite MTH's being fully diecast. That's because MTH's has an empty boiler, whereas Rivarossi's plastic shell is filled with lead inside. Both have traction tires so I believe they are fairly similar in pulling power. Yes Rivarossi is doing a rerelease, I believe theyre $450 on trainworld, and after a 10% discount that brings it down to around $400. A VERY reasonable price if you ask me, in 2024. Cheers!

I'll admit its not for me, but I do agree its a rather unique scheme for a rather unique period on the santa fe, during a time full of intense cost cutting measures (1953-1965). Cheers!

spraying it with compressed air doesnt do anything. It is completely stuck to the brass.

Good question! Most stock gearboxes are perfectly fine. It is totally un-necessary to replace the gearbox unless its performance is not up to par to what you desire. I often will tune and modify gearboxes to run smoother and quieter, enough to be satisfied with the gearbox. That being said the only times Ive replaced gearboxes were either broken/cracked gearboxes (from select/certain ALCO brass), or ones which Im not able to make quiet, notably some PFM/United gearboxes.

I did! ended up adding TCS wowsound, although i might switch it out with Loksound, since wowsound doesnt have a great NKP whistle. But buy whatever sound decoder you enjoy the sounds of! all of them are equally easy to install, i believe these have an 8 pin dcc ready plug.

thanks! rivarossis engine is quite good looking, I dont like the false mentality of "more expensive = better". Its not always true!