The switch for the smoke unit is located under the hatch behind the stack, it’s held in place with a magnet so all you need to do is get a finger nail beneath the front or back edge of the hatch and lift up. The switch will be in the rear/on position by default, with the switch in the forward position turns the smoke unit off. The one difference between the as preserved versions of the model is the placement of the whistle. Where it is on the model is where it was from new in 1941, but where it is on the real engine since 1974/75 is by the smokestack as, from what I heard, Doyle wanted to use a pull cord for the whistle but the only way to do that was to move it from it’s original position due to the fact it used an air valve to blow the whistle originally.
Thanks so much for the info about the switch! I didn't realize the hatch was removable while I was doing the review. That's definitely not "under the cab" like the instructions said. I missed the location of the whistle. Thanks for the info and for watching!
Thanks! I was looking for the switch and wasn't able to find it anywhere. BLI's documentation does tend to be some of the worst. The model on the other hand is gorgeous.
I'm a fan of Broadway Limited's offering in N scale. Glad to see that this HO scale unit passes the scrutiny of your review pretty well. I also prefer to not have smoke active on steam engines. As an aside I'm holding you personally responsible in my recent foray into collecting Southern Pacific locomotives and rolling stock, lol. Yep it has started.
6:12: The oscillating light on these were called "Gyralights" built by Pyle-National. Single bulb oscillating lights were called Mars Lights (Mars Signal Light Co.).
When the 4449 was restored for the American Freedom Train, the engine was equipped with the dual beam Pyle Gyralight. Due to continual replacement of the seal beam lamps due to constant movement, Doyle replaced the Pyle National unit with a Mars unit which has a single bulb that doesn't move (the reflector moves behind the lamp). This is what it now has. The GS-4s and 5s originally were equipped with the Mars units from Lima. @@DanielCortopassi
I was a train show , and some body had a steel plant that had so many smoke units in it, that it set off the smoke detectors, and got the fire department involved .
I'm really not a fan of smoke, especially indoors. That's kind of a funny story, but I'll bet there were more than a few people who were bothered by the smoke. Thanks for sharing and for watching!
I personally dont like smoke units on any model. The smoke doesnt look real and like you said smells terrible. Im glad to see spoked wheels on the trailing truck. This is a prototypical feature so many models miss.
4449 was the first steam locomotive I rid behind back in 2011. Sadly it wasn't the first standard gauge steam locomotive I saw, that honor goes to SP&S 700 in 2008.
So many people have fond memories of 4449. It's a neat locomotive. I've only seen SP&S 700 once, when Nichole and I visited the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in 2017, and it was partially torn apart at that time. I'd love to see it under steam sometime. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the review - I always enjoy your reviews. I agree about the smoke unit - I’d prefer it to be off by default. I did notice the Daylight logo is too low on one side of the locomotive - this seems to be the case on all four Daylight painted variations Broadway have released. Also the tender water capacity lettering on the rear of the tender is missing (but would be easy to add). Thanks again.
I'm glad you liked the review. I didn't notice the placement of the logo while I was doing the review, so thanks for pointing that out. A couple other people pointed out that there is an off switch for the smoke that I didn't find - it's under the small hatch on top of the skyline casing. Thanks for watching!
Gorgeous model! The nit picks are completely understandable and very well articulated by you! The thing that bothers me is the traction tires. I don't know why, but they always bother me. Great review! I can't wait to watch more of your stuff!
I'm glad you liked the review. I have mixed feelings about traction tires, too. I'm not sure this engine really needs them, but I'm not sure how many passenger cars people might be expecting to pull with it. Thanks for watching!
Dan I'm so glad you reviewed this model. I been debating all week to purchase one from Lombard hobbies. I know BLI can be a risk and I've been trying to get good feedback from YT. I think out of 7 reviews only one was bad. That was more a track issue than the locomotive. Thanks 👍🏾👍🏾
Like most models, this one is not quite perfect but it is probably the best non-brass GS-4 I've seen. I didn't have anywhere to give it a road test, so I can't really say how it would run on a layout. Anyway, I'm glad you found the review helpful. Thanks for watching!
nice one, this engine started me in modeling. I got the HO Scale Lionel version when I was 6, (1973) I still had it 10 years ago, but lost it, I dont know how. I still have the caboose that came with that set :) Now I need this one lol
I remember seeing the Bachmann version of this engine years ago, and there have been a couple others over the years. Overall I think BLI did a nice job on this one. Maybe your Lionel engine will turn up sometime. Thanks for watching!
I knew Dan would find a flaw in this one. lol 😆I didnt notice it, but good eyes on the mars light only having 1 lens. I've heard how great of a model this new Broadway Ltd GS4 is and that its the closest model of 4449 to date. Thanks for the review, Dan.
I discovered kind of by accident after I finished the review that the entire boiler face is removable. There are LEDs mounted inside the smokebox. It might be feasible to just pull the plastic lens out and replace it, but I'd have to do some more investigating. If you had the modern version of 4449 the single lens would be fine. Thanks for watching!
I have one of the original Broadway models of 3751, when they were painting them dark gray instead of black. I'm glad that trend went away. I will probably repaint mine at some point. I'm sure they could do a really nice version of that engine now. Thanks for watching!
Very handsome and well detailed model of the SP GS4 type, I am truly impressed by this locomotive as this is the best release of an ho scale GS4 locomotive in recent years. Mth trains released gs4 models in ho scale about four years ago right before they discontinued producing trains in ho scale, Bachmann has also produced ho scale GS4 models but those models feature less accurate details. BLI did an impressive job with this GS4 locomotive model, I personally would really like to see a GS4 available in the postwar black/ silver paint scheme as that scheme is interesting and unique in contrast to the popular "daylight" paint scheme. Excellent product review and I really find this locomotive model fascinating as it is a popular steam engine model & I enjoy seeing high quality/ well detailed steam engine models- Tom.
I'm glad you liked the review. This is probably the best looking non-brass GS-4 model in HO that I've seen so far. I think BLI could do well with more black and silver versions of this engine, especially if they offered a de-skirted version. A lot of steam era SP modelers would probably want some of those. Thanks for watching!
Great review of a beautiful GS4 although I prefer the plainer WP GS6. I remember the railfan video of you and Nichole being pulled by 4449, you two make a very charming couple. BTW, couldn't agree more about the smoke unit.
I noticed Broadway has a fantasy WP GS-4 on its website, which makes me wonder if they would ever do a proper version. If they did a GS-6 they could sell the WP versions and SP 4460, too. Nichole really likes 4449. Thanks for watching!
A couple people pointed out that there is a switch under the hatch on the top of the engine, which I missed when doing the review. If they would just turn it off by default it would be awesome. Also, if they put in some instructions to tell you where the switch was. Thanks for watching!
Hey Dan thanks for the great review! Are you planning on putting an esu decoder in the locomotive? I remember in your review of the lokprogrammer you talked about adding custom sounds to locomotives then showed your clip of 4449. Just curious if you were ever planning on doing custom sounds for a model of 4449.
I will probably put an ESU decoder in this model eventually. I hadn't thought of doing a custom sound file, but I might be able to. I think the whistle on the real 4449 sounds better than the sound in this model, so it might be worth it for that. Thanks for watching!
Looks like a good model. From what I understand the star markings on axle centres denote roller bearings for SP steam locos. Not sure why 4449 has such markings?
I read that the stars designate a locomotive with spring pad lubricators. To be honest I'm not really sure what that is, but apparently 4449 has them. Thanks for watching!
All of the modern steam locomotives of the Southern Pacific Railroad aee semi streamlined as there were other railroads that had fully streamlined steam locomotive like the Milwaukee Road having built the first brand new streamlined steam locomotive in 1935.
I've always particularly liked the SP semi-streamlined 4-8-2s with the skyline casing. It would have been amazing to see those and other streamlined steam locomotives in service way back when. Thanks for watching!
Hey Dan. Interesting as usual. I'm REALLY not a steam fan but it's always fun to watch. There are so many steam engines that work so badly. Those have so many moving parts... At $700 USD, we're talking more of an investment here than a model locomotive !!! You also know that I'm not a fan of BLI. But I got to give it to them, that engine is very nice.
I'm glad you enjoyed the review. This model seems pretty good so far. I wish I could give it more of a running test, but that will have to wait until I get the layout going. Some BLI models have a bit of a toylike appearance, but they did a nice job with this one. Thanks for watching!
Daniel, I am thrilled to see you reviewing this GS-4 from Broadway Limited. It is my favorite locomotive as well. It was my first steam locomotive to experience in action as a young adult in 1976. My father had been following the travel progress of 4449 and he took me out at eleven pm to a train crossing in Northridge to see it go through on it's way to Union Station. I had no idea of what to expect of the whistle and horn and hearing far off at other crossings is an experience I will never forget and that the drivers only took two revolutions to clear the crossing was amazing. I think I was less than 25 ft. away. I loved it so much I bought a U.S.Hobbies GS-4 in O scale. Do you possibly know who is the engineer for the 4449 currently ? I can find nothing on the internet. Is Doyle McCormak still alive ? or possibly retired ? I know he sold his prized NKP No. 190. Thank you for a splendid report on the 4449, Bob M.
I"m glad you liked the review. It sounds like you have a lot of great memories of 4449 as well. I don't know much about the current crew of 4449. I'm not sure about Doyle McCormak either. I do remember hearing that the PA went to another museum. Thanks for watching!
I got to see this steam engine when it visited Sacramento in 1976 for the Bicentennial with the Freedom Train and later it traveled through Davis CA in the late 1970's in Daylight colors. There was no baby sitter diesel with it when it was used back then. I guess railroads don't trust steam engines to operate by themselves anymore. I've always wanted to own one of them but so far still do not. It would be nice to get one without the DCS system, which isn't the same as DCC. Well, maybe some day. The only steam engine I have is one of Intermaountains 3rd run cab forwards, but not in the number displayed in the Sacrademento RR Museumm.
Nichole and I had a good time chasing this engine in 2017 through Oregon. It's always a treat to see 4449. I have one of the InterMountain cab forwards, too, though I haven't had much chance to run it. I hope you enjoyed the review. Thanks for watching!
The connection works pretty well. My only minor complaint is that the electrical connector is in there so tight I found it almost impossible to get loose, not that I really need to separate the engine and tender. I'm glad they designed the box so that the engine and tender can stay electrically connected while being stored. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi I agree, I've found it to be the same on my athearn MT-4 lacking skyline casing. It was tight at first but after a while it became less so. Not loose whatsoever, but not so tight it would potentially break something thankfully. Always happy to tune into your videos!
In regards to strength, my most recent video shows a Broadway 4-8-4 is capable of pulling a large heavy trailer train and its auxiliary cars with little issue unassisted. Of course for an excursion engine a train like that is pretty overkill.
Thanks, Dan for another great video. I like my new BLI 7611 #4449 a lot, but it consistently derails on 22” curves. The #3 and #4 drivers slip off the outer rail and shift in toward the center of the curve causing it to derail particularly when entering a straightaway that follows a curve. This engine is described and advertised as having a minimum curve radius compatibility of 22”, but it derails twice within every 180 degree curve of my level 22” radius curve oval loop. Do you have any 22" curves on which to try yours? It works fine on my 26". The only other thing I noticed is that the upper half of the silver domed smoke box cover glows through pretty badly when you turn off the room lights. Otherwise BLI did a very nice job on this locomotive. Thanks.
I'm glad you liked the video. I have some Kato Unitrack curves that are about 22", but I haven't tried this engine on those. It might be good to include tests like that in future reviews, but I need a place to set something up and right now the train room is too much of a construction zone. That's interesting about the smoke box cover. I discovered that it comes off pretty easily. A little black paint on the inside might fix that issue. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi Thanks Daniel. I think some black paint inside the smoke box cover would do the trick. How do you remove it? Good luck with your layout - an ever evolving thing even after it's "finished".
Hey Dan.Thanks for the review.Although I think BLI make excellent steam & diesel locomotives, I have reservations about their electronics. Did you operate this loco in SS 1? If so, it is a common issue I have with BLI , is that their slowest speed is way too fast. I believe when a loco starts off & comes to a stop, it should be at SLOW speed, to be realistic.They are, I believe, now producing DCC ready locos, but only some versions.To me the paragon 4 electronics are way behind in their slow speed operation. Mechanically, they are more than capable of running at slow speeds, & their electronics let them down badly.Maybe that could be a points demerit , but it is a little late to be changing your protocol.Thanks again Dan. Michael NZ
I'm glad you liked the review. I didn't try a speed step one test specifically. I was using my older Digitrax Zephyr that just has a knob so it's hard to judge exactly what step its on. I'll keep that in mind for the future. When I get things a little more set up I'd like to do a more extensive run test, but I need to complete the train room first. I would agree that the BLI electronics are not my favorite. If they'd offered this engine in their Stealth line, I probably would have opted for that. Thanks for watching!
I would love to have this model but I’m hesitant about purchasing BLI. I have seen other reviews and one complaint that has come up is a derailing issue. I’m wondering if you have come across this and If yes how was it resolved. Great review as always…
I have not had issues with derailing, though I don't have a layout to run this on to test it right now either. My engine did lift itself off the rails a couple times when it hit the bumper at the end of my test track, but that could happen with other models too. Thanks for watching!
I will probably replace the decoder with an ESU at some point. I pretty much use those exclusively for all my engines, except for a couple like this one that came with something else. I don't think the sound or motor control of the Paragon decoder is as good as ESU, though in fairness I haven't spent a lot of time trying to tweak the CV settings. I have a GN 4-8-4 that also has a BLI decoder in it still, and it's hard to get really good low speed control. I like the ESU decoders for that reason, as it makes it possible to do really smooth starts and stops. I don't like it when locomotives lurch into motion. Thanks for watching!
I didn't have any issues with derailments, except a couple times when the engine ran off the end of my test track off camera. I can't really do much but workbench running right now, though. In the future when I get my layout started I want to use it to test models in a more "real world" situation. Thanks for watching!
Dan, I was excited to see you post a video on this. I came curios if you had noticed the third driver floating. I can see it floating in your video, though if you only ran it on a straight test track is understandable that it was missed. I was curious as to what you had to say over this issue as Broadway says it is by design but many people are saying is causing derailments, shorts, and other related issues. Great video!
I did not notice that on my locomotive, but I also don't have much of a test track right now, just what I can set up on the workbench. That's one downside of my current setup. In the future when I can get started on the layout, I want to put the models through a more rigorous test. It might be worth revisiting this one at some point when I can do that. Thanks for watching!
I may have to get a few Daylight cars. I have one of the Daylight Rapido 3/4 domes on pre-order. We'll have to see how that goes. I'm sure Nichole would love to see this engine pulling a train on the HO layout. Thanks for watching!
It's a beauty, Dan! I wouldn't mind having a steam locomotive for my layout, but I think they might be too long. What's the minimum radius for the 4449?
A lot of modelers consider you an expert on SP, that's why I think this video is doing fairly well in views. With that said, I think you missed the mark on several items. The smoke switch, the daylight logo being placed wrong, the front wheels aren't sprung, the trucks under the cab aren't sprung, the lack of full decoder programming and the smokestack and whistle placement being wrong. This reminds me of the SP ditch lights flashing video. Perhaps study harder because we come to you as the SP expert on 80's, 90's and steam items. I also had to go watch other videos to find out more information.
There is no documentation that I'm aware of that shows where the smoke switch is located, and in fact the instructions are misleading, so I think that one is a matter of having better documentation from BLI. I do my best with these, and maybe I could have talked more about certain things. I don't think this is like the C44-9W video. In that video I made an assumption that proved false. I've learned since then make sure and check myself, and that's one reason I've started to cite sources in the review to let people know where the information is coming from. Maybe I missed a couple things in this video, but that's a different thing. Thanks for watching!
I had to look up models of 4449 in O and saw the Lionel version. That looks pretty bad. I saw one from Williams that looks much better. I don't know much about either of those models, though. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi thanks for posting. Yeah, hopefully third rail sunset division makes one that is going to actually be correct. They do a two rail version as well so that would be even better
Yeah I'm going to say this is a let down from a reviewer that is known for being picky and being on point for detail. Take points for not having a twin beam mars, but not take points for the stack not being painted black. Tender ladders not being paint matched and electrical plumbing on back of the tender should be matched too. Also a shot of the top of 4449 running we can see the top of the streamlining and not pointing out the whistle isn't in the correct position. As its been up by the the stack for a long time and its original location is blanked off. I would take points also having to use a file to make Kadee coupers work. Take 5 point for all of those and you are sitting at sub well under 70 spikes. At least you didn't like and got the BNSF version. They paint the white stripes and markings silver. When your whole paint scheme is two stripes that is a huge miss.
I will admit to missing the whistle and the painted ladders. I have seen photos of GS-4s in service that had black tender ladders. I didn't have that many overhead shots of 4449 in the 1981-2000 period and most of them are from the internet so they're not that high res. Looking very closely, now that you mentioned it I can see the hole where the whistle is on the model is not there. I can't make out from the photos where the whistle is. As for the stack color, I really can't tell from any of the photos I have. It's also a part that gets extremely dirty very quickly. Photos of the rear of the tender are also extremely hard to come by. Can I say for certain that the electrical conduit on the rear of 4449 was never painted black between 1981 and 2000? No, I can't so I have to give the model the benefit of the doubt there. As far as fitting Kadees, some filing is normal for many models that didn't have Kadees to begin with, so I wouldn't ding this one when I haven't done that for others. I was happy that the factory couplers were at the correct height. I wouldn't penalize a model for changing the couplers unless the design made it extraordinarily hard to do so. If I'd taken 5 points for paint issues and 5 points for the whistle, we'd be at 80. Still in green territory. Thanks for watching!
i always am bothered about directional lights. there are often times in a multi unit consist at night that you can notice on a mainline train that the unit coupled to the cars has its head light on even though it is going backward and in switching jobs they leave the lights on each direction. This model seems quite nice. Another near perfect score. Although as many recordings of its whistles through the years, that whistle seems meh to me.
It's nice that they included an option for the "pro" mode to remap the function keys and lighting in one simple step. Non-directional lighting is more realistic. I'm not that crazy about the whistle, either. I may eventually replace the decoder with a LokSound. Thanks for watching!
I know someone who had one of the old Bachmann versions from many years ago and it wasn't something I ever wanted for myself. I've seen a few models of 4449 come and go, but so far I think this is one is probably the best looking, at least among non-brass models. Thanks for watching!
Great video Sir. But you have been much more pick on other engines, 5 points down for an oscillating light major error, on an engine on this price tag! Front coupler looks lose on the test. No mention! Tender still shaking after repair. Again in this price tag… also no mention on horrible BLI sound!! Sorry Sir, but you think you were too excited with the model and gave a BLI engine a much higher score than they deserve! I saw in your Channel many other videos with your real opinion, I couldn’t see that here.
I did a program a while back about my review process if you haven't seen it and are curious. There are always people who think I'm too easy or too hard on a model. Both couplers were at the correct height, which is great since that's usually where most models have issues. I'm not sure what you are seeing that makes you think the front coupler was loose. Most model couplers have a certain amount of vertical play. I didn't notice anything unusual here. The tender is stable enough after the fix that I don't think it will shimmy when the train is in motion, and I did deduct for wobble. What else would I do there? Anyway, I don't grade on my own repairs. I am not a huge fan of BLI's decoders, either, but it does do its basic job. I will probably replace it with an ESU eventually. Thanks for watching!
Mr. SP expert and picky dude completely misses the daylight logo is at the improper height on one side compared to the other and gives it an A rating. This is why I have to take into account so many videos to determine if a product is good or not.
You are 100% correct and it's comical people get so butt hurt when things are held to a standard. I too expected much higher criticism here for several items.
I will confess I didn't notice the placement of the Daylight logo. Keep in mind that this model represents the general appearance of 4449 over an almost 20 year period, during which the engine has had subtle changes as I mentioned. If I wanted to be super super ultra strict, it's not really correct for all those years. For those that think I didn't critique this model enough, I did a video about my review process a few months ago if you want to watch it. There are always people who think I didn't take off enough points. That balances the people who think I was too hard on the model. Thanks for watching!
@@modelrailroadexcursions987why would you waste your time watching a review of a product you already have just to see if it will mention the issues you found already? Maybe you should do your own review.
The switch for the smoke unit is located under the hatch behind the stack, it’s held in place with a magnet so all you need to do is get a finger nail beneath the front or back edge of the hatch and lift up. The switch will be in the rear/on position by default, with the switch in the forward position turns the smoke unit off. The one difference between the as preserved versions of the model is the placement of the whistle. Where it is on the model is where it was from new in 1941, but where it is on the real engine since 1974/75 is by the smokestack as, from what I heard, Doyle wanted to use a pull cord for the whistle but the only way to do that was to move it from it’s original position due to the fact it used an air valve to blow the whistle originally.
Thanks so much for the info about the switch! I didn't realize the hatch was removable while I was doing the review. That's definitely not "under the cab" like the instructions said. I missed the location of the whistle. Thanks for the info and for watching!
@@DanielCortopassino worries. I had no idea it was removable either until I emailed BLI about the location of the switch for the smoke unit.
I believe this is the first model BLI has done where the switch was not under the cab.@@DanielCortopassi
Thanks! I was looking for the switch and wasn't able to find it anywhere. BLI's documentation does tend to be some of the worst. The model on the other hand is gorgeous.
I'm a fan of Broadway Limited's offering in N scale. Glad to see that this HO scale unit passes the scrutiny of your review pretty well. I also prefer to not have smoke active on steam engines. As an aside I'm holding you personally responsible in my recent foray into collecting Southern Pacific locomotives and rolling stock, lol. Yep it has started.
Haha... I guess being an SP fan is contagious? Who knew? Thanks for watching!
6:12: The oscillating light on these were called "Gyralights" built by Pyle-National. Single bulb oscillating lights were called Mars Lights (Mars Signal Light Co.).
Thanks for the info. When I'm unsure of the manufacturer of a particular light I use the generic "oscillating light". Thanks for watching!
When the 4449 was restored for the American Freedom Train, the engine was equipped with the dual beam Pyle Gyralight. Due to continual replacement of the seal beam lamps due to constant movement, Doyle replaced the Pyle National unit with a Mars unit which has a single bulb that doesn't move (the reflector moves behind the lamp). This is what it now has. The GS-4s and 5s originally were equipped with the Mars units from Lima. @@DanielCortopassi
Great review! Used to live in Portland until 2013 and saw this beauty often. Also saw it in Rochester NY as the Freedom Train in the mid 70s
It's always a treat to see 4449 under steam (or any other steam locomotive for that matter). Great memories! Thanks for watching!
I was a train show , and some body had a steel plant that had so many smoke units in it, that it set off the smoke detectors, and got the fire department involved .
I'm really not a fan of smoke, especially indoors. That's kind of a funny story, but I'll bet there were more than a few people who were bothered by the smoke. Thanks for sharing and for watching!
😁
I personally dont like smoke units on any model. The smoke doesnt look real and like you said smells terrible. Im glad to see spoked wheels on the trailing truck. This is a prototypical feature so many models miss.
Totally agree about the smoke. The spoked wheels are cool. They look neat when they're rolling, too. Thanks for watching!
I’ve got the Post War 4444 and it runs like a dream! I do plan to get 4449 as well. I must agree, it must be BLI’s most beautiful model
I think they did a good job on this one overall. Thanks for watching!
I don't know if y'all have found it yet but the Smoky unit switch is under the hatch on the roof of loco
Thanks so much for pointing that out! I didn't realize the hatch was removable. Thanks for watching!
4449 was the first steam locomotive I rid behind back in 2011. Sadly it wasn't the first standard gauge steam locomotive I saw, that honor goes to SP&S 700 in 2008.
It was the first steam locomotive I rode behind in 1950.
So there. . .
So many people have fond memories of 4449. It's a neat locomotive. I've only seen SP&S 700 once, when Nichole and I visited the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in 2017, and it was partially torn apart at that time. I'd love to see it under steam sometime. Thanks for watching!
I love the daylight scheme ❤
Me, too! Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the review - I always enjoy your reviews. I agree about the smoke unit - I’d prefer it to be off by default.
I did notice the Daylight logo is too low on one side of the locomotive - this seems to be the case on all four Daylight painted variations Broadway have released. Also the tender water capacity lettering on the rear of the tender is missing (but would be easy to add).
Thanks again.
I'm glad you liked the review. I didn't notice the placement of the logo while I was doing the review, so thanks for pointing that out. A couple other people pointed out that there is an off switch for the smoke that I didn't find - it's under the small hatch on top of the skyline casing. Thanks for watching!
despite 2 small errors this model of SP 4449 is absolutely Gorgeous!
I agree. Overall BLI did a nice job on this one. Thanks for watching!
Gorgeous model! The nit picks are completely understandable and very well articulated by you!
The thing that bothers me is the traction tires. I don't know why, but they always bother me.
Great review!
I can't wait to watch more of your stuff!
I'm glad you liked the review. I have mixed feelings about traction tires, too. I'm not sure this engine really needs them, but I'm not sure how many passenger cars people might be expecting to pull with it. Thanks for watching!
Dan I'm so glad you reviewed this model. I been debating all week to purchase one from Lombard hobbies. I know BLI can be a risk and I've been trying to get good feedback from YT. I think out of 7 reviews only one was bad. That was more a track issue than the locomotive. Thanks 👍🏾👍🏾
Like most models, this one is not quite perfect but it is probably the best non-brass GS-4 I've seen. I didn't have anywhere to give it a road test, so I can't really say how it would run on a layout. Anyway, I'm glad you found the review helpful. Thanks for watching!
nice one, this engine started me in modeling. I got the HO Scale Lionel version when I was 6, (1973) I still had it 10 years ago, but lost it, I dont know how. I still have the caboose that came with that set :) Now I need this one lol
I remember seeing the Bachmann version of this engine years ago, and there have been a couple others over the years. Overall I think BLI did a nice job on this one. Maybe your Lionel engine will turn up sometime. Thanks for watching!
Nice review Dan. Gorgeous model…
I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
I knew Dan would find a flaw in this one. lol 😆I didnt notice it, but good eyes on the mars light only having 1 lens. I've heard how great of a model this new Broadway Ltd GS4 is and that its the closest model of 4449 to date. Thanks for the review, Dan.
I discovered kind of by accident after I finished the review that the entire boiler face is removable. There are LEDs mounted inside the smokebox. It might be feasible to just pull the plastic lens out and replace it, but I'd have to do some more investigating. If you had the modern version of 4449 the single lens would be fine. Thanks for watching!
Great review. Nice locomotive. I'm still hoping that Broadway limited will make another run with Santa-fe 3751.
I have one of the original Broadway models of 3751, when they were painting them dark gray instead of black. I'm glad that trend went away. I will probably repaint mine at some point. I'm sure they could do a really nice version of that engine now. Thanks for watching!
Very handsome and well detailed model of the SP GS4 type, I am truly impressed by this locomotive as this is the best release of an ho scale GS4 locomotive in recent years. Mth trains released gs4 models in ho scale about four years ago right before they discontinued producing trains in ho scale, Bachmann has also produced ho scale GS4 models but those models feature less accurate details. BLI did an impressive job with this GS4 locomotive model, I personally would really like to see a GS4 available in the postwar black/ silver paint scheme as that scheme is interesting and unique in contrast to the popular "daylight" paint scheme. Excellent product review and I really find this locomotive model fascinating as it is a popular steam engine model & I enjoy seeing high quality/ well detailed steam engine models- Tom.
I'm glad you liked the review. This is probably the best looking non-brass GS-4 model in HO that I've seen so far. I think BLI could do well with more black and silver versions of this engine, especially if they offered a de-skirted version. A lot of steam era SP modelers would probably want some of those. Thanks for watching!
Great review of a beautiful GS4 although I prefer the plainer WP GS6. I remember the railfan video of you and Nichole being pulled by 4449, you two make a very charming couple. BTW, couldn't agree more about the smoke unit.
I noticed Broadway has a fantasy WP GS-4 on its website, which makes me wonder if they would ever do a proper version. If they did a GS-6 they could sell the WP versions and SP 4460, too. Nichole really likes 4449. Thanks for watching!
Very good review and I couldn't agree more about the smoke units on BLM locomotives.
A couple people pointed out that there is a switch under the hatch on the top of the engine, which I missed when doing the review. If they would just turn it off by default it would be awesome. Also, if they put in some instructions to tell you where the switch was. Thanks for watching!
Great model! Nice video! Keep up the great work you do! 👍🫡
I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi No problem! 👍
Very nice.
Thanks for watching!
Hey Dan thanks for the great review! Are you planning on putting an esu decoder in the locomotive? I remember in your review of the lokprogrammer you talked about adding custom sounds to locomotives then showed your clip of 4449. Just curious if you were ever planning on doing custom sounds for a model of 4449.
I will probably put an ESU decoder in this model eventually. I hadn't thought of doing a custom sound file, but I might be able to. I think the whistle on the real 4449 sounds better than the sound in this model, so it might be worth it for that. Thanks for watching!
Looks like a good model. From what I understand the star markings on axle centres denote roller bearings for SP steam locos. Not sure why 4449 has such markings?
I read that the stars designate a locomotive with spring pad lubricators. To be honest I'm not really sure what that is, but apparently 4449 has them. Thanks for watching!
All of the modern steam locomotives of the Southern Pacific Railroad aee semi streamlined as there were other railroads that had fully streamlined steam locomotive like the Milwaukee Road having built the first brand new streamlined steam locomotive in 1935.
I've always particularly liked the SP semi-streamlined 4-8-2s with the skyline casing. It would have been amazing to see those and other streamlined steam locomotives in service way back when. Thanks for watching!
Hey Dan. Interesting as usual. I'm REALLY not a steam fan but it's always fun to watch. There are so many steam engines that work so badly. Those have so many moving parts... At $700 USD, we're talking more of an investment here than a model locomotive !!! You also know that I'm not a fan of BLI. But I got to give it to them, that engine is very nice.
I'm glad you enjoyed the review. This model seems pretty good so far. I wish I could give it more of a running test, but that will have to wait until I get the layout going. Some BLI models have a bit of a toylike appearance, but they did a nice job with this one. Thanks for watching!
Daniel, I am thrilled to see you reviewing this GS-4 from Broadway Limited. It is my favorite locomotive as well. It was my first steam locomotive to experience in action as a young adult in 1976. My father had been following the travel progress of 4449 and he took me out at eleven pm to a train crossing in Northridge to see it go through on it's way to Union Station. I had no idea of what to expect of the whistle and horn and hearing far off at other crossings is an experience I will never forget and that the drivers only took two revolutions to clear the crossing was amazing. I think I was less than 25 ft. away. I loved it so much I bought a U.S.Hobbies GS-4 in O scale.
Do you possibly know who is the engineer for the 4449 currently ? I can find nothing on the internet. Is Doyle McCormak still alive ? or possibly retired ? I know he sold his prized NKP No. 190.
Thank you for a splendid report on the 4449,
Bob M.
I"m glad you liked the review. It sounds like you have a lot of great memories of 4449 as well. I don't know much about the current crew of 4449. I'm not sure about Doyle McCormak either. I do remember hearing that the PA went to another museum. Thanks for watching!
I got to see this steam engine when it visited Sacramento in 1976 for the Bicentennial with the Freedom Train and later it traveled through Davis CA in the late 1970's in Daylight colors. There was no baby sitter diesel with it when it was used back then. I guess railroads don't trust steam engines to operate by themselves anymore. I've always wanted to own one of them but so far still do not. It would be nice to get one without the DCS system, which isn't the same as DCC. Well, maybe some day. The only steam engine I have is one of Intermaountains 3rd run cab forwards, but not in the number displayed in the Sacrademento RR Museumm.
Nichole and I had a good time chasing this engine in 2017 through Oregon. It's always a treat to see 4449. I have one of the InterMountain cab forwards, too, though I haven't had much chance to run it. I hope you enjoyed the review. Thanks for watching!
I really like the engine and tender connection. Lionel should take a cue.
The connection works pretty well. My only minor complaint is that the electrical connector is in there so tight I found it almost impossible to get loose, not that I really need to separate the engine and tender. I'm glad they designed the box so that the engine and tender can stay electrically connected while being stored. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi I agree, I've found it to be the same on my athearn MT-4 lacking skyline casing. It was tight at first but after a while it became less so. Not loose whatsoever, but not so tight it would potentially break something thankfully. Always happy to tune into your videos!
In regards to strength, my most recent video shows a Broadway 4-8-4 is capable of pulling a large heavy trailer train and its auxiliary cars with little issue unassisted. Of course for an excursion engine a train like that is pretty overkill.
Yes, this thing seems like a really strong puller. I'm looking forward to using it for excursions on my future layout. Thanks for watching!
Thanks, Dan for another great video. I like my new BLI 7611 #4449 a lot, but it consistently derails on 22” curves. The #3 and #4 drivers slip off the outer rail and shift in toward the center of the curve causing it to derail particularly when entering a straightaway that follows a curve. This engine is described and advertised as having a minimum curve radius compatibility of 22”, but it derails twice within every 180 degree curve of my level 22” radius curve oval loop. Do you have any 22" curves on which to try yours? It works fine on my 26". The only other thing I noticed is that the upper half of the silver domed smoke box cover glows through pretty badly when you turn off the room lights. Otherwise BLI did a very nice job on this locomotive. Thanks.
I'm glad you liked the video. I have some Kato Unitrack curves that are about 22", but I haven't tried this engine on those. It might be good to include tests like that in future reviews, but I need a place to set something up and right now the train room is too much of a construction zone. That's interesting about the smoke box cover. I discovered that it comes off pretty easily. A little black paint on the inside might fix that issue. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi Thanks Daniel. I think some black paint inside the smoke box cover would do the trick. How do you remove it? Good luck with your layout - an ever evolving thing even after it's "finished".
Hey Dan.Thanks for the review.Although I think BLI make excellent steam & diesel locomotives, I have reservations about their electronics. Did you operate this loco in SS 1? If so, it is a common issue I have with BLI , is that their slowest speed is way too fast. I believe when a loco starts off & comes to a stop, it should be at SLOW speed, to be realistic.They are, I believe, now producing DCC ready locos, but only some versions.To me the paragon 4 electronics are way behind in their slow speed operation. Mechanically, they are more than capable of running at slow speeds, & their electronics let them down badly.Maybe that could be a points demerit , but it is a little late to be changing your protocol.Thanks again Dan. Michael NZ
I'm glad you liked the review. I didn't try a speed step one test specifically. I was using my older Digitrax Zephyr that just has a knob so it's hard to judge exactly what step its on. I'll keep that in mind for the future. When I get things a little more set up I'd like to do a more extensive run test, but I need to complete the train room first. I would agree that the BLI electronics are not my favorite. If they'd offered this engine in their Stealth line, I probably would have opted for that. Thanks for watching!
I would love to have this model but I’m hesitant about purchasing BLI. I have seen other reviews and one complaint that has come up is a derailing issue. I’m wondering if you have come across this and If yes how was it resolved. Great review as always…
I have not had issues with derailing, though I don't have a layout to run this on to test it right now either. My engine did lift itself off the rails a couple times when it hit the bumper at the end of my test track, but that could happen with other models too. Thanks for watching!
Any thoughts on replacing the Paragon sound with an ESU or Tsunami decoder? or is Paragon 4 decent/comparable to Tsunami and ESU now?
I will probably replace the decoder with an ESU at some point. I pretty much use those exclusively for all my engines, except for a couple like this one that came with something else. I don't think the sound or motor control of the Paragon decoder is as good as ESU, though in fairness I haven't spent a lot of time trying to tweak the CV settings. I have a GN 4-8-4 that also has a BLI decoder in it still, and it's hard to get really good low speed control. I like the ESU decoders for that reason, as it makes it possible to do really smooth starts and stops. I don't like it when locomotives lurch into motion. Thanks for watching!
*Finally* the 4449 arrives in HO scale! In 8 months she’ll be ready for Halloween 👻
We'll have to see if we can work it into an indoor display maybe. Thanks for watching!
Do you second from the rear drivers also not seat on the rails and derail? At least the wheels are in gauge, but this is a problem
I didn't have any issues with derailments, except a couple times when the engine ran off the end of my test track off camera. I can't really do much but workbench running right now, though. In the future when I get my layout started I want to use it to test models in a more "real world" situation. Thanks for watching!
Dan, I was excited to see you post a video on this. I came curios if you had noticed the third driver floating. I can see it floating in your video, though if you only ran it on a straight test track is understandable that it was missed. I was curious as to what you had to say over this issue as Broadway says it is by design but many people are saying is causing derailments, shorts, and other related issues. Great video!
I did not notice that on my locomotive, but I also don't have much of a test track right now, just what I can set up on the workbench. That's one downside of my current setup. In the future when I can get started on the layout, I want to put the models through a more rigorous test. It might be worth revisiting this one at some point when I can do that. Thanks for watching!
I just saw this comment after I posted. I’m having the same problem.
Nicole like that when get layout up running ,, maybe start buying her passenger cars , gifts to each other study history of each car
I may have to get a few Daylight cars. I have one of the Daylight Rapido 3/4 domes on pre-order. We'll have to see how that goes. I'm sure Nichole would love to see this engine pulling a train on the HO layout. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi she can run n my sp layout
I would think gs means general sevice and a review of the rcs14 soon ?
To be honest I'm not sure what an RCS 14 is. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi rs18s cn derated and retrucked for use in eastern canada in the mid 70s
It's a beauty, Dan! I wouldn't mind having a steam locomotive for my layout, but I think they might be too long. What's the minimum radius for the 4449?
Broadway recommends 22" as the minimum for this engine. I didn't test that, though. Thanks for watching!
Hey Dan you forgot to tell if you saw 4449 at Railfair 1999
I did. And yes, I forgot to mention that. I wish I'd taken more pictures. Thanks for watching!
A lot of modelers consider you an expert on SP, that's why I think this video is doing fairly well in views. With that said, I think you missed the mark on several items. The smoke switch, the daylight logo being placed wrong, the front wheels aren't sprung, the trucks under the cab aren't sprung, the lack of full decoder programming and the smokestack and whistle placement being wrong. This reminds me of the SP ditch lights flashing video. Perhaps study harder because we come to you as the SP expert on 80's, 90's and steam items. I also had to go watch other videos to find out more information.
There is no documentation that I'm aware of that shows where the smoke switch is located, and in fact the instructions are misleading, so I think that one is a matter of having better documentation from BLI. I do my best with these, and maybe I could have talked more about certain things. I don't think this is like the C44-9W video. In that video I made an assumption that proved false. I've learned since then make sure and check myself, and that's one reason I've started to cite sources in the review to let people know where the information is coming from. Maybe I missed a couple things in this video, but that's a different thing. Thanks for watching!
This is what i wanted in O scale but we dont get that luxury
I had to look up models of 4449 in O and saw the Lionel version. That looks pretty bad. I saw one from Williams that looks much better. I don't know much about either of those models, though. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi thanks for posting. Yeah, hopefully third rail sunset division makes one that is going to actually be correct.
They do a two rail version as well so that would be even better
👍👍👍
Thanks for watching!
🤩🤩🤩🤩👍
Thanks for watching!
Yeah I'm going to say this is a let down from a reviewer that is known for being picky and being on point for detail.
Take points for not having a twin beam mars, but not take points for the stack not being painted black. Tender ladders not being paint matched and electrical plumbing on back of the tender should be matched too. Also a shot of the top of 4449 running we can see the top of the streamlining and not pointing out the whistle isn't in the correct position. As its been up by the the stack for a long time and its original location is blanked off.
I would take points also having to use a file to make Kadee coupers work.
Take 5 point for all of those and you are sitting at sub well under 70 spikes.
At least you didn't like and got the BNSF version. They paint the white stripes and markings silver. When your whole paint scheme is two stripes that is a huge miss.
I will admit to missing the whistle and the painted ladders. I have seen photos of GS-4s in service that had black tender ladders. I didn't have that many overhead shots of 4449 in the 1981-2000 period and most of them are from the internet so they're not that high res. Looking very closely, now that you mentioned it I can see the hole where the whistle is on the model is not there. I can't make out from the photos where the whistle is. As for the stack color, I really can't tell from any of the photos I have. It's also a part that gets extremely dirty very quickly. Photos of the rear of the tender are also extremely hard to come by. Can I say for certain that the electrical conduit on the rear of 4449 was never painted black between 1981 and 2000? No, I can't so I have to give the model the benefit of the doubt there. As far as fitting Kadees, some filing is normal for many models that didn't have Kadees to begin with, so I wouldn't ding this one when I haven't done that for others. I was happy that the factory couplers were at the correct height. I wouldn't penalize a model for changing the couplers unless the design made it extraordinarily hard to do so. If I'd taken 5 points for paint issues and 5 points for the whistle, we'd be at 80. Still in green territory. Thanks for watching!
i always am bothered about directional lights. there are often times in a multi unit consist at night that you can notice on a mainline train that the unit coupled to the cars has its head light on even though it is going backward and in switching jobs they leave the lights on each direction. This model seems quite nice. Another near perfect score. Although as many recordings of its whistles through the years, that whistle seems meh to me.
It's nice that they included an option for the "pro" mode to remap the function keys and lighting in one simple step. Non-directional lighting is more realistic. I'm not that crazy about the whistle, either. I may eventually replace the decoder with a LokSound. Thanks for watching!
I hope you can find a suitable whistle replacement. Thank you for making great model railway videos @@DanielCortopassi
At least you don’t have the Bachman/Lionel models……👎🏿
I know someone who had one of the old Bachmann versions from many years ago and it wasn't something I ever wanted for myself. I've seen a few models of 4449 come and go, but so far I think this is one is probably the best looking, at least among non-brass models. Thanks for watching!
Great video Sir. But you have been much more pick on other engines, 5 points down for an oscillating light major error, on an engine on this price tag!
Front coupler looks lose on the test. No mention! Tender still shaking after repair. Again in this price tag… also no mention on horrible BLI sound!!
Sorry Sir, but you think you were too excited with the model and gave a BLI engine a much higher score than they deserve!
I saw in your Channel many other videos with your real opinion, I couldn’t see that here.
I did a program a while back about my review process if you haven't seen it and are curious. There are always people who think I'm too easy or too hard on a model. Both couplers were at the correct height, which is great since that's usually where most models have issues. I'm not sure what you are seeing that makes you think the front coupler was loose. Most model couplers have a certain amount of vertical play. I didn't notice anything unusual here. The tender is stable enough after the fix that I don't think it will shimmy when the train is in motion, and I did deduct for wobble. What else would I do there? Anyway, I don't grade on my own repairs. I am not a huge fan of BLI's decoders, either, but it does do its basic job. I will probably replace it with an ESU eventually. Thanks for watching!
Mr. SP expert and picky dude completely misses the daylight logo is at the improper height on one side compared to the other and gives it an A rating. This is why I have to take into account so many videos to determine if a product is good or not.
chill out bud
yeah man calm down don’t let this video about a model train ruin your day
You are 100% correct and it's comical people get so butt hurt when things are held to a standard. I too expected much higher criticism here for several items.
I will confess I didn't notice the placement of the Daylight logo. Keep in mind that this model represents the general appearance of 4449 over an almost 20 year period, during which the engine has had subtle changes as I mentioned. If I wanted to be super super ultra strict, it's not really correct for all those years. For those that think I didn't critique this model enough, I did a video about my review process a few months ago if you want to watch it. There are always people who think I didn't take off enough points. That balances the people who think I was too hard on the model. Thanks for watching!
@@modelrailroadexcursions987why would you waste your time watching a review of a product you already have just to see if it will mention the issues you found already? Maybe you should do your own review.