BLI NW2/SW7

[Mike the Modeler]

How loud is the mechanism without the sound enabled? Can someone compare the pulling power to the Kato NW2?  I've got a tight helix and a little more pulling power would really be nice!

Ran it today with sound muted via F8 key. Nearly silent operation and very smooth. The bell and horn sounds still functioned in this mode. I can comfortably pull a 12 car train with  Kato units. I have pulled 18 cars with the BLI unit but have not tested its upper limit ( others have posted pulling 25 ). These are impressive models.

[tehachapifan]

Got my NW2 up and running and agree this is a gem! First order of business was to turn volumes WAY down, as the sound was really blasting at first, and to get CV's 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 adjusted for smoother operation at the lower speed steps. I also wanted to get more of a loco start (movement) delay via CV 248 but I'm not noticing any changes whatsoever, no matter what value I put in there. Anyone else notice this? While CV 248 apparently sets the amount of start delay, I wonder if maybe there's an enable/disable start delay CV that I haven't found yet (my first BLI P3 loco).

Edit: Ok, found the CV that enables start (movement) delay. It's CV 245 and needs to be set to 3 (for the delay + a certain horn effect). It also seems that both CV 245 and 248 need the power cycled to take effect. I was able to get the delay to work the first time the loco starts moving after the CV change, but then goes back to no delay again with subsequent stops and starts. Not sure what's up with that.

[freedj]

I got one for the holidays and can confirm that it pulls a lot harder than the Kato NW2.  The Kato is able to pull 4 cars up my most difficult climb and the BLI is able to pull 7.

[haasmarc]

I have one that runs well and a second one that has some gear noise.  I am sending back a third one that has a lot of gear noise.

[Cajonpassfan]

Bump. My NW2 has been a good performer and I’ve been pondering getting another one. FDT now has them and the SW7’s for $124.19 so I bit the bullet and thought I’d share my little excitement with you guys...in case anyone here is interested.
Otto K.

[wazzou]

What is FDT?

[wcfn100]

What is FDT?

https://www.factorydirecttrains.com/

Jason

[wazzou]

https://www.factorydirecttrains.com/

Jason

Ah, thank you.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

How is the sound quality in these?

[Cajonpassfan]

Well Daniel, I like it a lot, but it’s a subjective territory. The BLI decoders have some quirkyness I’d rather not get into here now, but the range and implementation of engine and background sounds is excellent, as is the horn with its echo and bell. So I think highly of the quality of the sounds the decoder is capable of producing. As to the quality of the sound coming out of the speaker, it’s pretty good considering the size of these models, but to my ear, it sounds better that the stock Atlas S-2, a comparable model. It’s also quite loud and needs turning down. YMMV.
Otto

[Kentuckian]

Well Daniel, I like it a lot, but it’s a subjective territory. The BLI decoders have some quirkyness I’d rather not get into here now, but the range and implementation of engine and background sounds is excellent, as is the horn with its echo and bell. So I think highly of the quality of the sounds the decoder is capable of producing. As to the quality of the sound coming out of the speaker, it’s pretty good considering the size of these models, but to my ear, it sounds better that the stock Atlas S-2, a comparable model. It’s also quite loud and needs turning down. YMMV.
Otto

I agree.