I'm looking for info on BLI's M1A steam locomotive

[Paradise275]

I've reviewed Spookshow's review on this loco but am interested if is anything new owners would like to report.

Thanks,
Rick

[Mike C]

I've got 2 of them and really love them ! Run really well and quiet . The sound is OK , but sounded a little off to me . Mostly the steam cock sound is what I didn't like . The chuff and whistle are good .  This would have been a perfect loco if it had come without sound , as I replaced both decoders with Tsunami 2 decoders . I've seen them on sale lately for close to 200 bucks so the price has come down a bit .

[YouraverageSPF]

I have a BLI M1 and I consider her the crown jewel of my fleet of engines because of her smooth running and decent sound. However, I should note that they don't have dummy front couplers so double heading the engine might be a slight challenge. In that case, I'd recommend purchasing some of these to rectify that problem:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/ASLFQ5US2/broadway-limited-m1-pilot-knuckle-replacement-4pk?optionId=59820199 

[Paradise275]

Thanks for the input guys. That confirms Spookshow's review ( as if his needs confirmation),

Crew, did you replace the decoders because the originals were defective or you just like the others better?

The Shapeways couplers look neat but was it really necessary to double head these locos, especially for passenger?

Rick

[Lemosteam]

Thanks for the input guys. That confirms Spookshow's review ( as if his needs confirmation),

Crew, did you replace the decoders because the originals were defective or you just like the others better?

The Shapeways couplers look neat but was it really necessary to double head these locos, especially for passenger?

Rick

The PRR M1 was a dual purpose locomotive.  It hauled freight and passenger alike, they were doubled up frequently, particularly in freight operations.

[Paradise275]

Thanks Lemonsteam.
I'm not really into Pennsy railroad. I'm into passenger trains of all roads and have a lot of the Micro-Train Pennsy heavyweights. My Bachmann K-4 doesn't pull a lot of them up our 2% grad so I thought the M1 might work better.

Rick

[Mike C]

Crew, did you replace the decoders because the originals were defective or you just like the others better?



Rick

I replaced them partly because I prefer the Tsunami 2 decoders . One of the Paragon decoders did have an odd problem though . Every time one of the tender trucks would go through a switch the chuff would cut out ,none of the other sounds were affected though . Oh the other reason was that Tsunami decoders will cut the chuff volume way down as the loco coasts to a stop ( you need to use a LOT of momentum to get the best effect ) the Paragon decoders do not handle this very well .

[Paradise275]

OK, thanks Crew.

I don't think I'll replace the decoders. I'm not that good at it and I'll see what happens.
I have a Walters (Life Like) Norfolk & Western 2-6-6-2 where the sound works fir but no motor control.
I've sent it back once but it still doesn't work. They say they will replace the decoder but I won't get all the functions that were in the original.

Rick

[peteski]

I have a Walters (Life Like) Norfolk & Western 2-6-6-2 where the sound works fir but no motor control.
I've sent it back once but it still doesn't work. They say they will replace the decoder but I won't get all the functions that were in the original.

Rick

Rick,
The QSI Revolution sound decoder in that loco was custom-made for Walthers to fit in that model's tender.   Are you saying (by stating that the functions will not be the same) that Walters will repair the loco by replacing that decoder by retrofitting some other brand decoder?

You say that the sounds work fine - so as you increase the speed step on your throttle the chuffing speeds up too?
Is it possible that the decoder is fine and the problem is simply an open wire in the harness between the loco and the tender?  An easy fix?

[Paradise275]

Yes, everything works fine except for motion. The chuff rate increases as you advance the throttle etc.
It just doesn't move. The Walters Tech said he would install a different decoder (not the original one).

Rick

[peteski]

Yes, everything works fine except for motion. The chuff rate increases as you advance the throttle etc.
It just doesn't move. The Walters Tech said he would install a different decoder (not the original one).

Rick

I would say that the odds are good that all that is wrong is the broken wire in the wiring harness. I suppose the decoder could be bad too, but to me it seems that the wire harness would be more likely to fail.  That would be an easy and inexpensive fix.

I'm surprised that Walthers service dept. is willing to retrofit another decoder (that will take some labor).  It would be too bad to discard this decoder because that specific decoder in that loco was what really impressed me about sound-equipped N scale steam locos. I fell in love with how well it sounded and all the little nuances of the sounds produced by the QSI decoder.

[Paradise275]

I'm not sure I want to take the loco apart though. I did that with a Model Power pacific once to install traction tires and ended up with a handful of little pieces.