Great reviews. Thanks. I'm guessing from your suggestions that the larger steam locos, other than the Kato Mike you list are still problematic? May look into buying one of those if i can find one. Swapping the tenders is good 411, thanks. I would like to see a good running 4-6-2 and 4-8-4 in your picks. [sigh], Someday, maybe we'll see those. I would think those would sell very well.
I have an ancient 0-6-0 that i was playing with tonight [no clue who made it. 1980's.] and was surpised how well that one is still running. the coupler and front truck of the tender got damaged moving about over the years. I plan to rebuild that. The other big locos I inherited run poorly, or not at all.
thanks,
Scott
Brokomoto only runs smaller steam so he didn't comment on the larger stuff.
Availability is more of a problem than runability right now. There really haven't been any "clunkers" released in a while. Bachmann has the lead in good running steam by sheer numbers but there are other brands out there also.
Here are what is out there in no particular order or on its way....
Bachmann - Nice slow speed performance, very nice detail, many now dual mode DCC installed. STAY AWAY FROM ANY MODELS IN A WHITE BOX
> 0-6-0 / 2-6-2 - Standard line loco but a great starter engine for people who want to learn to tinker. It is easy to improve on and when finished makes a great running little loco. There are too many versions out there to count but stay away from any but the absolutely most recent split frame version.
> 2-6-0 - (not released yet so the verdict is still out)
> 4-6-0 - Great running small steam. Had some teething issues with the first runs because of in incorrectly installed pilot truck from the factory but later runs have been pretty flawless.
> 2-8-0 - You already seem to have experience with this one, excellent running loco. There are two versions, the original analog/DCC ready loco and the newest loco with DCC installed. The newest version has 6 wires between the loco and tender to facilitate the decoder install in the tender.
> 4-8-2 Lt. Mountain - Be wary, there are two versions out there. The original which ran quite well suffered from poor pulling power. On many locos the traction tire driver could be shimmed to gain traction but it didn't work on all of them. There is a very recent new version which now has the decoder install location moved to the tender instead of the boiler. It can be distinguished by a group of 6 wires running between the loco and tender. Reports are that this version pulls much better. Neither come with a decoder installed.
> 4-8-2 Hvy Mountain - This was a hands down winner when it came out. Take the smooth running character of the Lt. Mountain and add a die cast metal boiler for weight to get a great pulling and running loco. They come with dual mode DCC installed.
> 4-8-4 Northern ATSF - Latest version runs good, could be geared lower and needs tender pickup added.
> 4-8-4 J Class N&W - Good running, good pulling, easy DCC and sound install.
> 2-10-2 USRA Lt. - Another metal boliered loco that pulls quite well. Similar performance to the Heavy Mountain.
> 2-6-6-2 C&O H5 - This was the first version of the 2-6-6-2 and was plaqued with problems from the start. So much so that Bachmann has pretty much replaced all the first batch with subsequent production runs that worked much better for anybody that asked. Be aware there are still first run versions floating around out there and you don't want one of them. As mentioned above, pulling power is pretty whimpy as they opted to leave traction tires off of this model. They get better with age but still should pull more for a loco its size.
> 2-6-6-2 C&O H4 - A different version of the 2-6-6-2. The valve gear and details were changed based around the same chassis of the original 2-6-6-2. These came duall mode DCC installed with a shorter Vanderbilt tender and ran very well, with improved pulling power but still not what a 2-6-6-2 should be able to do. Mine with some weight added will pull 35 cars on level comfortably.
Athearn / MDC
> 2-6-0 / 2-8-0 - Brokemoto summed it up, great running small steam. The Athearns come with knuckle couplers, which makes life easier because coupler conversion can be troublesome on the MDC version. Both are a pain to convert to DCC.
> 4-6-6-4 / 4-8-8-4 - Both good running sound equipped locos. New production run due next year, both with Tsunami sound instead of the MRC in previous versions. (There has been one version of the 4-6-6-4 with the Tsunmai already) Early MRC equipped Challengers had some issues with smoking the decoders that seemed related to too much DCC voltage.
Atlas
> 4-4-0 - Disney version is out and reportedly runs very good. Regular versions should be here shortly.
> 2-6-0 - Rebadged MicroAce loco. Great running, incredibly small loco.
> Shay - Delicate, intricate loco that runs like a swiss watch when everything is right.
Model Power - All Model Power locos share a common design. They have the motor mounted in a metal boiler that tends to make a little more noise than others at high speed. The tender pickups are the older style axle wipers which many choose to replace with tender trucks from Kato or Bachmann. Easy to get out of quarter becuse the driver axles are not splined. When they are right, they run very good but they are easy to get "out of whack". Relatively easy DCC conversion if you don't mind not having control of the headlight.
> 4-4-0 - Very smooth, suffers the most from needing better tender pickup. If you want more pulling power add a traction tire driver from the Pacific.
> 2-6-0 - Another good runner.
> 4-6-2 - USRA Lt. Pacific. Good generic Pacific. Runs well out of the box, newest versions of traction tire already installed.
> 2-8-2 - USRA Lt Mikado. Same review as Pacific.
Walthers / LifeLike
> 0-8-0 USRA switcher - First run had some pulling issues due to wiring harness lifting rear of loco, easily fixed. Second run, problem was corrected.
> 2-8-4 Berkshire - Runs like a swiss watch, pulls like it has greased wheels. Difficult to convert to DCC.
> 2-8-8-2 N&W Y3 - Another stunning runner. First runs lacked traction tires and had anemic pulling power. Last two runs by Walthers were updated to include traction rires, easy DCC conversion and a sound version. These versions set the bar for how a steam loco should run in my opinion. The sound version is the best sounding steam loco with OEM sound installed, hands down.
Kato
> 2-8-2 Hvy. Mikado - Often quoted as the benchmark for N scale steam. Bullet proof design that is hard to mess up. Very smooth running loco, traction tires a must in my opinion. My main complaint is the loco is geared to tall. top speed is much too fast and it could be even smoother and pull better with lower gearing.
> 4-8-4 GS4 - Great running loco but nowhere near as bulletproof as the Mikado. Delicate design that is prone to throw traction tires if miss handled. Also some reports of cracked axles causing drivers to slip quarter.
ConCor
> 4-6-4 Hudson - The current ones actually aren't the best that have been made but are a very good runner. The best version was the second version which was made by Kato for Concor. The current ones are a copy of the Kato design made in China.
I know I'm forgetting something but there is what is reasonably current. If it wasn't mentioned, it wasn't worth mentioning.