BLI F3's/F7's Shipping

[drbnc]

My smallest spacers ever. 0.004" thick aluminum with a 0.040" hole. Works. Also, notice the extended shaft on the upper gear. But that doesn't seem to be an issue. I think the chassis and side frames hold those in.

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[mighalpern]

Wow:  Got me scared
I'm scheduled to receive my first one ( got 3 by accident  )  on Monday !!!   NCL scheme   Hoping that it isn't a big deal to shim up that loose idler gear, but my biggest concern is the pulling ability.  I bought these waiting on IM units in NCL lowey to come out.  I would like to run an eastbound and westbound trains on my future layout with about 8~9 passenger cars, but reading that it can only pull 4~5 cars on a 2% slope is not good.  Anybody got some better results !?!? 
I plan on having a 2%  to 2.25% helix so this would be a real ball buster 
thanks
come on Monday 
miguel

[haasmarc]

Wow:  Got me scared
I'm scheduled to receive my first one ( got 3 by accident  )  on Monday !!!   NCL scheme   Hoping that it isn't a big deal to shim up that loose idler gear, but my biggest concern is the pulling ability.  I bought these waiting on IM units in NCL lowey to come out.  I would like to run an eastbound and westbound trains on my future layout with about 8~9 passenger cars, but reading that it can only pull 4~5 cars on a 2% slope is not good.  Anybody got some better results !?!? 
I plan on having a 2%  to 2.25% helix so this would be a real ball buster 
thanks
come on Monday 
miguel

I am in the middle of building a helix, 1.5% grade, and a single BLI F7 will pull 15 unmodified MT 40' boxcars up the helix with minimal slipping and no stopping.

I also haven't experienced the truck gear issue.  I will admit that I haven't run them a lot yet.  Mostly up and down the helix.

[mighalpern]

sweet
thanks marc
what's the radius on your helix ??  I am planning on about 20 inch, so kinda tight

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Has anybody else noticed the "squinting" windshields on the BLI units?  I noticed that when I saw the  prototypes in BLI booth a while back (even without the other models close by for comparison).  The windshields seem too short, resulting in the squinty look.

A few observations. IM units is probably the same width as the other two, but the camera angle is making appear thinner.

The nose on the BLI seems a bit pinched. Almost a bit of Baldwin in it. The windows are a little undersized, but I think that is more the way they are installed. IM has the same issue. Paint the shell behind the window black, along with the edge of the windows and it will improve the looks considerably.

The height lines up with the IM and Kato engines, but there is more "air" around the trucks.

[haasmarc]

sweet
thanks marc
what's the radius on your helix ??  I am planning on about 20 inch, so kinda tight

Outside track is about a 24" radius.

[peteski]

The windows are a little undersized, but I think that is more the way they are installed. IM has the same issue. Paint the shell behind the window black, along with the edge of the windows and it will improve the looks considerably.

What do you mean by painting along the edge of the windows black?  DGLE is pretty close to black already.
The BLW and Kato both seem to have the glass installed from behind while the IM unit seems to have individual panes glued in from the front.
The windows are undersized quite a bit (at least to me).  Look at the area where the hood curves up to the bottom of the windshields.  Look how much higher that curved up surface is on the BLI unit compared to IM and Kato.  That to me just looks wrong.

L to R: BLI, IM, Kato

[daniel_leavitt2000]

What do you mean by painting along the edge of the windows black?  DGLE is pretty close to black already.
The BLW and Kato both seem to have the glass installed from behind while the IM unit seems to have individual panes glued in from the front.
The windows are undersized quite a bit (at least to me).  Look at the area where the hood curves up to the bottom of the windshields.  Look how much higher that curved up surface is on the BLI unit compared to IM and Kato.  That to me just looks wrong.

L to R: BLI, IM, Kato

No you are right, they are too small. But there are ways to reduce that look. I think seeing Anything behind the windows just makes them look even smaller.

[unittrain]

The BLI has a larger portion of the hood/nose curving up into the bottom of the windshields than yesterday other two so hence definitely narrower windshields.

[unittrain]

A few prototype pics do show a larger portion of hood below the windshields (more like the BLI unit)
It's hard to tell some on the proto look narrow some don't, could there have been design modifications on the F7s?
http://rr-fallenflags.org/prr/prr9678s.jpg
http://rr-fallenflags.org/bo/bo4520gea.jpg
http://rr-fallenflags.org/bo/bo4599.jpg
http://rr-fallenflags.org/bo/bo4537goc.jpg
The NYC and PC units here have less hood below the windshields.
http://rr-fallenflags.org/nyc/nyc1696bdc.jpg
It maybe all optical illusion.

[drbnc]

I would like to run an eastbound and westbound trains on my future layout with about 8~9 passenger cars, but reading that it can only pull 4~5 cars on a 2% slope is not good.

I pulled the weight and truck wipers out of my dummy B unit.  Dropped if from 2oz to 1.5oz.  Powered A only weighs 2.75oz.  With A and dummy B in consist, can pull 5 MTL "heavyweights" up 2%, but that's all it can muster.  That A unit needs more weight...  Yours may do better!

[haasmarc]

I tried to take a picture of the BLI F7 at roughly the same angle as the prototype pic:







The windshields are about 3-4 scale inches shorter then they probably should be, but looking at them in person, it doesn't really bother me.

Lowering the shell would have a much more positive visual impact.

[thomasjmdavis]

It looks like the weight problem could be addressed by adding a piece of 1/4 inch cold rolled steel between the truck and the body.  OK, I exaggerate.  but still.....

I am considering dropping a percentage of my bank account on some E's....If anyone has purchased some from the current batch, do those also have the body height issue?

[drbnc]

I was thinking some depleted Uranium for weight...   

[coosvalley]

This is what I noticed...The IM units seem to sit a little high, and the BLI unit matches that, but they don't line up at the frame.One of the bodies must be incorrect, my bet is the BLI unit is a little squatty, but maybe the IM is a little too tall...But when lowered , the IM looks /sits just like the Kato..