BLI Guided Development Survey

[mike_lawyer]

I asked for everything.  lol C&O Mike, Pacific, Greenbriar, Texas and Allegheny.   Plus the usual PRR favorites I1sa, H8/9/10, J1, and even L1

I am really hoping BLI releases some PRR steam in the next few years.  I know they have done the R&D on a number of models, and my understanding is the H10 will be the next PRR steamer released.

[prr7161]

I bit the bullet and filled it out...I have a couple P4 locos and they do seem to run a bit more reliably than the P3s, so there is that.  I thumbs-downed smoke everywhere it was asked for all the reasons everyone mentioned, as well as putting in another word for properly spoked drivers.  As far as product requests, more PRR, plus USRA 0-8-0s and B&O Big Sixes.  Wonder if that will go anywhere, lol...

[wazzou]

I’ve got no BLI and don’t anticipate getting any BLI. 
IMO, they’ve done some hokie things…shoes, water tanks, smoke, crap cattle cars and Rolling Thunder to name a few.
Good luck to all.

[Cajonpassfan]

I’ve got no BLI and don’t anticipate getting any BLI. 
IMO, they’ve done some hokie things…shoes, water tanks, smoke, crap cattle cars and Rolling Thunder to name a few.
Good luck to all.

Yes, they did all that. Apparently, that silly sh!t sells. Shame on us, the buying public.
But in fairness, they also produced some very nice models, and continue to improve. I believe a lot of the decoder negativity is a well deserved reaction to the early sputtering on/off "performance" associated with their earlier products. The P4 is a serious contender, imho, and its "keep alive" functions solve a lot of the early decoder issues. I wish one was able to retrofit the P4 in some of the earlier products.

Yes, the shallow profile solid drivers are lame, but the Mikes are otherwise a very well looking and performing locos, much better than the admittedly old Katos. The larger wheels on the Pacifics make an otherwise great loco look dumb. Another fail. So it's an ongoing process. But at least I feel BLI is trying, even if their N scale market is a small fraction of their business. Besides, who else is out there, doing steam?? Athearn and more Big Boys? Pleez....yea, I know, BLI plans one also
Otto K.

[bbussey]

Nothing wrong with Bachmann steam.  They arguably hold the top spot at this time.

[peteski]

Nothing wrong with Bachmann steam.  They arguably hold the top spot at this time.

We are getting OT, but since it was brought up, IMO Bachmann steam (while mechanism design is lights ahead of their '80s offerings), are still very crude, appearance-wise.  Sure, they do have decent mechanisms, and lots of free standing details, but the overall shell molding quality is on par  with their '80s models.  Kato's shell details are much finer and crisper and no-glue assembly.  I know, less free-standing add-on detail, but I still like Kato's overall look to Bachmann.

Survey or no survey - someone should point BLI's development team to this thread. 

[mmagliaro]

Yep, the survery assumes you already own their products.  I don't because they haven't quite come out with something I really want (in my PRR days, it would have been a much different story).  Unless they make engines with no decoders and no sound (they can be DCC ready, but should come with no decoder and no speaker, allowing users to choose), I would never buy, and they should find out know how many others feel that way, if there are many. 
...
Oh, and the non-see-thru drivers... absolute deal breaker.

[bbussey]

The stock cars are non-see-through, so I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that the locomotive drivers wheels suffer from the same misguided design decisions.

[Cajonpassfan]

The stock cars are non-see-through, so I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that the locomotive drivers wheels suffer from the same misguided design decisions.

Lol, touché
Otto

[mmagliaro]

The stock cars are non-see-through, so I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that the locomotive drivers wheels suffer from the same misguided design decisions.

Absolutely.  I got one of those as a gift, and while I do enjoy the occasional humor of a mooing cattle car, I ripped the shell off and retrofitted a correct open-slatted NP stock car body from an Intermountain car.

[mike_lawyer]

Are all of the drivers on BLI steamers not see-through, or is on a model by model basis?  Kato has been making see through drivers for years, there is no reason BLI can't do the same.

[sirenwerks]

Steam schmeam... The PAs are nice but out of my price point for a novelty item (I would love a set in SP bloody nose but they'd be shelf queens for the most part).  I would lunge at a Little Joe if they did one in DCC ready, no sould, no smoke (what a dumb idea) but, again, one-off shelf queen, not multiple purchases.  Maybe they could do some Baldwins...? I could use a handful of AS616.




The cryo tank cars are nice and I have a couple, and the HO 6K tanks cars would be nice in N but, otherwise, the freight car line-up of eastern hoppers and that idiotic cattle car is useless to me. 

[peteski]

Are all of the drivers on BLI steamers not see-through, or is on a model by model basis?  Kato has been making see through drivers for years, there is no reason BLI can't do the same.

It seems to be on per-loco basis. My PRR S1 has see-through drivers, although those are disc drivers with see-through holes, not specifically spokes.  Then BLI PRR P5a electric boxcab should have spoked drivers, but the BLI model has them as non-see-through solid metal discs.

And you are correct, not only Kato, but many other manufacturers has been producing see-through spoked drivers since pretty much the beginning of N scale.  Some years ago when that new Bachman Spectrum Consolidation came out (with solid drivers) I created this photo collage showing that see-through spokes in N scale are more like a norm rather than something unusual.



All my European models (Fleischmann, Minitrix, Arnold among them) of steam locos have see-through spoked drivers.  Old and new models. Same goes form brass N scale steam, but we are specifically discussing plastic models.  Some of the new steam locos from European manufacturers like Dapol (and even Bachmann's recent PRR K4) even produced see through drivers where he drive is all metal (no plastic spoke insert).

[randgust]

I filled mine out and it probably didn't make anybody happy.

I'm always torn.  What BLI I've run on my home layout as a test has been pretty much of a failure due to pickup and derailment issues.   Yet I've been at the Altoona show and watched the E7's and M1's and just been so impressed by performance and sound.   Then the P5 stuff.   And also at Altoona, the unbelievable degree of stalling on a Baldwin Centipede, which should be nothing if not the best pickup ever.  So no new model would ever be reserved or purchased until it's been vetted.

And now they've come out with the RSD15, and the rub is I'd probably buy four, but I'd have to run them first, see how they perform, and the last thing I really need is  sound system in four MU'd units.  I need tractive effort and reliability.   Display case already full. 

And now they want to add smoke? Give me a break.    Less 'gee whiz' more 'pull train', 'not stall', 'not break wallet'.    And I've got to the point where I can at least do my own decoders - embedded technology = obsolescence.

I got two used Trix 2-10-0-s on a trade and what I love about them is the simple combination of rods and spur gears on the drivers that can really take a beating.   A whole lot needs fixed and changed, I can do that,  but if you're going to pile on weight and invest in upgrades, you need a reliable basic drive train design that can take it.  They got that part right a long time ago.

[mike_lawyer]

I filled mine out and it probably didn't make anybody happy.

I'm always torn.  What BLI I've run on my home layout as a test has been pretty much of a failure due to pickup and derailment issues.   Yet I've been at the Altoona show and watched the E7's and M1's and just been so impressed by performance and sound.   Then the P5 stuff.   And also at Altoona, the unbelievable degree of stalling on a Baldwin Centipede, which should be nothing if not the best pickup ever.  So no new model would ever be reserved or purchased until it's been vetted.

And now they've come out with the RSD15, and the rub is I'd probably buy four, but I'd have to run them first, see how they perform, and the last thing I really need is  sound system in four MU'd units.  I need tractive effort and reliability.   Display case already full. 

And now they want to add smoke? Give me a break.    Less 'gee whiz' more 'pull train', 'not stall', 'not break wallet'.    And I've got to the point where I can at least do my own decoders - embedded technology = obsolescence.

I got two used Trix 2-10-0-s on a trade and what I love about them is the simple combination of rods and spur gears on the drivers that can really take a beating.   A whole lot needs fixed and changed, I can do that,  but if you're going to pile on weight and invest in upgrades, you need a reliable basic drive train design that can take it.  They got that part right a long time ago.

I second this post.  I have an M1, which is a great locomotive, but have heard some horror stories about other BLI releases.  I filled out the survey, basically said to focus on the mechanism rather than the sounds in the decoder, smoke, and other things.  It is why I love Kato Mikados - a great mechanism that I can add whatever decoder and extras I want to add, such as lighting.  I requested that they manufacture locomotives that are DCC-ready so that everyone can add whatever decoders they want, or run on straight DC. 

As far as new models, I requested more PRR steam - I1sa, J1, and H10.