BLI Decides to go “Stealth”

[MK]

Oops!  Missed the link!

[reinhardtjh]

I think there are some cut and paste issue going on.  If you look at a listing page for one of the PRR T1 and the Reading T-1 you see at the bottom:

Broadway Limited Imports is proud to re-introduce our Stealth Series.  Our Stealth Series provides customers with the ability to purchase highly detailed steam and diesel locomotives at a lower price.  Stealth Series models are DCC-Ready with a standard MTC21 pin on the DC Motherboard.  For more information about Stealth Series models, please see our Products Page or click here.

I suppose it might be possible to fit a MTC21 connector in a larger steam loco's tender, but I bet it's just a copy error.  The links lead to the "Products Page" which lead you to the PDF announcement for the Stealth product.  This PDF at the bottom show a circuit board for "N Scale Next18 Diesel motherboard".  It doesn't have anything for an N-Scale Steam tender motherboard.  Hopefully it's still going to be a Next18.  It also states that "Speakers will not be included in N Scale stealth models" but maybe that's just the diesels that go along with the board shown?  The product page listings for both the PRR T1 and the Reading T-1 state "Model comes with 8 ohm speaker installed for easy installation of DCC/Sound decoder.". But the portion of the listing below the header "Industry-leading Model Features:" are the same so obviously copied and pasted from the same source.

  They have left a lot of ambiguities.

In any case, I'll be getting the stealth Reading T-1's. Saving $150 MSRP should more than cover the cost of the ESU decoder even after any discounts.

Almost forgot , Who has the (HO) Reading T1 up for preorder ?    Mike

I haven't seen any online (haven't looked though) but you can pre-order from the guy I order from.  He got me a BLI BigBoy and a Y6b for $459.99 each plus $16 shipping.  I do just about all my pre-orders through him.

He's a member here, though inactive.  @iccn1000

[nstars]

If they can fit a Next18 in a diesel tender, they can fit one in a steam tender.. The diesel board should already fit in many tenders., especially Pennsy long distance tenders 

Marc

[peteski]

If they can fit a Next18 in a diesel tender, they can fit one in a steam tender.. The diesel board should already fit in many tenders., especially Pennsy long distance tenders 

Diesel locos have tenders?  I only seen tenders used on the GTEL turbine locos, and those were not true diesels but jet turbines.

[C855B]

If you're going to get pedantic about it, Pete , there have been a handful of projects through the decades with RRs trying to improve efficiency using auxiliary fuel tenders with diesels. SP and BN immediately come to mind and there are doubtless others. In all cases the experiment is dropped because of the "special handling" they add. Like with hood-style B units - conceptually it saves a few bucks, but increases time and labor especially in terminals.

[nstars]

Diesel locos have tenders?  I only seen tenders used on the GTEL turbine locos, and those were not true diesels but jet turbines.

I think tenders are more common with steam loco’s and I’m sure a diesel board will fit without any problem in a PRR long distance tender for steam loco’s.    But let’s face it, changing some dimensions of a PC board is not very difficult.

Marc

[Cajonpassfan]

Well, here are some official dimensions to ponder...would someone smarter than I mind interpreting these? Are these metric?
Thousands of an inch?
2200 long? 2200 what?
Thanks, Otto

[Jbub]

Well, here are some official dimensions to ponder...would someone smarter than I mind interpreting these? Are these metric?
Thousands of an inch?
2200 long? 2200 what?
Thanks, Otto

Mil is thousands of an inch. So 2200 is 2.2 inches

[C855B]

Yes. A mil is 1/1000 of an inch. The dimensions for the N/diesel correspond with the P4 board I removed from an RSD-15. What appears to be missing is the 2-pin side connector for the number board lighting.

I will point out that they are revising this illustration on the fly and may even be lurking here in this thread. Previous version I saw was indeed laid out for 6-pin, this one is definitely Next18.

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks, that's kind of what I figured. Now I know.
That's almost 30 scale feet long. Wonder what the steam board will look like; this wouldn't fit in their USRA tenders.
Otto

[dem34]

Yes. A mil is 1/1000 of an inch. The dimensions for the N/diesel correspond with the P4 board I removed from an RSD-15. What appears to be missing is the 2-pin side connector for the number board lighting.

I will point out that they are revising this illustration on the fly and may even be lurking here in this thread. Previous version I saw was indeed laid out for 6-pin, this one is definitely Next18.

I am hopeful. Atleast it seems they actually want to get it right.

[brokemoto]

At MSRP, an Atlas or Athearn "stealth" diesel loco costs about $100 less than the DCC/sound-equipped version.
BLI should rethink their pricing.

This............................An A-B pair of "Stealth" lists for almost four hundred bananas.  A Kato A-B pair lists for slightly less than half that.  The Katos run every bit as well as do the BLIs.  The IM A-B pairs never cost half that, although I have yet to hear of BLI's suffering from Zirmac Rot.  If you have an IM pair that is not suffering from Frangens Intumescens Rivarossica they run as well as do BLIs.  A hobby store close to Annapolis, Maryland is showing A-B pairs of the DCC B-manns for one hundred seventy eight.  BLIs do run better than do B-manns.  I have yet to hear of a BLI decoder's frying on DC.  Still, if you wire around the fried decoder, the B-manns run well.  Further, you can find an A-B set of B-mann SPECTRUM F-units for about eighty to one hundred dollars on FeePay.  The BLIs might run better than those but not four times or just over twice the price worth..

Fortunately, I have enough F-units; probably too many.  If they do their USRA light Paciifcs or even the heavies in BandO Blue or plain black, the non-fancy paint schemes,  in Stealth, I will consider them.

[learmoia]

So how come removing sound from a steam loco makes it $150 less but removing sound from a diesel is only $50 less.. 

Making the DC/DCC F units $159 DC vs $259 sound and the Steam units $399 DC vs $499 Sound seems reasonable.

And why can't I buy a dummy B unit in the stealth series?
They established a Dummy unit costs $90 ($259 A with sound, vs $349 A with sound and Dummy B)

[pjm20]

I wish they had moved all of the Reading T1 road numbers to the stealth series, the one number they didn't pick was the only one used the Elmira Branch! 

[learmoia]

I wish they had moved all of the Reading T1 road numbers to the stealth series, the one number they didn't pick was the only one used the Elmira Branch! 

Email them and ask.. maybe they just missed it.