Hi Mark, I think it was me that may have mentioned a boiler not seated properly. A modeler smarter than me gave me the simple directions and now it is corrected. Since it is my largest engine I can't comment on bigger locos, not to mention I'm new to N, but I will say if you have a loco that dollar for dollar or gram for gram out performs the BSpectrum 2-8-0 keep it under lock and key. It is truly a valuable loco. Jim:tb-biggrin:
Tie: Kato mikado and Bachmann SPECTRUM consolidated. Kato for its consistency model to model in runnability. B-mann for its superior pulling power. Honourable mention to Athearn/MDC 2-8-0/2-6-0. MP mogul modified with all wheels live tender gets the next place. What stands out here is that the good runners are all small and medium freight power. There is still a need for some decent small and medium passenger power. While the second phase C-C hudson, or Athearn 4-6-6-4 or C-C Kato-built 4-8-4 may all be grand, they are all large or superpowers. The MP USRA light pacific and eight wheeler are not bad, but they lose points for lack of pulling power and the necessity to modify them. Even with the all wheels live tender, the eight wheeler lacks pulling power. The Bachmann ten wheeler shows promise, but loses points for the USRA Standard tender that overwhelms it. When Bachpersonn develops the smaller decoder, it should go with the USRA switcher tender.
Just want to put a warning on this, over on the A-boards, we have been in a heated debait about bachmann quality, and people who are too stubborn to give the new bachmann stuff a chance, and assioate their old sh*tty stuff with their new stuff, lets keep this on the positive side and not go down that road. if you have not owned a new bachmann steamer, or do not have extended experence running them, don't bother rating them, your opinion holds no water unless you have experence. Anyways. on to my list: "Out of the box, and onto the rails" my list: 1. Bachmann SPECTRUM 2-8-0, good runner, strong, and fairly inexpensive. 2. Kato 2-8-2 Mikado, Great runner, although without the traction tire, kinda weak, sometimes gan get expensive. 3. Bachmann spectrum 4-8-2, good runners, although one is pretty anemic for pulling power, while the other is not too bad, price can really flux. 4. all MP steamers: good runners, power is acceptable, when you consitter the prototypes abilitys, price is usually reasonable. 5. MRC/roundhouse 2-8-0/2-6-0, mine were kinda loud, but fairly smooth, power to weight ratio is outstanding, price is hit and miss if you can find them. 6. Kato GS4 4-8-4, good power, with some revolutional features, smooth as any kato, price.....yeah...... "Out of the box, and onto the workbench" list: 1. all MP steamers, spend the time to add tender pickup and traction tires, you will not regret it, although having headlight control with DCC takes some creative wiring. 2. bachmann 0-6-0 SPLIT FRAME MECH ONLY, SOLID DRIVE, and pretty damn tough, lends it self well to kitbashes. 3. Walthers 0-8-0, 2nd run, runs well from the box, but to get it's true potential, it take hours of tinkering and adjuting, I have got mine reliabley pulling 20 MT 40' boxcars on level track right now, witch is right about prototype. 4. Bachmann 2-6-6-2, New run, Mine had a close encounter with a concrete floor, so I got it for a song, it took alot of rebuilding and repairing to get it running, but in the process, I saw a lot of things that would greatly improve it's preformance out of the box. I have not tested it, but I have been told that "bullfrog snot" on the front driver on the front motor, and rear axel on the rear truck improves the traction a lot. 5. old Minitrix Psudo-PRR steamers, all need a lot of work to get accurate locos, but for the most part they are pretty solid runners, althogh the few 2-10-0's I have worked on, they are pretty temprimental, and can be tuned to run well in one direction, but not as good in the other. well their is my 2 cents, I know I am forgetting some steamers, but I am basing my list on locos I own and have experence working with.
BR23 Now this is essentially a North American forum, and the question, though posted in a general way, was most likely directed towards models for the North American market. Nevertheless, I'll throw in a European model, the BR23 made by the German manufacturer Fleischmann. Fleischmann has had a long tradition of producing excellently detailed N-scale steamers of German prototypes. And this at a time when all models for the North American market suffered from rather crude detailing, particularly of the rods and steering parts. Not all of those excellently looking models equally excelled in their running characteristics. A case in point being the BR65. However, the above mentioned BR23 is a very smooth runner. And what really does make it special is the perfect short-coupling mechanism between the engine and its tender. There is a spring mechanism that keeps the tender very close to the engine, yet allows an elongation to get through curves and turnouts. Of course, it's an alltogether different story that European N scale still has the ugly Rapido coupler standard.
Robert Thanks for chiming in. You can see from my Avatar, I wasn't asking a NA question. I Like my Fleischmann T2, my Trix Glaskasten and BR 58 As well as my electrics. The close tender also exists on the BR23. As to the Rapidos, is it really an EU standardization, as I've heard, or industry?
In that case I'll add near the top of the list Kato's retooled C62 4-6-4 and '9600' 2-8-0 as examples of how steam should be done.:tb-wink: Oh, and the Graham Farish/Bachmann new British Railways 3MT 2-6-2T is a very nice looking and running loco as well, with a six pin DCC plug for a DZ125IN or the like in the bunker as well, no towing around an oversize tender to accommodate a huge decoder that was somehow necessary for the U.S. 4-6-0. When rating steam I also look at the ease of installing DCC which is why I put some Bachmann offerings above the Kato USRA 2-8-2 and also like the Model Power steam. Admittedly DCC wasn't as popular when Kato introduced the Mikado but they appear to be one by one giving their Japanese steam a total makeover, maybe its time the Mike had the same treatment.
Top spot, MicroAce 0-6-6-0...... I love my lot of MicroAce 0-6-6-0s. They are a joy to watch, slow speed is awesome and the details on the the side is very nice. Anything MicroAce for that matter is awesome, great runners and hardly makes a sound. "Swiss watches that runs on a N scale track". Love the Katos too!
It's definitely not an EU standardization. Standards in this case are fixed by MOROP, a group formed by the various national European modelrailroad societies. They are setting norms to try to make various products compatible, sort of like the NMRA in North America. Here is a link to their English norms website: http://www.morop.eu/en/normes/index.html One can get to the rest from there. Most norms are in German, however. Among those, there is one for the standardization of N-scale coupler uptakes. As there are indeed various coupler versions like in HO. Here is the link to the norm NEM 355 in German, it still allows to study the drawings: http://www.morop.eu/de/normes/nem355_d.pdf But so far, those Rapido couplers are still all too prevalent, and one usually has to do the exchange to a preferred model oneself. Kind of like the situation in North America of a few years ago. No new standard like the "Kadee" type has established itself yet.
Best steamer? Melancholic vote here...... Just a quick story before I lodge my vote. Way back when I first got started with N, I bought a Model Power "Little Joe" 0-6-0 set, glued it without base to a piece of plywood and went nuts about the scale. Next payday, I went to my hobby shop, the late great Universal Hobbies of Ft Lauderdale, and they had a Minitrix K4 and a Rivarossi Berk used for $35 and $50 each, and Lou the model railroad expert told me these were among the best out, I sprung for them after watching them on the test track. Couldn't wait to get them home, but was disappointed to hear how quiet they were....what was wrong with them? The next day at work, a fellow N scaler co-worker advised me that the quieter and smoother and slower they run, the better. My vote is based on sentiment as I have all of the stuff, except Fleischmann, mentioned above and agree to the hilt. But I have always been a ConCor/Kato Hudson fanatic, have about 12 of them now, and all run quietly and strongly, most have headlights and flywheels now, and after 20 years they still perform. Year after year, I always have at least one of them on my layout and run one everyday, and they are still like the day I bought them. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
I agree with Swissboy about the Fleischmann 23. This model entered the market in 1989 but still has the highest level of detail. I bought it whent it came out, just had to have it and never regretted. So for "world modelers" it might be an interesting model as well.
My list as follows: 1. Spectrum 2-8-0 2. Kato GS-4 3. IM Cab Forward. 4. Micro Ace 0-6-6-0 (now a 2-6-6-0) 5. Key Imports MT-4 Different strokes for different folks. I would rank my MP Pacific in the top 3 if the motor were worth a darn, once remotored, it runs better than my 2-8-0. I also have two brass cab forwards that run even better than my IM unit, but I can't rank them as they were not out-of-the-box ready, took quite a bit to make them run great. I don't have any run time on my Kato mike chassis, so I can't rank it. I have tons of other steamers, and the list above is definatly the best.
Dapol make a MT compatible dummy knuckle to fit the NEM 355 coupler pocket and Bachmann/Graham Farish were rumored to be doing a version of their new working knuckle coupler as well but when, if ever, is the big question.
Kato Mikado is to me the best. Smooth, always reliable, goes through tight track. The second on my list would be the life like Berk. I know the pulling power is not the best, but what a gem. That might have the best mechanism of anything!
Is this the BR23? And do you think the current run is just as good, seeing as I think they went out of business for a while, or moved to China, or merged (not sure) FLEISCHMANN 7126 DB Tender locomotive / class 023 with tender 2 2 T31 (N scale) DB Tender locomotive, class 023 with tender 2'2'T31
Marty, I am not sure whether the class 023 is the identical engine that I have, but in principle it is. The only modification could be the number of driven tender axles, my class 23 is from the very first run in 1989 and has 3 tender axles driven. I have read complaints about the 23 being a weak puller, but could not confirm this because mine pulls well or enough for me I know that some tender drives were changed to two driven axles and was told that these drives have lower (internal) friction. About the company: Fleischmann was sold to the same holding that already owned Roco, these two are now being merged into one company, or kind of that. All N-scale shall be sold under the Fleischmann label now. Production is said to be moved east, from Nuremberg to Romania, where labour cost are cheaper. The retail prices for Fleischmann are still high, but they did a lot of special sales in order to raise cash, I could get some good engines at lower prices.
