"New" LL/Walthers SW1200

Spookshow Dec 10, 2012

  1. Spookshow

    Spookshow TrainBoard Member

    1,516
    5
    27
    Got mine today. The bad news is that nothing has changed as far as DCC-Readiness goes (same exact internal design as before). The good news is that the worms are now brass instead of plastic, so that should make at least a few people happy.

    -Mark
     
  2. tgromek

    tgromek TrainBoard Member

    164
    7
    22
    They also have low profile flanges on the wheels, do they not?
     
  3. Dave Schneider

    Dave Schneider TrainBoard Member

    33
    0
    9
    Waiting with anticipation for news of an improved Jewel case.....

    Best wishes, Dave
     
  4. MichaelWinicki

    MichaelWinicki TrainBoard Member

    140
    0
    12
    Mark, is the electrical pickup the same? I mean the brass wipers hang off the frame?
     
  5. Spookshow

    Spookshow TrainBoard Member

    1,516
    5
    27
    Yes, the flanges do appear to be lower profile than before. But since I've never had any problems running the older ones on code-55 it's not anything I've ever had to worry about myself.

    -Mark
     
  6. Spookshow

    Spookshow TrainBoard Member

    1,516
    5
    27
    Yes, apart from the aforementioned worm and wheels changes, everything else is the same as before.

    -Mark
     
  7. Logtrain

    Logtrain TrainBoard Member

    2,035
    19
    37
    If this is true, how can Walthers advertise this as a "DCC friendly" locomotive?
     
  8. SteamDonkey74

    SteamDonkey74 TrainBoard Supporter

    7,160
    171
    90
    Well, it's friendly insofar as if you hardwire a decoder into it and power it up you won't start a world-ending chain reaction.
     
  9. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,562
    22,736
    653
    Technically, almost anything which a person will willingly commit effort to, possibly including a few non-printable words, is DCC "friendly". The ties in my track, a warehouse model and some trees are probably also considered DCC "friendly".
     
  10. Spookshow

    Spookshow TrainBoard Member

    1,516
    5
    27
    Aye, what they said. "DCC Friendly" isn't really an official DCC designation that I'm aware of, but in my world I consider what Model Power and Bachmann provide as being "DCC Friendliness" (contacts specifically provided for wiring up a decoder and room for said decoder). Walthers' definition seems quite a bit broader than that (to the point of being meaningless, if you ask me).

    -Mark
     
  11. Logtrain

    Logtrain TrainBoard Member

    2,035
    19
    37
    So EVERYONE makes a "DCC friendly" locomotive then in Walthers book.
     
  12. Spookshow

    Spookshow TrainBoard Member

    1,516
    5
    27
    FWIW, the box doesn't say anything about DCC one way or the other. I think Walthers would've been better off leaving that DCC Friendly nonsense out of their marketing spiel as well.

    -Mark'
     
  13. Spookshow

    Spookshow TrainBoard Member

    1,516
    5
    27
    Yep, pretty much.

    -Mark
     
  14. bobcorrigan

    bobcorrigan TrainBoard Member

    62
    0
    11
    What sort of DCC setups are the most friendly? I would venture to say it is "anything that does not involve tape, a soldering iron, or a risk of breaking the shell". By those standards, only a few are truly friendly.
     
  15. oldrk

    oldrk TrainBoard Supporter

    3,700
    184
    51
    My old Atlas C Liner is DCC friendly! If I decided to list on ebay Im gonna put that in the despription!!
     
  16. joetrain59

    joetrain59 TrainBoard Member

    329
    0
    15
    Now, can we get the brass worms from Walthers, to upgrade older SW's? I know some Kato ones fit, but is their supply steady?
    Joe D
     
  17. Logtrain

    Logtrain TrainBoard Member

    2,035
    19
    37
    Not unless Walthers has changed their parts availability, which in the past has been non-existant.
     
  18. Westfalen

    Westfalen TrainBoard Member

    4,094
    32
    55
    So the extra money we pay for the new SW's over the old ones is to pay for a couple of brass worm gears? I think I'll get a couple more NW2's.
     
  19. Ike the BN Freak

    Ike the BN Freak TrainBoard Member

    1,367
    128
    30
    Yeah, but just wait 6 months, and the Walther's units will have a firesale and be $30 a unit, while the Kato's are still $75
     
  20. brokemoto

    brokemoto TrainBoard Member

    1,685
    748
    45
    Does anyone know if the old shells fit the new mechanisms?
     

Share This Page