Time to give Broadway Limited Imports some props... really.

Calzephyr Aug 5, 2016

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  1. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    BLI has been beaten to a pulp over the past 10 years for their various models made... and delayed ad-infinitum.
    Recently they got caught in the cross-hairs again with the sound equipped stock car. Sometimes we forget that they have actually delivered some very nice models in a timely fashion.

    Over the past couple of months they have delivered the M1a/M1b... which I believe has been well received despite the seemingly infinite delays. I didn't get one... but... I haven't heard much bad (if anything) about it.

    BLI has delivered several EMD and ALCo locomotives in various road names and paint schemes. These are very nice models with premium sound and DCC. Yes... expensive... but you are getting what you pay for. Some of them are not proto-perfect... but at least they are being made... whereas... other manufacturers have bowed out or are not meeting demand for these. I have been buying up several models which Kato and Walthers have decided not to support lately. If not for BLI... I would not have any Colorado Eagle (MOPAC) models at all.

    So... for what its worth... BLI has been delivering lately and deserve props for their efforts.
     
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  2. DCESharkman

    DCESharkman TrainBoard Member

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    I have an EMD E6 set of theirs. It still bothers the heck out of me that the B unit is a Dummy. We have enough of those in Congress, don't need them on my tracks. The powered A unit is truly amazing!
     
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  3. subwayaz

    subwayaz TrainBoard Member

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    I honestly haven't purchased anything N Scale from them besides the Stock Cars and they aren't that bad in my opinion. TI have however purchased a few of their models in HO Scale that were quite nice and no delays. I fully understand why they came out with the Stock Cars as they did. I look forward to more N Scale releases from them in the future. With no gripes about them, but then I don't gripe about much that is being released as stated at least they are releasing them; un like other manufacturers that blow off N Scale
     
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  4. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    The original production runs of BLI diesels several years ago included 'dummy' A & B units... which irked many modelers. BLI figured the single powered unit was sufficient to pull most consists. Most modelers were willing to pay for ALL units to be powered DCC w/ sound. I guess the compromise was to make all the 'A' units powered for ABA lashups... and offer an alternate powered 'B' unit. It keeps the cost of the AB pair affordable enough using the 'dummy B' unit. Life-like also did this with their AB sets many years ago.
    To paraphrase what you said... there are plenty of 'dummies' around... I prefer all my locomotives to be 'smart' enough to pull themselves around the track.

    Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk
     
  5. brokemoto

    brokemoto TrainBoard Member

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    I have bought only one thing from BLI: a PRR centipede. It is pretty good, the sound on DC is pretty good and it runs allright. It does pull a high voltage on DC. Further, it is annoying that when it loses contact on DC (and you would not think that it would happen, with all of those "legs"), it stops so that the decoder can re-set. Other than those two things, though, it is pretty good.

    Every manufacturer who has issued PAs has done the NYCs. Nobody has done P&LEs, which would be almost the same. The differences would be NEW YORK CENTRAL SYSTEM on the road name and "P&LE" reporting marks over the road number. P&LE would be something different.
     
  6. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have one of the 'fictitious' Union Pacific set of the Centipede. You may want to make sure the 'feet' are all properly seated in those massive truck frames. Mine were not... and the truck rode too low along the rail causing intermittent loss of contact.

    Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk
     
  7. Thieu

    Thieu TrainBoard Member

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    I am happy with my New Haven PA. Kato only releases the big companies like PRR and SF, and ignores the Alco loving New Haven. Glad that BLI decided to release it, in the McGinnis scheme.
     
  8. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

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    I bought only one item from BLI and that was a set of PRR H32 hoppers. These I bought at a steep (over 50%) discount otherwise I would not have bought them. I have passed on all of their other stuff. Eleven years ago I ordered two of the M1's but cancelled the order when the delays kept piling up. Today, I have no use for any of their locomotive products as they do not fit into my current area of interests. As for their rolling stock, they, like all other manufacturers have priced me out of the market and it is only if I can purchase at steeply discounted prices that I buy anything today. I have purchased a lot of locomotives and rolling stock over the years and I realize that more is not better. Maybe I just got old..........................!
     
  9. Allen

    Allen TrainBoard Member

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    LOL, let's just be glad that Broadway didn't have a perverse sense of humor and include authentic "odors" to go along with the respective livestock cars! Can you imagine a string of these on a Ntrak layout at any given show stirring up the kids.........
     
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  10. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    I remember a product sold years ago named 'Olfactory Airs'... might still be around... but that could have been an 'add-on' option for BLI to consider... phew!

    Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk
     
  11. Mike C

    Mike C TrainBoard Member

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    I have 2 of their 40' boxcars , really nice models ! I also got a pair of MI's . They really run well and the sound is OK . My opinion is that Soundtraxx makes a better sound decoder , so they are in the process of getting switched over . Not that the Paragon 2 decoder is bad , it's just a bit off IMO .
     
  12. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

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    And for good reason too. Eleven years of vaporware and one false alibi after another.
     
  13. RedRiverRR4433

    RedRiverRR4433 TrainBoard Member

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    I've had success with their various E units and PA's. Those diesels run extremely well and the sound is great. I also purchased two PRR M1A's which run superbly. They are well detailed and the sound is outstanding. The only issue I have with these PRR M1A's is the dummy coupler on the front pilot. For the price of the locomotive a working coupler should have been installed. At this point in time, I haven't tried to replace the dummy coupler on the pilot of these steamers

    Staying cool and having fun with it.......:cool::cool:

    Shades
     
  14. MRLdave

    MRLdave TrainBoard Member

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    I have a DC E7 (released by Lowell Smith in SP&S colors) and a pair of DCC/sound E6's in the second scheme Milwaukee Road colors. I'm very happy with all 3. They run well, and the sound on he E6's is very good. Perhaps more to the point of "thumbs up" for BLI, I managed to lose a lower front skirt off one E6 at a train show. I wrote to BLI , acknowledging that it was my fault, and asking about availability of replacements. I received 2 replacements at no charge within a few days. Excellent customer service.
     
  15. k-59

    k-59 TrainBoard Member

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    I have one of those too. Just a great representation of an awesome prototype.
     
  16. jdcolombo

    jdcolombo TrainBoard Member

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    My NKP PA-1's by BLI look great and run nicely. However, I have several issues with the Paragon 2 sound decoder and their overall sound installation. I don't think the Paragon's recreation of the Alco 244 prime mover is very good; it's auto notching is awful; and programming it is unnecessarily complicated (all sound decoders are complicated, but the Paragon seems to have been given to the IRS for a makeover before release). The speaker is a cheap round 15mm, although I give them kudos for at least putting it in an enclosure.

    I finally got fed up and replaced both the speaker (with a Knowles) and the decoder (with an ESU LokSound). Here is a video comparison of the two decoders, which I believe ESU wins easily:



    And here is a thread on how I did the conversion, which was pretty easy:
    http://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/bli-pa-1-loksound-transplant.92287/

    John C.
     
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2016
  17. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    John...

    If you dont mind me asking...

    How much did you pay for the BLI Pa 1 with the Paragon Sound Decoder installed ?

    And how much did you pay for the Knowles replacement speaker and the ESU LokSound Decoder ?
     
  18. jdcolombo

    jdcolombo TrainBoard Member

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    I paid about $170 each for the PA's; there was no "non-sound" option for these. The ESU LokSound is $80; the replacement speaker was $3. So I have about $250 invested in each unit (I have four of them).

    I would much prefer that manufacturers sell "DCC-ready" units and leave out the decoders (whether sound or not), since I'm usually not satisfied with the sound installation and would prefer to roll my own. But I understand that I'm a bit crazy about this and normal people don't want to do their own sound installs. So I pay twice. I knew going in that this might happen; I've also replaced the speaker and sound decoder in my Athearn Challenger, my Athearn Big Boy, my Walthers 2-8-8-2, my Bachmann Berkshires, and my Bachmann EM-1's. I'm picky, and I pay for it. Sigh . . .

    John C.
     
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  19. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    Nothin wrong with being picky John...(y)
     
  20. jwomble

    jwomble TrainBoard Member

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    I have a PRR centipede that was losing electrical contact so I sent it to BLI for warranty work. Got it back 2 weeks later and they fixed it. Also have a PRR M1b from BLI that is a great model. They have a 2 year warranty. Will buy more from them.
     

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