I'm new to HO but have been modelling in N scale for years. I'm just looking at starting a relatively small HO layout running a single steam engine and some cars. All that seems to be available in my area right now are BLI steam engines. This company doesn't exactly have a stellar track record in N scale but I'm wondering about their new equipment in HO scale. They have a 2-8-0 Consolidation with sound that looks pretty good but at close to $600 CAD and being my only engine I want it to be a solid performer. Thoughts or experiences?
I have a BLI 2-8-2 for a few years now (Grand Trunk 3715). It has all the bells and whistles (literally). Details-wise, it's a dead ringer for the prototype engine. All the plumbing and rivets (no, I didn't count them ) are there. The valve gear and connecting rods look right. Running performance is great! And the DCC+sound combo in the tender, even on my DC layout, does a fine job of chuffing along with speed and through some sleight of hand with the direction switch on my power pack, I can blow the whistle and ring the bell. It's right at the top of my list of best runners and best lookers. I got it at a train show for 130 canuck-bucks. If it wasn't for the test track set up at the guy's table, I would have hesitated at buying it (I'm usually very wary about buying any brand of steam locos). The usual disclaimer applies - experiences may vary. Mine is great.
I have the following from BLI, starting with my very first steamer, the Paragon New York Central J1d Hudson with clipped QSI (long story) purchased in January 2005: (I still have all of these, including the Hudson, some nearing 18 years old); Platinum Series Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) K4s 4-6-2 with QSI; Paragon QSI NYC S1-b Niagara 4-8-4; PCM all-metal N&W Y6-b Mallet 2-8-8-2 (was Loksound when issued, but it was my first decoder failure. Lasted to spring 2012, Now has QSI Titan); Stealth (non-DCC/sound, since added a Tsunami, first edition) N&W Class J 4-8-4; BlueLine N&W Class A 2-6-6-4 to which I added a QSI Titan; Hybrid Union Pacific TTT-6 2-10-2 with Paragon 2 decoder; Hybrid PRR Q2 4-4-6-4 with Paragon 2 sound; Paragon 2 Prr I1sa 2-20-0; A second Niagara, Paragon 2: A second NYC Hudson J3a, Paragon 2; A hybrid UP 4-12-2, Paragon 2 sound; A Paragon 2 Santa Fe 4-8-4 with a QSI Titan on board; No Paragon 3 models because I had slowed buying and was moving, building another layout, acquiring some other models in low numbers Paragon 4 Santa Fe 2-8-2; and Paragon 4 Hybrid Blue Goose Hudson 4-6-4. As you can see, I have a few BLI locomotives. I have sent exactly one back for a warranty repair when it was newly received by me, and that was the Hybrid Q2. Its LED headlamp didn't work from Day One, so they took it back and shipped it to me repaired about 80 days later. I have sent in two older locomotives to them for repairs, both my own mishaps. They fixed the first one, including replacing the fried decoder, free of charge. Second engine, my prized workhorse with the most hours on my rails, the PCM Y6-b Mallet, cost me $40 to get it repaired when I dropped it and broke off the front engine, and that included return shipping. I'm sure it's not quite so cheap these days. The fact is, these are toys. They cost a few dollars, yes, and the price keeps going up. But, they're toys, and they don't produce them for six years running like Toyota produces a four-banger. Each run is its own project, and maybe 3000 get produced at a time when Bachmann or another importer feels they can make a go of a certain model issue. They are hand-assembled, hand painted, hand detailed....and there are mistakes. I don't know of any importer in the industry that doesn't want your returned business, and who carelessly dismisses requests for help or warranty repairs...UNLESS...they don't have the parts years later. You may have to do without your toy for a few weeks, unless they supply you with a handy replacement. But, if there's a problem, and we all have one or three eventually, you will be made 'whole'. In that respect, BLI has my gratitude and my support to this day.
I've had good experience with BLI HO steam, Due to issues with QSIs in other brands I have sold original paragon spec and subsequently stayed away from those so equipped. Others have or will get replaced with other decoders. Due to track issues on the local club layout one of my Paragon 2 N&W A classes fried it's decoder, they confirmed my thoughts via photos emailed. It was still under warranty but shipping from here in the UK would have been more than the repair so asked them to send me a replacement decoder and i'd fit it. They did this for $50. They have also been great from a spares point of view if I bought a loco second hand and was damaged or missing bits, they normally had something in stock. Some people seem to have had terrible experiences and currently there is a lot of talk on IO Groups about the NYC Commodorre Vanderbilt but I don't fall in that category. Some of their offerings seem whimsical or generic, which I'm not a fan off. The 2-8-0 is a generic Baldwin Consolidation and just painted in a multitude of liveries, some match, many don't. likewise they did USRA locos, very well I might add but most rods shopped theirs post war so didn't really stay that way long. Where they have done specific roads and classes they are very good accuracy wise.
