I did the MT loaded gondola pulling power test on my single unit. I have not put the traction tyre wheelsets on mine. I did mention previously another pulling power test. That was on level track. I put twenty box type cars of various manufacture and the Bowser porthole caboose behind it. It pulled them, no problem. The MT loaded gondolas were another matter. I started with twenty. Most of them were on straight and level. The few that were not were on Kato UNITRAK thirteen and three quarter curves and on a slight downgrade. The locomotive would not move the train, even with a little help from gravity. It would move fourteen cars. When the train hit an S curve on the same radius Kato track, it went into full slip, again. Removal of two more loaded gondolas got the train moving. When the train hit a 2,2 per-cent grade, it went into full slip about halfway up. The final result was nine loaded MT gondolas and the Bowser caboose up a 2,2 per-cent grade. In comparison, the MP Mogul pulled six loaded MT gondolas and the Athearn wood caboose up the same 2,2 per-cent grade. This was the same MP 2-6-0 that pulled fifteen loaded MT gondolas and a MT wood caboose up a one per-cent grade. I was surprised at the amount of reduction in the pulling power on the increased grade.
Obligatory: a quick-and-dirty photo op with my sharks and freshly-arrived centipedes. Yeah, I know, the lighting sucks and I used a spare pillowcase for a backdrop, but the comparison illustrates how big the centipedes are... just two of them are nearly as long as an ABBA set of sharks. First impressions out of the box... great detailing. The add-on details, like the trainphone antennae, feel reasonably sturdy and should hold up to normal handling. BLI over-engineered the articulation, because you can just about bend these things into a semicircle. They're going to look utterly ridiculous on my tiny little 2'x4' layout... but hey, at least I can break them in somewhere!
Does anyone out there in Trainboardland know how BLI has been in the past with parts? Now that we have these, the thoughts of some of us turn to bashing, such as the four or six axle babyfaces. The power chassis candidates for the four axle babyface would be either the FA-2s or the sharks. Axle center to axle center on the FA-2 is thirty-eight feet six; on the shark is an even thirty eight feet; on the babyface, thirty-eight feet two. Thus, you can go two inches too long or four too short, considering the available chassis. I see more LL FA-2s at shows than I do sharks. More than a few of those FAs are the old plastic frames, but those were not bad runners. My greatest complaint with them is the flexing wires soldered to pivotting trucks. The wires come undone. If BLI will sell shells and grilles separately, you could bash a four axle babyface. You would have to do some alterations to the grillework, depending on your road. NYCS had one of the four axles re-engined with EMD horses. From the photographs that I can see, there was some alteration to the grillework, but that seems to be the only really visible external difference. It does not appear the EMD altered the exhaust stack arrangements, which is something that it usually did with re-engine jobs for power from other builders. The six axle babyfaces might be more difficult. Axle center to axle center wheelbase on the A-1-A babyface is an even forty-six feet. On the E-units, it is fifty-seven feet, forty-nine foot eight on the PA and fifty one foot eleven on the Erie. I do not know the wheelbase on the SD-units or the RSD/RSC units, if they are close to forty-six feet, one of those might be workable for the power chassis. NYCS six axle babyfaces came originally with straight equaliser trucks. When NYCS has EMD re-power them, EMD substituted the drop-equaliser trucks. I do not know what trucks were on the same locomotives of the other railroads that had the six axle babyfaces. Another note on the NYCS six axle babyfaces was that Baldwin delivered them in grey with black trucks, while EMD returned them in black with silver trucks. I am getting my information and photographs from the Edson-Vail book on NYCS diseasels. This is why I do not know the dimensions on the RSC/RSD or SD power. EDITORIAL NOTE: Crude measurements on a model suggest that the axle center to axle center wheelbase on an SD-7 is forty-eight feet six inches and forty-two feet six inches on the RSC-2. So you can go three and one half feet too short or two and one half too long for the six axle babyface, at least based on what I have managed to read or measure on models that I have.
The Seaboard was the other customer for the DR-6-4-1500, just as it was the other U.S. customer for Centipedes. On the one hand, I've never heard of differences between the NYC and SAL units. On the other hand, I've also heard that Baldwin never built two identical diesels, even if they were part of the same order.
Just a note of interest in that these units are said to be able to handle a minimum radius of 9.75 and I question that.
John Moore stated in the above post: "Just a note of interest in that these units are said to be able to handle a minimum radius of 9.75 and I question that." These Centipides would look out of place on layouts with very tight radii. I just purchased a pair of UP Centipides and they run extremely well on my around the room layout which has 25 inch radii and 30 inch radii. I've run them for about three hours to date and the consisted units can now pull 35 plus boxcars. My layout also includes a 40 foot 1 1/2% grade. The Centipides come with four extra sets of traction tires that I didn't install. The two units attach with a factory installed draw bar with the option of removing the draw bar and installing MT #1015 couplers. I removed the draw bar and installed MT #1016 couplers because of the wide swing of these units. You can't use the MT #1015 couplers on layouts with tight radii due to the wide swing of these units entering radii (derailments would most certainly occur). In my opinion, you should re-consider buying these units if your layout has radii less than 15 inches. Each unit is 91 scale feet long. The units with the factory installed draw bar might be manageable on layout with tight radii but they wouldn't look great negotiating those tight curves. Just think how MT Heavyweight passenger cars look on 9 3/4 inch radii. MT suggests not using the Heavyweights on radii less than 15 inches as derailments will occur. The Heavyweights are shorter than a Centipide. Having fun with it..... Shades
As crazy as it sounds, I'm willing to bet they'll handle a little bit tighter than that. Here's mine again on a few spare pieces of 9-3/4" Unitrack (everything's disassembled right now for some painting or I'd post a video)... the noses hang way out beyond the pilots, but all the wheels are on the rails and the trucks actually have a fair bit of wiggle room- they're not binding at all. You can see how utterly ridiculous they look, but you could operate them like this... and you could pull a train with them too, since the couplers are pilot mounted.
Unless people are running a 'point to point' layout...everyone will have 2 turn around areas on their layouts Larger curves within the layout are great. It's dem danged narrower turn-around corners !!!! Mine are both 15 and 13 inch radii in the corners. I tend to just ignore those corners when I am watching my trains run
Oddly enough, the manufacturer's claim, on this one, at least, is true. I put them through the nine and three quarter reversing loop at the Trone-Roderick Small Engines plant on my pike. They traversed the loop at fifteen SMPH with no derailment. I describe my trackwork as mediocre. They look silly on even nineteen inch radius curves. I would suspect that these things need at least a twenty-four inch radius curve to look even something that approaches passable. The MT baggagge/mail is seventy feet, has body mount couplers and six wheel trucks. It will cause derailments on eleven inch curves.
FWIW, the info in the following link indicates that the prototype unit was able to negotiate a 30 degree curve, which is about 14.5" for N scale. http://www.thedieselshop.us/Data BLW dr12-8-3000.HTML http://www.trainweb.org/freemoslo/Modules/Tips-and-Techniques/degrees_of_curve_to_radius.htm
That must have been something to see... a real-life locomotive doing its very best Lionel impression, nose hanging way out over the ballast while the pilot tracks around the curve? I wonder if there are any pictures of that.
The first link lists the trucks as B-D-D-4. I had thought that it was 2-D-D-2. Were the pilot trucks geared or idler? The illustration shows a red locomotive, although someone else has stated that none of these ever had a red paint job; they were always DGLE. A seventeen inch radius curve in N works out to about thirty-one inches in HO, which is about a twenty-five degree curve. These things look pretty silly on the seventeen inch curve.
I wasn't going to purchase these monsters but just couldn't resist. They are now back in stock at ***, if anyone else is interested!
You're right about the prototypes, which were 2-D+D-2. Could they have been talking about the models...? Do they have two hidden axles? Someone's trying to use the AAR and Whyte systems at the same time.
Yes... hard to resist... even though not geographically suited for me. The UP version calls my attention to a model I might not otherwise purchase. Because the likelihood no other manufacturer would dare make these in my lifetime... buying one... if for no other reason than 'scarcity factor' once they sell out is enough to make the purchase. Also... buying these may send a message to all manufacturer that it's okay to make unusual... low production locomotives... there's a market out there for them. Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk
Does anybody know why Broadway didn't produce the Centipede in the "blue" demonstrator scheme in N-scale, one isn't listed on their site. They do have it in HO and it looks pretty sharp. I did a search to see if someone may have asked one of the Broadway people at a show, but found nothing. I also emailed Broadway directly. I bought a SAL #4510 and I really like it, but I hope I can hold my trigger finger still for another, SAL #4507. The "blue" demo scheme (on the HO model) looks good to me, if they intend to produce some, I might weaken. I only wanted to buy one, LOL. I did have to re-gauge all of the wheels, but it turns out the drivers are not "axle-cup" pick-ups like we are use to, but a variation of that design with just a hole through the contact strips. The axles are pointed, but they just go into the side frame. The axles are free to slide back a forth quite a bit in the contact strips. Therefore, when you fix the gauge, you are not putting undue pressure on the axle cups or points, although I've really never worried about it. I think this is why the loco can negotiate such sharp curves. However, only time will tell, if pick-up will be impaired as the axle holes become worn. I'm sure they'll last my lifetime, or what's left of it!
I'm still waiting for Intermountain to make the ACL FT A/B's (black/yellow), which were cancelled, LOL. I assume the Seaboard F-3's were cancelled too. I have SAL FT A/B's in citrus, and some FA-1's in dark green/yellow I could run with the Centipede, but they're not DCC at this time. Anyway, I did hear back from Broadway, and they said the "blue" Baldwin demo scheme will be in the next production run, but the "date isn't set in stone yet". Also, I don't know if my new Centipede has another problem, besides the wheel gauge. I lowered the master volume, it comes set for 128, now I hear a slight "buzz" on the speaker over the sound, but only when I run it on DCC. I don't hear the buzz when I run the loco on straight DC. Is it possible there is some PWM pulse noise being picked up by the speaker on DCC? I checked my Broadway E-6 and E-7, there is some background noise, but not a buzz when they are run on DCC. I assume they have similar sound boards. When the sound is turned off, it's quiet as a mouse, no gear or motor noise at all on DCC. The Bachmann GP-7's I own, the motors buzz like hell on DCC, but are quiet on DC. Broadway tech service was already gone for the day, so I have to wait until Monday to asked them. I know what my old Dad would say, "turn the sound back up and let it go". It certainly isn't as noticeable when CV133 is set for 128, which really doesn't make sense to me.
IMO it sounds more like your DCC is at fault, because it happens with more than one loco. I have the new Centipedes and broke them is separate, turn the sound down some, no buzz. I also have some Bachmann locos with dual decoders, no buzz.
Thanks rrjim1, I think your right. My system is a NCE Power Cab and I only use it "once in a blue moon", I'm really old school and still like DC running best. I was just trying to determine "if" I had a problem with the Centipede. I checked an Athearn Big Boy, and like the Broadway E-6 and E-7, I don't hear the same sound, but there is some noise present. Beating a dead horse, with the house very quiet this morning, I did some more in-depth analysis. I guess my description of the sound being a "buzz", which makes it seem that it's low frequency, was inaccurate. I don't think it's coming from the speaker anymore, but from a component on the circuit board. No, I haven't removed the body shell, yet. A better description of the sound is, that it's more like a HF (high frequency squeal) sound. Similar to what old tube TV's use to make in their high voltage tube circuits, which got louder as they were getting old or failing. I know that description may not be helpful for an audience that was born after 1970, LOL. I can actually make that sound cut in at about 7 volts on straight DC too, but it goes away at about 8 volts. The loco prime mover sounds kick in at about 10 volts on start-up, and cut off at about 6 volts. Once the sounds are working you can't hear the HF sound on DC. When Monday gets here, I'll give Broadway a call, but I guess I maybe a little overly sensitive about the sound. My wife and two daughters don't notice it when they hear the loco running. You actually have to have your ear right over the loco to hear it, but just before the prime mover sounds stop at shut down, it's very noticeable. Thanks for listening.
