Opinions on LL Diesels

Dangerboy - the LL Gp-38's (which appear to be a mixture of early and later phases) generally run good especially for under $30 each price. Are they on the level of detail and performance of the newer LL's or a Kato or Atlas GP-38, not really. But they aren't that bad to anyone but the fussiest rivet counter, but again for the money they are a great value especially if you intend to use them for kitbashing or other mods you may not wish to do to an expensive atlas or Kato.

If you look around you can pick these up for well under $20. I have 4 of them, and they all are reliable runners, but a side by side with my new Altas Gp-38s the differences in detail do stand out.

 

Oh please, let's not push Life Like down the 2nd and 3rd generation road. As mentioned, Atlas and Kato are covering that.

It's nice to see the seemingly endless parade of first generation power coming from Life Like. The PAs and FAs I have look great and run great.

Chris

 

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by friscobob:
I'm rather pleased that LL has addressed the need for first-generation diesels in HO and N scales, while others have suffered H.U.B. disease (head up butt) Atlas and Kato have covered the new stuff pretty nicely.
One has to wonder, however, what a second- or third-generation diesel manufactured by LL would look like.....
Scott has opened up another can of worms with his statement, so I'll ask: what modern diesels would you like to see made by LL?
(for the record, some decent-looking Alco Centuries would be nice, even though they're not "modern", but that's my opinion.... )<hr></blockquote>

By modern I meant 2nd and 3rd generation. I would like to see Alco centuries. There is still plenty of 2nd gen power yet to be produced. For example SD38, GP40X, SW15, MP15 or GP15. I still can't understand why lifelike had to release PAs when Kato did. There is no need for 2 models of the same thing and now MT and Intermountain are going to release FTs sometime in this decade, I cant understand what the people that work for these companies are thinking.

Lifelike needs to get road specific details on their models. The numberboard style on the FAs and PAs is incorrect for some of the roads produced.

 

Hi from down under. We get the LL locos into Oz without import duties etc through a trade arrangement with China, so they cost us about AUD49-65 a set. In the US you pay a deal more but we also pay heavily for Atlas/Kato AUD180-210.
So LL is popular with new modellers and I have a few and cannot complain about them at all. Their paint finish is very good, run forever an smooth and quiet. I have sets of E6/7/8 SD7 FA SW9 and also their train set? GP38/Fa2. They all run well and wouldn't replace them. At my club we hard wired four GP38's together with 40 trucks behind them and ran them on a very large exhibition layout for 9 hrs a day for 3 days without fault. Hard to beat for a cheaper loco.
And we also ran a set of the E6 units with 14 coaches and with the same result. Many club members have the GP20 and love em. The new BL is also great and a few turned up in the club with happy owners.
So if you are looking at LL, I havn't heard any complaints yet, just smiles.

 

quoted from Scott Siebler

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> There is still plenty of 2nd gen power yet to be produced. For example SD38, GP40X, SW15, MP15 or GP15 <hr></blockquote>

I actually have to agree with Scott on this point.

However, Atlas and Kato are doing a great job with 3rd gen. power, I am with the others above who appreciate the 1st gen coverage by LL. 1st and 2nd gen power is what I need since anything newer than 1977 ( and thats a stretch) is too new for me.

 

If you want road specifics, add 20.00 to the retail price

 

I recently bought a LL-GP-20 and it was the loudest loco I have ever purchased. I bought the SD7 and an 0-6-0 (same time), and returned it because the 0-6-0 had broken steps, and the SD7 would "scream" at medium speeds (probably due to the rubber tube drive)

. I also have a LL E-8, it runs okay with a little "whir WHIR whir WHIR vibrate" noise, but the paint job was pretty bad, and it was "hacked up". What inspired me to purchase life-like was that I have an F40 Amtrak engine, that runs very smoothly and has no fly wheels flywheels!

 

Lifelike never needed to make a SD7 either.

 

Quoted by Scott Siebler

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> Lifelike never needed to make a SD7 either<hr></blockquote>

No, they really didn't when Atlas/Kato were, it seems a waste of effort for two manufacturers to be making the same thing when there is so much else to produce. But on the other hand, I am looking at one of each in B&LE right now:

The A/K has the sharpest paint job
The LL has a bit of a glossy look.

Shell molding details about equal

LL has finer handrails

A/K runs the smoothest and coasts well, just ever so slightly louder than the LL

LL has body mounted coupler pockets for MT 1015's
A/K has truck mounted open pilots

LL requires a little fiddling with the contacts

LL about 2/3 price of A/K

so you can see - both have something to offer depending on your own tastes and priorities so maybe its good to have choices.

 

Sorry Scott,but your wrong on this one. The LifeLike SD-7 has full pilots.The Atlas/KATO has open pilots.

 

And yes, getting the Microtrains conversion kit for the Atlas/Kato SD7 can be a real challenge.