Re: BLI - overall NG Rating

Dec 19, 2003 3 Replies
F

Matt & Kethleen, I have the N&W Class A. I am not a 'detail hound', but the loco looks good, and sounds like a steam engine. It is heavy enough to pull some 40 odd cars at the club. These cars are "stone boats". That means they don't roll well at all. The sound is good at the drag freight speeds that the engine should be run at. I think that if I put my cars behind it I could pull 70 or 80 up our 1.5% grade with no problem.



I am waiting for the cab forward as well and probably will buy one too. I am also waiting for their switcher to arrive as well.


Matt & Kathleen Brennan wrote:



I am looking at the most expensive planned purchase to date w/ respect
> to model railroading. We'd like to add a BLI Cab Forward to our wish > list.
>
> However, I would sure like to hear from as many of you as possible as
> to how BLI is perceived by modelers [such as those on this NG]. The
> review of their E7 in the 12/03 MR was quite favorable. But, I am more
> interested in their steam rating to date.
>
> Most Appreciated!
> Matt

-- Please note; return email address has changed. It is now snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net. Emails to Earthlink will be ignored.


The Gratiot Valley Railroad Club bi-annual train show and sale March 7, 2004, at the Macomb Community College Sports and Expo Center. Macomb County Michigan. Please visit our Web Site at:

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M

I also have an N&W A. It has performed as well as any steam engine I have and better then most. The sound is great, it's the only sound unit that I have. I heard the A when it was running and as best as I remember it sounds right. I like that the blower and air pumps start before the engine moves. And it seems to me that you can hear the exhaust out of sync like the real one. I haven't run it in DCC yet but expect it to do even better. Everyone liked it at our club. We had two of them running. Can't wait for the M1-b.

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D

Several in our club have a variety of BLI locomotives. They report a number of mostly minor problems. There are occasional DCC issues with various controllers, etc. The models run SLOW on DC. All seem satisfied with their purchases.

Detail level on their steam locos is a little lower than P2K steam. Still, they look nice. The E-7 has some slight problems with the nose contours (common on all EMD 'covered wagons' before the Athearn Genesis/Highliners).

Most like the DCC lighting effects.

One member who has installed a number of Soundtrax units in his other steam says flat out that he will NEVER buy another Soundtrax unit after working with his BLI steam power. It works right out of the box, sounds much better, and may actually cost less by the time you factor in all the parts, not to mention the labor.

Overall report ... Favorable, with occasional problems.

Personally, I have only the GG-1 so far. It is the ONLY non-brass GG-1 to get the nose shape correct (parabolic, not semicircular, even most brass GG-1's have it wrong). That affects how the stripes pass around the end of the nose, and is quite noticeable. It looks NICE!

I have PRR M-1, T-1, and J-1's on order.

Dan Mitchell ==========

Matt & Kathleen Brennan wrote:

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F

The sound in the E7 is nothing short of horrible. Doesn't sound anything at all like an E7. It sounds more like the service bay in a truck repair facility. POS! The locomotive might sell from a discounter at around US$ 50 without the sound. With the sound it isn't worth having as it is nothing but "muddy" noise. This thing belongs in a Lionel, MTH or some other toy train application, not in a model that is supposed to be directed at fine scale modelers. ........F>

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