# Best HO diesel locomotive!?



## ExclusiveHO

Hey I was wondering if you guys can help me out and let me know which company makes the best diesel locomotive, and by best I mean, dcc ready with sound and strongest possible motor because I plan to pull a lot of cars and have some inclines on my layout... Thank you


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## jjb727

ExclusiveHO said:


> Hey I was wondering if you guys can help me out and let me know which company makes the best diesel locomotive, and by best I mean, dcc ready with sound and strongest possible motor because I plan to pull a lot of cars and have some inclines on my layout... Thank you


Its not just "the best" that you gotta worry about, its also the manufacturer that BESTS serves their consumers. Any company can make the "best this and that," but if they are gonna ignore their consumers and not help when needed, then that's not really "the best"..now is it?


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## ExclusiveHO

jjb727 said:


> Its not just "the best" that you gotta worry about, its also the manufacturer that BESTS serves their consumers. Any company can make the "best this and that," but if they are gonna ignore their consumers and not help when needed, then that's not really "the best"..now is it?


This is why I'm asking my question... Answering a question with a question is not really an answer now is it?, I mentioned what criteria I was looking for so if you have some useful input I'd appreciate it, thank you very much.


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## jjb727

Well I suppose you could go with the higher priced brands like Walthers Proto or Athearn Genesis. They are only about $100 to $200 more in cost and they have all the super detailing you could want (although I don't need a lot, but that's all based on preference). To me the "best" diesel does the following:

1.Doesn't croke so early in its life
2. Has a nice, powerful, and quiet motor
3. The high quality fly-wheels
4. State of the art sound system (if you're looking for DCC...which is now becoming part of the majority of engines I see at my local hobby stores)
5. Decent to STELLAR pulling power
6. Withstands falls and impacts if they fall to the ground


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## ExclusiveHO

jjb727 said:


> Well I suppose you could go with the higher priced brands like Walthers Proto or Athearn Genesis. They are only about $100 to $200 more in cost and they have all the super detailing you could want (although I don't need a lot, but that's all based on preference). To me the "best" diesel does the following:
> 
> 1.Doesn't croke so early in its life
> 2. Has a nice, powerful, and quiet motor
> 3. The high quality fly-wheels
> 4. State of the art sound system (if you're looking for DCC...which is now becoming part of the majority of engines I see at my local hobby stores)
> 5. Decent to STELLAR pulling power
> 6. Withstands falls and impacts if they fall to the ground


Awesome, and yea money is not an issue here, I'm more concerned with sound quality and pulling power def, because I have some pretty serious inclines that my bachmann and atlas logos pull, but with some issues, and after buying my father the mth Pennsylvania light mikado, with sound and smoke its like night and day.... I also noticed his steam engine has a wheel with rubber, obviously for grip... Is that something that can be added to a diesel locomotive?...


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## jjb727

ExclusiveHO said:


> Awesome, and yea money is not an issue here, I'm more concerned with sound quality and pulling power def, because I have some pretty serious inclines that my bachmann and atlas logos pull, but with some issues, and after buying my father the mth Pennsylvania light mikado, with sound and smoke its like night and day.... I also noticed his steam engine has a wheel with rubber, obviously for grip... Is that something that can be added to a diesel locomotive?...


AAAHH the Mikado...such a bad### looking steamer! i would love to see your layout.


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## ExclusiveHO

jjb727 said:


> AAAHH the Mikado...such a bad### looking steamer! i would love to see your layout.


Thx, I will be posting all my pictures from the beginning until now tomorrow and will send you and a few other who are interested in seeing my lay out the link...


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## Smokinapankake

Broadway Limited makes pretty nice stuff although I have no experience with them personally...


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## ExclusiveHO

Smokinapankake said:


> Broadway Limited makes pretty nice stuff although I have no experience with them personally...


That's what I keep hearing as well but no one has any personal experience to be able to give a direct opinion on them....


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## mackdonn

I currently have MTH F7 A&B, SD70Ace's, an Athearn SD70Ace, and Bachman F7 and GP's. The best I have owned are the MTH as far as sound, motor quietness, and pulling power. Athearn and Bachman cant pull as many cars on my layout and I have inclines. They also tend to "speed up" on the declines. The ONLY problem I have with MTH is advance consist feature is not available while running on DCC unless you do a software upgrade what requires a DCS controller. Basic or Brute force is available as well as changing all the locos to the same address but this defeats the full functionality of the locos.....just my opinion from limited experiance...


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## ExclusiveHO

mackdonn said:


> I currently have MTH F7 A&B, SD70Ace's, an Athearn SD70Ace, and Bachman F7 and GP's. The best I have owned are the MTH as far as sound, motor quietness, and pulling power. Athearn and Bachman cant pull as many cars on my layout and I have inclines. They also tend to "speed up" on the declines. The ONLY problem I have with MTH is advance consist feature is not available while running on DCC unless you do a software upgrade what requires a DCS controller. Basic or Brute force is available as well as changing all the locos to the same address but this defeats the full functionality of the locos.....just my opinion from limited experiance...


Yea I'm extremely happy with mth with my fathers light mikado, so I'm assuming their diesels are just as good than huh? As for broadway limited anyone got any experience with those?


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## Sasha

I have some short experience with Broadway Limited. Great power and low noise.

The KATO I have is very similar.

The Athearn diesels I have are a tad heavier and pull a little better.

Please note: all of my diesels have been modified in one way or another.


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## ExclusiveHO

Sasha said:


> I have some short experience with Broadway Limited. Great power and low noise.
> 
> The KATO I have is very similar.
> 
> The Athearn diesels I have are a tad heavier and pull a little better.
> 
> Please note: all of my diesels have been modified in one way or another.


What kind of modifications?


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## mackdonn

Sasha said:


> I have some short experience with Broadway Limited. Great power and low noise.
> 
> The KATO I have is very similar.
> 
> The Athearn diesels I have are a tad heavier and pull a little better.
> 
> Please note: all of my diesels have been modified in one way or another.


Your Athearn is heavy? My MTH SD70 weighs almost twice as much as my Athearn Genesis SD70. The Athearn weighs about the same as my Bachman GP's....maybe I got an Athearn that was a victim of cutbacks


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## Sasha

I have added weight and some lighting modifications on all my diesels. I was careful to keep the weight centered between the first and last axels.

They all pull like mad now. Much, much more so than when they were new. :thumbsup:


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## ExclusiveHO

Got ya, well ivebeen back and forth with the broadway guys through email and I like what I'm hearing as far as sound quality details, weight, and the fact that you can recorde the running of the train with sound and lights and then play it back so you don't have to control it and can focuse your attention on another train is awesome!


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## mackdonn

ExclusiveHO said:


> Got ya, well ivebeen back and forth with the broadway guys through email and I like what I'm hearing as far as sound quality details, weight, and the fact that you can recorde the running of the train with sound and lights and then play it back so you don't have to control it and can focuse your attention on another train is awesome!


With regular DCC loco's and a regular DCC controller? or only Broadway? What records the functions for playback?


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## ExclusiveHO

mackdonn said:


> With regular DCC loco's and a regular DCC controller? or only Broadway? What records the functions for playback?


From what they told me the actual train has a switch...


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## NUTNDUN

I have two Broadway Limited diesels. They are both the AC6000. I think the detailing is really good but probably not as detailed as Athearn Genesis. The sound is terrific and the motor control is superb especially for not doing anything to them and right out of the box. Set the NCE on 128 speed steps and they will both move on speed step one counting ties and hold that speed the whole way around the layout.

I still want to try a couple of other brands as well but these are my first and only two so far and I am completely happy with them. Also should note that they have led lighting and they also have the flashing ditch lights.


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## ExclusiveHO

NUTNDUN said:


> I have two Broadway Limited diesels. They are both the AC6000. I think the detailing is really good but probably not as detailed as Athearn Genesis. The sound is terrific and the motor control is superb especially for not doing anything to them and right out of the box. Set the NCE on 128 speed steps and they will both move on speed step one counting ties and hold that speed the whole way around the layout.
> 
> I still want to try a couple of other brands as well but these are my first and only two so far and I am completely happy with them. Also should note that they have led lighting and they also have the flashing ditch lights.


That's awesome, I'm looking forward to trying them out, how are they on inclines.?


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## dablaze

I have a few Broadway locos including just started to run a RSD15. I cant say that I have anything better. My other go to engines that never fail me are the Bowser 636's. I am a diesel guy for the most part, but in my club there are a few guys with the Broadway steamers, if you want volume, these guys seem to love cranking these things up and blasting each others earlobes out at our club meetings, they do sound nice (Irritatingly so when you run something not so loud) They dont seem to have any issue on our inclines but its a larger club layout so they are not crazy steep either.

Craig


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## Artieiii

I have a broadway limited BlueLine E7 AB Union Pacific. It's DC with built in sound. I added a DCC decoder simple plug and play. It runs great has nice detail and the sound is very good. I think they stopped making the BlueLine series. I would definitely purchase another.
-Art


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## ExclusiveHO

dablaze said:


> I have a few Broadway locos including just started to run a RSD15. I cant say that I have anything better. My other go to engines that never fail me are the Bowser 636's. I am a diesel guy for the most part, but in my club there are a few guys with the Broadway steamers, if you want volume, these guys seem to love cranking these things up and blasting each others earlobes out at our club meetings, they do sound nice (Irritatingly so when you run something not so loud) They dont seem to have any issue on our inclines but its a larger club layout so they are not crazy steep either.
> Craig


I see, we'll I have a section where my inline is 3" in about 3.5-4 ft pretty steep I know buy space was limited, then I have decline which is 3" in about 2.5-3 ft but since its a decline it really doesn't make a big difference... My bachmann diesel pulls 8 cars and with 9 you notice a little slowing down and hesitation... So I want more power and def sound after getting my fathers mth steamer



Artieiii said:


> I have a broadway limited BlueLine E7 AB Union Pacific. It's DC with built in sound. I added a DCC decoder simple plug and play. It runs great has nice detail and the sound is very good. I think they stopped making the BlueLine series. I would definitely purchase another.
> -Art


I think all you Broadway's guys pretty much got me sold already so I'm placing my order today!


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## Sasha

I disabled the sound in my Broadway Limited AC6000 - being an audio person, I cannot stand the sound coming from sound-equipped trains. To me, after watching train videos on my large TV and listening through my very large stereo system, those tiny little speakers in the trains just sound ridiculous. But that's just me, I guess.


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## NUTNDUN

ExclusiveHO said:


> That's awesome, I'm looking forward to trying them out, how are they on inclines.?



I don't have a decent layout right now. Mine is currently an oval on a 6' x 12' table. We have a Bachman dash 8 and just for giggles I blocked the one end of the table up two bricks high which is probably close to 5" or so. I am guessing about a 4% grade or a little more. 

The Bachman wouldn't make it past the switch from the siding with two cars behind it. Both of the BLI AC6000 were able to pull 8 cars all the way around with some extra weight in two of the gondolas. 

I do plan on trying a Kato and an Athearn Genesis in the near future but like i mentioned I would not hesitate buying another BLI and I am sure I will at some point.


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## ExclusiveHO

NUTNDUN said:


> I don't have a decent layout right now. Mine is currently an oval on a 6' x 12' table. We have a Bachman dash 8 and just for giggles I blocked the one end of the table up two bricks high which is probably close to 5" or so. I am guessing about a 4% grade or a little more.
> 
> The Bachman wouldn't make it past the switch from the siding with two cars behind it. Both of the BLI AC6000 were able to pull 8 cars all the way around with some extra weight in two of the gondolas.
> 
> I do plan on trying a Kato and an Athearn Genesis in the near future but like i mentioned I would not hesitate buying another BLI and I am sure I will at some point.



I get you, we'll here is my layout and what inclines I'm working with
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=15677


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## Grbauc

*my 2cents*

Here's my order how i like manufactures

#1 broadway limited/Tower55(no longer made sold to Athearn)
#2Athearn Genesis/MTH/Intermountain
#3Kato/Atlas
#4Bachmann/proto2000/

There all real close. I'm big on detail and sound and durability is important to me. bachmann and proto2000(lifelike) are way more durability then Athearn/MTH/Intermountain but detail takes more important place for me. In durability i mean stuff that breaks off just from normal handling. The sand lines and Rails on athearn drive me nuts.

Note i have all modern Diesel locomotives and if steam engines are your thing i don't have many and the list would be different. 

All the major manufactures top line stuff is pretty darn good and it comes down to personal likes and tastes. 
Customer service is something I've not had to deal with so i can't comment on it. I also tend to not return things unless there really bad.


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## spicercars

I am a Kato guy. I have had a little bit of everything and I like the Kato the best.


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## Hondarado

spicercars said:


> I am a Kato guy. I have had a little bit of everything and I like the Kato the best.


I have to Second that...I love Kato ...the older motors..in the old Atlas had great low speed control and power...I have alot of Athearn there good for the Dollar and have great details...I think Athearn are the "Chevy" of Engines...Kato makes a great Motor....:thumbsup:


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## NUTNDUN

ExclusiveHO said:


> I get you, we'll here is my layout and what inclines I'm working with
> http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=15677


You are a lot further along then I am. I am still on bare plywood and will be for a while.

I will be able to give some feedback on Kato and Athearn Genesis after tomorrow for diesel engines. I am going tomorrow morning to pick up my order from MB Klein. I bought the Kato SD90 and Athearn Genesis SD70Ace so I will compare them with the BLI's that I have.


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## ExclusiveHO

NUTNDUN said:


> You are a lot further along then I am. I am still on bare plywood and will be for a while.
> 
> I will be able to give some feedback on Kato and Athearn Genesis after tomorrow for diesel engines. I am going tomorrow morning to pick up my order from MB Klein. I bought the Kato SD90 and Athearn Genesis SD70Ace so I will compare them with the BLI's that I have.


Cool ill be waiting for your reviews..


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## Sasha

NUTNDUN said:


> I will be able to give some feedback on Kato and Athearn Genesis after tomorrow for diesel engines. I am going tomorrow morning to pick up my order from MB Klein. I bought the Kato SD90 and Athearn Genesis SD70Ace so I will compare them with the BLI's that I have.


The KATO is a bit lighter than the BLI. I have both the AC6000 and the SD90. Mine now weigh the same and now pull the same. Go figure.


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## Rusty

Look for diesel train with 5 pole skewed wound armature motor, it won't be problem about pulling many boxcars.


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## NUTNDUN

Sasha said:


> The KATO is a bit lighter than the BLI. I have both the AC6000 and the SD90. Mine now weigh the same and now pull the same. Go figure.


You are definitely right about the Kato being lighter than the BLI. I thought they would have been closer in weight. I chickened out and instead of getting the Athearn SD70Ace I bought a Kato SD80Mac with the Loksound select already installed. So I ended up bringing two Kato's home yesterday. The other one I bought was the SD90 and I got the Loksound decoder for it and one of the ESU speakers for it as well.

The over all impression of the Katos is great. They have good enough detail for me. The SD90 needed all of the bits installed and I did fairly good at it but gave up on the grab irons until I get some small drill bits. Hopefully I have enough of them left to finish it or I will have to order a few more. Actually wouldn't mind trying to find metal grab irons for it.

The SD80 which is the Kobo shop one, I took the shell off of it so I could see how they installed the decoder and the speaker. While I had the shell off I sealed the speaker. Not sure why they didn't have it sealed as it only took a couple of seconds. The SD80 doesn't sound all that great. I think it mainly has to do with the speaker. I am going to get two railmaster speakers, one for each one to try them.

On the SD90, this one sounds much better which probably has to do with the ESU speaker being a little better than the one used by Kobo. 

Overall sounds the default horn isn't all that great and fairly quiet but there are numerous horns to choose from by adjusting the cv's. The bell sounds great and the start up and shut down sequence on the SD90 are great as well. The start up and shut down on the SD80 has a little to be desired but again this could be the speaker.

Drive wise, everything that I have read about Kato drives is true. They are silent and run terrific. They crawl at speed step one and up to about speed step 25 they could consist right out of the box with my BLI's. After speed step 25 the Kato is a little faster. I am hooking the computer up to the track today and using decoder pro to fine tune them and see if I can get the sounds any better as well. Overall though I am completely happy with both of the Katos and would definitely buy more.


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## Rusty

Get Amp booster to get more power to pull 100 boxcars.:0

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Digitrax-PS2012-20-AMP-N-HO-G-Regulated-Power-Supp-p/dig-ps2012.htm


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## ExclusiveHO

Still am seeing more reviews on other forums of BLI being stronger, better quality in sound and looks...


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## NUTNDUN

ExclusiveHO said:


> Still am seeing more reviews on other forums of BLI being stronger, better quality in sound and looks...


I just wish they offered more models in the larger diesels. I plan on getting one of the steamers at some point as well.

If I get a chance I will get a video of one of the BLI's and the Kato with Loksound side by side comparison for sound.


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## ExclusiveHO

NUTNDUN said:


> I just wish they offered more models in the larger diesels. I plan on getting one of the steamers at some point as well.
> 
> If I get a chance I will get a video of one of the BLI's and the Kato with Loksound side by side comparison for sound.


Ok kook I'd appreciate that


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## Grbauc

.

[The over all impression of the Katos is great. They have good enough detail for me. The SD90 needed all of the bits installed and I did fairly good at it but gave up on the grab irons until I get some small drill bits. Hopefully I have enough of them left to finish it or I will have to order a few more. Actually wouldn't mind trying to find metal grab irons for it.]

The detailing of kato drives me nuts those grab irons are so small and they tend to break or go flying across the room to lost forever... 

I got a 78 drill bit or a toothpick will work its easy to make the holes to big so easy when making the holes bigger. I find i tend to use the toothpick over the drill bit. 

The wiper blades are also a pain.


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## Rusty

ExclusiveHO said:


> Still am seeing more reviews on other forums of BLI being stronger, better quality in sound and looks...


Yes,it cost a lot to purchase BLI.


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## NUTNDUN

Grbauc said:


> .
> 
> [The over all impression of the Katos is great. They have good enough detail for me. The SD90 needed all of the bits installed and I did fairly good at it but gave up on the grab irons until I get some small drill bits. Hopefully I have enough of them left to finish it or I will have to order a few more. Actually wouldn't mind trying to find metal grab irons for it.]
> 
> The detailing of kato drives me nuts those grab irons are so small and they tend to break or go flying across the room to lost forever...
> 
> I got a 78 drill bit or a toothpick will work its easy to make the holes to big so easy when making the holes bigger. I find i tend to use the toothpick over the drill bit.
> 
> The wiper blades are also a pain.



Great tip on the toothpick and I know you are right that it wouldn't take much with a drill bit to make the holes too big. I am going to try and get the other grab irons on today using the toothpick and see how it goes.


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## NUTNDUN

Rusty said:


> Yes,it cost a lot to purchase BLI.


Not quite sure I agree with that statement. If you are looking to buy a dcc/sound equipped loco than BLI is right in line on price with all of the other makers if not a little cheaper. Now if you are not looking for sound or dcc than it seems you would be out of luck buying a BLI without it.


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## ExclusiveHO

Just picked up my intermountain, will have pics up later with a review!


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## NUTNDUN

ExclusiveHO said:


> Just picked up my intermountain, will have pics up later with a review!



Very nice. I am awaiting your thoughts on the intermountain. Are you doing dcc and sound with it?


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## ExclusiveHO

NUTNDUN said:


> Very nice. I am awaiting your thoughts on the intermountain. Are you doing dcc and sound with it?


Yes sir, all the bells and whistles!


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## Grbauc

*Bwl*



ExclusiveHO said:


> Thx, I will be posting all my pictures from the beginning until now tomorrow and will send you and a few other who are interested in seeing my lay out the link...


The NS engine ID have you do some paint work on is A blueline BWL engine you can test it its there RTR version.. Free test run


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## ExclusiveHO

Grbauc said:


> The NS engine ID have you do some paint work on is A blueline BWL engine you can test it its there RTR version.. Free test run


Awesome than I could do a comparison...


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## NUTNDUN

I ended up being able to get all the rest of the grab irons on the Kato SD90 today. I used a large sewing needle instead of a toothpick which will end up in the toolbox for later locos.

I also managed to get both the BLI's and the two Katos running in a consist. I really need to get a layout going and need some more rolling stock.

I am anxious to hear about the Intermountain. Which decoder does it have in it?


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## ExclusiveHO

NUTNDUN said:


> I ended up being able to get all the rest of the grab irons on the Kato SD90 today. I used a large sewing needle instead of a toothpick which will end up in the toolbox for later locos.
> 
> I also managed to get both the BLI's and the two Katos running in a consist. I really need to get a layout going and need some more rolling stock.
> 
> I am anxious to hear about the Intermountain. Which decoder does it have in it?


The tsunami decoder made specifically for my loco with recordings of the actual loco.


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## NIMT

ExclusiveHO said:


> The tsunami decoder made specifically for my loco with recordings of the actual loco.


All Soundtraxx Tsunami's sounds are recorded from the actual Locomotives.


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## ExclusiveHO

NIMT said:


> All Soundtraxx Tsunami's sounds are recorded from the actual Locomotives.


Actually, they want u to believe that, but if u look at their reviews, they use a lot of sounds from locos that aren't specific to the type, a lot of complaints with "generic" horns, brakes and such... At least that's how it was with tsunami.... But I'm setting up the loco right now as we speak.... Be back shortly with my review...


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## Prospect193

ExclusiveHO said:


> Actually, they want u to believe that, but if u look at their reviews, they use a lot of sounds from locos that aren't specific to the type, a lot of complaints with "generic" horns, brakes and such... At least that's how it was with tsunami.... But I'm setting up the loco right now as we speak.... Be back shortly with my review...



HAHA!!! There you go, you've woken the sleeping bear from his slumber!! Each decoder sold by Soundtraxx has the correct recordings for the engine it states. Not sure where you have your info but I believe it may be incorrect. Not too worry I'm sure Sean will be around to clarify this shortly!!!

Cheers
Pat


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## ExclusiveHO

Prospect193 said:


> HAHA!!! There you go, you've woken the sleeping bear from his slumber!! Each decoder sold by Soundtraxx has the correct recordings for the engine it states. Not sure where you have your info but I believe it may be incorrect. Not too worry I'm sure Sean will be around to clarify this shortly!!!
> 
> Cheers
> Pat


Again, this is not information that I have concluded on my own, this is information that I have gathered upon researching online forums when I type in, "InterMountain ES44AC Review" and a few reviews came up including this 1 where I am basing my comment on, http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/183730.aspx, sorry for any confusion this is NOT my review! I will make my own review in the coming days...


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## NUTNDUN

So how is that review coming along?

I returned the one Kato and got an Athearn SD70Ace without sound and put a loksound select in it. Definitely has great detail. It is lighter than the Katos and way lighter than the BLI. I don't care for Athearns wiring or the circuit board they have in there. It is a good runner though and it counts ties with the Kato and BLI.

Would I buy another Athearn? Yes I would but I think I will pick up some more Katos first and once I feel comfortable doing the led conversion on the Athearn I will get a couple more of them.


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## mtoney

Sound is a highly subjective issue, to me my low buck MRC sound system sounds as good as the higher doller Tsunami, QSI and Loksound boards. But to others they dont. Its all up to what you expect or want from the decoder. I have worked for the railroad and know what a 567b sounds like, a 645e3, 710s, GE's, Alcos ect. About the only engine I havent worked on or heard in person is a FM. For engines, I do not buy plastic ones anymore. I sold off all my hordes of plastic, and bought older brass engines. I take them and make them run as nice as Proto 2K or BLI, weighted to pull better and install DCC/Sound if I so desire. I normaly am able to pick up late 70's early 80s Alco, Hallmark and Oriental diesels for $75-150. They use the smooth running Samhongsa drive system. They already have a nice Canon can motor and quiet running worm gear drive trucks. They dont have the sprung trucks that OMI uses, but dont have the price tag to go with it. With extra ballest, upgrading to all wheel power pickup and adding sound/dcc, IMHO they exceed what is on the market right now, and will hold their value into the future. Now if you have the depth of wallet needed, by all means give Overland Models a shot, they are works of art with prices per engine from $750-$1000 or more for steam. When I set up my little demo layout at shows, the brass engines always gain the attention and questions as many modelers are under the assumption that brass runs like crap and is only good for display. Cheers Mike


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## Southern

sounds like you put a lot of time and work into those brass locos.


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## buddymedbery

I bought a Lionel set on a whim, and then afterward decided to start trying to do some serious modeling. No one mentions Lionel when they talk about best locomotives. Are they not very good? Should I just reserve it for scenery on a siding?


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## Murv2

Wow, I'd start out by asking myself a few questions like what time period, railroad, what looks sharp to me etc. then I'd see what kinds of model engines are available within those limits. Starting with what's the best model engine would be the opposite way to choose for me. (Another thing about diesels, they tend to put more engines on a train rather than larger engines so maybe two GPs would be a better choice than one SD.)


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## buddymedbery

I will have to investigate further. I am probably going to go with Southern Railway since I live in Charleston SC and one of the progenitors of SR was the company that operated the Best Friend of Charleston


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## Chops

"6. Withstands falls and impacts if they fall to the ground."

Huh.


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## Old_Hobo

Good luck with that one......


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## Jscullans

My favorite diesels are the older proto 2000 locos. I have an e8 that will pull 100 cars on its own and over a 2% grade. The only issue with that is they don’t come with sound or dcc for that matter. You would have to install it yourself. As far as Broadway limited I’ve got a few steam locos and they’re nice when they run but all of them other than one I’ve ever had have ended up broken. I’ve had drive rods fall apart, decoders fail, power pick up failures, a slew of issues. I’ve got no experience with their diesels though


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## Old_Hobo

My favourite locos (20 so far) are also Proto 2000’s, and since I am straight DC, they are perfect for me!


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## Gramps

Post #57 was 2 days ago, post #56 was from 2013.


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## Old_Hobo

We know Gramps....but the question still keeps getting asked, so no harm in continuing on.....


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## Gramps

It's not a big deal but it's just that the best of anything from 7 years ago may not be true now. I think the "Recommended Reading" forum should have a way of archiving threads that have not been posted on in a year or two.


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## Old_Hobo

I’ll do you one better....they should drop the recommended reading thing.....I can figure out what to read on my own thanks.....


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## Gramps

Agreed!


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