# Help purchasing a Loco



## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

Hi all,

I'd like to purchase a quality HO locomotive for me and my boys to use on our simple layout under the Christmas tree this winter. The last time I bought (received) an HO locomotive was 35 years ago when I was a young boy. And it always seemed they'd break soonafter (I still have most of them and trying to get them to work is tough with cheap plastic parts). 

Anyway when we go to model train shows it always seems like the pros have the sturdy engines that ride so smoothly and quietly. 

Not looking for absolute top of the line or even bells and whistles (haha). Here's what I'm thinking:

- Diesel (my boys love Amtrak)
- Not too long of a model since the layout is a small oval
- Not remote DCC, simple old fashioned powered is fine
- High quality so that it will last a long time with proper care
- Prefer new, but also would consider used
- Budget ~$100-$125

With all of that said, can you recommend good Brands and also places to buy? 

Thanks!


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Athearn makes a good product.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

You'll want to look for a loco with two 4 wheel
trucks. It will better fit your small oval. The
larger, 6 wheel truck locos will not work as well
on the tighter radius curves.

We are fortunate today that current models of
locos are all smooth running and dependable
regardless of maker. 

Of course, there will be the occasional lemon
but in general you can select any small diesel
and expect good service. So you and the family
can choose based on how much you like the
looks of a loco without concern about who made it.

The major difference in models today is the amount
of detail. The more detail the higher price.

We do recommend that when your new loco arrives
that you check it's lubrication. Often the truck 'grease'
will gel and actually slow the loco. Use only plastic
compatible lubricants such as those sold under the
Labelle name. Also, use alcohol to
clean the loco's wheels to remove any film left by
the manufacturing process.

Don


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

MichaelE said:


> Athearn makes a good product.


thanks!


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

DonR said:


> You'll want to look for a loco with two 4 wheel
> trucks. It will better fit your small oval. The
> larger, 6 wheel truck locos will not work as well
> on the tighter radius curves.
> ...


Don, thank you very much for the detailed guidance. This is truly very helpful! thanks again, Bryan


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Don always gives good advice. Like he said stay with a 8 wheel locomotive. Not 12.
I buy much of my stuff from TrainWorld.com. I just went there and looked for a Bachmann Amtrak locomotive. None there. I looked up Athearn Amtrak locomotives.
They have several. Some nice ones in your price range. Found some for 105.99 plus
shipping. An athearn would make you a nice loco that should last years. They are not
DCC but are DCC ready. That means if you and the boys get a big kick out of the Christmas train and wanted a year round layout you just take shell off and plug in a
DCC decoder. That easy.

All new locos come with knuckle couplers. Your old cars from 35 years ago will probably not hook up. Different
couplers.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

But the couplers can usually be updated with very little effort.....:thumbsup:


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

mopac said:


> Don always gives good advice. Like he said stay with a 8 wheel locomotive. Not 12.
> I buy much of my stuff from TrainWorld.com. I just went there and looked for a Bachmann Amtrak locomotive. None there. I looked up Athearn Amtrak locomotives.
> They have several. Some nice ones in your price range. Found some for 105.99 plus
> shipping. An athearn would make you a nice loco that should last years. They are not
> ...


Beautiful. That's where I was going next. Searching but not sure where to begin. this is the level that I need. And nice about the DCC ready. Hope to grow into these trains with the boys. 

On the couplers - had no idea. And that's exactly what I envisioned: running this new loco to pull all of the old cars I've kept since I was a child.


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

Old_Hobo said:


> But the couplers can usually be updated with very little effort.....:thumbsup:


Ah, even better!


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Kadee makes couplers that will replace the horn hook
ones presently on your cars. In most cases that is
a matter of popping the top (some have screws, some
are held by friction) of the draft box and replace the
old with the new.

Some prefer to make an 'adapter' car. Knuckle to
couple to the new loco but a horn hook on the
other end to couple to existing old cars.

Don


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

You can convert your entire collection of rolling stock, or just change the couplers on the new locomotive to horn-hook.

Depends upon the level of realism you are after and how much you want to spend doing it.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

The recommendation for an 8 wheeled diesel is a good one. That's what I was thinking as soon as I read your post. 

For shopping: Trainworld.com is a great site, but it's hard to browse, so if you don't know what you want, it can be frustrating.

M.B. Klein, dba ModelTrainStuff is another go-to supplier for me. www.modeltrainstuff.com

One other place you should check: William K. Walthers. They are the largest wholesaler of model railroading stuff in North America, if not anywhere, and their website is easy to search with pictures and great filters to narrow your search. Two caveats, though. 1) They don't carry Horizon Hobbies products (which includes Athearn locos), and 2) they only sell for MSRP, so they don't undercut their vendors. Still, a great place to get ideas, and you do find the odd bargain on sale. Their website is www.walthers.com


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

thanks everyone! I'll be sure to reply back to this post with my purchase!


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

SO checked all of those sites above and now have a good idea of what I can get for my price range. Also stumbled on a site called Hobbyrails.com which seemed to have some good stuff. 

I saw a few new brands I've never heard of before:

- Kato
- Rapido
- Roundhouse


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

All three of the brands you had never heard of
have been around for a long time. They're
standards in the hobby.

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Rapido is a top shelf brand-- they run well, and are incredibly detailed. Likewise with Kato, although not quite as nicely detailed. Roundhouse makes good, basic models (it's actually a Horizon Hobbies /Athearn brand name), but not in the same class as the other two.


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

What do you think of this one

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kato-37-61...994438&hash=item590018cc76:g:K7QAAOSwUn9Z5ZXb


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

bryher said:


> What do you think of this one
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kato-37-61...994438&hash=item590018cc76:g:K7QAAOSwUn9Z5ZXb


Hard to imagine going wrong with a Kato. However, someone with more knowledge than me can weigh in on whether this model is DCC-ready. 
Any loco can be made DCC -usually with a bit of soldering- but a DCC-ready DC loco will have a socket so you can just plug in a DCC Decoder. If you're going to spend 100+ on a loco I'd suggest it be DCC-ready if possible.


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## Tom17 (Jan 14, 2016)

How about https://www.trainworld.com/manufact...s-1/kato-37-6109-ge-p42-genesis-phase-vb-150/


http://www.nicholassmithtrains.com/...COMOTIVES/AMTRAK-Phase-V-P42DC-#189/ATH88750/


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

Eilif said:


> Hard to imagine going wrong with a Kato. However, someone with more knowledge than me can weigh in on whether this model is DCC-ready.
> Any loco can be made DCC -usually with a bit of soldering- but a DCC-ready DC loco will have a socket so you can just plug in a DCC Decoder. If you're going to spend 100+ on a loco I'd suggest it be DCC-ready if possible.


DCC would be a nice to have, even ready for sometime down the road. But not a must now. I guess looking forward some day yep would be good to have.


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

Tom17 said:


> How about https://www.trainworld.com/manufact...s-1/kato-37-6109-ge-p42-genesis-phase-vb-150/
> 
> 
> http://www.nicholassmithtrains.com/...COMOTIVES/AMTRAK-Phase-V-P42DC-#189/ATH88750/


Yep on the first! 

Ok so now I feel a bit silly. So....I live about 25 minutes away from Nicholas' Smith's physical store here in PA. Not sure why I didnt just think of driving over 

Maybe I just thought you can get better deals online with most thigns these days (I'm in the business). But when you factor out shipping costs could be a no brainer. Would be nice to see these engines in person too.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

See, Tom found a better deal at Trainworld on the same loco. The Athearn would be fine, too.

Just personally, I wouldn't use eBay for a locomotive. Since defective happens, you're better off with an established retailer with a good return policy.


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

CTValleyRR said:


> See, Tom found a better deal at Trainworld on the same loco. The Athearn would be fine, too.
> 
> Just personally, I wouldn't use eBay for a locomotive. Since defective happens, you're better off with an established retailer with a good return policy.



Ok got it. Good to know. :thumbsup:


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Nicholas Smith Trains is a good store. They will take care of you.

For a little longer drive, there is M.B. Klein, aka ModelTrainStuff, in Cockeysville, MD, which is another great place, as is Trainworld's physical store in Brooklyn, NYC.

All 3 places have good, discounted prices.


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## J.Albert1949 (Feb 3, 2018)

Here's Kato's info page on the P42:
https://www.katousa.com/HO/P42/maintenance.html

Looks like considerable work to install DCC in a "DC" version of their P42.

Unless the OP is up for this, I'd be looking for one that has DCC and sound factory-installed.

*OP:*
Before you buy anything, I'd suggest you take the time to make the trip to the Nicholas Smith store...


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

J.Albert1949 said:


> Here's Kato's info page on the P42:
> https://www.katousa.com/HO/P42/maintenance.html
> 
> Looks like considerable work to install DCC in a "DC" version of their P42.
> ...


Ok thanks all, will make a trip over there first. My boys love it there. Will be back in touch!


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

So made a trip to Nicholas Smith Trains today. Awesome place. My son and I had a great time and I learned alot. I have my sights set on this one:

http://www.nicholassmithtrains.com/...TIVES/HO-AMTRAK-GE-P42-GENESIS-#91/KAT376108/

I had the gentleman take it out of the box, let me inspect it, and he did a test run. Unfortunately he was the gumpiest, grouchiest, least helpful salesperson I've ever encountered. Fortunately I wasn't buying then and just on reconnaisance. Also found it curious the in store price was $150 versus the online price of $134. Again the guy was so not a help maybe I was looking at a different one.

Anyway so glad I went. They had tons of other great locos I could pull right off the shelves myself and inspect.

My plan is to get
1) the New genesis linked above
2) another lower end loco like a Santa Fe FP7. They had some great prices.

Will post final buys here!

Bryan


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

Update in case anyone is interested. 

Phase 1 of my plan is done. I just purchased this loco from MB Klein at Modeltrainstuff.com

https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/kato-ho-376108-ge-p42-genesis-amtrak-phase-vb-91/

I wasn't planning on buying this until later but it was on sale and I couldn't pass it up.

Let me just say how blown away I am. If you've been following this thread you'll know this is my first locomotive purchase...ever. My prior experience is from 35-40 years ago as a kid. I know I sound dated but I never imagined the product would have evolved like this. I'm not talk about the detail but really about the engineering and performance. The engine is so smooth, quiet and effortless I'm blown away. 

thank you all for the advice!!

Of course now I'm ready for part 2: purchasing a less expensive new or used engine. Needless to say I am more excited than I expected after seeing how far the technology has come. 

Would it be ok to post some links here for feedback on some potential purchases? 

Bryan


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Looks like you bought yours just in time, shows out of stock now.

Magic


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

That's a good looking locomotive. Very Euro-looking to me.

The first time I ran my Roco 2143 Class without the sound on I was blown away with how quiet this loco is. If you weren't watching it, you wouldn't know where on the layout it was without hunting it down with your eyes.

Congrats on your first modern locomotive.


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## bryher (Dec 17, 2011)

Magic said:


> Looks like you bought yours just in time, shows out of stock now.
> 
> Magic


Yep, there may have only been a few in stock. When I was buying it said 1 left. 




MichaelE said:


> That's a good looking locomotive. Very Euro-looking to me.
> 
> The first time I ran my Roco 2143 Class without the sound on I was blown away with how quiet this loco is. If you weren't watching it, you wouldn't know where on the layout it was without hunting it down with your eyes.
> 
> Congrats on your first modern locomotive.


Thanks!! I forgot to mention that I also purchased a brand new set of Kato Superliner coaches. Overall a big investment but really excited about it and expect this set to be in the family for years to come.

In other news I took alot of time and also made my first pre-owned purchased via ebay. There's so much out there and I know its risky. But had some nice dialog with the seller and these were good prices IMO. Purchased these two to give me a comparison with the brand new Kato.

1) https://www.ebay.com/itm/HO-Scale-B...235675?hash=item4b4b525b1b:g:oi8AAOSwZthbagW3

2) https://www.ebay.com/itm/HO-Scale-B...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


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