# Walthers Mainline vs Trainline Engines - HO



## jimben (Jun 27, 2018)

I have both the Walthers Trainline #2092 engine and the higher grade Walthers Mainline #8757 engine. Both are new in the box. 

The Mainline is a heavy weight six wheel engine and is 10-5/8" long less couplers. It is very quiet running. It tracks perfectly on a short 18" radius. Engine draws .230ma at 16 volts DC and full speed.

The Trainline is not near as heavy as the Mainline and is a four wheel engine measuring 6-1/8" long less couplers. It operates a little noisier vs the Mainline. It does not track well on a short 18" radius so I recommend standard 22" radius and higher. It constantly had the front leading wheel come off the track at slow or fast speeds on the 18" radius track. However the track was not attached to the plywood yet and curves were not perfectly flat. It draws .205ma at 16 volts DC and full speed.

Based upon the two engines I would pay twice the cost of the Mainline ($120) vs the Trainline ($60). The Mainline quality is obvious. I have no idea how Walthers compares to same price Bachmann or other brands with regard to quality or tracking well on the 18" radius track.

More technical info is at the Walthers internet site.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

"Trainline" is their bottom end toy train set level brand.


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## jimben (Jun 27, 2018)

cv_acr said:


> "Trainline" is their bottom end toy train set level brand.


I would not bother with the Walthers 'toy' level engine. Better than a tiny motor front wheel only drive cheap TYCO, but...........


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Anything is better than Tyco. That's not saying much.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

Interesting that you're having a bad experience with the Trainline GP9M. I think you may have a defective loco or something out of wack with the front wheels.

I've got two Trainline GP9M's and they are among my most reliable locos. Not at all fancy in terms of detail, being about on par with BB Athearn. However, they are smooth running, fairly quiet, and they track well on 18" up to 26" curves that I've put them on.
Defintiely beter than my Tyco 4wd locos and as good or better than my similarly-modestly-priced 8WD locos such as Model Power, Mantua, Bachmann (basic level), etc. Smoother and quieter than most (though not all) of my Athearn BB's, but maybe not quite as strong a puller.

If you google search for the Trainline GP9M (you'll get better results than searching for just one road number) folks generally speak well of them as operating well though being low on protypicity. 

I'm really hoping that with the release of the new Mainline "GP9 Phase II" models, Walthers doesn't discontinue the Trainline GP9M. At about $50 online, the GP9M is one of the best affordable locos out there for folks looking for reliability and low cost in a new loco. I hope to add another Trainline GP9M(CN probably) to my collection at some point, but I have zero interest in spending $150 for a Mainline GP9 phase II.


I'd point out also that comparing the trainline to a Mainline GP60M is not really a sensible comparison. the GP60M is based on LifeLike Proto tooling is much larger, has a different wheel arrangement and drive, etc and is a completely different beast. I will say though that they're available online for around $100 and that represents quite a bargain.


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## nrscroller (Dec 3, 2018)

*Mainlines I have heard are good*

Hi
I was just up at a hobby shop in northern twincities of MPls/ St. Paul and the dealer said they are much smoother and quieter running than Athearns engines and are a good one for the money. I don't have any.
Bill


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

I have one and have had no problems, it runs very well .


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## DavefromMD (Jul 25, 2013)

I have a Walters Trinline F40PH that runs smooth and quiet. Rand well. I converted it to DCC and have no problems.

It runs much quieter and is faster than my Kato F40PH non sound DCC locomotive.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

"protypicity", if that's not a word, it should be.:dunno::appl:


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## jimben (Jun 27, 2018)

What makes a Walthers Trainline shine is comparing to an older TYCO engine. I had a new TYCO engine fail in 30 minutes. A new Walthers Trainline will not fail.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

jimben said:


> What makes a Walthers Trainline shine is comparing to an older TYCO engine. I had a new TYCO engine fail in 30 minutes. A new Walthers Trainline will not fail.


I agree about the reliability of the Trainline.

However, did you clean and relube the gears in the New-Old-Stock Tyco's you've been mentioning in various threads? I ask because while TYCO locos are not universally loved, they usually don't fail in 30 minutes. 

The lube used in many entry-level locos can congeal and harden over time. It's entirely possible that an otherwise good, unrun, 30-year-iold loco can be ruined by running it without a cleaning and re-lube.


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## Chops (Dec 6, 2018)

Have a Mainline GP 9. Runs like a champ. Not a detail fanatic, I like to simplify.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

jimben said:


> What makes a Walthers Trainline shine is comparing to an older TYCO engine. I had a new TYCO engine fail in 30 minutes. A new Walthers Trainline will not fail.


So, what you’ve said is, you would not buy another Trainline locomotive because the Mainline is better, but the Trainline is better than a Tyco, and will not fail.....but then, almost EVERY other manufacturer makes locomotives that are superior to the old Tyco locomotives, so what, exactly, is the point of this thread?


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

TYCO is *40 year old* *toys*.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

I have a trainline gp15 that is very smooth and quiet. I've converted it to DCC and it has been reliable and a strong puller. Much quieter than my BB locos. I wouldn't hesitate to buy more.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk


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## EMD_GP9 (Jun 19, 2012)

Last year I bought a Trainline "Locomotive Combo Pack which was an Alco FA A+B set in New Haven livery.
The locos ran very smoothly - however .....
When I tried to take the bodies off to fit DCC decoders they would not move !
After a struggle I managed to get one off and found that the chassis had swollen with what is known in Europe as "Zink Pest" and cracked and crumbled as I handled them.
Walthers could not supply replacement chassis due to the age of the models.
I managed to get both bodies off in the end and bought a couple of Proto 2000 locos with damaged bodies and used the chassis as replacements. The two brands had different mounting methods but was fairly easily done by gluing some blocks on the inside of the body for the proto screws to fit.
So beware buying older Trainline as they may have the same problem.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

You are right....the original Trainline locomotives were really not that good, but the newer stuff is getting better all the time.....


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