Heads-up: Con-Cor MP15 sale

William Cowie Jan 24, 2012

  1. William Cowie

    William Cowie TrainBoard Member

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    On their Yard Sale page they're selling their MP-15 switchers for $29.99. I'm only posting it because of the price, for someone out there who (like me) might have been holding out until the price came down. Here's a link:

    http://www.con-cor.com/YardSale/NmP15Sale.html

    The issues with these locomotives have been discussed ad nauseam when they came out, so please let's not have a rehash.
    Buy or don't buy. Leave it at that.

    You're welcome. :)
     
  2. EMD F7A

    EMD F7A TrainBoard Member

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    Hey, will a SW9/1200 shell fit this chassis?
     
  3. Ike the BN Freak

    Ike the BN Freak TrainBoard Member

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    no, the MP-15 is longer than the SW's

    Might have to look into these...get a pair for a shortline or something
     
  4. b-16707

    b-16707 TrainBoard Member

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    i dont want to spark a debate either but can someone just link me to a discussion about this loco? i think that was way before my time and the search brings up nothing relevant.
     
  5. timhar47

    timhar47 TrainBoard Member

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    Same here - sorry whats issue with these? Impossible to DCC ?
     
  6. Westfalen

    Westfalen TrainBoard Member

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    http://www.visi.com/~spookshow/ccmp15.html
     
  7. Ike the BN Freak

    Ike the BN Freak TrainBoard Member

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    but truck mounted couplers...for a loco released in 2005...I'll pass
     
  8. hoyden

    hoyden TrainBoard Supporter

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    I bought two of these two years ago and tried to install a TCM decoder. I got the decoder installed and was doing some test runs when suddenly I saw the magic smoke escape. Being somewhat disappointed and needing to move on to other things I put the unit on the shelf in anticipation of doing the postmortem at another time. The decoder installation was somewhat invasive as I had to hack the boards to get them to fit, but I did get them to fit.
     

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  9. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Me thinks that this could be critter fodder or possibly a small boxcab loco since this is a relatively cheap source of a mechanism.
     
  10. kalbert

    kalbert Guest

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    For $30 it doesn't really matter what if any couplers are on it. If someone wanted an mp15 it's a good buy, esp the undecs. Not saying you have to buy it but if you're waiting for con-cor to rerun it with better couplers and dcc expect to wait a while and pay a bit more than $30. Dont come back in 5 years when that happens and say "$160!?! Last time they ran these they were liquidated for $30! I'll pass."
     
  11. johnh

    johnh TrainBoard Member

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    A good buy for the money. I had one years ago and never thought to try the trucks in the older CC SW model. These are low friction IIRC, so if you are using the old Kato/CC mech for a bash, the trucks would make a great improvement if they fit
     
  12. Seated Viper

    Seated Viper TrainBoard Member

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    When I first started to consider changing from UK outline N, to US outline N, around December 2010, I sought advice about what brands of locomotive were good buys, and which I should avoid. I didn't want a repeat of the old Graham Farish performance (though they are MILES better since Bachmann took over - says a lot!) and Con-Cor was one of those I was advised to avoid. I'm still not sure why this should be the case, but all my locos are Atlas or Kato.

    If anyone can advise what, exactly, is the problem with this brand, I'd like to know, too!

    Regards,

    Pete Davies
     
  13. Kevin M

    Kevin M TrainBoard Member

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    What can you use the frame to bash? How about a SW10 or 1500? Of all of them the CB&Q looks alright to me. The cab and funky handrails spoil the shell for me.
    Kevin
     
  14. b-16707

    b-16707 TrainBoard Member

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    well i can tell you one thing model-unrelated, their website is utter rubbish. without knowing they were having the mp15 sale, try to get to it without searching. or how about a complete list of their products?

    hehe ok my rant over, i just had to get that out. it wells up within me when anything concor related gets brought up
     
  15. Ike the BN Freak

    Ike the BN Freak TrainBoard Member

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    If I want an MP-15 with DCC and body mounts...I'll get an Atlas for $70 street price
     
  16. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    First off the MP15 is way too modern for me. However if the mechanism will fit under the old cow calf switcher, particularly the calf I might get in line for one. As far as Concor goes I do agree that getting around thier website is cumbersome to say the least. As far as their products go I still have a set of their F-3s that are still running, the first edition of the S-2 Northern was a jewel and the 2nd isn't bad either. The Galloping Goose is another little jewel. Now some of the roadnames that got plastered onto a number of locos that never came near the roadname they carried has been a turn off for me. Naviagting the website to find parts is fun (not) but my experience in talking to a real person in parts has been a pleasure.
     
  17. daniel_leavitt2000

    daniel_leavitt2000 TrainBoard Member

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    The Con-Cor MP15 was one of those Yeti-like myths in N scale for years. The story goes that in the 80’s Con-Cor was pleased enough with the Kato-chassis SW1200 to order an MP15 on a stretched SW1200 chassis. Whether this was Kato or not, I do not know. In any event, there were some difficulties with the project and it lay dormant for years and years. Suddenly, in 2005, within weeks of the Atlas MP15 announcement, the model miraculously appeared.

    Personally, I believe that the shell was tooled by the same firm Roco used. The reason I belive this is that Con-Cor contracted them to produce their SD40-2 and SD50 around the same time, and the model’s construction (handrail/walkway insert uses tabs, the cab features a bump-out below the front windows etc.) is very close to that of those two models. The model does feature much finer tooling than those SD units but still suffers from the Wide Body Syndrome.

    The mechanism is completely contemporary though. And this is where I think the original CC MP15 ran into problems. Did they try to use a Roco mechanism before choosing to go with a Kato based chassis? That would have taken up valuable time and resources. When Kato ended all North American contracts in the late 1980’s, Con-Cor may have already been deep into a second mechanism.

    So we get this new mechanism complete with needlepoint axles, a sweet little Machima motor and a TON of weight. Seriously, this thing pulls as well as an Atlas GP38. This is either the second or third mechanism built for the shell. I wonder what the original mechanisms looked like. Much Like Apple prototypes, we probably will never see them.

    So the upshot is the engine runs nice, real nice. Good luck with DCC as it will be a mill job. The shell kind of sucks by today’s standards, especially with the Atlas twin out and about. I honestly cannot think of a single engine that uses a wheelbase near the MP15, especially since the frame is rather wide for a switcher.
     
  18. Westfalen

    Westfalen TrainBoard Member

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    I hope Con-Cor keep dusting off stuff like this they find fallen behind a crate in a corner of a warehouse somewhere. I shows those who wish you could still buy locomotives for $30 why you can't.
     
  19. William Cowie

    William Cowie TrainBoard Member

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    What pushed me over the edge is I plan to use them on a tight switching layout where the truck mounted MT's actually are a plus, not a minus. We'll see when I get 'em. Oh, and another thing Con-Cor got reamed for was the foobie paint schemes, mainly the Warbonnet ATSF scheme. They are what they are and they cost what they cost. At that price my guess is they'll all find good homes.
     
  20. Ike the BN Freak

    Ike the BN Freak TrainBoard Member

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    If you get undecs, can you post better images of them?

    Wondering if they look comparable to an Atlas GP15-1, and if so, might get a set to run with them...or might figure out a way to make convert the shell to a slug and run with GP15-1s...
     

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