Peco Code 55 track "IS NOT CODE 55" and should not be in the equation, the inner, flange running area is code 80/83 or thereabouts, the only reason Pizza cutters work with it.
I contacted Charlie and he said that he and Hornby are still working on perfecting his coupler design. So the couplers on the U25B are not his. However, he's hoping that his couplers will be ready for the next Arnold/Hornby locomotive release (which is very close). Cheers, -Mark
Yep, Charlie said that the tooling is finished and that they're just waiting for painted samples before they go ahead and make the announcement. He went on to say that the prototype covers almost all the railroads that you’d want, and that it will take decades to work through the “A” list of roadnames and paint schemes. I couldn't pry any more info than that out of him Cheers, -Mark
I might have to get me the Northern Pacific or Burlington version. That NP version looks really nice! Thanks for the write up, Mark!
Yeah, that NP scheme has always been one of my favorites although I like the one where the yellow goes up on both ends even better. Doug
I dropped a TCS EUN651 into my L&N #1500 and all the problems with shorting out going through the crossover I described in reply 19 went away. With a decoder the locomotive runs really well. No complaints at all. I didn't try putting the couplers back together and instead slapped a couple of Z scale couplers in their place. They look nice and drop right in. Someday I will try my luck putting the original couplers back together but not today, and tomorrow is not looking good either. I also discovered that the centering spring can come out of the coupler with the coupler not falling apart. I doubt I will be able to put the spring back without full disassembly. Now to put a second TCS decoder and get around to fixing all the stanchions I dislodged while investigating the shorting anomaly.
I got my U25C Burlington Northern loco today and it is a very nice looking engine. The handrails look good but are fragile like other people have said on this post,so I will be gluing mine on to prevent this problem. I read about the couplers coming apart when they were removed so I carefully took mine off and heat staked the lid to the box so it would not fly apart. Overall, I am very happy with this release. I love the detailing on the pilots. gene maddox
This isn't correct. I'm looking at a section of Peco code 55 right now and the inner and outer rail areas are exactly the same height. The difference is that there aren't any spikes along the inner rail.
Earlier statement made "This isn't correct. I'm looking at a section of Peco code 55 right now and the inner and outer rail areas are exactly the same height. The difference is that there aren't any spikes along the inner rail." I don't think I need to go into the differences between the 'other' Code 55 makes and Peco Code 55, just try for yourself to connect the Peco brand with the other two, Peco Code 55 is not true Code 55!
Everyone knows that it's code 80 embedded into the ties, but the fact is that the visible height of the rail is code 55. Your statement gave the impression that if you look at the inner side of the rail, you'd see code 80. That's simply not the case.
I think everyone who uses my encyclopedia gets the gist of what I mean by "no problems on code 55 rails". Cheers, -Mark
I hope they are successful in getting the 'Vlk-u-mate' to work. Especially since the coupler that David Smith of NZT has been working on is currently in limbo.
If anyone is interested in replacing the traction tire wheel sets on there Arnold/Hornby GE U25C, they are available, and fairly easy to replace. Received two sets of Arnold/Hornby GE U25C wheel sets, a set includes three axles, two regular axles and one with the traction tire. I removed the body so I didn't break off any of the fine details. Remove the side frames, they just pop off with a small screwdriver. I really like this feature, makes it very easy to get to the wheel wipers. Using a very thin tool I removed the cover on the truck bottom. Removed the middle axle that has the traction tire and replaced it with a new non traction tire axle. I used a long set of tweezers to hold the wipers in so replacing the wheel set was a snap. Replaced the cover, side frames and body. Tested out the loco running at step one on my Digitrax throttle over several medium turnout and it passed with flying colors. I'm really confused as to why Arnold/Hornby added the traction tires because without them the loco still pulls really great.
I guess I kind of jumped the gun a little, the Arnold/Hornby parts aren't quite ready yet, they don't have everything in place! I was just lucky that they had a couple sets available when I email them!
I keep looking at these, thinking about the NP ones. I really have no business buying these but they are nice looking. Thanks for your initial impressions and reviews, folks!
