Micro-trains makes several of their own Z scale models... so this is about their N scale efforts. The N scale Micro-Trains FT locomotive from years past was the only actual Micro-trains effort that was originated and engineered by their company I'm aware of. Micro-trains has frequently partnered with other manufacturers and importers of locomotives to package with their rolling stock models as train sets. Generally... they have themed train sets which are not prototypical... but every so often... they make generic sets that could be prototypical. Those are the ones I'm most interested in. So when I see a possibly prototypical set... I'm interested in acquiring it. The problem is that I also have a concern over certain locomotive importers with a stigma of poor running models. Lately... Micro-trains has been partnering with Bachmann and Model Power to create some sets I am interested in... but am concerned about. Whats worse is that Micro-trains is not disclosing which manufacturer is supplying the motive power in some of their advertising. That's fine if you're knowledgeable of the models out there... but... for someone new to the hobby they might not realize what they are getting. For the most part... every locomotive Micro-trains offers in their N scale sets are well running and will serve their owners well. I'm sure Micro-trains will stand behind whatever they sell if a customer is unhappy with their purchase... but there are no guarantees noted anywhere. So specifically... I'm going to discuss a recently released set called "Santa Fe Vintage Loco & Caboose Set". The set includes only two pieces... a Model Power USRA 4-4-0 American Class steam locomotive and a Micro-Trains 51000 series straight cupola wood caboose. First... I have no idea if Santa Fe had either of these types of so... I just felt it might be close enough to prototypical to warrant buying it. I 'sort-of' knew the loco was a Model Power because I have another one acquired several years ago... but... that one has been a fairly good model considering how small it it. I haven't seen Micro-trains advertising that mentions this is the actual model... and on the packaging... you have to look hard to find that it is a Model Power product. It almost seems as if they are embarrased to mention their collaboration with Model Power. Well... I'm HAPPY TO REPORT... the model I have is working just fine. It pulls 8 cars up my 2% grade without a problem... and probably would pull several more if not for the fact some of the cars pulled were old Athean wood express reefers notorious for bad rolling trucks. The only real issues with these models is the one that befalls a lot of small steamers... jack-rabbit starts and stops. I don't know if that can be remedied but otherwise I can live with that. Now for the rest of the topic... Why doesn't Micro-trains resume making their own motive power???? If they continue to partner with other manufacturers... why not ADAPT some of the existing chassis to more prototypical bodies for models that may not be made by those mainstream loco manufacturers? I'm sure that a number of N scalers would love to have a specific prototype steamer which might share similar wheel arrangements of the 2-6-0, 4-4-0, 4-6-0, 4-6-2, 2-8-2 & 4-8-2 variations done by both Bachmann and Model Power. I know that they would be expensive... but... if given enough lead time... modelers can save up to buy a SPECIFIC model not presently available. Micro-trains certainly has the ability to create fine models; and, by using the existing chassis... perhaps with a better motor... could interest MANY N scalers even if the model is not in their era or modeling area.
Shameless plug for my Unofficial Micro-Trains Release Report (click link in my signature to access): I do include the original manufacturer of any motive power used by MTL, whether it's their own (right now, in N Scale that's the FT only) or someone else's. If I don't know, I contact them and find out. For example the recently announced Southern Pacific / Cotton Belt train set (open for pre-orders through February 29, 2012) includes a Bachmann GP-7. That fact is stated directly in their hard copy "Micro-News" and on their website. Generally speaking, if it's an N Scale set and the loco is not an FT, then it's not theirs. I have no specific unofficial answer as to why MTL did not venture beyond FTs for N Scale motive power, but I suspect that the "FT Wars" were not a success for either them or for Intermountain which also released them. Once bitten, twice shy. MTL has turned its interest in motive power to Z Scale instead.
I wish they'd release the SD40-2's they are doing in Z scale, who knows when Kato will do them again.
Key words here are "so far". I am sure there'll be call in the future for MTL to release another n scale engine, there are many locos out there just begging for a quality N prototype and their FT's were quite a nice piece of equipment (only gripe I have is paint colors there..... but c'est la vie, right?). With the current state of 3D printing technology and related rapid prototyping, many MR companies should soon be able to beef up their lines of unique products and special runs..... seeing as several TB guys have already taken advantage of some of this tech in the recent few years for smaller products to fille a niche, I can't imagine the big companies are not already exploring it.
Had the opportunity to pickup the logging set they put out and it came with a Bachman 2-6-2, 4 logging cars and a wood caboose, painted but undecaled. Nice, but a more 'logging' loco would've been neater! The engine fits my prototype well, tho' and only trakes a little tuning to make an excellent running engine out of it , so I am content with the purchase. I do believe that I had to ask the Hobby store guy to confirm that it was a Bachman before i picked it up, as it wasn't labeled. Aah well, part of the fun! Now, if MT would pick up the ball and follow the lead of so many on TB here and just cast a new boiler and tender set for an existing frame........
I know I'm digging a little deep for this post but how's that loco working for you now? I just scored the same set off the auction site this evening. Is it Spectrum and are you running DC or DCC? Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
That has been true for a while, as they released fine working GP35s, GP9s and SD40-2s. Unfortunately a few years ago they messed up with their chassis manufacturer contractor, which inescapably was set in China, and these products became no more available. Today MTL is still bringing back their 30-year + old technology F7, and no one has any news about any Geep or SD remanufacturing. Fortunately we Z-scalers can rely on AZL's numerous and fine running diesels and steamers, otherwise that should be a pity.... Dom
If the USRA ever asked for a design for an Eight-Wheeler, it never made it any further than the drawing board. The smallest USRA road power that anyone actually built was the light Pacific and light Mikado. The MP Eight-Wheeler is really the Mogul with the wheel arrangement changed. If you look at the cast-on sanding lines, you will see that they do not fit an Eight-Wheeler The MP Mogul is based on an SP design, although MP does not sell it with a correct SP cab. There are two cabs available, one an ALCo/NYCS type cab, the other a B&M/Reading Company arched window cab. The smokebox cover is not quite correct, either, as it lacks the "smile" shaped handrailing under the headlight. It would not be hard to modify the ALCo cab or add the handrail. I do not know if ATSF had any "modern" Eight-Wheelers (built after 1892, or so). The MT caboose, as I understand it, is based on a SSW caboose. I would expect that ATSF had wood cabooses, but I do not know how long they lasted. Most of the service photographs that I have seen of ATSF freight trains show the steel caboose on which the almost-ubiquitous-for-many-years N scale caboose was based (which was based on a USRA commissioned design. The USRA did solicit designs for cabooses, but never caused any to be built). MT added a traction tyre and made the pilots live on this one to address the poor pulling power and electrical contact problems that the addition of the traction tyre might spawn. The archaic tender pick up design did not help, either. I do not know if the MT improvements helped, or not. My experience with these things is that if you leave the stock tender on them, they will stall on straight and level track, even, if run at anything less then thirty-five SMPH. If you swap out the stock tender for either a Kato USRA standard or Bachmann SPECTRUM, you will have a good locomotive. The Mogul is the real beneficiary from this operation, as the stock version has the traction tyre. I have two that I modified, one with the Kato, one with the B-mann USRA standard. Either one will pull fifteen loaded MT gondolas and a MMT wood caboose up a one per-cent grade at ten SMPH. That was the most that I tried. Neither locomotive showed any sign of slipping. I wonder if the prototype would have done that. MT sold this locomotive lettered for B&O with some hoppers and the same MT wood caboose. All are pre-weathered. B&O actually did have "modern" Eight Wheelers, although it scrapped most of them in the 1930s. Some did last into the 1940s. The caboose has a lettering scheme that I have never seen on any B&O caboose. The lettering is black with a Capitol Dome herald whose design first appeared in the mid-1950s. Yes, the B&O used the Capitol Dome herald for years before the mid-1950s, but this particular design, shape, form, font, call-it-what-you-will did not appear until the mid-1950s. Some have stated that the stock MP tender shell will fit onto the SPECTRUM slopeback chassis, but I never have tried even a test-fit. The logging roads actually liked the 2-6-2 wheel arrangement. The six drivered power was generally small and light enough that it would not turn the logging roads' already crummy track to powder and buckle the often hastily and cheaply constructed bridges that those roads had. Further, the six-drivered power would go around the sharper curves on the logging roads. Most of these roads were too cheap to build any sort of turning facilities, which was why they preferred tank locomotives, but some did have tender-equipped power. As the logging road trains often ran at very slow speed, it was not that big a deal to run a locomotive tender-first for any distance. The presence of the idler trucks helped guide the locomotive on the tracks, thus keeping the wear and tear on the driver tyres within normal range. This was especially important given the sharp curves on logging power. The idlers also provided some relief on the axle loadings. I forget if it is Kato or Tomix (and I have it, I am just too lazy to run upstairs to look), but the only 2-6-2T of which I am aware is a JNR prototype that one of those manufacturers sells. The idler trucks are live, but, as it does have a traction tyre, it will stall, even on straight and level, at speeds less than thirty five SMPH. When it does run, it runs well. It appears that it could be bashed into a North-American appearing 2-6-2T with a few minor alterations and only one major--to the cab. I plan to use mine as a short-distance passenger locomotive, so I will address the contact problem by attaching a combine or baggage car with live trucks to it and wires on either end that can be plugged and unplugged. If you wanted to use it for freight or even logging, you could build a water bottle for it with live trucks and wires that could be plugged and unplugged. In my case, I can pass off the wires as air and steam lines. The modeller who wants to use it for freight or logging can pass off the wires as air and water lines. Kato sells a JNR 2-6-4T. It has traction tyres, as well, but the live trailing truck does allow it to run at slower speeds with stalling at a minimum. It is easily modified to a North American appearing locomotive with minimal work. The smokebox cover from B-mann USRA 0-6-0 will fit once you remove the alien smokebox cover. You must do a little work to the front. Add a pilot to the back to complete the work. You can mount a pilot to the trailing truck. This means that it will swivel with the truck, but more than one N scale diesel has that characteristic. The lines on the cab are square, which makes it more North American appearing than most alien power. The B-mann "Prairie" is really a USRA o-6-0 with idler trucks added. The last issues of these with the motor that sticks out of the back of the cab were pretty good. B-mann changed the locomotive frame, the gearing and the rods/valve gear. The one weak point is the design of the one live truck on the tender. It creates a tremendous amount of drag on the locomotive in addition to providing less than ideal pickup. You can swap out the stock tender for a SPECTRUM tender with little trouble. The tender swap will improve both the pick up and pulling power. You must flip over the drawbar and do some surgery on the tender chassis using a Dremel tool. Spookshow has the instructions on his website. He states that it is not necessary to alter the tender chassis on the slopeback tender, only on the USRA standard. All respect to Spookshow, always, but I do disagree with him on the slopeback. I have had better results when I made an alteration to the slopeback tender chassis similar to the one that he suggests for the USRA standard. In addition, I find that the idler trucks detract from the pulling power. The very last issues of these things have a new motor that does not stick out the back of the cab. Sadly, B-mann did not improve the tender. Fortunately, you can do the tender swap in the same way. I bought one of the newest issues of the 2-6-2, removed the idler trucks, swapped out the tender, broke it in, and ended up with a superb locomotive. It works the most demanding job on my pike. The pulling power still leaves a little to be desired, but that is due more to the small size of the locomotive rather than any manufacturing or design flaw.
