I recently ordered a Broadway Limited Imports Western Pacific SW1500. I'm curious about how other owners like them. I posted in a FB group about and the feelings are mixed; some love them, others think they're trash. I also have a BLI Southern Pacific SD9. I haven't had a chance to run it yet, as all of my stuff is in storage.
I don't own any BLI models, but I have seen them run. I know some people with a few of their steam locomotives and the E units as well. The detail matches up with most modern models. Some manufacturers like Rapido might be able to top them, but they are not low-quality. They are cool models, but most are out of my era so I haven't really considered buying any BLI. I think most people gripe over the decoders. Sometimes the Paragon system can be weird. The newer ones are probably fine, but the old Blue Line models sometimes have decoder issues. They might have been QSI (?), but they were these big boards in the locomotive tenders. I would trust a newer 8-pin decoder that you can repair or replace. Some of those early proprietary systems are sketchy.
I have a BLI USRA light Mikado that runs like a charm, with sound working even on DC. I have no complaint. It's a fine running machine and seems to have good workmanship.
I've heard some of the same things. If I have issues with mine, I know someone who knows George over at Sountraxx that might be able to help me out. I picked the two EMD locos that I grew up seeing and hearing when I was younger for a small HO switching layout that I have planned.
