Yikes, that's a toughie. Louis Letourneau posted some pics on the Atlas forum which has closed fot the holidays and I do not know if he is registered here. I''ll give a link to get to the LL Canada pages but I find it very hard to navigate there. If you do come across any pics could you please let us know here. http://www.hobbycraft.com/home.php#
Check this: I found two for sale on ebay. Does anyone know if this is the old LL GP9 mechanism or the newer LL GP20 split frame? Thanks. [ 25. December 2003, 00:51: Message edited by: sapacif ]
It has the newer split frame drive. The cab face on the CN units it totally different from the CP ones.
Flash, That is the recently released LifeLike Canada (Hobbycraft) GP9 which is using the latest split frame, flywheel drive which has put LifeLike models up in the same running quality as Atlas. That is stock# LL-801000C which usually has an MSRP of $110.00.... but can be found for as low as $80.00 at some e-tailers.
Has everybody forgotten N-Scale STEAM? Look at some of the old Con-Cor Rivarossi's (spelling?), Bachmann steamers, and steamers in general. Most didn't even make good paperweights. Now look at KATO 2-8-2 Mikado's, Bachmann 2-8-0's Model Power 4-6-2 Pacific's and the Life-Like 2-8-8-2 's and more to come! All of them run like watches. Now lets see what KATO comes out with next in the steam department. Bachmann is coming out with a 4-8-2 Mountain, and a 2-6-6-2. Model Power with a 2-8-2 Light Mikado. Atlas has a SHAY in the works. Boy o boy!!!! I can't wait. Look at DCC. Did anybody thing we would have this type of train control 20 years ago? In N-Scale? Now I don't buy a new engine without buying a decoder for it.
Woops, Paul! Didn't you post this a bit early? With some luck, perhaps you can post it again sometime next year! Russ
Kato-excellent stuff. I was so glad when they came out with a steam locomotive run by one of my favourite roads. In fact, the USRA heavy mikado was the first decent running locomotive that came out lettered for the P&LE. The B-personn GP-whatever does not count--the P&LE did not have those when the NYC was still in control. Their first generation diesels (F-units, RS-2, PAs, RDCs) are very nice. The JNR steam makes excellent bashing material. All the same, Kato is very high priced. The other manufacturers are making models that are just as good, or better, for a lot less money. Kato has had some disasters (the couplers on those covered hoppers rot). They have come out with some nice items--that North American caboose was a nice alternative to the Atls ATSF/USRA II caboose. The fact that it was electrically alive helped make some switchers useful on my pike. Kato not only has been caught up to and eclipsed, it still has a less-than-desirable choice of roadnames and it likes modern equipment too much. It needs to follow up that USRA heavy mikado with a USRA heavy pacific with a Vanderbilt tender available as an alternative. Yes, I know, only the Erie had originals of USRA heavy pacifics, but there were numerous roads that had copies. Kato does not need to be doing any articulated or superpower. Atlas-Excellent first generation locomotives. Also glad to see the upgrades on the freight cars and newer designs (two-bay hoppers). LL-Boy, have they come a long way. Excellent first-generation cab units and that mallet---it defies description. There have been stumbles as they climbed from JUNQUE (the Mehano stuff and the JUNQUEE freight cars)to quality (the cab units and the 2-8-8-2). The most notable stumble was the SD-7. But, they did learn to do a good hood unit (GP-20). I hope that they will keep to the pattern set in HO and do the USRA 0-8-0. N scale sorely needs a good steam switcher. Now, can we also get the PROTO freight cars that they offer in Horrendiferously Oversized? I want those P&LE mill gondolas. MDC-A great alternative to the B-mann for nineteenth century equipment. That consolidated was also a real winner.I was also glad to see the express cars as I like mail trains. I do not know much about the modern stuff. I do wish that they would offer a line in N similar to what they offer in HO for 'modern' small steam: an atlantic, ten-wheeler, mogul and consolidated. They make these available with coal or oil tenders or Vanderbilts. They are also available with Harriman, PRR, ATSF or one other cab. A belpaire firebox is also available. C-C-the new fluted cars are nice. the couplers are no good for the cars, but they have other applications. Their superpower steam is good (hudson) or acceptable (4-8-4). For the price tag, it should be excellent. C-C clearly needs work. The rumours on the PA are promising--they are supposed to be out, but my SWLHS orderd one for me some time past--it has yet to show. Bachmann-Steam, steam and more steam. An excellent 2-8-0, an even better 4-8-2. A ten-wheeler on the way, as well as a 2-6-6-2 , for those who want big steam. If there is an improvement with every release, the next two ought to be the best yet. The 2-8-0 ran very nicely, the mountain runs even better. Boy, have they come a long way. Their steam used to be JUNQUE. If it ran decently, it looked like garbage or would not pull anything. If it looked good, it ran like garbage. Who cares if the B-personn diseasels are mediocre, at best?"--BRING ON MORE STEAM!!!!! MP-They are trying. Calling their stuff from the past T-O-Y-S was being kind (although there was a decent freight car or two in there, once you got off all of the paint that was slathered onto it) The pacific is an improvement and has had improvements with each issue. But they still have a long way to go. I just finished painting and decalling a MP pacific (with oil Vanderbilt) and a B-mann mountain for my fictitious railroad (I used an Ultimate-N-scale oil bunker, sanded down, to fit the B-mann tender). I stood the two next to each other. The B-mann wins the appearance contest, no question. the MP runs better, but the B-mann has ninety per-cent of the runnability. Keep trying, MP. I hope that you have learned some lessons and will incorporate them in your mogul and atlantic. You need to have ALL WHEELS ON THE TENDER 'live'. B-mann does it and keeps down the price, what is holding you back? B-mann has separately applied handrails, what is stoppping you? Oh, and take it easy with the paint--it gets a bit too thick in places on the locomotive (the tenders are fine, though). Your decision to offer a Harriman Vanderbilt, and to offer tenders separately is a bold one. It is about time that someone tried to do something for us bashers. Now, please, make all the wheels 'live'. DPM-Finally, we got away from all of those Euro-buildings. Euro-buildings are fine--if you are modelling European railroads. Most of us are modelling North American railroads. A euro-building here or there is fine, but NOT everywhere. Kudos to DPM for making their kits VERY bashable. It is a shame that the modular wall units did not sell well. The manufacturers have gotten better, for the most part. Some new ones have come out with excellent stuff, as well. Further, old ones have ventured into new territory (IM and MT with the FTs, for example). We do need some more small to average sized steam,though. And give that guy that cowl thing. Really, someone ought to do it. It was only the mainstay passenger locomotive in the US for what?--at least twenty years? The steam is more important, though. [ 27. December 2003, 03:55: Message edited by: brokemoto ]
I have 5 Kato engines and like them for their mechanical soundness, reliability, and looks. But then they are geared higher than Atlas and Intermountain. I prefer the lower gearing. The selection of Kato is limited so I do not buy much. I am dissapointed with the paint scheme on the new GN F7's. I like Intermountain units much better. Intermountain F units arguably surpass Kato in fineness of detail, graphics, and smoothness in running. The smoothest, quietest, most crisply detailed engine I own is an Atlas NP torpedo tube GP-9 (in my opinion). This is followed by a pair of Kato UP SD-40's. I am glad to see several manufacturers making quality products. This keeps the supply decent and you can kiss the inflated prices of limited runs goodbye as competitors come to the market with equal product.
I'll put my old Rivarossi 2-8-8-2 up against a LL 2-8-8-2 any day.Maybe it isnt as detailed,but if you are going to make an engine that in real life had pulling power then throw on a traction tire for a few cents more and make it pull a decent string of cars. Thirty years ago they had this figured out how about doing it now.
I still have my old motive power. A Bachman U36B (doesn't run) and an Atlas E7 (Bareley runds). I sold my Mintrix U30CG as it was the only old engine I had that still ran. I do have some of the old rolling stock, they are the ones with $1.50 adn $2.50 price tags on the box. All my new stuff runs smooth as silk now.
i currently own 12 life-like locos of the newer split frame design. they run well. unfortunately not dcc-ready. then there are about 50 or so atlas locos. running a bit better than life-like. almost all of them have a digitrax decoder installed. no more intermountain locos. i was not satisfied with their running qualities. no model power locos. used to have two athearn fp59. if you don't like supersonic trains then avoid them almost forgot to mention my 380 decoder equipped kato locos ....
As I am pretty new to N Guage I have to say that I have been very pleased with the LifeLike SW9 and 2x GP20s that I have, same can be said of the Atlas RSD5 and SD24 that I have, very smooth runners.:thumbs_up: Sadly I cannot say the same for my F7A/B from Bachmann Spectrum, this has to be the noisiest model loco I have ever heard, it sounds like a coffee grinder as it makes its way round the track, once bitten twice shy, this will be my last Bachmann loco.:thumbs_down: Dave Downunder.
It would be interesting to use the "wayback machine" and see what the opinion of the board members would be if one could compare the observations made in the first post and things as they are now (in 2008). Hmmmmmmmmmmmm........
