Through a complex twist of fate I recently returned to N where I started in the mid 80s and returned to briefly in the mid 90s. I've spent the last 3 years immersed in postwar Lionel. Anywho... I've acquired several Riv. steamers. I'm getting the sense they are problematic. Can you all comment?
My experiences with RR steam: IHB 0-8-0: two speeds; very fast and not-at-all. Two frames turned to powder in my hands. NOT RECOMMENDED. USRA light mikado: C-plus, until the frame turned to powder in my hands. Others have had more success. It leads me to believe that if falls into the same category as other RR average sized steam. USRA light pacific: I have one that is very good. It fried its motor, but I did manage to find another motor for it. So far (crosses fingers), this one has held up. I had another that was very good until the motor fried, then the frame turned to powder in my hands. Van Sweringen berkshire: This was originally a ROWA release; RR picked it up later. Again, all over the field. Some have only the two speeds, others run well through the speed ranges. Not very smooth, though. I would consider this the second best of the bunch. 2-8-8-0: really the N&W Y-6, minus the trailing truck. I have had two; an older and newer. Both ran nicely out-of-the box. Eventually, both mechanisms siezed. While I managed to get them undone, they would sieze, again, until both frames broke into three pieces. USRA heavy mikado: One good one, three mediocre. These were newer C-C issues, so they did not have the problem of the frame's discombobulating that the older C-C and the Atlas releases had. USRA heavy pacific: More than a few copies of this one. My first one was an older C-C issue. The frame expanded, which caused the driver axle journals to constrict the axle movement. I took the thing apart (I learned how to work on RR steam on this one), filed out the driver journals, re-assembled. It ran well until the frame broke into three parts. The others that I have had are all newer C-C releases and are all over the field. Some have only two speeds: very fast and not-at-all. Others will run well from a creep to sixty SMPH Challenger: Ran well and pulled well, the weak point of these was the poor contact. Only three drivers on each pole were live, causing it to stall on plastic frog switches at slow speeds. All of the RRs are pretty good pullers, but they are wildly inconsistent in their running qualities. Older issues have problems with the Zirmac frames' not holding up. Except for the 2-8-8-0, the newer issues do not have this problem. Most of these have been superceded by same, or similar types. IHB 0-8-0 by WKW USRA 0-8-0 USRA light 2-8-2 by MP USRA light 2-8-2 USRA light 4-6-2 by MP USRA light 4-6-2 USRA heavy 2-8-2 by Kato USRA heavy 2-8-2 N&W Y-6 2-8-8-2 by LL Y-3, USRA 2-8-8-2 RR challenger by Athearn challenger timed out, A-GAIN. Anyhow..................................... This is the RR steam with which I have experience. There are other models out there, but I have no experience with them. I would rate the heavy pacific best, followed by the berkshire and the heavy mikado. Unless you can find a good light pacific, I would stay away from the others. What I find odd is that the asking prices for much of the RR steam are higher than the models that have superceded them. The glaring example is the heavy mikado. I have seen prices on the RR from one-hundred-fifty to two-hundred dollars. The Kato can be had all day at prices ranging from ninety to one-hundred twenty five dollars and runs better, looks better and pulls every bit as well, with the traction tyre retrofit.
Brokemoto said it well. Regrettably these were the staples of N scale steam for 30 years. But once past the cute factor they had few redeeming qualities. The ones most amenable to kit-bashing, the heavy boilered ones, remain the hardest to find. Rarely do you see the heavy Mikado or heavy Pacific offered as parts. And the price of the entire loco is always steep. I know this because I have bought my share. There are those who have successfully remotored and/or added all wheel tender pick up and had nicely running locos but these are the minority. N scale still suffers from the lack of a good running heavy boiler Pacific of any genre. And every time a "heavy" Pacific is mentioned the naysayers start naying. To the point they are actually listened to and we get no Pacific at all. Its time the naysayers get on the bandwagon by suggesting prototypes that might not be nayed. I'd be perfectly happy with an accurate model of Southern 1401, still available for measurement at the Smithsonian. It is a fine heavy loco in itself and could be a source of kitbashing fodder for those desiring to do so. Not the ultimate answer for all but a step in the right direction for any maker of quality locos. Ben
Love mine. Also there is the 0-4-0 with tender and tender pickup. Pretty good lil fella. I honestly think they werent all that bad. we are spoiled by some of the new stuff. Probaly the best buy on the market right now is the Bachmann 2-8-0 you can find on ebay. Goodluck with RR steamers. Any problems make sure and ask here.*S*
I did forget about that one, and I even have one. It is based on the result of the B&O's doing a proto-bash on two of their 'Little Joe' 0-4-0T. B&O ordered four of these as oil burners to work Pratt Street and the Inner Harbor (Baltimore had some pretty strict smoke abatement ordinances; back then you could get the smoke abatement boys off your case by using oil burners). They changed two of them to coal burners, removed the tanks and added a tender. The RR model, as sold by Atlas, is based on this proto-bash. This was a good model, for its time. It was one of the few small steam locomotives that did not stall with annoying regularity on plastic frog switches at slower speeds. It was also a pretty good puller. By 1960s and 1970 standards, it was prettygood. Few would accept its runnability, to-day. It is a nice-looking model, as well.
I just picked up one of the 0-4-0's in a lot of parts off of Ebay. With a little cleanup and highspeed running around the test loop, I am amazed how well it runs. Also in the lot was a Trix 2-10-0 and LL 0-6-0T that were both just needed cleanup and an old Bachman 4-8-4 that runs but is not worth bothering with. So hoping for a lot of parts I ended up wth 3 running loco's, not bad. In another Rivarossi topic...... Does anybody have or is there a viable replacement for the Compound Worm Gear (not the worm) in a RR/Con-Cor Mallet 2-8-8-2 truck gear tower? I am short one worm gear to putting a compete 2-8-8-2 chassis together to start building a B&O EL class Articulated. The same gear is also used in the RR BigBoy and Challenger, at least the one I have.
The RR Big Boys weren't bad: a little grindey, but good pullers. I have the early ones, with the motor in the cab; I think the later ones had the motor in the middle of the boiler. They chugged along reliably on C80 track; I added tender pickup and they were better. They did have big flanges, so they are sidelined for now on C55 track. I'll probably sell them, as they had no role on the PRR. I think the Athearn Big Boys have destroyed their value. But that's a good thing!
AAAGGGHHHH!!!!!! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO OUT BID ME!!!!! DAMN YOU!!!!!! haha Just Kidding, Hope you enjoy them.
That gear can be purchased from NW Shortline, they furnished me with 2 of them for my Con-cor Big Boy.
I found it digging around on their site last night but they offer 2 different sizes. I didn't realize there had been changes in the design. 2192-6 19.95 N Concor/Rivarossi 4-6-6-4/4-8-8-4 12-20Tcmpd x 4mmOD x 1.5 bore 2166-6 14.95 N Concor/Rivarossi Bigboy —12T-25T compound x 1.5 bore I need to set down and count some gear teeth. Boilerman - are your's brass or delrin? I think I would like to try delrin if available to quiet the loco down a bit.
The ones that they made for me were a combination of both, what came with the loco appeared to be delrin. What came back was a 2 piece assembly consisting of a brass gear with a delrin gear attached to it. The only problem that I have is that I never have gotten the drive train re-assembled, between the quartering of the drivers, the gear train and the connecting rods and such are just a pain. This is a brand new loco that I have had since 1993 and never did run it, I discovered the gear issue when I took it apart to turn down the flanges to run on Atlas Code 55 track. I had to send them the stripped gear, however I do not remember the tooth count and from what I can see I think that perhaps the frame will accommodate either gear as there is a lot of clearance between the gears that make up the gear train. Currently all of my equipment is in storage waiting on a house for it or I would look and see just what I had. Hope that this info helps you in some way.
Boilerman, Thanks for the info. I have 2 1/2 Bigboy's. One is runnable and the others are in parts and all the gears are brass. My one running 2-8-8-2 and the parts 2-8-8-2 I have, both have brass compound gears also. The parts 2-8-8-2 chassis is a newer Con-Cor version because it has the Kato/Atlas style motor and blackened smaller flange drivers. My Big Boy parts are mostly early issue. The running 2-8-8-2 and Bigboy are both Generation 1 versions. The Big Boy is Rivarossi from Europe before Con-Cor and the 2-8-8-2 is in a plastic jewel case with a Con-Cor sticker added on over the Rivarossi logo on the box.
Mine is the Con-cor / Rivarossi, came in the orange cardboard box with gray foam, wheels are nickel plated brass and open frame 3 pole motor if memory serves me correct.
