American Diesel Locomotives - Which Manufacturer

Not sure if its been mentioned RAILS Sheffield have 7 or 8 G scale USA locos listed currently on their eBay site

I have often used them for g scale & other scales never had a problem their descriptions are accurate their shipping is FREE & Fast, packing excellent.

AND they will usually accept a ' reasonable best offer' I usually offer 10 to 12% less than the listed price.
 
Rhinochugger said:
Yep, and finding a 1:20.3 (15mm:1ft) dismal is nearly as bad as finding a hen with teeth.

Bachmann's 45 tonner is an obvious candidate, with Accucraft's Whitcombe next, then what?

All I can find is Worsley Works' SA Class 90 in 16mm:1ft


We is hard done by >:( >:( >:( >:(
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Accucraft's 1:20.3 0-4-0 Plymouth caterpillar or even LGB's 1:22.5 version.
 
Scale is a funny thing and the eye can be deceived when combining them as long as it isn't too obvious like 1:20.3 with 1:29.

I tend to run all scales but I try to keep them individually 'bound'.
There is something that sticks out when viewing smaller scale power units with larger scale rolling stock behind, whereas the other way around doesn't seem to grate so much ( for my eyes ).
1:20.3 scale goes pretty well with 1.22.5, 1.22.5 with 1.24 and 1.24 is sort of okay with 1:29.

If there was a 1:20.3 U.S. Diesel like, for example, a GP30, it would be massive and it's loading gauge would be pretty large too.
So, on my layout I put up with the fact that whenever I do run 1:29 trains alongside 1:20.3 logging jobbies, then there will be narrow gauge locos 'towering' over mainline diesels!
 
Yebbut, there are 3ft south american lines that use export diesels as road diesels not just switchers, such as the old Huancayo line in Peru etc

It would be nice to have a 15mm:1ft (1:20.3) version of something like that, or a 15mm:1ft version of the White Pass & Yukon Alcos (as modelled by LGB in 1:rubber)

I'm not snobbish about 1:20.3 - what I like about it is that it gives you the real overhang and feel of a narrow gauge line. The 1:22.5 / 1:29 compromise is based around height, but does nothing for the width. Bachmann's model of the Tweetsie 10-wheeler looks more like a standard gauge loco than a narrow gauge one.

As soon as I had bought fat Connie, I was smitten with 1:20.3 :D :D :D
 
Rhinochugger said:
Y(as modelled by LGB in 1:rubber)


As soon as I had bought fat Connie, I was smitten
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I remember her..............
 
Rhinochugger said:
Yebbut, there are 3ft south american lines that use export diesels as road diesels not just switchers, such as the old Huancayo line in Peru etc

It would be nice to have a 15mm:1ft (1:20.3) version of something like that, or a 15mm:1ft version of the White Pass & Yukon Alcos (as modelled by LGB in 1:rubber)
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And there are lots of 3' 6'' gauge all over the place whose designs originated in the US , including about a thousand or so in Australia (Queensland, WA, Tasmania and a few in South Australia), two or three hundred in NZ, and quite a lot in Africa.
 
Spoz said:
And there are lots of 3' 6'' gauge all over the place whose designs originated in the US , including about a thousand or so in Australia (Queensland, WA, Tasmania and a few in South Australia), two or three hundred in NZ, and quite a lot in Africa.
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Yes, so a generic prototype at the correct scale for 15mm:1 ft would be easy :D :D :D :D
 
Ah, forgot that there is also a 1:20.3 boxcab project in styrene from the GAL Line.

This is a big bogie boxcar, suitable for road loco or big switcher ;) ;)
 
The USA Trains diesels are not DCC ready but are well detailed, run smoothly and pull well. I have not had any grief from my fleet at all. They have had plenty of running over the past 14 years since I started out. Some detail parts can fall off but are easily put back on. If something is completely lost spares are available from USA Trains.
I am not so keen on Aristo, especially after the gears stripped on my GP40, they are noisier, earlier models are not so well detailed and of course replacement parts are not available.

Some of the fleet

all03.jpg
 
There are some replacements parts now from GLX in Ottawa, Canada More will follow I am sure.

http://glxscalemodels.com/g-scale/?product_page=1
 
Chris M said:
The USA Trains diesels are not DCC ready but are well detailed, run smoothly and pull well. I have not had any grief from my fleet at all. They have had plenty of running over the past 14 years since I started out. Some detail parts can fall off but are easily put back on. If something is completely lost spares are available from USA Trains.
I am not so keen on Aristo, especially after the gears stripped on my GP40, they are noisier, earlier models are not so well detailed and of course replacement parts are not available.
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Despite not running any diesel outline and very little U.S. steam outline I fully support Chris' post.
I appear to have earned a reputation as Mr Fixit with my local group of the G Scale Society. This means I often see problem locos and very rarely take more than a passing glance at the vast majority that run faultlessly. Even the best locos eventually need service parts such as traction tyres, with Aristo out of business this is a big plus for USA trains.

Even USA Trains locos have their faults. I recently examined six F3s, three A B pairs. On two pairs every gear had splits in both axle bosses, that's 32 split bosses! The other pair didn't have a single split.
The good news is that there is a simple, cheap, very effective, permanent fix documented on the internet. However doing 32 wheels can be a bit time consuming.
 
I will agree with Neil about the DCC readiness of BOTH Aristocraft, and USA Trains offerings..
These will not just take a decoder, we have to 'mess' with the internals to a greater, or lesser, extent.. - There is a (relatively) easy way out of this, but it involves installing a relay board to drive the original internal electronics for lights.

To be fair, it seems many of the manufacturers have had problems with split gears. Whether this is a design/tolerance issue, or the properties of the plastics involved changing over a couple of decades, I do not know. - Many of the 'problem' engines I have seen have been over ten years old.
 
[quote author=Neil Robinson link=topic=301487.msg355083#msg355083 date=1435655017]

The good news is that there is a simple, cheap, very effective, permanent fix documented on the internet. However doing 32 wheels can be a bit time consuming.
[/quote]

Are you referring to the epoxy and wire binding solution Neil?

I have locos from various manufacturers and USAT kit is probably the most numerous.

I was told, on two American forums, that I would split all my USAT gears on my 1:10 inclines.....well 9 years on and only one split so far (oh dear....terrible thing to do...tempt providence).

I do tend to double, triple or quad head power units when pulling a reasonable length of train such as the metal streamliner coaches etc. and this does ease the force on the drive units as the drag up the gradient..

My `motorised helper` freight and passenger cars also help with this issue and they allow me to have one loco up front and still haul a decent string of cars behind.

But I have to say that, besides the unnecessarily complex lighting issues when adding decoders, USAT kit has given me very little gip over the years........... :-X

gp 38 head on smoke and dust copy.jpg

This USAT GP9 is on its own with `motorised` helper` stock cars in the tunnel lending a hand....but it is too clean and will be `sorted` soon!

gp9 out of tunnel long thin.jpg

 
beavercreek said:
Are you referring to the epoxy and wire binding solution Neil?
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No, I chose to use 8mm long pieces of 10mm OD 0.45mm wall brass tube (K S metals code 9828) as suggested by Greg Elmassian on his web site.
 
Neil Robinson said:
No, I chose to use 8mm long pieces of 10mm OD 0.45mm wall brass tube (K S metals code 9828) as suggested by Greg Elmassian on his web site.
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Ah yesss.....a much better method.
I bought a batch of geared axles (F3, GP9, GpP30 size), quite a while back very cheaply from a US Ebay reseller, so I will use those, but the brass collar method will be employed when/if they run out. :)
 
Neil - I think your reputation as Mr Fixit goes much further than just your local group!
So far as I am aware the split axle problem was common on early production but is rare on later batches. The only split axle I have is on an early NW2 but it pulls sufficiently well regardless. The great thing is that it is possible to buy the axles from USA Trains. One day I will do this but my motto is - if it does the job don't mess around with it.
 
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