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 Posted - January 10 2012 : 11:36:39 AM
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My kids picked this 2-6-0 Pennsy steamer up at a show last sat. Though I am not a fan of Life-Like it does look different. They got it for $2.00,though not running its mint in box,ill mess with it soon.
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Posted - January 16 2012 : 01:08:24 AM
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personally i dislike these engines, they look so weird. Did you get it to run?
I buy, repair, and collect
http://scvr.weebly.com/
http://seyboldlocomotiveworks.weebly.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheDeputation?feature=watch
Hyde.
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Posted - May 20 2014 : 1:13:30 PM
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quote:| personally i dislike these engines, they look so weird. |
They're a model of a German (DRG) prewar class 24, Americanized with a slope back tender. These locomotives ran for many years in East Germany and Poland, where the last one was retired in 1976. Here's a page with a photo of a more detailed model of a class 24:
http://www.osterthun.com/Agenda~2010.htm
Certainly a weird and oddly long-lived choice for a US model train supplier.
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Posted - May 21 2014 : 11:19:48 AM
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Every one of those that has come across my workbench had had a ruined bull gear.
I just came to this thread after reading the Ben's thread about things we hate. This engine would be on my list. I have had some luck with repairing them by sliding the gear over a little bit on the axle to get a little more tooth sticking up.
Randy
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Posted - May 21 2014 : 9:59:43 PM
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| Got one on my bench now, waiting for a suitable replacement...drum roll please...bull gear. They look much better without the tender...
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Posted - May 21 2014 : 10:20:57 PM
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How strange that they would 'americanize' an east german locomotive for the US market.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - May 21 2014 : 11:55:30 PM
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I recall in the '80s, Life-Like sold a few European-made locomotives, maybe because at the time they knew their own were not the best quality, and this was before their Proto 2000 line was created.
They also rebranded the Mehano Alco Century 628 and EMD FP45. (I have the former, in Santa Fe livery.) They claimed to be "premium"-quality locomotives that ran better (they had eight-wheel drive and decent modern-Bachmann -style can motors instead of those crummy "PowerDrive" pancake motors.)
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Posted - May 22 2014 : 09:41:54 AM
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quote:How strange that they would 'americanize' an east german locomotive for the US market.
Originally posted by JNXT 7707Â -Â May 21 2014Â :Â 10:20:57 PM
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Tell me about it. I see these things at train shows all the time. Not just Life Like but Model Power and even Playart. These things go for very little money at train shows too so you can tell the dealers hate them like heck.
-Steve
"A lot of modellers out there who go to these train shows see broken HO stuff and go, 'This is useless' when, in reality, they can still be used for modeling whether it's as a prop on your layout or a cool project to make something old new again."
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 Posted - May 22 2014 : 4:18:58 PM
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I remember these at Toys R Us in the early 80's. My friends & I would have thrown rocks at them if it weren't a waste of good rocks. 
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - May 22 2014 : 4:33:50 PM
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Yuck. Out of all the used locomotives, I regard these things as some of the worst.
--CRC
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Posted - May 22 2014 : 6:22:37 PM
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quote:Yuck. Out of all the used locomotives, I regard these things as some of the worst.
Originally posted by PRR 4800Â -Â May 22 2014Â :Â 4:33:50 PM
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Probably my best running and engine in best shape that I got at a train show was an IHC Alco switcher in Rio Grande livery. I have a picture of it right here.
-Steve
"A lot of modellers out there who go to these train shows see broken HO stuff and go, 'This is useless' when, in reality, they can still be used for modeling whether it's as a prop on your layout or a cool project to make something old new again."
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Posted - May 23 2014 : 10:42:10 PM
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quote: [Probably my best running and engine in best shape that I got at a train show was an IHC Alco switcher in Rio Grande livery. I have a picture of it right here.
Originally posted by kovacste000Â -Â May 22 2014Â :Â 6:22:37 PM
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These Alco C415 center-cabs look nice, but they have their problems - the hand rails break off easy over time, and the little cube motors aren't very reliable, at least the ones I have. I have about 6 of these engines, and are not excellent runners. I LIKE them, because they're different, but mechanically, and body-wise, I think they aren't all that great. But I still collect them! 
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - May 23 2014 : 11:10:29 PM
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So far, my experience with IHC locos has been an unexpected surprise - they run pretty good, far better than I expected. Maybe I've been lucky with them.
I have a RS11 that I run with a Blue Box GP50 - they are speed matched perfectly. I had them pulling a fairly long train around my curvy layout, and just curious about how well it would pull by itself, I removed the Athearn and let the IHC pull the train. Didn't act like it missed the help.
And this week I found a great deal on a pair of IHC L&N C-628s. They looked to be the latest version of those that IHC sold - the Premiere Series - so after my good luck with the RS-11, I was pretty confident they would be decent runners. Wow, was I impressed. Those things have probably been the best runners out of the box I have yet had - and that includes makes such as Athearn and P2K. Quiet, smooth, excellent low speed - and the two are also identically speed matched, something that I haven't found to be automatic among brands like Athearn and P2K.
The drivetrains are Blue Box clones - pretty simple affairs that I've found easy to work on.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - May 23 2014 : 11:56:42 PM
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quote:So far, my experience with IHC locos has been an unexpected surprise - they run pretty good, far better than I expected. Maybe I've been lucky with them.
I have a RS11 that I run with a Blue Box GP50 - they are speed matched perfectly. I had them pulling a fairly long train around my curvy layout, and just curious about how well it would pull by itself, I removed the Athearn and let the IHC pull the train. Didn't act like it missed the help.
And this week I found a great deal on a pair of IHC L&N C-628s. They looked to be the latest version of those that IHC sold - the Premiere Series - so after my good luck with the RS-11, I was pretty confident they would be decent runners. Wow, was I impressed. Those things have probably been the best runners out of the box I have yet had - and that includes makes such as Athearn and P2K. Quiet, smooth, excellent low speed - and the two are also identically speed matched, something that I haven't found to be automatic among brands like Athearn and P2K.
The drivetrains are Blue Box clones - pretty simple affairs that I've found easy to work on.
Originally posted by JNXT 7707Â -Â May 23 2014Â :Â 11:10:29 PM
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Your post gives me hope on how long my engine will run before it starts getting problems. It's my best running engine I got at a train show actually. There's a couple of others that have gotten close but my Alco runs like as if it was brand new engine.
-Steve
"A lot of modellers out there who go to these train shows see broken HO stuff and go, 'This is useless' when, in reality, they can still be used for modeling whether it's as a prop on your layout or a cool project to make something old new again."
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Posted - May 24 2014 : 5:22:45 PM
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Dammit you guys, it happened again.
Just because we were talking about this loco, I ended up finding one at the thrift store the next day. It's the Playart version, and I paid $5 for it. Doesn't run...yup, axle gear is cracked.
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 Posted - May 24 2014 : 6:00:56 PM
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quote:Dammit you guys, it happened again.
Just because we were talking about this loco, I ended up finding one at the thrift store the next day. It's the Playart version, and I paid $5 for it. Doesn't run...yup, axle gear is cracked.
Originally posted by Autobus Prime - May 24 2014 : 5:22:45 PM
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Wearing garlic or a crucifix tends to keep them at bay.
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - August 28 2015 : 12:33:32 AM
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I just got a mint in the box one off ebay should I try running it
devin "give me the ugly steam none of that streamlined stuff"
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Posted - August 28 2015 : 07:58:40 AM
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well i have a att/mehano runs sweet ken
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