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 Posted - December 07 2006 : 2:18:36 PM
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have seen walthers items on sale and have their heavyweight coaches but not there locos are they good or bad,in all respects ie scale motor livery,ken
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 Posted - December 07 2006 : 3:18:00 PM
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I think judging Walthers stuff is really a case-by-case deal. Some of their stuff is excellent (recent passenger cars) and other things aren't much to talk about (that old former Cox GP9).
The Walthers Trainline locos are in general fair in my experience. Prior to the Kato F40PH release, I would have suggested starting with Walthers' Trainline F40PH to make a serious model. I had one for some time and drilled grabs and such, but never was too pleased with its motor. Very loud runner, made grinding noise like an old can opener. Have had about the same luck with a Chessie GP15-1 from Walthers. Had one of the Walthers 8-40B G.E. boats and had similar poor running from it and finally sold it off. This was the wide-cab Amtrak example. Also felt it was rather lacking in detail...same goes for the GP15-1 in my opinion.
I did buy the recent release of the old GP9 low-nose in Illinois Central that came out in the last year. Walthers promoted this GP9 release, plus a new run of F40PHs and FA-1s, as having a new motor. I did find the new GP9 ran very well. Oddly though I'd tell ya the truck sideframe detail went down in quality with the new underframe. The low-nose Walthers GP9 is based on the tooling done for the mid-'70s Cox model. I did pick up a pair of older Walthers Trainline FA's, a Santa Fe A and B set, and they run like champs. Believe the tooling for Walthers FA-1 and FB-1 are the old Train Minature molds.
Now, Walthers owns the Life-Like line from the Heritage Proto 2000 big steam engines down to the train set 0-4-0 docksiders and everything inbetween. Don't know if any improvement has been made to the Proto drives. Many call the Proto 2000 drives Athearn clones and they do resemble each other.
My luck with Proto 1000 and Proto 2000 locos has been abysmal. The plastic axle gears notoriously crack and make the engine run with a continuous and very unsmooth thud sound. They can be taken apart and replaced...but this is not something I consider fun to do and don't have to do it with my Atlas, Athearn, Bachmann, and Kato pieces...so why must my Proto locos take all this attention?
Right now I have a dead GM&O Proto 1000 Alco switcher, dead D&H RS-11, poorly running set of Proto 1000 F-3A's and B's in ATSF, slow and worthless running ICG GP30, slow running Proto 1000 RDCs. Think I have a pair of Proto 1000 DL109s that I can't complain about, but that's it and they are rare examples for me.
When the hi-nose GP30 Proto 2000's came out in N&W, I wanted one badly but just keep holding back on it due to the experiences I've had with the Proto drives. Same goes for the Burlington U28B or U30B I've wanted...figured I would just end up with another lemon that didn't run well.
Anybody else care to toss in on their experience with Proto 1000 and Proto 2000 drives???
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
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Posted - December 09 2006 : 11:32:29 PM
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My experience has been better then Tony's, but limited in numbers. I have 4 of the proto 1000 Erie-builts. These run smooth and quiet just like advertised. I have not run these into the ground, nor have my kids gotten ahold of them. As such, they have not had any broken axle gears. What makes them really nice is that I spent only $19.99 each. They are worth that and then some to me!
I got one of the later production GP15-1 and love mine! It runs smooth and quietly. It pulls like a horse as well. Too bad they do not make it any more. Tony, want to get rid of yours? Let me know!
I have 3 of the older GP9's. Mine are nice runners, but the hood is too wide. They look fine until you put them near another loco with scale width hoods. Tony, any chance you can post photos of the new underframe?
I have 1 FA-1. It also has the older motor and is a fine runner. But the shell is lacking in detail when compared to my old Model Power FA-1's.
I also have a single GE Dash8-40B. I can not comment on the paint as mine is an undec unit. The detailing is good and it is a fine runner, but somewhat loud. There is some motor vibration getting to the shell that I have not been able to eliminate. This unit has also been discontinued.
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Posted - December 10 2006 : 08:44:11 AM
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Now that Hypoponera mentions the Erie-Builts, I do have an A-B-A Santa Fe set of those and they run great. Also have a Milwaukee Road C-Liner and it runs well too.
Sorry, but I can't part with my Chessie System GP15-1. [^]
I can post pics of the new Walthers drive under my Illinois Central GP9. Will get them on the forum in the next day or so.
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
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Posted - December 11 2006 : 3:20:17 PM
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quote:
I have 3 of the older GP9's. Mine are nice runners, but the hood is too wide. They look fine until you put them near another loco with scale width hoods. Tony, any chance you can post photos of the new underframe?
Originally posted by Hypoponera - December 09 2006 : 10:32:29 PM
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This is the underframe on the recent run of Walthers Trainline GP9M's...
I'd rate this loco operationally similar to the standard line current example Bachmann GP40s.
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
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Posted - December 11 2006 : 7:20:57 PM
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| Is that really the "new" motor? It looks just like the motor in all 3 of my older GP9's. It's a Mubachi 3 pole straight wound motor. Nothing in your pics looks different from my locos. All 3 of mine are 3 or more years old. I got them long before Walthers mentioned the new motor. So what is really new???
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Posted - December 12 2006 : 11:04:48 AM
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Maybe Walthers meant NEW as in they weren't provided USED motors in these models?!? [:0)]
I don't have any older GP9Ms to compare, but you say it's the same. Go Figure!
Tony Cook
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Posted - December 12 2006 : 4:05:46 PM
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quote: Maybe Walthers meant NEW as in they weren't provided USED motors in these models?!?
Maybe that is why mine ran so well. Someone else already broke-in the motor for me!
I looked on the Walthers site, and the discription for the IC #9174 says in addition to the new motor is dual flywheels. Does yours have twin flywheels? I do not see a second one in your photo. If yours does not, maybe you have a new shell on an old production frame. Maybe the new frames were not available on time and yours was made with an older chassie that was in stock?
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Posted - December 17 2006 : 8:40:55 PM
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I have the GP-15T, and have had no problems with it at all.
I also have a P1K Erie, and love it to death (even tho it's PRR, and I'm a slobbering B&O fan...)
Guess it's the luck of the draw on good or bad.
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Posted - December 18 2006 : 3:02:10 PM
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Hi Ya All
I just picked up a used in box, (low mileage) Proto 2000 Santa Fe PA "A" powered/ "B" dummy in an antique store for $25.00. It runs real smooth and looks great, the Mars light is just fantastic, but I did not really need a Santa Fe model, plus the body with all that detail is fragile. I have a small bag for acuminating all the fine detail parts this model is now shedding; I'll super glue latter. What I really need is a SP daylight. I have an Athern A-Powered, B-Powered, A-Dummy set up and I figure an all powered set would be the way to go. So I was watching San Diego beat the Chiefs and dinking around with my trains when I fitted the Atheren shell onto the Proto chassis and "walaa" it fits perfect, even the mars light lines up and the two plastic engineers can look out. I like it, as I feel more comfortable handling the loco with out losing parts. So I will run it as I see fit, and when I need a SF engine just pop the body and clip on the SF shell. I was wondering if it was overkill to have all units powered and if they are really comparable, as alone the Proto pulled great and drifted nice, however running it with the two powered Atherns I sense conflict within the units, like the Atherns don’t like the Proto so I keep them separated in the yard so the Proto wont get jumped behind the roundhouse. Ya know trying to avoid the "Fight of the PA's" and have my Proto driven off my railroad, naked no less as I am sure the Atheren's would take thier daylight shell and give it back to the dummy.
Edited by - Trans-Slam on December 18 2006 8:17:02 PM
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Posted - December 18 2006 : 11:13:55 PM
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| LOL, I almost forgot I have a Walthers Trainline GP15. It's a smooth enough runner, but a bit loud. Even "worse" than a bluebox Athearn. I expected better, actually... but beggars can't be choosers and the only other GP15's I know of are brass, or the scarce Smokey Valley kits.
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