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 Posted - February 21 2010 : 10:42:30 AM
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Some love them, some hate them. I love them. I'm talking about the BL2:
This is an AHM Tempo model. Still looking for a MoPac and C&O version. Someday I'll upgrade to the P2k versions.
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Posted - February 21 2010 : 3:03:10 PM
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my locos this week are two kettles ken
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Posted - February 21 2010 : 4:34:10 PM
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quote:Some love them, some hate them. I love them. I'm talking about the BL2:
This is an AHM Tempo model. Still looking for a MoPac and C&O version. Someday I'll upgrade to the P2k versions.
Originally posted by burlington77Â -Â February 21 2010Â :Â 10:42:30 AM
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I don't comment on BL2's. I did that once and received the proverbial web slap. All in jest of course.
Curious to know how well those run.
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Posted - February 21 2010 : 4:42:37 PM
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Ciao!
I got my loco this week last Wednesday in Florence. I'm here in Italy for the next three months for study abroad in architecture. Our dorm is in a little down south of Florence on the main north-south mainline to Rome. Haven't seen one of these go by yet, but I think I saw some in the yard in Florence when we went by:
--Rio Grande--Thru the Rockies
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Posted - February 21 2010 : 6:52:20 PM
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catfordken my friend has one of those in his display case, but its broken. Nice to see two good examples!
So I finally completed one of my personal missions at a show today. I found another 0-4-0 Lima to run paired with my original 0-4-0 Lima!
Problem is my old one has been running for YEARS, so they are still a bit out of tune performance wise. But this is the first one I found that has the same internal motor & gearing as my original one so I can pair them together. Down the road I'll dump the CN roadname on the new one and do a full on repaint & re-label as a B&O unit. So for something really trippy.
Left - New CN 0-4-0
Middle - My original B&O 0-4-0
Right - A PRR labeled 0-4-0 my friend bought last year on ebay. Its a Lima also, but the drive setup & gearing is totally different so I could never pair it with mine. It never ran as good as the other two anyways (wobbles on the rails) and rarely see's action.
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Posted - February 21 2010 : 11:29:19 PM
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quote:
I don't comment on BL2's. I did that once and received the proverbial web slap. All in jest of course.
Curious to know how well those run.
Originally posted by New_York_Central - February 21 2010 : 4:34:10 PM
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Well, it's interesting. One runs smooth and strong. Great pulling power, starts right up, etc. The other often needs a push and runs noisy. It seems like I have to clean them a lot to keep them going. As with most AHM units I've encontered, they have that lovely ozone smell. Overall, since I paid 5 bucks for the pair, I'm happy.
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Posted - February 22 2010 : 04:32:04 AM
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ChrisC: My LotW is a Lima, too (one of the last ones available anywhere in Italy, as hard as it was to find)...I almost like yours better, though, because it's steam! 
--Rio Grande--Thru the Rockies
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Posted - February 22 2010 : 1:01:12 PM
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quote:Well, it's interesting. One runs smooth and strong. Great pulling power, starts right up, etc. The other often needs a push and runs noisy. It seems like I have to clean them a lot to keep them going. As with most AHM units I've encontered, they have that lovely ozone smell. Overall, since I paid 5 bucks for the pair, I'm happy.
Originally posted by burlington77Â -Â February 21 2010Â :Â 11:29:19 PM
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2 for 5 bucks. A steal. The one you pictured looks to be in excellent condition.
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Posted - February 22 2010 : 7:47:40 PM
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quote:
2 for 5 bucks. A steal. The one you pictured looks to be in excellent condition.
Originally posted by New_York_Central - February 22 2010 : 1:01:12 PM
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Actually, it's the worse looking of the two. The stickers are brittle have flaked off and there's a chip on the other side. The amazing part to me is that all the railings, even the little chain details, have survived.
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Posted - February 22 2010 : 10:59:17 PM
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I'll add a BL2 also... A Life Like,
Mike
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Posted - February 22 2010 : 11:18:44 PM
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| ^^Now that's the one I want!
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Posted - February 23 2010 : 02:58:02 AM
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| architrains - Thanks! I always wanted one of Lima's European models just to have. But the steamers really run nice. Noisy buggers, but for their size they pull pretty well. Like I said they just aren't quiet in tune yet between age, run time, and dirt/oil in them. So I'm trying to get them balanced out a little better. I might give them both tender pickups down the road also to help them out.
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Posted - February 25 2010 : 10:51:25 AM
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Since there's a BL2 theme going I offer this AHM WM model. I got it at the first Cumberland MD trainshow I went to about 2+ years ago. There is a prototype BL2 in WM colors that runs out of this area on excursion trains. I think it's number is 81 or 82.
Gotta love the BL2.
Alco Fan
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Posted - February 25 2010 : 8:37:56 PM
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quote:Since there's a BL2 theme going I offer this AHM WM model. I got it at the first Cumberland MD trainshow I went to about 2+ years ago. There is a prototype BL2 in WM colors that runs out of this area on excursion trains. I think it's number is 81 or 82.
Gotta love the BL2.
Originally posted by Alco Fan - February 25 2010 : 10:51:25 AM
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That's cool that you guys are posting BL2s. I have an old AHM model of this locomotive in Monon livery. The formal name is the Chicago Indianapolis & Louisville Railroad, and was called "The Hoosier Line". It was absorbed by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in 1971. Now most of the Monon's lines are used by the CSX.
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Posted - March 16 2010 : 10:02:03 PM
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quote:Some love them, some hate them. I love them. I'm talking about the BL2:
This is an AHM Tempo model. Still looking for a MoPac and C&O version. Someday I'll upgrade to the P2k versions.
Originally posted by burlington77Â -Â February 21 2010Â :Â 10:42:30 AM
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Some are always on Ebay, '77. I have about 15-20 ( I have no IDEA how many I actually have now, of the old AHM versions, I have two of the P1000 models ). Another neat thing is you can drill out the little gas tank detail opening in the old AHM shells, and they'll pop right onto the newer Proto chassis with no problem! I used an old C&O shell off an AHM unit to make my Proto a Chessie. Plus the newer Proto's don't have all the different road names offered, so having the old ones around you can put them on the road again with DCC. I'm not sure if it was the Mopac or the CE&I on Ebay I saw, in a lot of 8 engines. Cheap so far, $15 for all. Glad to meet another BL-2'er, I watch them on Ebay, but I don't "need" anymore. Actually, I DID recently buy N scale Bl-2's, the Lifelike ones, for $25 each, at a local train show. I'd been wanting the N scale versions, but they're selling high for some reason. Not paying $50 for one. I have the Western Maryland and C&O in N now.
Don't know why I fell in love with the BL-2, maybe because I own AMC Gremlins - anything different and unusual I go for. I don't consider the Bl-2 "ugly", it's just different. Have you seen the video on YouTube on one, they give an inside tour, about 10 minutes worth, of the whole engine back to front...neat! Another video from a WV train excursion shows the cab with engineer, giving details about it's operation, and blowing the horn. I never knew the original horn sounds like an ocean-going tanker! Wow! Not your normal diesel train horn.
Anyway, keep in touch, always neat to meet another guy who appreciates the BL-2.
Jerry in Virginia, USA
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - March 17 2010 : 12:12:54 AM
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The AHM BL-2 to look out for is the 60's version, which had a 5-pole motor, a ball bearing ring in the rear truck, and brass gearing. They run quite a bit better than the later versions with the noisy 3-pole motors, and can be identified by the metal motor mounting plate above the rear truck, assuming the seller provides a photo of the underside. Same goes for the old C-Liners.
The Tyco Depot
Edited by - NickelPlate759 on March 17 2010 12:13:48 AM
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Posted - March 17 2010 : 11:33:20 AM
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Ok. You made me pull the engine out of the Items I take to shows. This The Early AHM BL-2 Chicago & Eastern Illinois. This Has the 5 Pole Motor. I put it on my test track ran excellent. Carl
Numquam Immoderatio Satis Est
(Too Much Is Never Enough )
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Posted - March 17 2010 : 11:09:17 PM
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quote:Ok. .. You made me pull the engine out of the Items I take to shows. This The Early AHM BL-2 Chicago & Eastern Illinois. This Has the 5 Pole Motor. I put it on my test track ran excellent. . Carl
Originally posted by VintageHOÂ -Â March 17 2010Â :Â 11:33:20 AM
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Wow, there are some old ones with 5-pole motors?! Holy grail, Batman! I will now have to gather up all my Bl-2's (somehow ), and check them all. Any easy way to tell visually externally ? Never mind, I'll just check'em all. At least I have my boxes labeled ,and having been sorting thru the basement recently, I think I can find most of them. Neat-0! I'm psych'ed! Never knew that bit about the Bl-2's ...
Jerry Casper
Woodbridge, VA, USA
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - March 18 2010 : 2:24:19 PM
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This is a 60's era BL-2 chassis I picked up at the train show last weekend for parts. Needs a bit of a cleaning.
The 5 pole motor has a brass bearing bracket and felt packing around the bearing. The screw that seems to serve no purpose in the front of the chassis is actually the gear puller necessary to push the brass worm off the motor shaft when servicing.
These units are also different in that the current is picked up by 2 wheels on the front truck, and 2 on the rear, instead of the front truck only.
Here is the motor mounting plate, which is the only way to identify these earlier models from the outside.
The Tyco Depot
Edited by - NickelPlate759 on March 18 2010 2:26:19 PM
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Posted - March 18 2010 : 7:05:22 PM
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Well, I found 6 of my old ones, and cracked them all open except one - and they're 5-pole units ! Wow. Never knew that. Here's a pic of them with bodies on :
And here's a pic of them with them removed :
I haven't tried all of these, the FEC is the only one of these 5 I've tried, and it runs well. The rest I just pulled out of storage. I'll try them later on tonight. One, the C&O, has a busted wire off the motor, so I know IT won't go anywhere...wait, I can move it to another chassis,and then it will. LOL! I have a custom-painted BL-2 in the back, green and yellow, was an Ebay buy, not great graphics, but it was reasonably priced I think. The other custom is a B&O unit, dark blue, almost black, I thought it was the Western Maryland until after I looked at the pic, I wasnt' paying attention to them that closely. I have some CE&I units somewhere, another C&O ( Oh, i used that body for my Proto1000 unit ), and a Western Maryland. And an undecorated black shell from a P1000 unit. I know I have two Rock Island units, and one or two Monon's.
I know I have them, but I can't find them right offhand. With all the organizing and rearranging I've done lately, I can hardly tell where I've seen them all. :) I'll have to get them all in one place this summer and take a pic of my Bl-2 fleet.
A few years ago, a special BL-2 " GG1 " custom was sold on Ebay, I think it went for close to $90, someone had taken two front ends, cut off the back third, and plastic-welded them together. Looked neat, and I think they used the GG1 chassis for it. I had to stop around $55, at the time I was strapped for cash. I have two bodies I've already cut up to do one myself, as they were broken anyway in a jumble box at a show, so if I can get a nice GG1 chassis for a reasonable price, I'll try to convert one myself eventually.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
Edited by - AMC_Gremlin_GT on March 18 2010 7:15:15 PM
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Posted - March 18 2010 : 7:43:48 PM
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*swipes the green BL2 from AMC_Gremlin_GT & sticks a BN logo on it*  just kidding neat locos there
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Posted - March 18 2010 : 8:03:01 PM
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Jerry, the C&O is the only one that's a later run with a 3 pole motor. The wire isn't broken, that brass terminal just slips behind the brush.
The Tyco Depot
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 Posted - March 18 2010 : 10:58:10 PM
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quote:Jerry, the C&O is the only one that's a later run with a 3 pole motor. The wire isn't broken, that brass terminal just slips behind the brush.
Originally posted by NickelPlate759Â -Â March 18 2010Â :Â 8:03:01 PM
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Yeah, but there's no brushes there anymore...Looked at the others, they're missing in the C&O unit. Oh well.
If anyone wants to see MORE BL-2 pics of Tempo / AHM units, I have just posted many that I saved from Ebay sales and other places, with custom paint jobs, etc. at Photobucket, here :
http://s862.photobucket.com/albums/ab188/gremlingts/HO_Trains/
It's mostly custom paint jobs and chop jobs. A chop-nose BL-2, a GG1-type (double-ended), an ELECTRIC BL-2 with pantagraph. Some interesting kit-bashes. If you don't mind sneaking a peek at more BL-2's of course. :) Enjoy!
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - March 20 2010 : 09:27:46 AM
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Took more pics of the Bl-2's I have. Found the project Dual-cab unit, the chassis ( powered end ) has a 3-pole motor. Then I noticed some of the older Tempo chassis's had a bearing cap on the top of the 5-pole motor, where others didn't. Here's a ref pic :
Learning more about the details every day!
Here's another pic, of the extended Dual-cab BL-2 project, I remember that I bought it off Ebay some time ago.
I may cut off a little more out of the centers, so the screens match up. Not sure yet, the fans on top will be an issue. I may just try to find an updated DCC chassis to mount it to, they cut up 2 Tempo chassis's, one has the 3-pole motor, so I really don't want to use that one anymore. I should just modernize it, probably with a Proto 2K unit. speaking of, here's a pic of both the older Tempo and the newer Walthers P2K chassis.
The new chassis really runs smooth and silent ( except for those darn plastic gears breaking, then it thumps). I've bought extra to repair the 2 Proto's I have, both units had those gears cracked in them, and they were almost new! Walthers was supporting repairing those by sending free replacements, but they're getting more reluctant now that that model has been on the market for some time. I lucked out and convinced them I HAD bought them at a train show from a reputable dealer, and they were broken. They finally sent me free replacements.
Oh, yeah...since the 3-pole motor has the motor brush arms, I can repair that 5-pole unit now! I don't intend to use the 3-pole motor for this project now that I know there is better out there. Or may upgrade to modern chassis.
Anyway, that's my BL-2 model history lesson for the day. Thought some of you BL-2 lovers might like to see more of them. Enjoy!
Jerry Casper,
Woodbridge, VA, USA
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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