Does anyone own this engine that would care to share operating experiences and level of enjoyment? Thanks--contemplating purchase...
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I purchased the E1 version to go with the 21" yellow passenger cars. The engine has run flawlessly for me since I put it in service. It pulls 7 coaches with no strain. If you are a Bi-Polar fan, it is worth adding to your collection.
I also have the first version of the Bi-Polar in orange/red by MTH which I had converted to TMCC. It is also a nice engine and easily pulls nine 21" K-Line matching coaches.
I hope this helps you.
Well, there are mood-swings.
The only draw back is hooking up the sections if you need to take it apart. On the MTH version the wires are almost impossible to get together with normal sized fingers. Don
I have the Lionel version in Orange and black. It has run great. I pull 8 heavyweights with it.
i have the lionel yellow/grey version. i had to get extra power to it as the two (should be four!) pickups would stall out crossing back to back atlas switches. once that was done, i runs very nicely. pulls 11 15 inch cars without a problem. great horn.
here is a video
Don,
On the MTH version the wires are almost impossible to get together with normal sized fingers.
Bent-nose tweezers make short work of plugging in the tethers.
I assume the subject here is the Lionel Bi-Polar. I've got a few hours running time on mine. It runs fine, no problems, plenty of pulling power. My only complaint is the fragility of some small detail parts, and lack of replacements from Lionel. A couple of the little rings that hold the coupler lift bar in place were broken when I removed the unit from the box, and Lionel was unable to provide replacements. These should be made of metal, not plastic. I have some little brass rings from Micro-Mark that are actually for rigging ship models, but they are the right size to replace the broken rings. I'll replace them when I get around to it. Other than that, and the absurd price, no complaints.
One point to remember is that the Lionel unit is a model of the Bi-Polar as rebuilt in the mid-1950's. It is correct with streamlined cars. If you are modeling an earlier period, the MTH unit, which I prefer, is correct.
