how good are those RMT S-4 type diesel switcher ?

Much better running and pulling loco than the BEEP. This has been discussed before, but RMT made some cosmetic improvements as well as with the metal frame over the prior K-Line S-2, from which the BANG has its' origins. And yes, 4 roller pickups (2 each truck), so no stalling on switch tracks.

The motors on the BANG S-4 are a different spec than the ones used by K-Line... this is the big internal improvement. The RMT BANG will run slowly even with a postwar type transformer... no jackrabbit starts. They pull surprisingly well for a light locomotive. There is no interior illumination in the cab, but you get the directional headlights and marker lights plus the flashing roof strobe. The horn is hardly Railsounds, but still better sounding than the horns on most other lower end locos.

My only quibble is the coupler swing (left to right) is very stiff. On 027 curves, you need to run a heavier car behind the loco. You can help "break in" the coupler arms by pushing them over to one far side until they stay in the position, whenever you are not running the loco.

I have several of them and overall am very happy with them.

(And Walter didn't pay me to say this, but if he wanted to send me another S-2 as a gift, I'd happily take it!)

And a PS: The RMT Buddy RDC's are just as well running and pulling, just minus the horn sound. If you can find one, the Sperry Rail Inspection one is a versatile one that could just as easily be pulling some MOW cars.

They are fairly good units: they run well and pull much better than BEEPS, particularly around curves.  They are not as powerful and capable, nor do they respond as linearly to the throttle or run smoothly at really low speeds, as the heavier/bigger/pricier Lionel and MTH diesels, but they are maybe the best that RMT has.

I have a BANG converted to TMCC, it's a decent runner.  As Lee says, it's not a $500 Legacy diesel, but it does fine.  I've added weight to enhance the pulling power.

i seem to remember something about these units not having a windshield on the front of the cab.  I'd like to have one of these but not if that's the case.  Can anyone confirm?  Thank you.

IC fan

Yes it is solid. I've had one in LIRR for over a year and love it. I had to go look though to confirm no windows as its not obvious on the layout.

Scotie

A couple more observations.

While someone as Lee may have a wide variety of differing brands of engines, it's not entirely fair to compare the performance of the BANG to more expensive locos.

Of course a loco with vertical motors, speed sensors and that costs much more SHOULD perform better. But if you compare the BANG to the K-Line predecessor, or to similar types of engines with horizontal truck mounted motors, it does perform better. For an engine without speed control, I still find it possible to run it slowly, albeit maintaining your hand on the transformer throttle.

The BANG along with the RDC BUDDY and the BEEP are smaller locos that really do look right at home on a smaller layout with the smaller types of semi-scale trains. For me, that's a huge plus.

IC Fan, yeah at one time I thought not having the windows open on the front of the cab would bug me. I even went to the effort to cut them open on one (a K-Line version) but ultimately decided that was more effort than it was worth to do another one.

The RMT S-4 unlike the K-Line S-2 has NO cab illumination, so the lack of front cab windows is not quite as pronounced. Plus the circuit board for the cab strobe light and rear cab lights is there, so having the cab windows open wouldn't be a benefit.

As with all the train companies, there's a big difference sometimes between list price and consumer price. And granted, where the BANG's are still available, prices seem to be creeping upward. BUT for a $100 engine (give or take), the BANG S-4 is a value.

Of course, there's plenty of other stuff on the secondary market. But currently no other company is making such a basic decent running semi-scale loco in this size category or price range, as a separate sale item.

Had RMT decided to make the BEEF more in line with their other engines, I'd be talking that one up too. As it is, it's too detailed and too tall and wide for my preferences... it looks out of place with my trains, whereas the other RMT engines do not. If the BEEF hasn't done as well in overall sales, I suspect this is the reason why.

The BEEF is a strange beast and I agree that it seems to "not fit" anywhere and it would not surprise me, either, if its sales are disappointing for RMT: It is scale in two dimensions, with good detail, but yet it is decidedly not scale in the third dimension, and has a completely non-prototypical trucks and wheels. 

I have an A-B-B-A set of BEEFs - all powered (I moved the bodies from the unpowered units I bought to powered chassis).  It pulls very well, but looks just "too strange."  I had no role for them until I used the units on my "War Train" and I like them for that, but I run them for nothing else.

https://ogrforum.com/t...war-train-army-train