So should I buy one of these and do a Protosound Upgrade? Is it reasonable scale and what would you do to detail it?
Is there a more accurate PRR C-1 out there?
Thanks
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I have one and the big problem I had with this is the tether. It is big and bulky. It would at times derail the tender. 6 prong tether and I replaced it and now a very good engine. Other then that there is a sluthe smoke unit in it that I would replace. I got mine for a good deal too. Good Luck.
I had one of these in 2 rail. I think the proportions/dimenions are pretty accurate. The detail level is less than brass. The worst thing in my mind was a backup like cast into the tender deck like a big blob. The rest of the loco was pretty well detailed I thought. I put decals of the numbers on the tender light and then dullcoted the whole thing and it looked OK.
I was not happy with the way it ran. For me in 2-rail, the gearing was set up to make it run way too fast. And it had no reduction gearing, the worm gear on the motor shaft was directly running the axle gear. This means to get slow speeds, the motor had to turn very slowly (no reduction gearing), so was at a low point of its torque range. If you like locos to be a little faster, this should not bother you.
In two rail all drivers were flanged and the side rods (the rods connecting the wheelsets) were solid rather than jointed as in brass models. it did no like my 48 inch radius curve on my yard lead. It would stall at slow speeds on this curve because the drivers bound up. I think the 3 rail versions had blind center drivers.
Max Grey and US Hobbies each imported models of this loco in 2 rail. USH may have made more than one run. The USH version has better detail and sprung drivers. The MG version has the axle boxes riding on rubber pads that are usually rotten by now. Both of these are more detailed than the Weaver, but only came with 2 rail size flanges as far as I know. You can still find at least one at most O Scale Shows such as the March Meet in the Chicago Area (Lombard).
A couple partial pics.
the one behind.
The one in center .
The Weaver C1 is a good scale model. Like PRRJIM says above, the backup light is not as good as it could be and the coal load is cast into the tender instead of being separately applied granules like some other scale steam models. This is the only C1 ever made in 3-rail.
I have two of them and again as JRRJIM says, they run pretty fast out of the box. I use TMCC and adding Electric RR Cruise Commanders tamed them into nice running switchers. I'm sure that a Proto-2 or 3 upgrade would work as well. If you do the upgrade then you won't be using the original Weaver tether so that won't be an issue for you.
The gearing is neither bad nor good. Any decent cruise control will take care of this. I have one that I got for a steal some years ago that may get ERR TMCC Cruise Commander one day. I like the big old thing (heavier - the real one - than some large Mikados, I believe), but not really being a PRR guy, I keep putting it off.
Accurate, solid, adequate detail, adequate to good performance (I like appropriate slow speed, also; most Hi-railers do), no one else has made it in 3RO or maybe even 2RO. If you are a PRR-specific-fan, I wouldn't pass it up is the price is right.
Here is a video. EOB upgrade, couplers front and back added. Mouse over the image and click on the triangle.
Rear electro-coupler is a tough fit. Pictured 0-8-0 was one of the Weaver Masonic offerings and has been weather prior to me.
