Rich Art quality?

I purchased a Rich-Art military trainset a few years ago and it is the equal to MTH's latest.

Norm

   Truly artful. Dick really did wonderful work. All made in USA by a craftsman!

I own several RichArt Standard Gauge and O gauge bipolars including Dick Mayer's original prototype for his O gauge bipolar.  I also have in my collection a RichArt Ives Olympian, a unique RichArt Ives 1134 locomotive in a Milwaukee Road CHIPPEWA paint scheme, and a unique RichArt long-version McKeen Motor Car KULSHAN with two trailers.  All are works of art by an exceptionally skilled craftsman.  The chain-drive RichArt engines tend to run slow but have been reliable pullers.

Bob

I have the 1134 and 1764 RichArt locomotives, and for "running and overall quality", they are right up there with the originals.

I also have the RichArt mining locomotive and 7-car "shorty" mining set, which was made more as a novelty I think so perhaps should not be judged too harshly.  The soft little rubber-or-plastic drive chain concerns me.  Steve Eastman is looking into a possible replacement part for that chain, here.  Any verdict yet, Steve?

Excellent.  Thank you!

I have the large Richart BiPolar, the 3237, the 3245, and an 1134.

All a beautiful to look at.

The only one that ran properly was the 3237.

The 3245 and 1134 are not impressive mechanically.  The armatures are jumble wound, the gears do not mesh properly, the motors run hot, and they are very noisy.  The motor for the 3245 went back to Richart at least once.  The gear teeth on the idler between the drivers on the 1134 are not shaped properly.

The Bipolar would not even sit on the track properly when I received it (shims were left out of it so that the two outer sections of the articulated body rested on the pilot trucks).

I have an MTH 1134 that was my father's.  It has the conventional motor and runs much more quietly and smoothly. 

I have a RichArt Cascade 4-8-8-4 number 4547 that I bought missing the 2 motors. Does anyone know of a source of these 4 axle motors? I now have on my winter project list of just manufacturing 2 dummy motors to just display it. That's probably what I would do even if I had the motors. But I would still like to have this impressive loco complete. Any help?

Bill

Bill, That sounds like a McCoy loco.

I believe RichArt did refer to their Bi-Polar as a Cascade. If the locomotive in question is actually a McCoy, any Bild-a-Loco type motor will fit, and there are plenty of old Williams dummy motor/wheelsets around for display only. 

The McCoy E2 Cascade was a 4-4-4-4, it's a New Haven Box Cab:

RichArt made a Cascade Bipolar, 4-8-8-4:

A variety of Standard Gauge motors will fit the McCoy:  Bill's RichArt is a different matter.

Yes. mine is the bipolar with 4 axle, eight wheel motors. And they have the O gauge disc wheels that Lionel prewar O gauge electric locos have.

I have one of the standard gauge "cascades" mine is 6-8-8-6 though and in the MR three color scheme. It is about my favorite piece in my collection.

I was going to add a picture of it but I see I can no longer upload images from my computer :-(

And mine has a wide maroon strip as opposed to the narrow stripe ones.

It's my understanding that the 4-8-8-4 RichArt Cascade BiPolars were made using the leftover 4-wheel trucks, which RichArt had previously used on their Standard Gauge Ives Olympian engines.  However, that 4-8-8-4 wheel configuration was not prototypical, 6-8-8-6 was.  So to make a prototypical BiPolar. RichArt made and mounted 6-wheel trucks on their later Cascade BiPolars.  Here's a picture of my 6-8-8-6 RichArt Cascade BiPolar in RichArt's version of the orginal Brooks Stevens designed Olympian Hiawatha livery.

Bob