RMT Beep- great little engines

Hey Jake,

Yea ya gotta love the little Beeps.I use mine now as a yard switcher.Since I took this Pic I put in the TMCC mini commander with sound and front and rear electro-couplers.
It also got a little detail work as you can see.
Amazing what you can do with a couple of horns, a bell and some wire for grab rails and a spot of yellow paint.


David

I love them. Nothing is quite as much fun. I have eight stock BEEPS, in additional to an A-B-B-A set of BEEFS (same chassis underneath, essentially). Great little engines. BANGS are nearly as fun, too (and somewhat better runners).

I've also love them because they are easy and fun to bash. I've modified them into a dozen different locos. My favorites are on the bottom row below, the the SHEEP (SHay bEEP) - middle below, and Porch (a small Veranda) turbine, both scratch built bodies. Top row has BEEfs on the right and an A-B FEEP (F beep) I made long before the BEEFs came out. I'm currently working on a BEEP-BEEP (sort of a double BEEP, like a DD35).



I also have FrankenBEEP, a lengthened BEEP body on a BANG chassis (in the middle, between a normal BANG and a normal BEEP.

I'd kind of like to have a beep to pull my marx christmas train. i just think they're a little high at $75 for what you get.

How'd you fit all that stuff in that tiny little shell?
We had a BEEP running under the Christmas Tree for a couple of weeks without a problem.
TMCC would be nice ...

quote:

Originally posted by DPC:
Hey Jake,

Yea ya gotta love the little Beeps.I use mine now as a yard switcher.Since I took this Pic I put in the TMCC mini commander with sound and front and rear electro-couplers.
It also got a little detail work as you can see.
Amazing what you can do with a couple of horns, a bell and some wire for grab rails and a spot of yellow paint.


David

They look great, but is there anything out there that even looks like them in real life?

quote:

Originally posted by Kerrigan:
How'd you fit all that stuff in that tiny little shell?
We had a BEEP running under the Christmas Tree for a couple of weeks without a problem.
TMCC would be nice ...

quote:

Originally posted by DPC:
Hey Jake,

Yea ya gotta love the little Beeps.I use mine now as a yard switcher.Since I took this Pic I put in the TMCC mini commander with sound and front and rear electro-couplers.
It also got a little detail work as you can see.
Amazing what you can do with a couple of horns, a bell and some wire for grab rails and a spot of yellow paint.


David

If you use the instructions from ERR the mini commander and sound board go in fairly easily.You do have to make new mounts for the couplers

As for doing it for others , I would be scared that I wouldn't measure up to the buyer .It's funny I'll wire your house , business or factory but I'd be afraid to bash your beep . Walter doesn't wire buildings or mess with High Voltage and I don't commercially bash Beeps.
Lee's bashing is much more complex than mine.

But seriously the hand rails just pop off and I painted them with floquil safety yellow .To make grab rails just take a dial caliper( Harbor freight cheap plastic 10 bucks) and use the points to get your width on your engine then get out your large craftsman needle nose and lay those caliper points against the inside of the jaw
Where both points lay against the outside, mark that with a pencil or thin line marker. Lay your wire at that place each time and bend a U shape I use .032 stainless wire but anything in that range will do .
Cut your U shape about a 1/2 inch long and insert it in the jaws of the needle nose about a 1/16 of an inch and bend downward now you have an offset grab rail and each one will be the same

use a pin vice to drill 2- 1/32 holes insert your grab rail and on the inside of the shell grab it with the needle nose and bend the wire inward slightly
A little paint and you've got grab rails.

The horns and bell were parts from the LHS The horns are from Lionel F series engines and the bell has the stud mounting on the bottom.

None of this stuff is hard to do ,it just takes a little time and thought on your part . Experiment you may find out your better than you think you are.

Michael Hokkanen:

I think they're supposed to be a spoof on a GP-7

And I don't know who the other guy was that said they're to high at $79
But I paid $48 for that Beep new and they're not hard to find at that price

David

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hokkanen:
They look great, but is there anything out there that even looks like them in real life?

Actually yes, although I am embarrassed to say I forgot what it is called. its a 600 Hp switcher made by a smallAmerican loco company that also made some of the high-speed commuter rail trains in Florida somewhere is all I remember: but the real locos look almost exactly like BEEPS.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hokkanen:
They look great, but is there anything out there that even looks like them in real life?

Yes, there actually is (they're not based on anything) something pretty similar used by the NY city transit(?). There was a picture posted in a thread about the beeps awhile back.

quote:

Originally posted by chinatrain99:
I'd kind of like to have a beep to pull my marx christmas train. i just think they're a little high at $75 for what you get.

The new ones are somewhat upgraded I think. Tether options for no stall operation and upgraded motor boards(?). My older one seems fine though with all of that.

quote:

Originally posted by chinatrain99:
I'd kind of like to have a beep to pull my marx christmas train. i just think they're a little high at $75 for what you get.

Not sure when the sale ends, but Beeps are still 1/2 off ($59.98) on the RMT website. www.readymadetoys.com

If you have Fastrack switches, you may want to get two though.. they'll go through much better (the new ones all have a nice plug / tether so you can link them up).

I didn't know about the fastrack switches but they navigate Ross switches just fine by themselves They're a lot of fun
David

quote:

Thats a sad state of affairs when you must buy TWO Beeps to get them to go thru switches.

As opposed to a $500 locomotive that may jump or stall through a switch.

Well, I think the BEEP can be forgiven for stalling on switches, given its price (for often less than $75 if you shop around, you get two can motors, all wheel drive, and very high quality everywhere) and particularly its size (its hard to have sufficient span of electrical pickup when the loco is only 9.5 inches end to end). Additionally, all my experience indicates:

The chassis is the most solid, compact, and quality construction I have seen, period. I've seen stuff that equals this quality (usually for much more), but overall even a Vision loco on equals, not exceeds, the quality I see "inside the shell."

Later BEEPS have different electronics including particularly a tether that can connect multiple units so they share pickup, and don't stall on switches and they just run smoother overall, too.
--- For earlier Beeps one can add tethers easily to connect engines to do this. I've also made two rolling stock (boxcar, hopper car) where I installed Atlas trucks with electrical pickups I bought at my LHS and built a tether for them to connect to the BEEP: now I can run only the one engine but it will not stall on switches.

The BEEP is perfect for bashing for the following reasons: the chassis is robust and will take abuse while you are handling it; the body is easy to work with (see below), its cheap so you don't feel intimidated as I did once when taking a bandsaw to a $1100 die case loco shell, and additional shells can be bought very cheaply and easily (trainz.com) if you do make a mistake (or need two).

The major limitations the chassis has is that the axles are fixed - with only the two the loco does not have trucks that pivot on curves. This creates a lot of friction in curves that causes the loco to slow more on tight radii more than, say, the BANG, which while just slightly longer, has trucks. You have the same problem to a degree, for the same reason, with Superstreets vehciles and some trolleys.

The plastic on the BEEP body is relative thick compared to the shells of most other model locos with plastic bodies, and this makes it easier and better to work on when bashing. Some glues don't like the plastic but testors model airplane glue (orange and white tube, not the bottle) works okay. I use expoxy clay reinforcement everywhere, though.

BANGS are nearly the quality of BEEPs but just a tad less solid in my opinion. The chassis, still with two motors, now with eight wheels (all powered) in trucks that pivot, is a much smoother runner, and the longer length means they don't stall on switches. The plastic shell is much thinner, though, and generally not as easy to bash as a BEEP's.

And in answer to a question, I don't do work for anyone: I've got such a backlog of projects to do for myself I will never get through it so I'm not going to take on more. Besides, the fun is in doing the bashing - I would not deprive anyone of that!!!!

Forgiven because of the price? No. They are fun and well made but we shouldn't have to buy 2 just so 1 will go over a switch. I do like them but they can and do stall.

quote:

Originally posted by SantaFe158:

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hokkanen:
They look great, but is there anything out there that even looks like them in real life?

Yes, there actually is (they're not based on anything) something pretty similar used by the NY city transit(?). There was a picture posted in a thread about the beeps awhile back.

Metro-North, actually
Brookfield Locomotive DES-70B.

A little tall for subway tunnels, methinks .

---PCJ

quote:

Originally posted by Jim 1939:
Forgiven because of the price? No. They are fun and well made but we shouldn't have to buy 2 just so 1 will go over a switch. I do like them but they can and do stall.

Like Lee said, you can just tether them to rolling stock with pickup rollers. I use a transfer caboose with my Bethlehem Steel Beep and a Peep passenger car with my NYC Beep using wire scraps. Added cost = zero.

Pete

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Kerrigan:
How'd you fit all that stuff in that tiny little shell?
We had a BEEP running under the Christmas Tree for a couple of weeks without a problem.
TMCC would be nice ...

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DPC:

Here's a little Beep with TMCC and sound . This one isn't mine but you get the idea.

David

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViQk8OD0Hgw

David, Do you think it has TMCC as well or just Railsounds? I don't think there is room for both. One of my Beeps has a Beep Commander but there isn't even room for the smaller Sound Commander let alone Railsounds.

Pete

Beeps make great candidates for kitbashing. Here's one I did for a fellow Forumite:



Matt

quote:

Originally posted by Norton:
David, Do you think it has TMCC as well or just Railsounds? I don't think there is room for both. One of my Beeps has a Beep Commander but there isn't even room for the smaller Sound Commander let alone Railsounds.

Pete

Theres a mini commander board it's just a smaller version of the cruise commander
it has the R2LC board built into it so it leaves room for the sound board and speaker

If you go to the Electric Railroad site you can look at the manuals for installing it . I've done a bunch of TMCC conversions(And several hundred DCC conversions).
I'd say if you were a novice and this was your first time, I'd take about an hour and a half to install both .Their instructions specifically show pictures of an installation in a Beep.

It's best if you convert the lighting to LED's this gets rid of those bulb holders and crates even more room. The LED's from Evens design work well

The couplers have to be modified by sawing off the original mount and making new ones from metal so they'll have the correct ride height.

It makes a heck of a nice little yard switcher and with command is a blast to run.

David

Matt,

That is nice job. Could you specifythe changes you made and what extra parts were needed?

Joe

Interesting little things.

Joe,
Thanks. I posted a step-by-step construction thread approximately two years ago. The long hood and cab are scratchbuilt from Evergreen Scale Models styrene mounted on the Beep shell base. Other details were built with Evergreen styrene rod, tubing, triangle shapes. The grab irons are from Tichy Train Products. I think the handrail stanchions are from Precision Scale Products. The grills are HO scale products from Cannon & Company. Rivets by Archer Transfer. Horn by Detail Associates.

Matt

quote:

Originally posted by DPC:
I didn't know about the fastrack switches but they navigate Ross switches just fine by themselves They're a lot of fun
David

My christmas layout has one switch that the engine must run over and as long as it doesn't stop ON the switch when the power is shut off, it runs just fine through it (fastrack).

quote:

Originally posted by RailRide:

quote:

Originally posted by SantaFe158:

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hokkanen:
They look great, but is there anything out there that even looks like them in real life?

Yes, there actually is (they're not based on anything) something pretty similar used by the NY city transit(?). There was a picture posted in a thread about the beeps awhile back.

Metro-North, actually
Brookfield Locomotive DES-70B.

A little tall for subway tunnels, methinks .


---PCJ

That's it. I didn't think it was NYC transit, but I couldn't think of the name.

Found it!

This is the locomotive I was thinking of that looks so much like a BEEP. There are other images at the link.

Brookville BL-06

quote:

Originally posted by Lee Willis:
Found it!

This is the locomotive I was thinking of that looks so much like a BEEP. There are other images at the link.

Brookville BL-06

Does this mean I have my bell on the wrong side???
Do I need to move it to the short hood???


David

I have about a dozen Beeps and one of them has TMCC. Very seriously thinking of converting two or three more to command control. Am also thinking of adding sound.

Hey, what the heck..nothing like a three hundred dollar Beep

Oooh, that hurts the wallet, but the end result is a lot of fun. But three hundred dollars worth of fun? Still thinking about it.

Ed Boyle

quote:

Originally posted by Ed Boyle:
I have about a dozen Beeps and one of them has TMCC. Very seriously thinking of converting two or three more to command control. Am also thinking of adding sound.

Hey, what the heck..nothing like a three hundred dollar Beep

Oooh, that hurts the wallet, but the end result is a lot of fun. But three hundred dollars worth of fun? Still thinking about it.

Ed Boyle

Yea Ed I converted mine after I read a post a while back you had about yours

I think you can do the mini commander for about $170 with sound add the couplers @ 20 bucks and your right at 250(Considering you buy the beep for 50 bucks) . I just bought a railking scale NW-2 with PS2 for $254 from Jason's
But what the hey they're a qute little critter that's fun to play with.

David

quote:

Originally posted by Norton:
David, Do you think it has TMCC as well or just Railsounds? I don't think there is room for both. One of my Beeps has a Beep Commander but there isn't even room for the smaller Sound Commander let alone Railsounds.

Pete

I have a beep I installed A beep commander and a sound commander 2 into, fits just fine. The railsounds commander may be a tighter fit though, haven't tried one yet.

Darrel, Thats what I was thinking. I have done a number of installs and have two Beeps. The new mini commander and sound commander would have worked but not sure the much larger Railsounds boards would fit even using Jon's more compact setup.

Pete

Looking at the ERR site it looks like the RS is slightly smaller then a True Blast 2, and I fit one of those in a beep :-)

Darrel, The new RS4 boards are actually larger than the Truesounds board in all dimensions.
The board pictured on the right is a Sound Commander which is the same size as Truesounds.



Here is a pic of a early Beep Commander which is the same dimension as a Mini Commander 2. In the shell is a Truesounds board. I swap these shells back and forth. The Truesounds is used with the RMT E Unit, not with the Beep Commander.



Here is the new RS4 board in the engine. The greater height is the problem.



Pete

i noticed another beep thread. i guess it's a cheap form of advertisement.

quote:

Originally posted by chinatrain99:
i noticed another beep thread. i guess it's a cheap form of advertisement.

I think that is another thread about other RMT products

Pete:

If you get rid of those light holders and go to LED's it'll give you close to an inch more room on each end.
I was counting my LED's 2 Warm white for each headlight and 2 Red and 2 green for class lights so 8 total . The boards put out a constant 9 volts so it makes it perfect for LED's and they'll last forever
Even with the mini commander and sound board with all the wires it looks like spaghetti in there.

David

quote:

Originally posted by chinatrain99:
i noticed another beep thread. i guess it's a cheap form of advertisement.

excess inventory of overpriced product = spamming

The name always reminds me of this nostalgia item:

i guess 22 years working for state government makes me a little suspicious...from the state where we send our governors to prison!!

Well if want one cheap with TMCC&Sound some guy has one for $175 on the B&S forum
He has a video of it to.
$ 175 is what the boards cost and then you'd have to buy a beep the one he has is a BNSF

David