Mine arrived today, fantastic service from CharlieNassau when you consider I ordered it Thursday noon.
It comes in a small box, which makes sense, because it is a small loco, noticeable smaller, if heavier (36 vs 23 ounces) than a BEEP. It feels heavy and solid, has crisp casting details, good paint and excellent, sharp lettering and graphics. The railings, etc are very delicate. All of them are loose where they show attach to the cab. They were that way out of the box. They are not bent so if left undisturbed they stay in the right place, but . . . I have to be carefully handling it.
It runs well but like most WBB diesels like to go a bit faster than I want. I'm fairly certain its two motors are wired in parallel and will convert them to series in time. It runs smoothly, the e-unit functions easily and well. The horn sounds like a horn - a very generic horm, but a horn, and the bell just like the bell on dozens of other locos. It has directional lights of a sort - they come on when it moves. Nice, single figure in the cab.
It does have WBB's diesel sounds - the first loco I've bought with it, but it is impossible to hear the engine noise if makes over the normal wheel noise when the thing is running. There is not much sound. If there is a volume adjustment I can't find it. When stationary, the idle sounds like a small (for a loco) diesel engine.idling, which is probably as it should be.
It pulled ten 70 ton ore cars around my all 36-inch loop just fine, with no problems, a bit faster than I want, but smoothly.
I think it is fairly priced at what I paid for it - around $250 or so, I think) and its a cute little thing. I do wish it had cruise and smoke, but then it would cost a lot more. I like it, and after converting the motors to series, expect to run it a lot.
I always
