I'm thinking of buying one of the Taurus electrics that have just been released. What are your opinions on the European diesels as a whole? Are they detailed, smooth runner, etc. Do you recommend them.
Thanks,
Dave
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I have the Traxx SBB Cargo and I like it. It runs well with PS/3, has good sound (you may want to turn down the electric whine, but the high-pitched whistle has that Euro sound and the announcements are in Schweizerdeutsch), and the detail is superlative. Mine came out of the box missing a hinge pin on one of the pans, but it took me a good ten minutes to make one out of brass wire, so no big deal. I just received some Euro tank cars I had ordered, so it will be on the track at the next open house at the museum. Already one of my favorite locomotives.
I'm interested if people with these diesels are concerned at all about the difference in scale when running the Euro diesels on a layout with 1/48 scale models.
1/43 versus 1/48 is roughly 10% larger. I have the European series 241 steamer, and while it is a beautiful engine and a good runner (sound is a bit weak), it looks definatley "out or proportion" when in and among 1/48 scale locos. This is not strictly a size issue - the MTH 241 is slightly smaller than, say, the Legacy ATSF Northern 3759 (although in the real world it was much smaller). But the scale shows somehow so the loco looks "too big" slightly and it stands out like a sore thumb. I run it only when it is alone of the layout. And it has a fantastic whistle!
@david1...you may want to change the thread title as MTH has not produced any European diesel (so far...) only steamers and electric engines.
Lee:
The scale issue doesn't bother me. On the club/museum layout, the trains are not bunched together so you don't really see a size comparison the way you do on a smaller layout. And my one Euro locomotive, a Traxx electric, is so different from anything else that you don't compare it to whatever else is on the layout. At home, I have quite a bit of ETS, which is 1:45, so I can run the European stuff on all three tracks. You really should have a look at ETS. It's all conventional, no electronics, it runs great, and the litho is excellent. I know you like whimsical little things like Beeps and Beefs; ETS should fit right in.
Lafondue:
MTH listed a double-ended diesel, the AA16 AFB/NOHAB, in the 2009 catalog. I don't know if that has ever actually been produced. Given that the Traxx, which was announced at the same time, only came out a few months ago, maybe we will see it soon. Or maybe it was cancelled due to lack of orders.
Originally Posted by Southwest Hiawatha:
Lafondue:
MTH listed a double-ended diesel, the AA16 AFB/NOHAB, in the 2009 catalog. I don't know if that has ever actually been produced. Given that the Traxx, which was announced at the same time, only came out a few months ago, maybe we will see it soon. Or maybe it was cancelled due to lack of orders.
Yes these have been dropped...who know maybe re-offered in the future.
And, without hi-jacking David thread, hope you're happy with your new tank cars.
And, without hi-jacking David thread, hope you're happy with your new tank cars.
They look great. I'm going to take them and the Traxx to our next museum open house. I'll try to remember to take pictures and post one.
The NOHAB double-ended diesel was cancelled as shown in these 'Product Locator' results.
http://www.mthtrains.com/searc...?filters=type%3Aitem
It is possible that the reason was that the Danish company, Heljan, also made this model, but it is no longer shown as available on their website.
Ed
I have one of the Heljan Nohabs and it is a very nice engine, good pulling power and great detail. The only down side to it is that there is no ability to just plug in a decoder. If you want to put a decoder in, there is some some real work involved. From prices and sales on the German market I have seen, I have a feeling supply was greater than demand as these could be bought for a time at 100 Euros below MSRP. If I were MTH, I would not produce the engine since such a good model was recently on the market. I now own two TRAXX locomotives and a bunch of the tank and hopper cars to go along with them, which are real nice.
All the best,
Miketg
I have the NJ Transit ALP-46 which is the North American version of the TRAXX design. I regard this locomotive as among the finest of MTH's motive power offerings to date so buy with confidence. The European market is very demanding - and rightfully so - with regard to fidelity and overall quality of models so MTH must put forth its best effort to be successful there. European hobbyists are accustomed to the outstanding products of Arnold, Fleischmann, Marklin and Minitrix and will not be as forgiving as their North American bretheren in terms of what is considered acceptable or tolerable. We all stand to benefit from that.
Bob
