With all the buzz about steam lately here on OGR, has anyone taken notice of the new 4-6-0 from WBB? Do you figure it'll be a solid runner like most of their other offerings? Reason being as I just placed an order for their Greyhound set from my LHS.
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Don't know about the greyhound set but the 4-6-0 is a winner for me. I got one and it runs great. These engines lend themselves to customizing which I did with mine. It was painted and relettered for Atlantic Coast Line. I run mine with some of MTH open ended woodside passenger cars and it is perfect for that period. A good alternative to buying the expensive 999 model made by MTH if all you want is a conventional runner.
There have been several threads on that locomotive. A search should turn them up.
It is an remarkable runner. I posted something about it when I got one sometime back. It is rather plain as to detail - at least next to Legacy and locos costing two to three times as much, but quite well made.
I bought two more I liked it so much, modifying one with more detail and updated sand domes and such to modernize it into the 1940s look, and changing out the tender on another for something smaller. Since buying the first one, one or another of the three of them has always been among the four locos on my layout.
It's gearing makes it run very slow compared to other Williams locos (and most others) and as such, conventionally (all it will run) it is perhaps the smoothest slow runner I have: no better than a Vision Hudson in this regard, but as good - but then V Hud costs about eight times as much.
Note there is a good review/test of it in the latest OGR. Good article.
There have been several threads on that locomotive. A search should turn them up.
Here's just one of them:
Thanks to Allan and everybody who provided input
It's a buy for me!
Harvey, knowing your preference for conventional running, you will be really impressed with this loco. What I particularly love is the gearing and flywheel action. If you run the loco quickly and cut the power as fast as you can, it will roll on for several inches. I can't recall any loco that would roll further, and as others have commented, slow start is very smooth.
I was missing around my layout this after noon and I got a wild hair to see how many cars my Bachman 10 wheeler could pull. My layout is 10.5 by 19 feet long. I used my Lionel cars and started with my passenger cars (4) and 1 flat. I ended the session at 14 total cars and can still go for a few more. By the way the total train length is 17 ft at this time.
Al
This evening I ended up with 17 cars before my 10 wheeler started sliping. Next I attached my C&A 4-6-4 to the cars and it was at it's limit. Okay. my Lionel torpedo was the next victim. Same results. Next up is my Atlas SW6 switch engine. No hesitation, it had no problems with the 17 cars. By the way, the drag was 21 feet. Now I am going to have to get some more cars for the SW to pull.
Al
I'm hoping for WBB to either offer a CM&St.P engine or CB&Q.
AA9ZY:
And not a CGW, MKT or KCS steamer?
Didn't the B&O pull a few passenger cars with these? Does Williams have them in O scale B&O Paint these days?
Did they improve the smoke unit on these, the one I have on the J model was very "spity".