Williams BL-2

The Williams BL-2 is mechanically the same as the rest of the line, the prototype BL-2 is mechanically and electrically essentially the same as the F3.

If you like the BL-2, order one from Train World and not the Bachmann site as you will pay too much through Bachmann for the same exact engine.

Williams are very good running engines.

Lee Fritz

The reason it wasn't a success was that while its carbody design improved rear visibility compared to the F units, The concept of road switchers (which could do mainline service as well as yard switching) was starting to gain favor with the introduction of Alco's RS-1 with the "hood" design (and later, EMD's GP- series).  These hood units have walkways along both sides of the locomotives which made it easier on the crew to move around on the locomotive when they had to do switching, something the BL-2 lacked.  Also the narrower, odd-angled body contours made accessibility more awkward for maintenance crews.

And the final reason it didn't catch on was due to its looks.  The overall consensus held that the styling actually fell short of being aesthetically pleasing.  I find it to be rather odd-looking and out of place myself; not as stylish as the F-units they intended to replace and not as functionally handsome & utilitarian in looks as the RS- series that was in use at the time, nor the GP-series that ultimately replaced the BL-2.

OK, more old rumors about the BL2 not being "successful"!

The real truth behind why there weren't many real BL2 units produced was, they were EXTREMELY difficult for the main Locomotive Department, at the EMD McCook plant, to build. Once the main frame assembly was turned right-side-up, and decking started, where the major components like prime mover, generator, air compressor, and electrical cabinet are installed, that specific could no longer be picked up and moved "down the line". The production engineers and the assembly department, began complaint profusely to the Design Engineering Dept. about redesigning the BL2, so that it wouldn't be a "plug in the assembly line"!

The solution was,,,,,,,Dick Dillworth was called back from retirement to develop a fix!  Thus became the GP7, and the Locomotive Assembly Departments were again able to move/progress the units "down the line" with the big overhead cranes. 

The sales Department had been getting very favorable responses to the BL2 units that were already shipped, but had to stop "taking orders", until Dick Dillworth finished the GP7 concept.

The Williams BL2 is a great engine  Its so ugly its cute  But be careful around transfer tables  Ours had a suicide attempt

Rolling on the Floor Laughing!

Well at least the door was up! As not sure how much damage it would have done...

Yep, they'll never win any design awards but I've always had a soft spot for them.

In fact, the first Williams loco I ever bought was a Western Maryland (Fireball) BL-2.  There used to be one at the B&O RR Museum in Baltimore. Maybe it's still there?

It was there when I visited a couple of years ago.

Ben, I've got the identical model. It is one of my favorites. Good luck with the NTSB report for that accident. I'm assuming the Engineer has been drug tested???

Gilly

I love my Williams BL2.  The windows fall out, like in a lot of other Williams diesels, but they're easily reattached with Magic Mending Tape.

I have two WbB BL2's and they are great looking and great running engines. On the looks, I think the "ugly" marker is a little undeserved given that there are bunch of past and present engines that are far uglier.

I have one in the Chicago and Illinois orange and blue livery that has barely been run that I'll part with for not too much. Note that I modified it for engines in series vs. parallel.

S

Rob, I think that accident was a result of too many adult beverages.

Here is BAR #557 at the Cole Transportation Museum in Bangor, Maine.

You Tube Link

I always like the BL-2's especially after seeing The B&O RR Museum's Western Maryland BL-2.  Later I was able to obtain an older Williams W. Md BL-2 set that has a sound set that predates TrueBlast.  The earlier soundset has no bell, but the horn is terrific.  I also have a non-powered  Florida East Coast BL-2 that someday hope to repaint to match the now shuttered Stourbridge Line's BL-2

IMO, the C&O or the EMD Demonstator versions are also great looking.

BL-2s did not sell well because they were expensive to build and expensive to purchase compared to an Alco Rs-1 or 2. It didn’t take EMD long to figure that out. They responded with the GP-7, the first ones were basic and you could not order them with many options including dynamic brakes. I doubt if looks had anything to do with it, Geeps nor the RS would never win any styling awards.

I ordered one in the GM demo colors which I thought did a nice job of showing off the curves. I actually like the looks of it, much nicer than most diesels which have the design elements of a brick. 

In the FWIW category, one of the two WM BL-2's was still switching cars in Hagerstown long after the RS-3's and GP9's had been retired.  Maybe it was so ugly that it couldn't die. 

Poppyl

The BL-2 arrived this morning and I just sent it on a test run. This is my first Williams locomotive and here are my observations so far:

1) It looks great. Love the curves of this engine and it's nicely detailed and painted considering the price. The handrails in front/back are noticeably stronger than those on my MTH RailKing SD45. Given that my kids play with these trains I consider this a good thing.

2) This thing is QUICK! With my SD45 I usually have to lift the throttle lever on my CW80 halfway before it even starts moving. I did this with the BL2 and it took off like a race car. I noticed it's also more sensitive to throttle inputs and is easy to control at crawling speeds such as when I'm trying to line up with an operating accessory. The braking is also nice and smooth. The engine starts in forward mode rather than neutral like my other locomotives. Wasn't ready for that. 

3) You can see the engine in the cab but there appears to be enough room in there to put in a plastic shield and maybe even the upper half of a figure. That or I print the image of an engineer onto a decal and affix it to the plastic barricade.

4) Not a fan of the TrueBlast horn. Compared to the horns on my two MTH engines it just sounds very tinny. Also there's no way to adjust the volume. I'm not too worried about this since the long term plan is to upgrade to ERR boards for sound and TMCC control

5) The couplers have no manual release tab. They only work over an uncoupling track. I noticed ERR makes couplers so I'll add that to the upgrade list. 

6) The light bulb is an incandescent bulb instead of a LED. Also since this engine doesn't require very much throttle to get going the light never really fully lights up. 

7) Great pulling strength. I attached 6 rather heavy operating cars and still didn't need to raise the throttle on my CW80 past the 1/3 mark for the train to run at a pretty fast clip (faster than I'd normally run it)

I know this sounds like a lot of criticisms but I'm actually really happy with this locomotive. Sure MTH and Lionel locomotives offer more but they also cost a LOT more. I bought this BL2 new for $175 and I've seen lightly used models sell for even less on e-Bay. I can't buy a new Lionel or MTH locomotive for that kind of money. I'm hoping there's enough room inside to add CruiseCommander and RailSounds boards. That would bring my all-in price to $375 which is still less than a new Lionel or MTH locomotive. Plus AFAIK neither company makes the BL-2. 

Just curious, has anyone here put a CruiseCommander board in their BL-2? Would love to see a picture of the installation. 

I love my BL2.   To slow it down I wired the motors in series (plenty of thread discussions on the forum) and added a thermistor as well (slow gentle starts).  I also added LED headlights.  

For sound, I installed a MRC Sounder sound board, and purchased their remote to program it $25.00 + $20.00 and set the volume to maximum and selected the prime mover sounds, horn and bell sounds.

Its one of my favorite engines now.

I also love the way it looks, and the Williams model is very nicely detailed.  -Ken

I picked mine up a few weeks ago at Trainworld.

It's really nice and this is my 2nd Williams engine ... love the flywheels.

People will argue endlessly about its aesthetic appeal.  It's just a question of taste.  Personally, I like it.  I must since I have three.  One old Williams; a true steady runner.  An MTH PS-1 which also runs great after a little bit of board repair.  Then I have an MTH PS-2.  Of course, as expected, it's a great runner too.

I've always liked them and always will.  At first, when I read how some people just about despise them I thought there was something wrong with me.  That was a short lived ego collapse from which I made a complete recovery.  Some people think the GG1's are ugly too.  I wonder what kind of women these people marry.

I think the paint schemes on the WBB versions are "as delivered" schemes. I have a B&M and a BAR unit . Both very nice.

Given the discount prices available online, and its retro-sleek look, I've been giving some thought to picking one up and repainting it to something "Polar-ish" looking for my outdoor Christmas display.

I'm pretty sure I'd never seen one until spotting the WbB pics online, but I think they look great!

Fred

Here's one ...

Well ajzend, I'll tell you one thing about my woman:  At least you can tell at a glance which end is which!

Unlike many, but not all, Williams diesels, the BL-2 is a pretty good model, too. One of their later efforts with nice handrails.

The scale Williams Alco FA-1's are nice, too. 

I keep threatening to buy a BL2; funky, but weirdly appealing. Expensive (the real one) to

manufacture, as mentioned above.