Comments on: 1960’s – 1970’s Diesel Engine. Which Model and Manufacturer

By: W Rusty Lane

W Rusty Lane — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 00:36:18 +0000

In reply to W Rusty Lane. I have Atlas, Athearn, Life Like, Tyco and Mantua locomotives and several Bachmanns that I DO NOT like. The life expectancy of the older Bachmann locomotives is only about 2 years. I´ve had to scrap several Bachmanns that gave up the ghost so I absolutely WILL NOT buy another Bachmann. Rapido makes some very nice detailed engines but are out of my price range as well as Broadway Limited.

By: SpecialEd

SpecialEd — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 01:53:01 +0000

Kato. Wont disappoint. They run well, detail is very good and adding DCC to newer offerings is as simple as plugging in a decoder.

By: Adam Young

Adam Young — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 21:24:37 +0000

In reply to Don Jennings. Don Jennings, you are the kind of asshat that makes people new to a hobby abandon it. You take the fun out of it by being too much of a rivet counter. If you can't be kindly helpful, just say nothing at all.

By: Leslie Foran

Leslie Foran — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 20:45:52 +0000

Like Thomas, I model in N. But I agree with him that Kato and Life-Like (in the past few years) are very good. To them, I would also suggest Intermountain and Atlas.

It is hard to make specific recommendations without knowing exactly what era and railroads he is modeling. My railroad is based on the Denver Colorado Union Station operations in the early to mid 1960’s. This gives me a wide latitude of railroads and trains to model, both streamlined and standard, with a good assortment of first-generation passenger Diesels.

By: Jay

Jay — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 15:28:11 +0000

These days, there is so much good stuff being made by all makers. Attention to detail, quality, sound, road names, there is a plethora of Loco’s to choose from. To select your loco, I would start with knowing what road you are modeling, and do a search on that road. Chances are there is a locomotive for that road, in the era you are looking for. When you decide on a loco, you can also do a search for reviews online that people have put together, like on You Tube. I have owned (bought and sold) so many locos, from all makers, and they all have their perks. Most of the latest equipment has can motors, flywheels, all wheel pickup, fine details, knuckle couplers, great sound, smoke units, mars lights etc. What really appeals to me are die-cast shells and frames for better weight and pulling power. The manufacturers are doing all they can to meet the needs and demands of us modelers, and it’s only getting better all the time.

By: Poworker

Poworker — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 15:17:49 +0000

In reply to Don. They may be superior BUT maybe not in his price range! Not a bad suggestion though.

By: craig l giovinazzi

craig l giovinazzi — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 14:58:41 +0000

I have 7 Bachmann engines

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 13:02:28 +0000

So when I started I had the same question and a lot more. Here’s what I did 1. Made sure my track was good – no matter how much you pay for a loco if your track isn’t good it won’t make a difference. 2. Start off with a switch engine for your time period. It won’t go out of style, you can keep it even if you change your mind by a couple of decades. Lots of old switchers working yards. That plus a few cars to switch around will give you lots of operating opportunities.

We all have to start somewhere – and there are snobs in every hobby. Most locos are pretty reliable these days. For that matter after almost 20 years I’m still running the old Chessie that came in my son’s first Life Like train set. I’ve been told a couple times to “Get rid of that piece of junk” Does it fit in with my layout scheme – no – but it has a lot of sentimental value and I like it. I’m of the firm opinion that hobbys are supposed to be fun, within our budgets and take our minds of the things that grind us down. It’s not supposed to be work. If you want to become all anal retentive about things and that’s your choice so be it. If you just like running trains and you don’t mind having things a bit skewed from the ideal – go for it. I ran my current layout for a few years just operating – no scenery except for a couple of little dioramas I built to pop in for seasonal changes.

By the way – the only stupid questions are the ones that you don’t ask

By: Wayne Norman

Wayne Norman — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 12:20:03 +0000

Hi Daniel,

So many choices out there today, most are good quality.
I run an EMD GP38 by Atlas and find it trouble free and very dependable.
Atlas and Bachmann both supply this Diesel in your price range.
You should be able to find something there.
Good Luck and happy railroading.

By: Don

Don — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 07:14:44 +0000

Nobody has mentioned Austrains and Auscision loco’s. Far superior to most American brands.

By: Perry Monzietti

Perry Monzietti — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 04:21:04 +0000

Here’s a photo of a walthers sw1, i left it out of my previous reply.

By: W Rusty Lane

W Rusty Lane — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 03:32:58 +0000

Broadway Limited makes some very nice DCC engines with sound. You might want to try looking at them as well as Walthers, Atlas or Athearn. They are all very good manufacturers and depending on what era you model, you may have specific needs or wants. I model the Central of Georgia and have done enough research to fine out what engines were on their roster since it is a defunct railroad at present. I did some research on-line that provided me with a complete roster of early steam up to and including earlier diesels that they used. Have fun and happy railroading.