Brass - Worth It Or Not?


K

kz9

Member
Ok, so I have always wanted at least one brass piece I can keep in a showcase on my desk and also bring it out to run.

Having never seen a brass engine in person, do they run better and look better than the plastic versions?

I have the chance to purchase a OMI CN ES44DC for around $750 used with a decoder installed.

Is it worth the money? Or am I better off just buying 3 or 4 IM, etc units with sound.
 
How concerned are you with the accuracy of road-specific detail variations?
Detail is one of the main selling features of brass.
 
Kellan,

Like you, I have always wanted to get at least one brass locomotive, mainly because OMI made a Geneset locomotive that the M&ET uses on their shortline RR. I wanted to get 2-3 of them but could never justify spending the big bucks. I personally would rather have the 3-4 IM locomotives! But who knows, with my new job maybe it will finally be time where I can get my hands on a couple Brass Gensets :D

As mentioned above, the details on the brass locomotives are better, but with the way IM and Athearn have been going, plastic is getting pretty damn detailed these days!
 
If you're a brass collector/displayer I guess it may be worth it.
Lots of guys never even paint them.
As for myself... $750 buys some pretty decent non brass locos that will out perform any brass locos I've ever seen, and the detail on the newer runs is outstanding.
 
yea at this point MTH /intermountain /athearn / are really getting to the point of being as good as brass with 1/4 the cost , but that being said i would love 1 brass engine ;)
 
cv_acr said:
How concerned are you with the accuracy of road-specific detail variations?
Detail is one of the main selling features of brass.
Click to expand...

I am not too concerned, but I would expect for $750 it would be almost excat which would be why I would display it.

Trucklover said:
Kellan,

Like you, I have always wanted to get at least one brass locomotive, mainly because OMI made a Geneset locomotive that the M&ET uses on their shortline RR. I wanted to get 2-3 of them but could never justify spending the big bucks. I personally would rather have the 3-4 IM locomotives! But who knows, with my new job maybe it will finally be time where I can get my hands on a couple Brass Gensets :D

As mentioned above, the details on the brass locomotives are better, but with the way IM and Athearn have been going, plastic is getting pretty damn detailed these days!
Click to expand...

Ya I just want to be able to say I have a brass engine, but shelling out that much money for one piece is hard to swallow. I'd rather spend that much coin and get a bunch of items.




I also am thinking about the future. A brass engine will have better value than say a plastic just because of the amount of them made is far lass than plastic.


I just don't know!!! :rolleyes:
 
Brass, is it worth it? IMHO yes. Reason is that depending on which RR you model or one that is your favorite, brass is often times the ONLY way to get a model that is true to the prototype, especially for steam.

Plastic does well for some RR's but not others.

A big plus for brass is that they are more often than not easier to disassemble and repair than most plastic.
 
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Once upon a time most brass was all about looks and generally ran poorly, especially brass diesels. A lot of modern brass runs great as well as looks good. That being said, in my opinion, if you are a model railroader that enjoys running trains, and an engine you are looking for is made in plastic, buy the plastic. When viewed on a layout from a few feet you can't tell the difference.

If you want a show piece that you don't plan to run, you may want to consider brass, but with the quality of plastic improving so much in the last decade, I would look closely to make sure that brass engines is really noticeably better detailed that modern plastic.

As far as brass as an investment, not sure that is as wise as it was 30 years ago. Brass only goes up in value if there is demand for it. A lot of brass locos that once garnered big bucks sit on retailers shelves now because a plastic version is now available. Modelers who run trains opt for the new plastic and there are not enough brass "collectors" around to maintain demand.

As an example, I purchased a PFM brass C&O K-4 2-8-4 in 1980 for $250, a lot of money for a young Army Sargent back then. I didn't feel too bad though, in 2000 the same engine was routinely going for $400 - $500 on ebay. Now there are a couple of very nice plastic C&O K-4 models in plastic that look nearly as good as brass, run smoothly and can be had with sound, all for $140 - $220. And, I see PFM C&O K-4s going for $200 or even less on ebay.

That's okay though, my painted, weathered, DCC equipped brass K-4 looks right at home on the layout next to my plastic weathered, DCC equipped K-4.

I think the bottom line is, if you are a modeler who prefers running trains, and there is a plastic version of the engine you want, go that route.

If want something you can display and point to as a handcrafted work of art, pick up a brass piece.

Jim
 
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Well said!
If I may flip flop just a bit... I didn't take into consideration a nice brass steamer that is railroad specific and nicely weathered.

Funny, I still remember when the Kato SD70mac's came out and how many brass versions hit the consignment bins and ebay.
 
I have 14 or 15 brass jobs. Mostly diesel with 3 steam and a handful of traction models. 3 I bought brand new in the 70's and the rest I picked up at model rr auctions. Even at auction prices I only bought brass if there was no other option. As an example I picked up a brass EMD RS1325 which has never been out in plastic for $65. I did have to regear and remotor it with NWSL parts but at the time the total in it only came out to $100. I also have an Ajin Models brass NE5 New Haven caboose that was pretty nice in its day but the Atlas plastic one for $28 has it beat buy miles. At todays prices I don't even think about buying brass no matter how rare the prototype.

If there is something you really want and like and you can afford it then buy it. I guess the same would apply to the $300 plastic units as well.
 
I have a few brass models most for Conrail but I do have this which hasnt been made in plastic yet but you get the idea of detail.

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to me brass is not worth it, I like to run and mess with my trains and model real life and last I checked real trains are not made from brass...
 
Mark the FL9 is the one brass loco I would buy these days if River Point Station doesn't come through in plastic before the next millenium.

I bet it wouldn't take much to convince Bachmann to do one. They did the NH E33 ( ex Virginian ) and did a nice job on it. I'd think there would be a wider interest in the FL9 than the E33.
 
I only have a few pieces of brass. Over all, i think their over priced. Reason i have any brass at all is no one makes a Alco 2-8-2T in plastic, so I had to get a brass one. I also have 2 brass CA-3 cabooses because I picked them up at a swap meet for $30 each. Don't think the guy knew what he had. Other than maybe getting another 2-8-2T down the road, I really do not plan on any other brass purchases.
 
kz9 said:
Having never seen a brass engine in person, do they run better and look better than the plastic versions?
Click to expand...
My opinion, "No" especially the diesels. The detail on modern plastic units is amazing. Brass has never run as well as the plastic since Atlas introduced the Kato drive in 1984 or so. In fact I sold almost my entire brass collection in the 1990s to get the "better" plastic ones. For detail I'll take a Genesis, Tower-55, InterMountain, or even the new Proto-2000 over brass. For well running I'll take a Stewart, Atlas, or Kato over brass.

If you want a brass showpiece, get a steam locomotive that is not made in a plastic or die-cast version. Like the D&RGW 3 cylinder 4-8-2.
 
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I only bought brass steam locomotives because nobody made Canadian ones in plastic and probably never will. The newer brass steam locos run better than they used to. I have two made by Boo Rim; I haven't seen to date any plastic model run smooth and as slow as a Boo Rim; not even newer Katos, and Bowsers on DCC.

First two images are Boo Rim

My older brass steam locos run just as smooth and slow as my Katos and are made by Ajin and Samhongsa. Ajin runs nicer than the Samhongsa, but the Samhongsa runs just as good as any plastic diesel on the market and better than any plastic steam loco.

3rd photo Ajin

I only bought one brass diesel made by Ajin. Its factory paint and details are superb, but the placement of the stripe and numbering wasn't perfect - a tad askew. I wish I could order brass just painted and not numbered.

I have a brass caboose, which is a superb model also, but the numbering was not where it should be; it should have been a bit lower; quite noticeable when comparing it to the prototype. I'm waiting to see if the Rapido model will be better' I ordered one.

As a Canadian modeller, I wasn't going to wait 20 years for someone to make the models I want, so when the opportunity arrives to get one, I buy it.

I'm glad now that there are prototypical Canadian rolling stock now made in plastic.

I no longer order brass locos because to me they are a gamble. I'd rather buy them from a shop where I can inspect them or examine multiple images including macros of the actual model online from a reputable brass dealer.
 
I would say "it depends". I have a few brass steam locomotives and for the most part they are top notch on details and running. The main market I would say is for collectors or people who want the best in detail work for a particular railtoad.

I had a friend who collected O scale brass. I have no idea how many locomotives and other brass equipment he had, but when I was i the basement of his store I was overwhelmed. I did do some custom painting for him on some of his Milwaukee Road equipment, paint a few Little Joes, a couple of steeple cans and a few box cabs. He even let me carve up a box cab to duplicae a particular switcher used in Harlowtown, Montana, and then actually weather it. This man was a collector. He has the resources to purchase these locomotive and rolling stock. He didn't even have a layout.

The few brass locomotives I have were purchased because brass was the only way I would be able to have these locomotives unless I wasted to get into a major scratchbuilding project. One is a Northern Pacific Z-5 Yellowstone, 2-8-8-2 locomotive. As a kid I actually rode in the cab of these locomotives. One of their last duties before being scrapped was helpers over Bozeman Pass in Montana. It was one of those "I gotta get one of those" moments. Pricey, you bet. I custom painted this and now use it for a "traveling" locomotive. I can run it on my layout, but it would have never in a real life situation be used on a light rail bridge line railtoad. Yes, I do run it once in a while at home, but I usually only run it on other peoples or club railroads. It is the only locomotive I have that is DCC equipped. The othe two are small consolidations (2-8-0). One is an NP 2-8-0 that I custom painted to match a locomotive that is on display in Butte, MT. A small locomotive like this could have run on a railroad like mine, borrowed from the NP. The only other is what started off as a Santa Fe 2-8-0. A guy I know was hard up for cash and made an offer I couldn't refuse, and I custom Painted it for my own railroad. Model manufacturers are now making more light locomotives like a consolidation today that have good details and run remarkably well. Back in the 80's when I bought my brass locomotives, they were few and far between and didn't really run that well.

Brass is nice and the details are for the most part unbeatable, and in some instances the only was you may be able to get a certain locomoyive because, especially with steam locomotives, a certain locomotive type, such as a makado, pacific, mountain or any other types had so many varients from railroad to railroad to match the particular needs of each railroad.

I would say that brass, for the most part is for purists who want everything correct down to the last detail, which a brass locomotive will do. For a lot of modelers a brass locomotive is something you thought you would never see (like myself). Funds for modeling for a lot of model railroaders aren't abundant for a lot of modelers (like me) and I would rather spend the money on other things that I need a lot more to continue with the hobby. I have nothing at all against brass locomotives and rolling stock at all, they're beautiful, but I personally want something that I can afford and use on an every day basis on my layout.
 
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