IHC and others Steam Locomotive Quality?


D

Dameon

Member
I've recently moved into a new house and now have an opportunity I've never had before: Enough space to model what I want in HO rather than N. I like modeling in N, but I always thought if I had the space I'd rather do it in HO since HO has so much more to offer.

I'm wanting to model around 1910-1930s, which means steam locomotives! It would also mean transitioning from N scale to HO. That's an expensive proposition and would take a while, so I would want to get at least one or two lower-price range locomotives (under $100) so I can at least run trains while my collection grows.

I saw that IHC makes some affordable 2-8-0s. How good are this company's steam locos? Are there any other good makers on the low end, and who would I want to avoid?
 
IHC doesn't make locos. IHC is an American company that imports cheap European made models. IHC imports from Rivarossi (the lower end stuff) and Mehano (the higher end stuff, although I think Mehano is going out of buisness) to rebrand under the IHC name.

The older Rivarossi engines need a lot of work done on them, while the newer ones are ok. (I don't think Mehano makes north american steam engines though)

If you're looking for quality steam, I'd suggest Athearn Genesis and Broadway Limited. If you've got a lot of money to spend, MTH is great. Proto 2000 also makes steam engines and they are usually very good quality also, and the prices are decent.
 
This is my personal opinion, but you would be hard pressed to find a better 2-8-0 than the Spectrum one in affordable plastic that runs well and looks really good.

I had one Mikado 2-8-2 from IHC, and it ran very well. It is not a fine model. The valve gear is simplistic and wrong for most of the roads in order to keep costs down. Also, their boiler shell profiles are wrong, even imaginary in some cases, for many roads or those that never had that type of Mikado. So, if you would rather have something that is more prototypical than less, you are looking at brass or Spectrum.

The fact is that, in today's economic climate, there are many deals out there such that you can do better than an IHC steamer if details and finer quality is important over keeping costs under control. eBay "buy-it-now" prices are often reasonable, but you could always try your hand at bidding. Or find blowout prices at modeltrainstuff.com or trainworld.com.

Finally, there are many happy N scale steam users these days, although I don't follow that market and cannot tell you what it is like for absolute costs per engine in comparison with their HO counterparts. But N has come a long way. If you are approaching middle age, then maybe it would be smarter in the long run to up-scale...er, I mean, up-size :)D) to HO now for the sake of improved handling and visual enjoyment.

To conclude, the IHC engines, particularly the Premier series, are nice solid runners, but not very prototypical in many road names. As far as I know, the only engine with decent-looking valve gear is their 2-10-2 that has been in production since about 2006.

Again, please bear in mind that this is only my opinion, and that others responding will have to supply theirs.

-Crandell
 
I'm with Crandell on a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0. It's well detailed, very accurate for some roads, and come with DCC already installed. You can find them on e-bay and some hobby shops for $100 or less. The AHM/IHC steam eninges, until the advent of the Premier line, were not well detailed and, in my experience, they tended to break down a lot more often than other engines I owned. With the Bachmann 2-8-0 available, I would choose that over any other inexpensive HO steam eninge.
 
I love my Spectrum 2-8-0 solid runner. alot better than the older spectrum models. detail is as close to brass in my opinion. great loco

IHC is not the best for detail or how it is assembled but some of there steam engines run very well. I recently bought a 4-6-4 and it pulls great,runs smooth, and a fewadded details and most people ask me who makes it.

Broadway limited / blue line. I have two 2-8-2 heavy mikes. some models have less detail than spectrums but they run just as good and often are very heavy so they pull very well. I can pull 35+ cars on level track with traction tires!

Proto 2000
great detail and smooth running. I think they are a little light but are at the upper scale of whats out there.

Athearn have not seen many besides the big boys. I would put them at spectrum /proto 2000 level.
 
And lets not forget the Spectrum Russian Decapod 2-10-0 also a nice looking and running steamer from Bachmann though a bit more lightfooted than the Connie.
 
I love my IHC Chessie Pacific. It is very rare that I take it off the layout. It is starting to have some issues, but I have run it solid for probably close to 15 years, so I would expect it to have a few issues. IHC's are good engines. I agree, they don't look as prototypic as the spectrum engines, but they run better. I usually use my IHC engines on track cleaning trains because they can take the dirt. They seem to be the only engines that will run on the dirty rails. I would not think twice about purchasing an IHC engine.
 
dpeterson3 said:
I have run it solid for probably close to 15 years, IHC's are good engines. I would not think twice about purchasing an IHC engine.
Click to expand...
i'm not sure about this particular manufacturer but in 15 years a lot of things could have changed, facilities moved to china, etc. not saying it is a bad engine, i'm not familiar with IHC, but just a thought - brand loyalty is not always good.
 
I can attest that the IHC steamers can last long. I had 2 that lasted about 15 years. motors went just this year on both. one was a pacific the other a mike. Not great in detail, wheel flanges are over sized but they out lasted alot of other engines I had. I think they run better than the early Spectrum models but not as smooth as the new spectrum.

just my .02
 
The IHC 2-10-2 could also be used in your time frame as they first appeared about 1903. I have one from Mehano that I really like. It;s an excellent runner and will run on 18" radius all day long. I don't know how much it cost as it was a gift from another modeler.
 
I have an IHC 2-6-0 that I had apart (for some reason that I forget) that is still going strong some years after I put it back together with a mystery screw left over! :eek:
Come to think of it I never did finish the stripping and weathering!
I've had it for so long that I can't remember how I happened to aquire it.
 
IHC hasnt had anything by Rivarossi in a very long time, and the late model Rivarossi was much much better than anything Mehano does. Rivarossi is now owned by Hornby. You also need to watch out for dead Bachman 2-8-0's, the cogged pulleys the toothed drive belt drives are prone to split like the proto 2k gears. Parts are not currently avaible from Bachmann the last I was told. Dont discount older brass as well, the smaller older models from PFM/United are becoming very affordable, usualy cheaper than a BLI or MTH engine, and maybe $100 more than the Bachmann at retail price. I have seen many models in the 175-250 price range for a good running, built like a tank PFM/United or PFM/Tenshodo engine. Whatever you buy, make sure it runs on a test track, even new ones, before the money changes hands. Mike
 
I have 2 IHC steam locomotives and both run very well. One is an older 4-8-2 Mountain and the other is a Gold edition 4-6-2 Pacific. Neither came with DCC but the Gold has the wiring for it. Both are good pullers and look pretty good - for the price.

I also have Spectrum and Genesis locomotives as well. The Genesis Challengers and Big Boys are very nice but not cheap.
 
I have a IHC 2-8-2 Mike that I got at a show for about $65. Yes, it's not very prototypical and not well detailed, but it runs good. I also have a Bachmann Spectrum 4-8-2 Mountain I got for about $80 from an ebay store. It runs good, too and the details are a lot better than the IHC. I'm happy with both, and they didn't cost very much.
 
I've got two IHC 4-8-2 Heavy Mountain locos built by Mehano in Slovenia. They are wonderful running engines. They are C&O livery with the flying pumps. I weathered them up and put sprinkled real coal over the load. They look real impressive. Granted the vandy tender is not exactly correct, but most don't even recognize that.

I also have the same C&O Heavy Mountains done by Bachmann Spectrum. They have a great vandy tender with them. Haven't had a chance to run these extensively, nor weather them, but I'm hoping they are even better that the IHC when finished.

The Bachmann's can be found for 75-100. The IHC's for 45-65


NOTE: The IHC's can be seen partially in the upper right side of the photo here

and here is a B&O version
 
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