Unique Diesels


stationmaster

stationmaster

Crusty Old Geezer
I'm a sucker for the ugly ones. I am wanting to get a few, half dozen or so, butt ugly DL109's, PA's, and BL2's for my layout. I've been looking at the Proto 2000 models. And I've found a few BL2's from AHM.

I know that only a few roads purchased the DL109's, and none of the roads I model were in that group. But it's my railroad. I will repaint these models to the roads I model. I do have a couple of Athearn BB PA's in NKP and Wabash regalia. My thoughts are to repaint the DL109's in Wabash colors.

The BL2's will be in C&O and Monon livery. The PA's will wear the NKP and Wabash badges.

Has anyone had any experience with, or comments on, these engines? I know P2K is a sweet product as I have quite a few E8/9's, F3's & 7's, early Geeps, and SD's marketed by them. I know, too, that AHM has a few nice steam engines, in fact I have a few. But I am unfamiliar with their diesel units.

Bob
 
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Bob, the AHM BL-2's are nowhere near the class of any of the P2K's. There was a Proto BL-2 made if you haven't seen it yet. They show up on e-bay from time to time. The BL-2's made by AHM in the 60's had pretty good mechanicals with a five pole motor, brass gears, and 8 wheel electical pickup. By the late 70's, AHM had cheapened the model considerably, with a three pole motor, plastic gears, and electrical pickup from the front truck only. The only good thing was the last models to be produced had RP-25 flanges rather than the NEMA deep flanges on the earlier models. Unless you know exactly what version of the AHM BL-2 you'd be getting, I'd pass and look for a Proto version.
 
Thanks, Jim.

I've looked on eBay at some of the AHM BL2's and the shells seem to look cheap. I'm not a rivet counter, but I want the looks to be nice as well as the performance to be good. I've got quite a few of the P2K, E, PA, early Geep and F units and I am impressed with the detail and the performance.

As far as the deep flanges, I have Code 100 track. That should not be problem as it would if I were running Code 83. I have filed out most of my switches to accommodate some of my early '60's engines. Some engines do have a problem with tight radius curves, however. The wheels want to climb over the rails.

But, as you say, I think that the P2K engines are the ones I should stick with.

Thanks, again.

Bob
 
I have over 50 Proto 2000 units and i love them. The only down side to them, is the gears on the axles over time like to break and need to be replaced.
 
Jeff, where does the weak link seem to be? I've never had a problm with mine and some are almost 10 years old.

Bob
 
TMLW said:
I have over 50 Proto 2000 units and i love them. The only down side to them, is the gears on the axles over time like to break and need to be replaced.
Click to expand...

stationmaster said:
Jeff, where does the weak link seem to be? I've never had a problm with mine and some are almost 10 years old.

Bob
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The gears on the drive axles split, and you get his "chunka-chunka-chunka" noise while running them.
Replacement gears are available from Walthers, or you can get a handful of them from Athearn.
 
bnsf971 said:
The gears on the drive axles split, and you get his "chunka-chunka-chunka" noise while running them.
Replacement gears are available from Walthers, or you can get a handful of them from Athearn.
Click to expand...

That would be it. I have even got NEW P2K units and had to replace gears right out of the box. Mostly with the GP7/9's. Never had one go bad on a SW or SD7/9.
 
Just my opinion but I dont think the DL-109s are ugly. Although I am a UP man I do have one in the Santa Fe Warbonnet scheme #50. I plan on get 2 more to chop up and turn it in to a DL-110 unit but it is not high on my list. I think the Proto 1000 series did a good job making these units. I have a DCC decoder in mine already and bought a set of passenger units from Athearn that they released a few years ago on the RTR releases. Looks sweet. My son happens to like Santa Fe. I tollerate it so we can spend time together LOL...joking. Besides it is after all an ALCO!:eek::D
 
Maybe not ugly, but not as sleek as the E's that's for sure. I like 'em. Unfortunately, none of my roads had them. But, being anti-rivet counter, they will now.

Bob
 
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