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Post by nw611 on Sept 19, 2012 1:34:06 GMT -8
Last night IM announced 8 more paint schemes for its SD40-2s. Now we are at a total of 24 paint schemes, but Conrail is missing (BTW, both NS and CSX models will be former CR units). I know that IM SD40-2Ws had two problems: too much lubricating and too little weight. I hope these problems will be corrected, that IM has learned the lesson and will make a "state of the art" SD40-2. Did they present any test shot or pre-production model at any show? Ciao. Raffaele
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2012 7:38:29 GMT -8
I know that IM SD40-2Ws had two problems: too much lubricating and too little weight. I hope these problems will be corrected, that IM has learned the lesson and will make a "state of the art" SD40-2. Ciao. Raffaele I have a brand new just arrived Intermountian F7 drive and it is a greasy little thing, so coupled with the just arrived SD40-2W greaseball.....I don't hold out much hope. I would also expect Intermountain to be using much of the same platform from the 2W's to make the straight dash 2. Now I'm going to make some people really mad..........with what I'm about to say about what I think about Intermountain's locomotives, at least the ones I've owned. After my purchase of the rainbow bright CN SD40-2W, coupled with my Intermountain F7's and FP7's, IMRC's offerings are second rate models. The only good thing is they are price much less than Athearn, Atlas, Bowser, Proto, MTH and about everyone else other than Bachmann. The tooling on the trucks of the F's is substandard compared to the Athearn models. The tooling on the HTC truck on the 2W is "Bachmannish" compared to the Athearn RTR and Genesis side frame. The Intermountain SD40-2W side frame is lacking in depth, it look fragile compared to the Athearn side frame. IMRC side frames for both the HTC and the Blomberg B are done in Delrin. Athearn casts their side frames in "regular" plastic. Mabe IMRC does theirs in Delrin so the excess oil can drip off easier. The body tooling on both the F's and the SD40-2W is so so. They aren't bad, but it isn't as fine as what most of the competition is offering. I've been working with undecorated Genesis units lately and can say that they assemble flawlessly. The fit on those models is fantastic. I can't say the same for IMRC's F's. The LED lighting on the IMRC 2W's leaves me wanting a "little more". The number boards don't seat properly in the cab or there is too little blackening on the edges of the board, so light surrounds the edges of the number board. The ditch lights which are LED's are not the brightest bulbs on the porch. I find them down right dim. Plus the LED's give off a green tint and to my eyes will never be confused with an incandescent bulb of the prototype. When I bought my CN Expo 86 SD40-2W a few weeks ago, I was expecting a better model from tooling that is only a year or two old. The IMRC model has some better detailing than the Athearn RTR unit, but at least the Athearn model can get out of its own way. I'm very unhappy with the total lack of tractive effort from the IMRC 2W. The Intermountain F7 and FP7 can pull. I see where Intermountain is doing another run of SP AC-12's......after the debacle of the first two runs, what have they fixed? Again, typical Intermountain, you wish you had a little more..... |
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Post by bnsf971 on Sept 19, 2012 8:25:30 GMT -8
Jim, with the IM locomotives, it looks like a case of "you get what you pay for". They aren't quite as good as some of the other offerings, but they don't cost as much, either. Of course, they could save money in production by not putting a do.lars' worth of oil in each one...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2012 11:52:25 GMT -8
Of course, they could save money in production by not putting a dollars' worth of oil in each one... The Expo 86 2W was hideous for being over lubricated. There was a "sleeve" of lube around each axle and it was bursting out of the worm gear and gear box. The only reason I can fathom for the half pound of grease used in the model, is an attempt to quiet the drive by making the gears mesh more tightly. This will also make it run smoother. Neither Atlas or Kato, who have historically the best engineered and closest tolerance drives, pack their gear boxes full of grease. For decades Model Railroader has preached that a model needs a small amount of lubrication and that OVER lubrication is bad. So why can't IMRC and Athearn understand this little nugget of information?  |
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Post by antoniofp45 on Sept 19, 2012 13:04:55 GMT -8
www.intermountain-railway.com/reservationflyers/RF0912HOSD40.htmI'm happy about the SD40-2. Although I primarily model SCL, ACL, (and to a small degree the New Haven) I've been wanting one or two high nosed Southern "Tuxedo" units for a long while. My primary reason being that I've always liked the tough, "boxy look" of high nosed six-axle EMDs. But for my operations, the prototypes occasionally ran on SCL's rails. The messy oil: Since I have a habit of removing shells off of new locomotives to "check what's under the hood", I assume that I'll have to perform a bit of disassembling, cleaning the power/truck assembly with CRC or alcohol and then relubing with some Labelle oil. Detailing: I realize that I may be behind the curve since detailing standards for scale locomotives and rolling stock have been raised significantly since the late 1990s and I certainly appreciate that when looking at Genesis, BLI, and Atlas locomotives. However, with the current rocky-rough economy I certainly don't mind purchasing a decent looking locomotive that might not be as well detailed as a Genesis unit. I just keep in mind that "bland" features can often be taken to a higher level with parts from Details West or Cannon. From my understanding, detail-wise, Intermountain hood units are on par with the older run P1K or P2K units? Is this somewhat accurate?
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Post by buffalobill on Sept 19, 2012 14:27:30 GMT -8
Jim: My Intermountain SD-40-2W was a disappointment also, it certainly was not a tremendous runner, it could not pull for crap. The Body was not that bad, but it was not up to the same Caliber as the Atlas GP-40-2W's I planned to run it with. So it is gone. I do not mind the gobs of grease, I can deal with that, but the quality of the mechanism, including truck details was way less than I had hoped for. An experiment that won't be repeated. Love their cars, I'll pass on the locomotives.
I am not sure I agree with the low price comments, certainly a little less than an Atlas or Kato sure, but more than an Athearn.
Bill
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Post by nw611 on Sept 19, 2012 14:32:58 GMT -8
Antonio, I don't know if they fit in your modeling era, but IM, a couple of months ago, announced SCL SD40-2s in four road numbers in Family Lines paint scheme. In the three SD40-2 announcements, from the artwork, I can distinguish four nose variations: 81", 88", 116" and high short hood. IM is also saying that other "specific railroad details" will be reproduced. Ciao. Raffele
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2012 15:59:39 GMT -8
While you are counting your pennies with a less expensive model, you have a model that has trouble pulling itself!!!! So please tell me what good is that? ? News Flash.....the body isn't too bad......the tooling on the trucks is piss poor! Which goes hand in hand with the horrible pulling. Dis-assembly of these models is a GIANT headache. IMRC is using LED lighting with bits o' hair wires that you MUST BE SO CAREFUL NOT TO KINK, BREAK OR DO DAMAGE. The wiring "under the hood" to me is messy. My 2W is a Soundtraxx Tsumani model and I know they have decoder boards in the non-sound units. The lighting is nearly an "oops I forgot to put a light circuit on the board" So there is this jerry-rigged attachment that connects to the bits o' hair wires for the LED's. I WAS going to pull the shell on my 2W and drop the trucks, but the wiring for the trucks is wire tied to the sound board! And its a stout plastic tie! Couple this with the lighting, and I gingerly put the shell back on the drive and worked from the bottom of gear boxes with a small tools and swabs to get SOME of the grease out of the gear boxes. If I wanted a Southern SD40-2, I'd pick up an undecorated Athearn RTR SD40-2 (they appear on e-Bay from time to time) and "Cannon-ize" it, add the DW and DA parts and paint it myself......before I'd buy the Intermountain unit. If you are not the building type, then buy the Intermountain or if you want a locomotive that can pull its own weight, pick up an Athearn RTR model. I've been disappointed with IMRC's F's and FP's for iffy tooling in critical spots on the body. The drives of the F's are also not smooth. When I bought the much ballyhooed SD40-2W, I thought this model is nearly 10 years newer than the F's and FP's, surely Intermountain has improved on the tooling and the drives. Nope, I was wrong.....the trucks are poorly done, some of the tooling is not well executed and the sucker can barely pull its own self around the layout. Big frickin' deal that it is a little cheaper. I'd gladly pay a little more for a BETTER DRIVE!!!!!! |
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Post by upcsx on Sept 19, 2012 16:44:18 GMT -8
I have the Expo and the CN.com SD40-2W and running together they are great,on both of the units the front pilots were broke in the same spot,Intermountain is sending me replacements.To me i like the locos.
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Post by diburning on Sept 20, 2012 8:47:17 GMT -8
Athearn locomotives are also greaseballs.
I don't have Intermountain's SD40-2Ws, but I do have their GEVOs. It seems that the first run of most Intermountain locos are poor quality, and they fix it in the later runs.
Here is what I mean:
Cab Forwards - Junk. Unsure if they fixed it since I don't model steam.
U18B - Plethora of problems such as the cab not fitting, etc. Was never fixed.
GEVOs - dim headlights, fixed in later runs
SD40-2W - dim headlights, blower duct not painted to match body, fixed in later runs
I ordered locos from the first run as I model Pan Am and NS. Hopefully they learned from the SD40-2Ws and provide a quality product on the SD40-2s.
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Post by buffalobill on Sept 20, 2012 14:47:45 GMT -8
If only there was an easy way to combine a Kato chassis with the Intermountan shell, you would have a decent -2 wide nose. As Antonio pointed out there are always ways to improve the shell, parts, paint, etc, and bring it up to current standards. But not with that chassis.
Bill
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Post by Judge Doom on Sept 20, 2012 20:25:11 GMT -8
If only there was an easy way to combine a Kato chassis with the Intermountan shell, you would have a decent -2 wide nose. As Antonio pointed out there are always ways to improve the shell, parts, paint, etc, and bring it up to current standards. But not with that chassis. Bill If you're going to do that, might as well replace the slope-nosed Intermountain cab with a Railflyer one (or maybe the upcoming Athearn) while you're at it. (The Atlas has a minor dimensional error, but is still a lot nicer than the IMRC...) |
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Post by middledivision on Sept 21, 2012 8:58:01 GMT -8
Just received a new CN SD40-2W in the Continent scheme and apparently, they added some weight. I weighed the unit along with a first run -2W and a Gevo, all in the boxes. The new -2W weighed 1 lb. 7.4 ounces, the first run -2W weighed 1 lb. 4.2 ounces and the Gevo checked in at 1 lb. 8 ounces.
No oil leakage on the new one but the handrail going from the steps to the conductor's side of the cab was broken... Back it goes!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2012 9:11:49 GMT -8
But the handrail going from the steps to the conductor's side of the cab was broken... Back it goes! Intermountain's packaging is similar to Athearn for the RTR line. But the Athearn outer box is stronger. I don't under stand putting a $200+ locomotive in such packaging. Most or all of the other manufacturers put their sound units in a larger box with some foam around the cradle. |
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Post by atsfan on Sept 21, 2012 18:21:55 GMT -8
The IM GEVO's are very nice.
I don't like the slow running in DC only, but they are nice.
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Post by antoniofp45 on Sept 23, 2012 16:21:13 GMT -8
NW611,Thanks for the heads up on the Family Lines units. My modeling era ends in 1974 which is just before the gray units started showing up in big batches. ----------------------------------------------------- Jim,Thanks for the feedback (although a bit on the dramatic side). I own only one Intermountain locomotive, which is an SCL U-18B. A decent runner. I am planning to replace the cab (windows to tall) with an Atlas U-Boat cab. Even with some of the detail errors, overall I like it. I'm capable of "Cannon-izing", but with all the Alclad projects I'm backed-logged on, I'm often in the mood where when I purchase locomotives, I'd like to spend minimal time detailing/weathering so I can put "em" on the rails and crack open the throttle. Thanks for the warning regarding the fragile wiring and the excess grease. Is the poor pulling you're reporting due to low weight issues? As for the F and FP units, I've heard positive feedback about them and plan on getting an SCL FP7, while they're still available. While you are counting your pennies with a less expensive model, you have a model that has trouble pulling itself!!!! So please tell me what good is that? ? News Flash.....the body isn't too bad......the tooling on the trucks is piss poor! Which goes hand in hand with the horrible pulling. Dis-assembly of these models is a GIANT headache. IMRC is using LED lighting with bits o' hair wires that you MUST BE SO CAREFUL NOT TO KINK, BREAK OR DO DAMAGE. The wiring "under the hood" to me is messy. My 2W is a Soundtraxx Tsumani model and I know they have decoder boards in the non-sound units. The lighting is nearly an "oops I forgot to put a light circuit on the board" So there is this jerry-rigged attachment that connects to the bits o' hair wires for the LED's. I WAS going to pull the shell on my 2W and drop the trucks, but the wiring for the trucks is wire tied to the sound board! And its a stout plastic tie! Couple this with the lighting, and I gingerly put the shell back on the drive and worked from the bottom of gear boxes with a small tools and swabs to get SOME of the grease out of the gear boxes. If I wanted a Southern SD40-2, I'd pick up an undecorated Athearn RTR SD40-2 (they appear on e-Bay from time to time) and "Cannon-ize" it, add the DW and DA parts and paint it myself......before I'd buy the Intermountain unit. If you are not the building type, then buy the Intermountain or if you want a locomotive that can pull its own weight, pick up an Athearn RTR model. I've been disappointed with IMRC's F's and FP's for iffy tooling in critical spots on the body. The drives of the F's are also not smooth. When I bought the much ballyhooed SD40-2W, I thought this model is nearly 10 years newer than the F's and FP's, surely Intermountain has improved on the tooling and the drives. Nope, I was wrong.....the trucks are poorly done, some of the tooling is not well executed and the sucker can barely pull its own self around the layout. Big frickin' deal that it is a little cheaper. I'd gladly pay a little more for a BETTER DRIVE!!!!!!
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Post by sd45longhoodfoward on Sept 23, 2012 18:42:42 GMT -8
Personally I build them my self start with a Athearn BB cannonize it !I add Igarashi motor that are very well made perform well and can be had for less than 10 bucks .and it creeps along with My Katos as if they were made by Kato.add the ole Southern RY Tuxedo throw a few DW & DA parts in her and i have a 150.00 model for about 80 bucks !!there really is not many new locomotives on market that I would personally buy reason is it the same old same old thing/Intermountain should stick with making excellent rolling stock!!
PS i tried the new IM SD40-2 my opinion it is TRASH!!!!!!!
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Post by antoniofp45 on Sept 24, 2012 1:34:15 GMT -8
Jim, Longhoodforward....................... Have you guys given your feedback to Intermountain? Personally I build them my self start with a Athearn BB cannonize it !I add Igarashi motor that are very well made perform well and can be had for less than 10 bucks .and it creeps along with My Katos as if they were made by Kato.add the ole Southern RY Tuxedo throw a few DW & DA parts in her and i have a 150.00 model for about 80 bucks !!there really is not many new locomotives on market that I would personally buy reason is it the same old same old thing/Intermountain should stick with making excellent rolling stock!! PS i tried the new IM SD40-2 my opinion it is TRASH!!!!!!! |
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Post by curtmc on Sept 24, 2012 5:50:58 GMT -8
What good would giving feedback to Intermountain do?
I've asked them questions a half dozen times about announced products - with most recent being if the new CPR and ONR SD40-2s are going to have the proper Canadian style stepwells - and never received a reply... I've called them about wrong numbers (and incorrect paint) on freight cars they produced and have been told they really think nobody cares about their cars being correct... With that viewpoint do you actually think they are going to be concerned about some unit (that they've already gotten their money for) having too much lube oil or having broken parts???
Here's the most representative story I can tell on Intermountain... After having received several freight cars with damage (from poor packaging that didn't protect the cars) and having read on the Atlas forum of several others who had the same problem with receiving damaged IM cars (and had reported it to Intermountain), I called them, spoke to the production manager, and they claimed that they had not had any (none at all) complaints about damaged cars and I was supposedly the first...
I haven't preordered an Intermountain item since then, and if that is the "honesty" they want to provide to their customers it may be a while before I ever preorder any of their products again...
In my opinion the day that Intermountain is "absorbed" by Atlas, Athearn, Bowser, Kato or even Walthers (anybody but Bachmann or E-Rail), or even goes under, is a day after which the HO model railroading consumers will be better off.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2012 7:49:51 GMT -8
Jim, Longhoodforward....................... Have you guys given your feedback to Intermountain? What good would giving feedback to Intermountain do? they've already gotten their money Curt pretty much hit the nail square on the head. About the only good expressing our displeasure to a manufacturer about their product does, is make us feel better. IMRC has produced TWO, not just one, but TWO, runs of the SP Cab Forward, both of which were epic failures. Now they are doing a third run, how many people are willing or able to afford to bet that the "third times the charm" to the tune of hundreds of dollars? Each time Intermountain hasn't openly admitted any fault in their product. Intermountain isn't alone in showing dis concern with its products. All the manufacturers have skeletons hanging in their closets. The owner of my LHS continually tells the reps of complaints he and others have with the products. As he told me, they either don't care or elect not to listen. When these manufacturers turn a deaf ear to their dealers, why do we believe they will listen to the buyer? |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2012 8:03:30 GMT -8
NW611, Is the poor pulling you're reporting due to low weight issues? It has weight, but has no tractive effort. I believe it could be the motor, either that or the trucks have no grip. Its also not a buttery smooth runner. It will never be confused with a Kato. As for the F and FP units, I've heard positive feedback about them and plan on getting an SCL FP7, while they're still available. Personally I'd save my money and wait for a Genesis FP7. The Intermountain shell is just wrong, especially when it sits next to a Highliner/Genesis shell. The side grilles are much too wide and the front windshields are much too narrow. When you compare an IMRC F7 with a Highliner/Genesis F7 side by side, the IMRC looks like its squinting and the grille error is very noticeable. |
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Post by sd80macs on Sept 24, 2012 8:37:32 GMT -8
Jim, Longhoodforward....................... Have you guys given your feedback to Intermountain? What good would giving feedback to Intermountain do? they've already gotten their money Curt pretty much hit the nail square on the head. About the only good expressing our displeasure to a manufacturer about their product does, is make us feel better. IMRC has produced TWO, not just one, but TWO, runs of the SP Cab Forward, both of which were epic failures. Now they are doing a third run, how many people are willing or able to afford to bet that the "third times the charm" to the tune of hundreds of dollars? Each time Intermountain hasn't openly admitted any fault in their product. Intermountain isn't alone in showing dis concern with its products. All the manufacturers have skeletons hanging in their closets. The owner of my LHS continually tells the reps of complaints he and others have with the products. As he told me, they either don't care or elect not to listen. When these manufacturers turn a deaf ear to their dealers, why do we believe they will listen to the buyer? Manufacturers dont care anymore. they jacked up the prices on everything and they can eat the cost of some bad product as if they couldnt they wouldnt be around. I picked up the IM Expo SD40-2W direct from IM. It got shipped FedEx and was damaged on arrival with a broken step and pilot. I emailed them and they said they will send a replacement walkway. Well they sent the replacement and it was broken worse then the original part and the proken part of the pilot wasnt in the bag or box which means it was broken at IM and they just dont care and sent it anyways. And to top it off it wasnt the walkway for the Expo unit they send but one for a reg zebra SD40-2w with stripes along the blower duct. I am at a point where I wont be buying many IM products as even the replacement parts come broken, lol. I am just disappointed as I had a big problem with the Procor Hoppers which out of around 26 cars 20 came broken so I returned them minus the few good ones. |
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Post by middledivision on Sept 24, 2012 9:09:08 GMT -8
curt,
I doubt Atlas will absorb anyone in the foreseeable future.
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Post by antoniofp45 on Sept 24, 2012 12:42:46 GMT -8
Gentlemen,
Thanks for your replies.
I was not at all aware of these problems regarding Intermountain locomotives. From my understanding, at least that of 5 or 6 years ago, Intermountain was owned/run by model railroaders. So my assumption was that while their investment capital may have been limited, they would do their best to satisfy customers with good service and good products even if their locomotives were not as well detailed as Genesis units (to keep the prices affordable). I remember the issue with the U-18B cab windows being too tall, which to me was the most glaring "boo-boo". I wonder if that has been remedied. If the service that you guys are reporting is typical, then that is a sad state of affairs.
I remember that, some years back, our model railroad manufacturers reps became quickly upset if customers received damaged goods. A slew of apologies and days later, you'd receive a replacement or your money. But this was during the days before our model manufacturing was "outsourced". I can only imagine that perhaps a customer rep or even a manager might not feel the same sense of pride for his/her product that was typical years back because in most cases the products are now manufactured somewhere in China and not at the company's headquarters in the U.S. I still have a 1991 video of workers in the Walthers facility producing and stamping freight cars, structure kits, and wrapping models.
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SD80macs,
Remember, there are still some manufacturers that do care. Rapido comes to mind. Jason regularly helps customers with problems and has at times, taken financial hits doing so. He performed a lot of research and experimentation to find a packaging method that to help avoid damages to shipments of the "The Canadian". Even posted vids on YouTube:
Now that's a company (and owner) with class!
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Post by diburning on Sept 24, 2012 22:50:37 GMT -8
What good would giving feedback to Intermountain do? I've asked them questions a half dozen times about announced products - with most recent being if the new CPR and ONR SD40-2s are going to have the proper Canadian style stepwells - and never received a reply... Well, how was your tone when contacting them? If it could be construed as accusatory, rude, or angry, the person reading the email would be more inclined to delete it rather than respond to it. When they announced their first run of SD40-2s, I emailed them telling them that MEC 602 (which was what the original announcement had) is NOT an SD40-2, but rather an SD40 rebuilt to SD40-2 specs and that if they were going to do the SD40 as well, that would be awesome. I also told them that the NS and CSX numbers they were doing are ex-Conrail units, and as such, should ride on flexicoil trucks (the initial announcement had sketches that used the same trucks for every model). Intermountain responded a few months later thanking me for the info and that they passed the info to their design department. A few weeks later, the announcement was updated. MEC 602 became MEC 604 (which is an SD40-2) and the CSX and NS sketches both showed them riding on flexicoil trucks. Pretty darn good if you ask me! Now if only their quality control (or quality period) could be improved... |
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Post by sd80macs on Sept 25, 2012 4:30:48 GMT -8
Gentlemen,
Thanks for your replies.
I was not at all aware of these problems regarding Intermountain locomotives. From my understanding, at least that of 5 or 6 years ago, Intermountain was owned/run by model railroaders. So my assumption was that while their investment capital may have been limited, they would do their best to satisfy customers with good service and good products even if their locomotives were not as well detailed as Genesis units (to keep the prices affordable). I remember the issue with the U-18B cab windows being too tall, which to me was the most glaring "boo-boo". I wonder if that has been remedied. If the service that you guys are reporting is typical, then that is a sad state of affairs.
I remember that, some years back, our model railroad manufacturers reps became quickly upset if customers received damaged goods. A slew of apologies and days later, you'd receive a replacement or your money. But this was during the days before our model manufacturing was "outsourced". I can only imagine that perhaps a customer rep or even a manager might not feel the same sense of pride for his/her product that was typical years back because in most cases the products are now manufactured somewhere in China and not at the company's headquarters in the U.S. I still have a 1991 video of workers in the Walthers facility producing and stamping freight cars, structure kits, and wrapping models.
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SD80macs,
Remember, there are still some manufacturers that do care. Rapido comes to mind. Jason regularly helps customers with problems and has at times, taken financial hits doing so. He performed a lot of research and experimentation to find a packaging method that to help avoid damages to shipments of the "The Canadian". Even posted vids on YouTube:
Now that's a company (and owner) with class!
Yes Rapido is a good Co. as I had some issues with the Turbo Train and they took care of me quickly so I can't complain about them, Same goes for Atlas. But as far as Walthers, Intermountain, and Athearn I am not to impressed with their service. |
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Post by sd80macs on Sept 25, 2012 4:33:33 GMT -8
What good would giving feedback to Intermountain do? I've asked them questions a half dozen times about announced products - with most recent being if the new CPR and ONR SD40-2s are going to have the proper Canadian style stepwells - and never received a reply... Well, how was your tone when contacting them? If it could be construed as accusatory, rude, or angry, the person reading the email would be more inclined to delete it rather than respond to it. When they announced their first run of SD40-2s, I emailed them telling them that MEC 602 (which was what the original announcement had) is NOT an SD40-2, but rather an SD40 rebuilt to SD40-2 specs and that if they were going to do the SD40 as well, that would be awesome. I also told them that the NS and CSX numbers they were doing are ex-Conrail units, and as such, should ride on flexicoil trucks (the initial announcement had sketches that used the same trucks for every model). Intermountain responded a few months later thanking me for the info and that they passed the info to their design department. A few weeks later, the announcement was updated. MEC 602 became MEC 604 (which is an SD40-2) and the CSX and NS sketches both showed them riding on flexicoil trucks. Pretty darn good if you ask me! Now if only their quality control (or quality period) could be improved... Its good that they changed the pics and will hopefully make the correct models but I am at a point where I dread receiving a package from IM as I always wonder how much broken stuff there will be. |
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Post by atsfan on Sept 25, 2012 4:47:43 GMT -8
I have one IM loco, a GEVO that is non sound. It is good but has a very dumb slow running speed to match the one's with sound. Overall I am very cautious about IM engines. I would never purchase one not on sale, and that I cannot test run and examine first, and after reading online reviews about issues. The IM SD40-2's are a huge disappointment. I am hoping IM gets the new auto rack cars right though. |
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Post by atsfan on Sept 25, 2012 4:50:13 GMT -8
Jim, Longhoodforward....................... Have you guys given your feedback to Intermountain? What good would giving feedback to Intermountain do? they've already gotten their money Curt pretty much hit the nail square on the head. About the only good expressing our displeasure to a manufacturer about their product does, is make us feel better. IMRC has produced TWO, not just one, but TWO, runs of the SP Cab Forward, both of which were epic failures. Now they are doing a third run, how many people are willing or able to afford to bet that the "third times the charm" to the tune of hundreds of dollars? Each time Intermountain hasn't openly admitted any fault in their product. Intermountain isn't alone in showing dis concern with its products. All the manufacturers have skeletons hanging in their closets. The owner of my LHS continually tells the reps of complaints he and others have with the products. As he told me, they either don't care or elect not to listen. When these manufacturers turn a deaf ear to their dealers, why do we believe they will listen to the buyer? Vote with your wallet. I do.  |
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Post by el3637 on Sept 26, 2012 22:46:10 GMT -8
IMRC has produced TWO, not just one, but TWO, runs of the SP Cab Forward, both of which were epic failures. Now they are doing a third run, how many people are willing or able to afford to bet that the "third times the charm" to the tune of hundreds of dollars? Each time Intermountain hasn't openly admitted any fault in their product. I don't know what would qualify as an open admission, but they changed the gearing after the first run so the loco was capable of speeds greater than 12 mph, but that revealed the heavy loading of the drive line and the poor torque of the factory motor. I replaced it with a Kato, and it still had the same problem (overheating and slowing down after a short period of running under load) but to a lesser degree. The next run is supposed to have a clone of the NWSL motor that was proven to correct the problem... whether the clone will do the same job or not, I really don't know. I bought a first run cab forward at street price. It's now in my display case where it will stay. I got a second run one direct from IM at cost, which was their replacement deal - I could either exchange my first one, or buy a new run one for < half price. I took the latter deal, and that's the one I've been fooling with. I did the remotor work in the summer of 2010, and it's still on my work table gathering dust, all of the details I had to remove to get it open are in a little baggie. I have the glass case one as a reference for putting it back together. Someday when I really truly have nothing better to do, I'm going to remove all of the factory electronics and the jack-o-pumpkin orange LEDs and the goofy board that slides into the cab.... poof, all gone... and see if I can liberate the mechanism and current flow and get it to run with the Kato motor. That failing, I'll spring for one of the proven NWSL motors. Basically if you want a cab forward you can use, you need to be a mechanic, and one not afraid of some butchery. Or you could buy BLI's AC4. Not the detail bauble that the IM is, but at least you can use it. BLI's steamers in general have been surprisingly usable. They are not fabulously smooth runners but they've all been solid for me and I have yet to kill one. The only one I'm uncertain of is the Mohawk, which I think suffers from low torque ultra cheap motor syndrome... gee, weren't we just talking about that? Anyway, I'm hoping Mr. Kato has a fix for that. My Q2 (made about the same time) doesn't seem to have that same problem. Andy |
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