I remember when these came out. The price point, even for a metal engine, was pretty high. Also, I believe they did not have lights or smoke. Still, the K4's I've seen in person looked very nice. I posted in the other AML thread that I thought there were issues with electrical, etc.. Seems my memory was pretty close!
I've had too many encounters with that poster online over the years that I try to have as little contact as possible. I doubt the SD-60 is a real project with a real delivery at this point. SD-9, same story, different channel.
Regarding the AML hudson, we saw the operating unit at the ECLSTS last spring. Like you said, Chuck, a prototype ahead of the real deal. I have a friend here who placed a pre-order with accucraft for one at the 2013 ECLSTS. Apparently, they didn't ask for money, so no one is really 'out' anything if accucraft doesn't make it. Unless you gave someone money for a preorder, I guess.
I believe this will be a sensational locomotive, but more like how the Porsche Panamerican is a huge hit. Only for a few. 50? I believe they could sell 50 of these. Heck, fine arts models made and sold these out. And that was electric only. I suspect that what the poster failed to convey in his diatribe is that perhaps AML wants 50 preorders of the electric version. My opinion of their electric trains has been low. The reports of the K4 operation and the 0-6-0, along with the older 1/20.3 models has not been what I'd call stellar, considering the price tag. I can live with an aristo steamer crapping out that I paid $450 for. A $4500+ locomotive needs to be bullet proof, in my opinion. Look at how the AML K4 sold (before the $800 liquidations). The 0-6-0 electric is for sale at $800 PLUS 4 stock cars. That tells me their sales have been dismal. Again, these look nice, but I am suspicious of their mechanical/ electrical reliability.
I believe Accucraft could make and sell 50 units of the hudson.
This is so exciting! I know it is years off before this locomotive rolls again under its own power, but wow! The foam is going to be feet deep on both sides of the UP mainline on that first run...
Ray, did you also get one of the prewar versions? I am awaiting a boiler shell from a guy in Scotland to modify my aristo pacific in to a more K-4ish version. Got the tender shell already..
I painted my wheels black, but upon further review, I believe I need to paint them green. Cool.
Those videos got me pretty jazzed up about this engine, too. One question I had was related to the valve gear and side rods. Are they plastic? They look kind of thin?
The Piko boxcars are old MDC molds, I believe, and more like 1/32 scale. The caboose is a narrow gauge 1/24 scale model of a D&RGW caboose, not sure about the ore cars or 2 bay hopper cars. The other Piko models, like the crocodile and taurus locomotives strike me as being something like 1/26~ 1/29, but I haven't taken a scale ruler or looked up dimensions. To me, the attraction of this engine in particular is the seeming level of detail, without being so far out of my price range. I had been strongly considering adding the LGB HSB 2-6-2T loco, especially after spending 4 days riding the HSB in 2012, but haven't yet. This locomotive, being a standard gauge model, would fit with the rest of my railroad much better than the HSB 2-6-2T. And while I'd love to have one of the 2-10-2Ts, that's out of the question, unless someone is looking to make a donation.
No problem! Hey, that Marklin T9.3 looks cool, too. If we assume both locomotives are actually scale 1:32, then that shows the difference between North American clearances and Continental clearances!
Looks great!! Did you take any video of it? It appears that the rear driver set is hinged to allow R1 curve capability. How big is this engine? Heavy? Looks great! Jim and I have been discussing this locomotive for a while.
One of the guys who posts a lot of facebook had one of the moguls. Seems he stripped gears in it twice.
My general impression of Piko g scale is that it is toy train first and foremost, model second. The BR-64 may change my opinion on that, and their huge electric crocodile is certainly not a toy. But the 0-6-0 starter set they've been selling for a few years seems to have room for improvement. I believe the first US outline 0-6-0 starter set engines had painted black wheels, including the treads, so the only pick up was the sliders. This seems to have been remedied on subsequent runs. The paint schemes and level of detail on the 2-6-0s and 0-6-0s of the past couple of years is very reminiscent of the LGB, paint as many paint schemes as possible.
I've sent this link out to my friends in the g scale train club, and more than a few responded positively about this camelback, so I expect that it will be a hit if it ever sees the light of day. And most of these other 2-6-0 and 0-6-0s seem to be hitting the ground, as well.
The track looks good to me, similar in quality to the LGB of the past.
I was trolling on the PIKO.de site and was looking at their G-scale locomotives. I happened across this little 0-6-0, and it's one of the first camelback locomotives offered in G scale that I can think of:
While still possibly a little on the short/ tall side of things, this camelback is the closest thing I've seen using that chasis from Piko. Exciting times!
They also are showing a green Reading boxcar, Reading hopper car and a Reading caboose. Also saw baggage and drovers cabooses based on the short passenger cars introduced last year (that look a lot like the old LGB 3080/ 3181/ 4075 series cars).
I keep hearing the new Piko american steam sound file and think it sounds great. I see this added to a lot of the new mogul locomotives and am curious if anyone has attempted to run the sound card in parallel with Aristo's revolution TE. I run my LGB mikado sound board in parallel with the REvo (used for controlling the motor and triggering the whistle and bell only).
It might help if you could post a picture. I've been running the polar express version of this engine using rechargable C batteries. My kids are 3 & 6 and love this train.
Without being nasty about it, I'm only tangentrally following these developments. One of the reasons this forum exists is a direct result of the way those other forums are operated. What is interesting is the 'ownership'. I had been a gold member of MLS for about 4 years before I allowed that to lapse. I believe I removed all my photos. Interesting, when I do a search for my old username and MLS, a lot of the old pics pop up. Interesting, right?
Not sure how often Chris gets over here. He didn't have much interest from here or elsewhere, and took the loco to the ECLSTS where he traded it to RLD for an ACL E8.
Here's the ACL unit pulling some New Haven streamliners, passing our Connie working the yard tracks.
This one is almost under the radar, but there is a double header steam excursion this coming Saturday up in Minersville, PA using the newly restored New Jersey Central 0-6-0 #113 and Reading and Northern's classy blue pacific 425. From the facebook page, they are planning an 8 car train with the two steam engines on the one end and a diesel on the other. The diesel will pull the train down a 1.7% grade to Cressona, and then the steam engines will pull the train back up. I'm planning to ride the train with my kids. The combination of a pacific and a switcher should be interesting. I am not sure I would want to be crewing that switcher when the pacific gets up to about 20-25 mph....
Where are you located? There are still a handful of shops around the country.
I personally do not have any Piko products, but I have been watching them since they entered the market a few years ago. Their offerings seem to be getting better, so I'll be interested to hear your thoughts!
Polks is closing, and everything associated with Polks is shutting down. Crest was spun off earlier this year as its own entity. We'll find out in a few weeks what will happen next. I've heard rumors of Aristo-craft by Bachmann.
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AML - K4 Pennsy (electric) - Photos & Other Discussion
in Locomotives
Posted
I remember when these came out. The price point, even for a metal engine, was pretty high. Also, I believe they did not have lights or smoke. Still, the K4's I've seen in person looked very nice. I posted in the other AML thread that I thought there were issues with electrical, etc.. Seems my memory was pretty close!