It has been awhile since this topic has been brought up on Railwire so I'd like to update you on "the" chassis.
The first batch have been shipped and so far the response has been very positive. To answer some questions I suppose are unspoken; yes there is a new version of shell being produced and it has the appearance of something between a Porter and a Davenport. As for the noise level; yes you can hear the loco running, is it as bad or worse than the "coffee grinder" F7's? Not in my opinion. I have only run mine on a sectional track "test" track meaning it has not been fixed to the surface nor has it been adorned with a weighted top. There are some huge pluses one being that the torque is so strong that when pressed down against the rails it will spin its wheels and not stop. Another attribute is how cool it runs. I ran mine at 9V for over an hour in each direction and it never even got warm to the touch.
One reminder, this chassis was designed for short hauling and switching and yet it can pull a long consist as well as any locomotive, if not better than some, for an indefinite amount of time.
I look forward to the addition of the larger and stronger line of chassis' coming from Lajos of L.G.Thek Brassworks and in the meantime I am enjoying the strongest Z scale locomotive of its size.
Karin Snyder
www.stonebridgemodels.com
