BLI Watch

[muktown128]

I've seen a few sites including ebay and Trainworld list BLI part # 3079 as a special run post-war M1a # 6755 Strasburg Museum engine.  Anyone know anything about this?

Scott

[Cajonpassfan]

From my conversation with Ken Silvestri in Sacramento last year, their decisions about N scale steam are severely constrained by the need for giant tenders to accommodate their Paragon electronics. Hence the big Pennsy power.
And you SPF's thought BLI made them because they are beautiful 
Otto K., ducking behind the Rockies...

[chicken45]

From my conversation with Ken Silvestri in Sacramento last year, their decisions about N scale steam are severely constrained by the need for giant tenders to accommodate their Paragon electronics. Hence the big Pennsy power.
And you SPF's thought BLI made them because they are beautiful 
Otto K., ducking behind the Rockies...

Q2 and S1 and S2 confirmed.

[reinhardtjh]

From my conversation with Ken Silvestri in Sacramento last year, their decisions about N scale steam are severely constrained by the need for giant tenders to accommodate their Paragon electronics. Hence the big Pennsy power.
And you SPF's thought BLI made them because they are beautiful 
Otto K., ducking behind the Rockies...

Then they should make them without DCC and I'll put a relatively tiny ESU Micro Select LokSound in mine.  Or a really tiny Zimo.

[Dave V]

Well, FWIW, in 1956 Pennsy leased nine Reading T-1s in a power crunch.  So...2 out of 3 ain't bad!

[SkipGear]

I've seen a few sites including ebay and Trainworld list BLI part # 3079 as a special run post-war M1a # 6755 Strasburg Museum engine.  Anyone know anything about this?

Scott

The distributor HobbyTyme did a special run. It wasn't advertised till the loco's arrived.

[muktown128]

The distributor HobbyTyme did a special run. It wasn't advertised till the loco's arrived.

Thanks.
Any significant differences compared to the other M1a's or just a change in loco number?

Scott

[eric220]

From what I've read elsewhere, it's the same M1b model with another number.

[jdcolombo]

Then they should make them without DCC and I'll put a relatively tiny ESU Micro Select LokSound in mine.  Or a really tiny Zimo.

I was not a fan of the Paragon 2 decoder in my PA-1's.  In fact, I ended up replacing the Paragons with an ESU LokSound, which from my point of view has much better sound and is MUCH easier to understand operationally (no weird shut-down, start-up key sequence; no Mars light that you have to press F7 to turn OFF instead of turn on, etc.).   I read somewhere that the Paragon is based on a QSI design, which from my experience with the Walthers/LifeLike 2-8-8-2 is equally weird (and which I ended up also replacing with a LokSound).

Sound decoders are getting smaller; even ESU reportedly has a smaller sound decoder in the works to compete with the already-smaller designs from CT Elektronik and Zimo.  You don't need a circuit board the size of what is in the M1.  If you don't want to design it yourself, do what Atlas, Intermountain, Kato, and other are doing: outsource it to ESU.

I somehow resisted getting an M1, although my weakness for big steam locos is working daily to crumble my willpower (will you Pennsy guys please just buy them all up so there are none left for me  ).  But it wouldn't surprise me if I got one and ended up replacing the Paragon 2.

John C.

[ljudice]

In the flesh:

[chicken45]

In the flesh:

Looks to be a "post war" pilot but the pre war compressed tender lettering?

Ed's Law!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lemosteam]

Looks to be a "post war" pilot but the pre war compressed tender lettering?

Ed's Law!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Or swapped tender @chicken45 :

This is the tender ID plate for PRR M1 #6755- it shows #6737...  so the original #6755 tender is long gone and its original lettering.  i do not know if 6737 was an M1a or b class....

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[chicken45]

Just got an email from BLI...expected delivery is in 12 months for the PRR T1.

[peteski]

Just got an email from BLI...expected delivery is in 12 months for the PRR T1.

Yeah, sure, and I have a bridge to sell you in Poland.   I own it, and it is really cheap!  

[chicken45]

Yeah, sure, and I have a bridge to sell you in Poland.   I own it, and it is really cheap!  

I mean, I'm sure it will be delayed...but likely not a 10 year delay. They had to have learned their lesson.
It's easy to take shots at them, but for me, I'm still optimistic. We got centepedes and they were delayed a few times, but still they arrived within a reasonable timeframe of inital announcement.

And then there's Bachmann...out of nowhere: "You get K4s in a month."