Is This Even Real? (GHB brass)

[kornellred]

http://factorydirecttrains.com/prrl12-8-2brassmodel.aspx

[muktown128]

Holy cow!  If it is, it is a steal of a deal, even if they need some work.  I might have to pick up 1 or 2 or 3...

Scott

[Philip H]

The engines as GHB products appear to be real, and they may well be wired backwards. I don't think FDT is a traditional LHS so they may not have capacity or interest for repairs. I also suspect they had these gathering dust and wanted to get them on the street to take advantage of the K-1 feeding frenzy.

[Chris333]

Says they were sent back:
http://www.spookshow.net/loco/ghbl1.html

[eric220]

Wow, that is tempting.

[Kisatchie]

Hmm... Kiz could order
some, mess them up
more, then sell them
for $50 each...

[peteski]

Wiring is an easy fix but re-gauging (especially the drivers) might not be that easy.

[Altoona]

I've been in contact with George At GHB International, George has sent all the LI that he had on hand back to the manufacture to be rewire and to be regauged. As far I know went he gets the rework engines back from the the manufacture, any that has the messed up engine that was order from him, can get a replacement engine with the return of the messed up engine.
I have one my engine and tender trucks pack and ready to go when he notifies me (whole engine not going back do to sound decoder install).
Some needs to contact him to see if he is going to do the same thing for the engines that when to reatailers.

Judd Barton

[VonRyan]

I'm considering selling off a good chunk of my diesel roster to try and get one of these...

If I were to buy one of these, would I be able to send it back to GHB like everyone else to get the factory repairs?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

My god.... I don't model PRR or even steam and this is REALLY tempting. The pics on Mark's site look very good. This is the summer of Pennsylvania.

[mmagliaro]

Wiring is an easy fix but re-gauging (especially the drivers) might not be that easy.

Beware this.
I have come across a few brass locos in my time that had drivers too narrow in gauge, and they were so tightly fused
on that axle that I could not budge them, not with a wheel puller, not with a heavy duty V plate, punch and hammer,
not with anything.   I also haven't seen the underside of these.. but some brass actually have the axle run through
a frame hole, NOT held in with bearings in a cover plate.  In other words, sometimes, you cannot just take out
crankpins and drop out the axles.  Those are hard to regauge indeed.

I'm just sayin'.... they might be simple to fix, or they might be nightmares.

If someone on the forum who actually bought one is willing to post some really close-up photos, and maybe
flip it over and take off the cover plate to show how the axles are held in, that would make it easier to judge how
hard a fix this might be.

If the fixes are straightforward, then yeah, it could be a steal.

[delamaize]

I'm not a PRR guy, but I may have to take the chance on one....

[reinhardtjh]

Posted by George Barsky (GHB) in the PRR N-Scale Yahoo Group.

Regarding PRR L=1 N Scale wheels:

Here are 2 emails I received from the factory including 6 photos of wheels
last week.  When I get the repaired shipment back I will let you know.
Until then please be patient as I have nothing in stock to replace sold
engines.

Also, a very unusual item.  A distributor purchased a large quantity.  Upon
discovery of the problems I instructed them to send them back to the
factory in China and i would reimburse them for the shipping cost.

The factory inquired when that shipment would be sent - they wanted shipper
and tracking information.  I asked the distributor and they said they did
not send them to the factory in China but sold them to Broadway
Limited!!!!!  I clued in BLI that what they bought was supposed to be
returned to the factory for repairs.  I have no feedback from BLI at this
point.

George Barsky
GHB International

Isn't Factory Direct Trains an offshoot of BLI?  Perhaps that's how they got the engines.

The email came with 6 pictures of wheel sets attached.  If I can figure out how to get them attached, I will and update this post.  Only one was of the drivers and they were small and hard to see. The others are of the tender and pilot/trailing truck wheels so it seems that possibly all were out of gauge.

Here is a Flckr album https://www.flickr.com/photos/119631223@N05/shares/V23L7A

[Chris333]

  $600 Loco doesn't  even have blackened wheels 

[towl1996]

If someone on the forum who actually bought one is willing to post some really close-up photos

Victor bought this loco. Hopefully, he isn't visiting Guantanamo Bay...