Broadway Limited AC6000

[ek2000]

Too bad, BLI locomotives can be on par or above Rapido standards if only they would perform as great as they looked and sounded !

[basementcalling]

Folks,

Well my new replacement decoder has failed, and in the same way as the first. I was running the loco to see if by cleaning track, wheels the performance could be fixed. All the sudden, nothing. I run just DC, so I am returning the two bad decoders and building a shunt between the existing connectors on the shell, so I can run it as a straight DC loco. (need to add some resistors, diodes etc to handle the lights) I posted an inquiry as to connector availability in another column here on Railwire.
I wish they would sell the unit without any of their fancy electronics added. The mechanism is pretty fine, really.

Larry N

And that's a huge problem for me if I pay their price for a locomotive with sound that doesn't work, I am stuck with a good loco, but way overpriced if the sound doesn't work.

[ryan_wilkerson]

Some day I hope to find a good deal on a UP version and install my own DCC (maybe a Zimo). It's probably a long shot for them to resell these sans-DCC board.

[wmcbride]

You could check the Broadway Limited web site for the factory-refurbished models to show up at $149 and then maybe $99.

[u18b]

This thread makes me glad I kept my brass AC6000.

[John]

Anyone know how to add a keep alive or similar gadget to the BLI decoder .. I'm getting tired of it running a few feet, then stopping because it found a dirty spot on the track 

[stuntman]

Anyone know how to add a keep alive or similar gadget to the BLI decoder .. I'm getting tired of it running a few feet, then stopping because it found a dirty spot on the track 

I'm having the same problem with them mostly on turnouts.  The axle pickup is terrible on these and I'm about to try and adapt some Kato C44 needle point wheelsets and sideframe contacts into them to see if it helps.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I am a big fan of the prototype, and finally purchased a BLI model from Kleins. I purchased the CSX Bright Future scheme. Although I have not run it yet, here are some observations.

What I like:
Radiators. The defining feature of the AC6K is the radiators, and the mold work is one of the best I have ever seen. The grills have 4 levels of detail and are incredibly intricate.

Trucks. The looks of the sideframes is right up there with the Kato HT-C in terms of detail relief.

Walkover tread. The walkway on the top of the engine is done nice and subtlety.

Paint. Specifically the warning labels are very nice. Lines are sharp and colors opaque.

What I don't like:
Engine doors. These should stop about 6" before the top of the engine. On the model the door reach all the way to the roof.

Paint. The yellow is too light. and the paint is a tad thick for my taste.

Handrails. Certainly not as bad as others have indicated, but mine does have a few areas of flash. I really wish the end rails were painted.

Weight. The engine feels light for its size.

[u18b]

What I don't like:
Engine doors. These should stop about 6" before the top of the engine. On the model the door reach all the way to the roof.

Actually, correct and not correct.

The AC6000 comes in what might be called 2 phases.
The first ones had the high doors all the way to the roof.

The brass model captures this.



Other roads had them with high doors.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/rrpa_photos/71844/UP%207000%20-1A%20testing%20on%20UP%20at%20Proviso%20Melrose%20Park%20IL%204-17-96%20%201920LR.jpg


So the doors are accurate if high even for CSX.

Where they are wrong is that the high doors only appears on a few locos for CSX.
Most would be phase 2 and have the lower doors.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

The number I have is 625, which would be the PII version, but the BLI model has large door.

These were the last of the Boston Line super-power engines. Washington Hill and the western Massachusetts hills gave birth to their namesake Berkshires. I believe NYC tested Baldwin centipede on the line as well. Conrail preferred GE power  - B23-7 for locals and the unique C30-7A over EMD's competition. The SD80MAC intended specifically for the line, with two engines replacing 4 C30-7As. CSX also liked high horsepower in the begining. Two AC6000 units would glide into and out of Beacon Park on most trains.

Now, AC4400 and other standard power run the line.

I miss the special motive power.

[u18b]

I must admit that aside from the U18B  ...
The AC6000 is one of my favorite locos.

I didn't buy any this time.

I'm holding out hope that the next run will have the ones I want.

There were only three that looked like this with the Diversity in Motion job....



http://www.trainweb.org/csxphotos/photos/CW60AC/5000CSX-bc2.jpg

http://www.trainweb.org/csxphotos/photos/CW60AC/5001CSX-bc2.jpg

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Following up on my initial impressions from yesterday,I finally got to test the engine on a loop of track and a few switches in DC.

Lighting:
Head and ditch lights, cab and number boards are all individually lit. The cab light in startup is a bit distracting as it is much brighter than the already bright headlights. The end result is something akin to a Mehano toy from the 80's.

Luckily the cab turns off when underway. Unluckily it turns on again when braking. Not sure the reasoning  behind that. Never knew an engineer to flip the inside lights on every time he slowed.

Sound:
I have to admit the IM SD40-2 had spoiled me. ESU just gets it: in DC mode, just run the engine noise and forgo the bells and whistles. The problem with the way BLI uses sound is that things like the interior cab bell, brake squeal, and other additional noises distract from the experience. They are also roughly the same volume as the engine noise which is not the case in real life, and makes the experience a bit flat. Further, the two open air speakers may be as loud as the single  sealed ESU speaker, but don't quite have the range. It's not a bad experience, but the ESU sold me on sound, where this left me a bit more ambivalent.

Operation:
Ugh.... Not great. The engine takes about 30 seconds to start up. It then jolts forward, stops, waits for the sound to spool up, then gets moving again. It's not a binding or electrical issue. It's programming. Lights stay on. The trucks and motor are smooth. Sound does not cut out.

Slowing the engine products its own set of problems. Do it too fast and the engine stops suddenly with a brake squeal and cab light lit. It is much more temperamental than their E8, of which I own two.

The sad part is that all these issues could be addressed with better factory presets. All of these are adjustable via CVs. This won't be an issue once I have DCC installed, but I feel for the guys who operate DC. My best advice to them its to have a friend with DCC adjust the CVs.

[peteski]

Dan,  the perfect solution here is NCE Powercab.  For slightly more money that a good quality DC loco and for less than a sound-equipped loco you can have a full-blown DCC system in your hand (literally).

I know that you dislike the large size throttle/integrated-booster paddle, but the truth is that this thing comes in really handy.   I used on my workbench to test and set up locos, I take it to the NTRAK shows to have a standalone DCC system (supplementing the Digitrax system with a crappy non-intuitive user interface we use on the layout) to test and set up locos.  Like I said, it is inexpensive and really handy.  You can even hook it up to any DC layout for a quick temporary DCC conversion. Heck, you can use it as a permanent DCC system (and add more ProCabs).

I know, there are loco-buffers and JMRI, but for portability, ease of setup and use, you can't beat NCE Powercab. It really is a full-blown DCC system and I have not yet found a sound decoder that it chokes on while using the programming track.

[John]

(supplementing the crappy Digitrax system we use on the layout)

I down voted you 

[peteski]

I down voted you 

  Well, it looks like someone else agreed with me - I'm back to neutral.     I'm not sure why an opinion based on my personal experience (not just some anecdotal evidence) would be a reason for a down-vote.  There are plenty of other modelers that agree with me. Maybe it was a tone of the statement?  Ok, then I'll change it to be a bit more specific.  Maybe that will be more palatable.

EDIT: Since you brought up the voting system, this is a prefect example of how it really should work. If who voted and why was disclosed on every vote, that would make the system much more useful, civil, and abuse free.  I understand and respect your reason for the down-vote. Anonymous votes do not have the same effect. They just create more tension (at least IMO).