BLI Mike initial impressions

[peteski]

Are you sure that those capacitors are not of the conformal-coated tantalum type?

Without having the decoder in hand to examine them for polarity indicators I can't be 100% sure, but in my expert eyes of a TRW capacitor evaluator, the devices in question (especially their coloring) looks like multilayer ceramic caps.  Just liek the ones used on ESU decoders.  I venture a guess they are probably 47uF each.

[peteski]

By all means please tell BLI about your displeasure with the spoked drivers.

Mark

Neah . . . it is much more fun griping about it here. I'm not planning on buying one of these anyway. Funny, their T1 had see-through driver centers.

And some examples of see-throught and solid spoked wheel  centers.

[peteski]

Looking at Spookshow's review I noticed  another thing that is not optimal: Traction tires are on siderod-driven set of drivers.  Optimally those should be installed on a geared motor-driven driver set to minimize siderod and crank pin wear (because under load the traction tire driver set does most of the work).

[Point353]

Looking at Spookshow's review I noticed  another thing that is not optimal: Traction tires are on siderod-driven set of drivers.  Optimally those should be installed on a geared motor-driven driver set to minimize siderod and crank pin wear (because under load the traction tire driver set does most of the work).

Is the rearmost set of of drivers not the optimal location for traction tires?
Or, did BLI err by not making the rearmost set of of drivers gear driven, rather than siderod-driven?

[peteski]

Is the rearmost set of of drivers not the optimal location for traction tires?
Or, did BLI err by not making the rearmost set of of drivers gear driven, rather than siderod-driven?

My comment was strictly about the driver which will do most of the work being driven by the siderods (as I mentioned, to minimize their wear).  As for which (hopefully gear-driven) driver would optimally have traction tire would depend on the weight distribution and balance of the model.  Traction tire driver usually ends up having slightly  larger tread (well, tire) diameter, so it ends up having more positive contact (adhesion) to the rails. @mmagliaro has some good ideas about traction tire mechanism design, maybe he'll chime  in here.

[Mark5]

And some examples of see-throught and solid spoked wheel  centers.

Gotta point out that the Kato Mike is not a current model (when was it last run?) - maybe we'll see another run next decade. 

[peteski]

Gotta point out that the Kato Mike is not a current model (when was it last run?) - maybe we'll see another run next decade. 

It is an old photo.  That picture was just to illustrate how prevalent see-through spoked drivers are in N scale. Most of the models pictured are long out of production. I was just pointing out the fact that it should not bee all that complicated or difficult to produce see-through spoked drives, since it has been done for very long time (not a new technology or concept).

[Mark5]

I was just pointing out the fact that it should not bee all that complicated or difficult to produce see-through spoked drives, since it has been done for very long time (not a new technology or concept).

I agree. 

[Cajonpassfan]

Finally had a chance to put the new Mike through a bit of testing. It runs great in both direction, smooth and consistent. Pulling power at level is impressive, so I put an 18 car train (plus caboose) and sent it up the hill, a 175’ climb mostly on 2.2% grade and multiple 18” minimum curves. The cars are mostly stock 40’ and a few 50 footers, weighed generally close to NMRA standards. She did well on the lower part of the Pass with long straight stretches and large radius curves, but once we got into the 18” radius territory, 18 cars were a little too much. I took two cars off and she made it up to Summit without slipping, except for a momentary slip at one switch. I’d say 14-15 cars would be a comfortable rating on my 2.2% grades, without straining her or asking for trouble.

Frankly, that’s all I would ask of a Mikado. On a local, 14 cars is plenty, and in helper service, especially as a pusher, I don’t want too much power (in case the front end stalls). Bottom line, I really like this engine and as I am learning to tweak the CV’s, the Paragon 3 sound is growing on me. Going up the mountain at 15 mph with a freight, the laboring exhaust in sync with the drivers, the playable whistle shrieking, I don’t notice the spokes aren’t see-through
I think I’m getting another one...
Otto K.

[peteski]

Frankly, that’s all I would ask of a Mikado. On a local, 14 cars is plenty, and in helper service, especially as a pusher, I don’t want too much power (in case the front end stalls). Bottom line, I really like this engine and as I am learning to tweak the CV’s, the Paragon 3 sound is growing on me. Going up the mountain at 15 mph with a freight, the laboring exhaust in sync with the drivers, the playable whistle shrieking, I don’t notice the spokes aren’t see-through
I think I’m getting another one...
Otto K.

That was their plan all along: get you so excited about its pulling ability, so that way you overlook the small stuff.  And then I come in, and point out those little unimportant details.

[jdcolombo]

I'm in the "I don't care if the drivers are see-through or not" camp, but I appreciate that for some folks, this may be an issue.  And it certainly seems BLI could have done this with minimal effort.

It's interesting to see what is most important to folks in an engine, be it diesel or steam.  For me, the list goes like this:

1.  Completely smooth operation at all speeds, including the ability to run at less than 1 smph.  This includes superior electrical pickup - no stalls on clean track, ever.
2.  Pulling power, particularly for steam locomotives, which only rarely should be double-headed.  Less important for diesels, which I always run in 2 or 3-unit sets.
3.  Appearance details (like the see-through spokes).  Most of the time, a prototype-specific "spotting" detail (like the Mars light on NKP diesels) will have to be added anyway.  But the manufacturer gets a plus for adding prototype-specific details.
4.  Sound quality, if the model is sold with sound.  This one I care about hardly at all, since I can always "fix" the sound with my own installation, though I prefer not to pay for crappy sound; with steam it is nice to have wires running to the tender.

The BLI model checks boxes 1 and 2, which for me are way more important than 3 and 4.  YMMV.

John C.

[chicken45]

I was shocked to see they did a PRR foob if this instead of an actual L1, because I know they do the real L1 in HO.
But then I learned, they ALSO do a light Mike PRR Foob in HO.

Here's hoping they do the real L1. What we really need...the I1sa.

[narrowminded]

The main reason for the blind spokes is the ease of making a mold that works reliably even with less than perfect execution and also over many uses.  It is much more forgiving and reliable over the long haul.  Lower initial cost and lower production cost.  When it also looks decent it becomes a pretty easy decision for the manufacturer.  That said, through hole spokes are cool when looking close.

[Hornwrecker]

I was shocked to see they did a PRR foob if this instead of an actual L1, because I know they do the real L1 in HO.
But then I learned, they ALSO do a light Mike PRR Foob in HO.

Here's hoping they do the real L1. What we really need...the I1sa.

 Pennsy had some USRA mikes, class L2, during WWI.  Don't know how many or for how long. Off to search.

Edit:  They were allocated 33 of the light mikes, and apparently got rid of most as soon as possible.

From this link:  http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/164453/1809843.aspx

Interesting subject for PRR fans.  The PRR did receive 32 Mikado from the USRA and sold them off after the Government control ended.   That said, the PRR took control of the GR&I which owned five USRA Mikes and they became the L2 class number 9627 to 9631 on the PRR and were not converted to the Belpair boiler type.   This little froup of PRR oddities would stay grouped together in Ohio for former GR&I lines for the rest of their service life. \

[mmagliaro]

As far as traction tire design, it's never a good idea to put the traction tires on a driver that is only propelled by the rods.  For one thing, most of the pulling stress will be on the crankpins and rod holes on that TT driver, because it isn't gear driven, and also, you will tend to actually make the engine push from side to side as the rods go (like a real steam loco).    To be fair, as long as the rods and crankpin are stainless steel, the forces are probably not enough to wear anything out, and if the engine is balanced well, you'll probably never see anything pushing from side to side.  But an extra idler and drive gear on the rear axle would have been a better idea.

I do give them points for having 2 drivers gear driven and 2 rod-driven.  That same design in the Kato version makes the engine very smooth running through curves and simplifies assembling and quartering the drivers.  They should have just chosen driver #4 to be gear driven, with the tires, instead of #3.

A more annoying aspect is that since the rear driver has a rod bolted to it, you will have to unscrew the crankpins in order to change or replace the traction tire.  The Kato engine has the rear driver unattached to the rods, so you can just lift it out and put new tires on it.

All in all, I'd give them a pass on this, because the engine seems to run well and is otherwise well-built with good low speed performance and pickup.  I like that big, fat flywheel they snuck in between the motor and the worm.

Cosmetically, the non-see-through drivers would put this in the "no buy" column for me if I were looking for a Mikado.  I bristle at the sight of the Bachman 2-8-0 for the same reason.  Maybe people don't much care, but to me, solid drivers just jump right out as a toy-like feature.