BLI SD70ACe

[spookshow]

Anybody else out there have one of these? The ditchlights on mine are barely visible and I'm wondering if they're all this way? I've had the shell off so it could be that I messed something up in there. Unfortunately, being virtually senile, I don't remember what they looked like before I took the shell off 

Thanks!
-Mark

[Jbub]

Anybody else out there have one of these? The ditchlights on mine are barely visible and I'm wondering if they're all this way? I've had the shell off so it could be that I messed something up in there. Unfortunately, being virtually senile, I don't remember what they looked like when before I took the shell off 

Thanks!
-Mark

My nephew got the Rio Grande heritage unit and likewise the ditch lights are barely visible if at all. There are other issues with the loco as well, namely the horn casting looked horrible, there are obvious fit and finish issues as well as poor painting. And to me something looks off dimension wise. The trucks look too short and the mid section looks too long. He reported that first run was sporadic but after some break in it ran fine. I checked the wheels and sure enough the blackening was most likely the culprit as it has worn off on the inner part of the tread.
All wasn't bad though, it seemed to run great pulling some passenger cars around a unitrak test oval and the rolling thunder 3 decoder would respond to the increased bemf in the turns by upping the engine rpm sound. The sound file itself is up there with the esu equivalent sound file.

[spookshow]

Thanks, glad to hear it's not just mine (vis'a'vis the ditchlights).

I couldn't say if the dimensions are off or not (not really my area of expertise). As for fit and finish, I did have to clean up a lot of little dangly pieces of flash on the truck sideframes (not something I've ever run into before). You can see a bit of it in the upper lefthand corner of the truck pictured below. Also, they've changed the way current gets from the trucks to the chassis yet again (and not for the better if you ask me) -



Mine ran fine out of the box, but it wasn't long before it barely ran at all. Turns out that some gear lube had found its way onto those bendy wipers. A quick cleanup with alcohol took care of the problem, but if it happened once it'll happen again.

-Mark

[peteski]

Thanks, glad to hear it's not just mine (vis'a'vis the ditchlights).

I couldn't say if the dimensions are off or not (not really my area of expertise). I did have to clean up a lot of little dangly pieces of flash on the truck sideframes (not something I've ever run into before). You can see a bit of it in the upper lefthand corner of the truck pictured below. Also, they've changed the truck pickup scheme yet again (and not for the better if you ask me) -



Mine ran fine out of the box, but it wasn't long before it barely ran at all. Turns out that some gear lube had found its way onto those bendy wipers. A quick cleanup with alcohol took care of the problem, but if it happened once it'll happen again.

-Mark

Another example if what to me looks like the designers wanted to put their own spin on a pickup wiper design.  I keep wondering why don't they just use the proven low-friction Kato/Atlas design?
Actually the way these plates/wipers are laid out reminds me of many vintage Arnold and Minitrix models (both European, and U.S. prototype).

[spookshow]

BLI's SD40-2, AC6000CW and ES44AC all used a design that was at least similar to the Atlas/Kato scheme -



I'm not sure what the reasoning behind the new design might have been, but I don't see it as an improvement.

-Mark

[Albersala]

I´m thinking of ordering one NS version. I wonder if the rear ditchlights are functional on them. Does anyone know?

[Jbub]

Another example if what to me looks like the designers wanted to put their own spin on a pickup wiper design.  I keep wondering why don't they just use the proven low-friction Kato/Atlas design?
Actually the way these plates/wipers are laid out reminds me of many vintage Arnold and Minitrix models (both European, and U.S. prototype).

Yup, the axle pickups are pass through holes and not needle point so eventually these will squeak away.

[spookshow]

Yes re the squeaking - I reached that stage this morning and had to pull out the conductalube. I know BLI has used dimples in the past so I'm not sure why they continue to remain devoted to the holes.

-Mark

[daniel_leavitt2000]

When did these come out? I haven't seen them in person yet.

Those wipers remind me of the LL SD9.

[Jbub]

When did these come out? I haven't seen them in person yet.

Those wipers remind me of the LL SD9.

A couple weeks ago. They just showed up on mbk.

[High Hood]

@spookshow I read your review, and it looks like the BLI SD70ACe is a real disappointment compared to the Kato. 

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Any chance we can get side by side photos of the BLI and Kato models?

[spookshow]

@spookshow I read your review, and it looks like the BLI SD70ACe is a real disappointment compared to the Kato. 

You must have a time machine. I haven't really written a review yet 

-Mark

[carlso]

I will check my crystal ball and I wager I know what it will say.

1. The BLI will be the most detailed of the two but based on the above posts the paint may not match KATO.

2. The only "given" here is that a KATO out of the box will perform as expected. I have a 1943 unit with ESU Loksound and it was great right out of the box.

Carl

[High Hood]

You must have a time machine. I haven't really written a review yet 

-Mark

Well it did have an incomplete!   Hopefully the full review will be good.