BLI 2-8-0 Consolidations

[garethashenden]

Cool now you guys will have a decoder to pull out and replace. 

There’s a stealth version. It’s still $320, but it exists!

[nickelplate759]

I note that the stealth version comes with a Speaker and next18 socket.     The full-fat version adds sound and smoke, for $100 more - which isn't crazy, really, if that's what you want.

Gonna ponder whether I want to deal with making one more NKP-ish.     The cab is close enough, and there's a step pilot - both good. The tender looks close to some of the ones NKP used, but they got swapped around and modified like crazy.    The sandbox should be where the bell is, which would be a non-trivial task to fix.  The smokebox front is probably doable without too much trouble if I can scrounge up a center-headlight front swap in.

[garethashenden]

I wonder about this approach and how it will work for them. I know I'm off on the fringes with my need for everything to be prototypically correct and to scale, but I can't help but to think this is the wrong place to start. Its BLI, so they're going to do a bunch of foobies anyway, but can't they base it on a real prototype*? Then someone will be trilled that they get accurate locomotives and everyone else gets the close-enough ones that they were going to get anyway.

* Not an H10, please! Go ahead and make one, no problems there, but the Belpaire firebox is too distinctive for it to work for any other railroad.

[Chris333]

The upper part of the cylinder casting doesn't look like anything real I've ever seen.

[bbunge]

The biggest issue for me is that they all seem to have high-mounted headlights.   That much money for something I'll need to somehow make a new smokebox for doesn't excite me.

As a B&O modeler, I did a high five with the high mount headlight...  after Bachmann Connies, BLI Mikes and Pacifics, you start to run around declaring you are modeling the first month after they were delivered . 

I wonder if high mounted headlights are more expensive to produce. 

Bob

[squirrelhunter]

The upper part of the cylinder casting doesn't look like anything real I've ever seen.

Looking at the BLI HO H10 model, it's clearly BLI's take on the piston valves, but you are right, it doesn't look like either the H10's piston valves or any other steamer I've ever seen either.

[ATSF_Ron]

Nice! You can never have enough 2-&-0s.  But I agree with the need for a Harriman type 2-8-0.  SP & UP!

[Tad_T]

I think that I’m going to have one of the unlettered’s.

[chessie system fan]

I'm very curious about the overall size.  The Bachmann connie is on the large size.  I hope this has a smaller boiler.

[robertjohndavis]

The upper part of the cylinder casting doesn't look like anything real I've ever seen.

The cylinder casting is pretty much an H10 cylinder. The valve gear is a little heavy but it also matches an H10.

[Jimbo]

I’m thrilled that they’re doing smaller steam!!  I’m in for at least one.

Now, how about a steam switcher… 0-6-0 or 0-8-0?  PLEASE??

Jim

[prr7161]

The cab and everything below the running boards are pretty much PRR H10s.  The tender is generic, the smokebox and front boiler course are smaller than an H10s (you can see the taper in the side views) and the stack and domes are not PRR.  You could probably fully rePennsify it except for the smokebox diameter if you wanted, but it would take some work.  The closest prototype locomotive I know of is probably a B&O E-27, which was their most common transition era Connie.  http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/bo2875s.jpg

I imagine these will be pretty good runners and pullers, and there is the Stealth option if you want to avoid BLI decoders.

My optimistic side wants to say that the October announcement will be a true H10s, but realistically it will probably be something quite different.  For what its worth, the HO H10s only got a single run while the HO generic Connies are up to 5 or 6 now, so it makes sense for them to port only the generics over to N.

[bbussey]

If the cab and drive gear already are H10, then it should be possible to design and print an H10 boiler and tender shell.

[reinhardtjh]

If the cab and drive gear already are H10, then it should be possible to design and print an H10 boiler and tender shell.

That was my first thought.  The problem is, we don't know this for a fact yet.  We are all looking at the HO 2-8-0 pictures and assuming that BLI will do the same thing in N.  But they don't have to because it's a totally new locomotive.  There is no N-Scale PRR H10 to copy parts from.  The BLI engineer quote is from 2014 when they did the HO locomotive.  Hopefully they will do the same thing in N scale but there is no guarantee.

[pdx1955]

Too bad they can't put the headlights in the right places for most of these like for GN or NP. At least the dome and bell boiler arrangement is Harriman style, but doing SP would still require moving the smoke box and reworking/replacing the tender. I'm torn on getting any as it just add more projects to my pile.