ricktrains4824
Did they change anything on the shells or mounting system?
I would think that them being the same brand and same style locomotive they should be almost identical shells, other than paint and minor details.
Should work no problems, unless they upgraded something on the shells or mounting system when they upgraded the electronics.
I can't speak to this particular loco, but being Broadway Limited, I would not bet on total interchangeablity.
They make a USRA heavy Mikado, a loco they have offered for a long time. I have two of them. While they look the same, and share many common parts, they are not the same.
I needed parts, I bought parts, driver sets specificly.
Turns out these Mikado's have been made by at least three different "vendors" in two different countries.
Both of my Mikado's are different regarding this part, and niether matches the parts they sent me.........the only parts they had on hand.
I ended up using the parts they sent to make useable parts.........
The name of the company says it all - Broadway Limited Imports.
They sell imports made by others, which are limited to what they can get made.
I like, and/or am reasonably happy with the BLI products I own, which include:
2-USRA heavy Mikes
2-N&W Class A 2-6-6-4's
2-Reading T-1 4-8-4's
1-USRA heavy Pacific
But it is unlikely I would purchase much more from this brand for several reasons.
The two Mikado's, admittedly purchased gently used, had problems early on and required complete disassembly and rebuilding as if I was building a Bowser kit. They run good now.
The two Reading T-1's required a small modification to the tenders to run correctly close coupled.
The others have no issues. All but the Reading T-1's have, or will have, their tenders replaced with various Bachmann tenders for the ATLANTIC CENTRAL family look.
The T-1's were bought back in the days when they offered DC locos without sound. The rest had their sound/DCC go away with their tenders, and were purchased at deep discounts.
There are endless stories on this forum of service problems, admittly most resolved, with BLI locos, yet people still rave about them.
To my eyes, most of their diesels seem to lack detail or lack "fineness" in that detail. Sound is more important to them - that's my take.
But I will never own an AC6000 anyway, they did not exist in 1954, sold off the BLI F3's I had........to much work to rewire, too many better choices on the market.
Sheldon
