In this case I think you got a few issues that it wouldn't be out of place to ask for a replacement unit or units. I know Scaletrains has excellent customer service to possibly replace those. Especially for the issues that require a decent amount of touchup time.
One of those colors that would benefit greatly from even light weathering, IE light wash to bring out the panel details and light dry brushing for the highlights, dust up those undercarriages and weather the top as well as the fuel tank, just opinion however. QC is an issue with those engines it seems, nothing a good modeler couldn't repair, but not something one should have to do on a premium model such as rivet counter. I recently received a UP GEVO and it was pretty much flawless, just very minor stuff, a beautiful model so they may have fixed the QC issue.
The green classlights meant second section not regularly scheduled, if the classlights were off, it was a regularly scheduled train. However some freight trains were ran as extras and the white classlights were more common.
I think as A New Company.. Trying to Make a Big Entrance into the Market they should have Eagle Eyed everything From the Bottom Up.. But it may be that some of these Engines had no or 0 flaws while some may have and they where just accidentally over Looked, Listening to Both of Yours was Very Well pleasing seeing them slow Creep like my KATO N' SDP40F Santa Fe's it makes ya appreciate what them Decoders can Actually Do with Small Scale sized Engines.. To be able to set Brakes, & have brake release at forward & Rearward Movement then hearing the Dynamic Fans kick in Wow.. They're worth Every Penny If Scale Trains can mop them little messes up and replace yours for New Engines that's going to put the Ball in there Court every Time. Happy Model Railroading.. Allen.🚂🚂🚂🚂
After hearing all these inexperienced so called modelers bashing manufacturers like Athearn and IMRR on how SXT will blow current manufacturers out of the water with their models its good to see a well put review like yours where you can give your unbiased opinion on this first diesel offering by SXT. There is no manufacturer that gets it all right, I mean for those of us really paying attention to what "WE" want we WILL find dependencies or the smallest of imperfections! My opinion on SXT is I'll wait until I see it, I've seen the SD40-2s in person at a show last February but those were decorated samples and they looked awesome, so awesome that I went home and placed my pre-order for a couple of the ATSF motors. Im glad you pointed out the things you didn't like here as I saw them throughout the review. I must say overall its a pretty sloppy assembly from the closeups you shot, glue glops, scratches and flash are all over the place I'm also not sure if its the angle of your shot but the close up of the sunshade looked like the edges were pretty jagged, the sand lines is something I hope they address soon as shortening them by trimming will make them look funny. I hope they address all these bugs before the ATSF version drops and I hope they do right by the current purchasers of these, overall yes a nice models with the same less than perfect model like every other manufacturer, the best thing I can say about these for now is at least they're not Genesis prices :P
Agree with your points. For the cab shades, I think that was the light reflecting funny off the flat paint as they do not look that jagged in person. Cheers, Kevin
I'm waiting for my Chessie 7607 version to come tomorrow. So far as I can tell the biggest complaint I'v heard is about the sanding lines. Thanks for sharing. John
WOW. Very detailed review. didn't waste a lot of time on box & paper. Got right into the nuts & bolts of the reason why we buy these things. Thank you for time well spent.
Hi Kevin, nice review of your new engines. They look, run, and sound great. I agree with you that they could have been more careful on their painting. Even though I model in N scale, the SD40-2 is my all time favorite engine so when I saw this video appear, I had to view it. They should make a great addition to your fleet. Thanks for sharing! Randy
I commented earlier that I wouldn't buy one because of the issues you had. Well, I took a chance and ordered one. It's perfect. Maybe I was just lucky.
Though your video is better than most, biggest problem w/ HO engines is the moment they begin to inch forward the movement (as on the real prototype) should barely be perceptible so "immersion" is maintained. Dynamic sound build up should climax with engine movement at an "ultra slow crawl" giving the illusion of powerful forces moving tons of weight...
Really good review, thanks. You are not obsessive with your critique, and the detail photography & video are excellent. I agree Scale Trains have made a superb product. That it is slightly flawed, you could say - in similar ways to Genesis locomotives, is due to less than perfect quality control. Things like too much glue, some details poorly painted, mechanical binding of parts etc are not unheard of. The sound & light show is excellent, the handrails are straight, so, despite some small issues, Scale trains deserve to be recognised as real leaders in quality Railroad Models, the price of these is also very reasonable, in my opinion. Thanks again!
Scale Model Trains & Colorado's Joint Line: that prominent line behind the beacon light maybe caused from the adding of the number board to the cab front. I looked at pictures of real SD40-2's but couldn't find pictures that showed the top of the cab. I think you will have to do some real careful sanding and maybe use just a little Squadron Green Putty to make it look right. Good luck and thanks for the video.
The biggest problem I've had is consistent derailments where my other six axle power did not encounter. I'm fairly positive the sand pipes caused most of the problems I had to go around and cut off the pipes before I could use the locomotives. The derailments were reduced dramatically, but not completely. I've gauged the wheels and they seem fine so right now i am still in discovery. I really like these units and their appearance, but right now I'm disappointed in the problems I have with derailments. My guess is that these units are far less forgiving of minor track issues than other units.
Thanks for the feedback on your engines. I haven't had the derailment issues you mentioned, but I might not have run mine as much as you have yet. Cheers, Kevin
Yeah, totally baffling. Trucks just drop in for no reason I see. Did a shove with 30 cars this morning. No hesitation. Great sound. Loads of power. Looks great. 30 cars of varying lengths no problem go by this particular point and then the locomotive just derails. Totally frustrating. AARRGGHH. LOL
Thanks for the honest review pointing out both the good and the bad. Considering one these as I don't have a BN yet and Midwestern flags is what I run.
I did a google search for BN 7054, and it is not a HAVRE engine. Also, based on the image search I think it was scrapped, at the very least torn apart and rebuilt
hi what a great job you did very informative is F4 low idle and how many speed steps until reaches Notch number two thanks again love the Prototype info
Nice review! This looks like a nice Locomotive. Even though I do N-scale modeling, your layout and tutorial vids give great information for someone like me.
Amazing video! I don't have the money to pick one up, but when I do, it will be NS (I model NS and CSX, but I'm looking to get NS right now and CSX later, I already have 2 NS units.) These seem to be AMAZING models!
Something else I saw that I don't think you either said or may have noticed yourself but there's a very bad light leak from the base of the beacon, a very helpful and honest review. One thing I'm curious about is how do the scale trains couplers work with kadee's as they seem alsmost cartoonishly big to my eye in the video
Mike, thanks for the feedback on the light leak. I'll have to check on that. The couplers are Scale Trains own unique thing. They can couple to Kadee #58 and #5 couplers and other similar couplers. Although sometimes it takes a bit of finagling to get them to couple. I'll going to mine with Kadee #58s. Cheers, Kevin
Scale Model Trains & Colorado's Joint Line if you look at the 12 minute mark when you start talking about the marker lights it's very clear that part of the light is shining through the beacon base, on 7068, but on 7054 it looked like maybe it wasn't bleeding through, I could be wrong but I'd imagine you'd check both models to be sure
I've got some of the Santa Fe units pre-ordered as well. It would be nice if all this is fixed before they ship, but that might be asking to much. i guess we'll see when they show up. Cheers, Kevin
Awesome review! Very detailed and informative. I'm very exited to buy both the sd-40s and especially the new Gevos coming out soon... I think I'll wait a while until they work out some of the bugs... like buying a new car with a brand new design, there will always be imperfections on the first run of anything. But even still, especially at this price point! even the Genesis can't come even close to the detail and manufacturing defects with the Genesis is egregious, even on later runs... so great job on Scale Trains! Love your work, take care.
Great review, I was considering picking up 2 of these but with the quality issues you've shown, may be not. If your going to ask hundreds of dollars it should be right no matter where it is made. Check out the new Rivarossi U28C's, out of the box probably one of the smoothest running locomotives I've seen, with model specific details right down to the light packages and at a reasonable price. Thanks my friend.
Scale Trains is actually inviting you to LOOK CLOSE to see all the details. When there is less than good results, that reflects poorly on ST Quality Control. These are remarkable units overall and a new highwater mark in modeling.
great detailed view and review, sadly nothing is done perfict anymore from the factory. it's all about how many and how fast you can push something out the door. All these small imperfections should have not happened in the first place,one or two fine. But multiple issues, there is no excuse. however knowing the type of detail and quality sacel trains is trying to attain, these type of problems should be ironed out in future models and releases.
I would email Scaletrains about those paint issues, seems like they might have some quality control issues, most of those issues shouldn't have made it out of the door! The sand line is probably more of an unforeseen issue
Another excellent video! Love the in depth review and the close up shots. While I agree Scaletrains seems to be off to a great start, they need to up the QA end of their game. I think I will hold off on their locos for now. That said, I have several of the rail-car "kits" of theirs and they are very nice!
Honestly Kevin no one does a better review than you. Excellent as usual. I am a little disappointed with what I have seen in some of the reviews of the scale trains SD40-2. I have one coming in the mail in a few days and am concerned about what I will find. Even though the rivet counter line is a little less expensive than Walthers and Athearn I was really surprised that your locos had the quantity of descrepancies that they did. This is not the operator line but the "rivet counter" line and I honestly feel you had too many things wrong. A little something here or there but I actually lost count of the number of defect items you found. You shouldn't have THAT many. Great review !!!
My Southern unit I got I have been pretty happy with it. I literally snipped off all the sand lines. I could not stand the plastic clicking sounds. I don't know why they didn't mount them to the trucks like everyone else does. I also really like the capacitor installed for getting over dirty track or loss of power.
Hey Kevin do you know anything about athearns last run of the sd70mac cream and greens from last fall. Is the BN and BNSF are the same shade of green in the athearn model or is the BNSF one lighter? I can't find anywhere on the internet that it says the BNSF one is "primed for grime" but in some of the adds it looks lighter. thanks, Joel
Joel, I don't know the answer as I have bought any of them from the latest run. I'll have to check to see if my local train store has any in stock. Cheers, Kevin
Great review. Scale Trains does do a great job with detail and the use of the ESU decoder but their quality control is not the best. With every run there seems to be a ton of small issues. I know every manufacture has issues but they need to step up the quality control. I think they should have known about the sand line issue since every loco has the problem.
I own and like both the Intermountain and Scale Trains BN SD40-2s. I plan on keeping and running both of them. The Scale Trains version does have better pulling power, but I've never found that to be an issue. Frankly, I think pulling power is an over rated metric as you'll normally be running multiple engines at the front of the train not just a single engine. Cheers, Kevin
Great review. I purchased a Chessie System unit from ScaleTrains.com it is great overall, the only issue I found with my SD40-2 is just with the sand hoses clicking along some of the curves in the track.
Yep. I had to cut off tons of sand hoses. Very very very annoying. Overall....I love them but I'm still having derailment issues I did not have with other six axle units I have
Great review Kevin! It's a shame to call these rivet counter versions with such defects. I'm sure they will get there on quality eventually. Just hope they don't lose too many customers before the do get there. Maybe they should just sell these for something in between rivet counter and operator series. Maybe "Operator, but Lost Count on the Rivets" series. LOL! Thanks for the fantastic review! Cheers, Dan
I am really surprised no flags on any of these units. I know not all did have them, but a dang lot of them did have them. Not hard to add.... but it was a marque thing of BN units.
Mark, the American flags were added to BN units during Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990-91. Since these are done up as late 80s era units, they wouldn't have the flags yet. Cheers, Kevin
Were there any modifications to the prototype locomotives between the 80s and 91 where simply applying a flag to these would not be appropriate - other changes that would be needed? Besides the clasificatioeion lights?
Mark, yes there would a few other modifications for an early-90s model. While each road number is a bit different, for a early-90s model I would remove the rotary beacon, relocate the airhorn to behind the dynamic brakes, and remove the classification lights. Then add the American flags. You could also add ditch lights as a lot of engines got them right before the BNSF merger. If you watch my video, the second shot of the prototype BN SD40-2s givens you a good look at the roof of the cab. Cheers, Kevin
Just be patient, more videos will be coming. Making train videos isn't a full time job for me and model railroading isn't my only hobby. But, my next video review will be uploaded shortly. Cheers, Kevin
Scale Trains seems to be very good quality, but their quality control on these two engines was lacking. BLI is also a good company and I own a lot of their engines too. Cheers, Kevin
Yes, the couplers will automatically couple when the engine moves into contact with another engine or car. They will not uncouple with magnets like the Kadee couplers though. Cheers, Kevin
Scale Model Trains & Colorado's Joint Line thank you for the details. I just got this locomotive for my birthday yesterday and I'm actually transferring from O scale. You may see me asking about some details because I'm just getting into HO. I actually got the SD40-2 with the Federal Signal 372 rotary beacon. I also got the Union Pacific Big Blow turbine from ST. I'm planning to collect the locomotive in here with the Prime PM Stratolite rotary beacon.
patiffin Chinese workers take $5.00 per hour and work fast. American workers take $18.00 per hour and leaking of skill. "Made in China" never end forever!
In this case I think you got a few issues that it wouldn't be out of place to ask for a replacement unit or units. I know Scaletrains has excellent customer service to possibly replace those. Especially for the issues that require a decent amount of touchup time.
James, thanks for the feedback. I might go ahead and contact Scale Trains on these and see what they say. Cheers, Kevin
One of those colors that would benefit greatly from even light weathering, IE light wash to bring out the panel details and light dry brushing for the highlights, dust up those undercarriages and weather the top as well as the fuel tank, just opinion however. QC is an issue with those engines it seems, nothing a good modeler couldn't repair, but not something one should have to do on a premium model such as rivet counter. I recently received a UP GEVO and it was pretty much flawless, just very minor stuff, a beautiful model so they may have fixed the QC issue.
For a Rivet counter version I would send it back for replacement, all those flaws are not acceptable
Hans
Hans, thanks for the feedback. I'm considering doing just that. Cheers, Kevin
I'm new fixing to buy my engines. Thank you for a detailed review. Not vary good craftsmanship. Will review other manufacturers. Again Thank you.
The green classlights meant second section not regularly scheduled, if the classlights were off, it was a regularly scheduled train. However some freight trains were ran as extras and the white classlights were more common.
Still need to get in contact with Scaletrains for some replacement fan grills on my BNSF H1 SD40-2 as one was missing when it arrived.
Great review! Glad I held off on the Southern SD40-2s. Hopefully they'll fix these problems in the upcoming releases and do another run of Southern!
Thanks for the feedback on the review. Cheers, Kevin
I'm digging that strobe light.
The good thing about the paint is that they use tru-color paint, so doing any touch up's will be pretty easy to match.
Thanks for the information. Cheers, Kevin
One of the best reviews that I've seen. Thank you.
You're very welcome. Thank you for the nice compliment. Cheers, Kevin
Thanks for this great review. You do a great service to modelers and it is professionally done.
Ray, thanks for the nice compliments. Cheers, Kevin
AWESOME!!!!! never got one as im so sick of paint stripping.....would love to get one to paint a ex. BN for Progress Leasing....
I think as A New Company.. Trying to Make a Big Entrance into the Market they should have Eagle Eyed everything From the Bottom Up.. But it may be that some of these Engines had no or 0 flaws while some may have and they where just accidentally over Looked, Listening to Both of Yours was Very Well pleasing seeing them slow Creep like my KATO N' SDP40F Santa Fe's it makes ya appreciate what them Decoders can Actually Do with Small Scale sized Engines.. To be able to set Brakes, & have brake release at forward & Rearward Movement then hearing the Dynamic Fans kick in Wow.. They're worth Every Penny
If Scale Trains can mop them little messes up and replace yours for New Engines that's going to put the Ball in there Court every Time. Happy Model Railroading..
Allen.🚂🚂🚂🚂
Allen, thanks for the comments and feedback on the engines. All and all they are very nice. Cheers, Kevin
my dad recently got one and they are nice! great video too
After hearing all these inexperienced so called modelers bashing manufacturers like Athearn and IMRR on how SXT will blow current manufacturers out of the water with their models its good to see a well put review like yours where you can give your unbiased opinion on this first diesel offering by SXT. There is no manufacturer that gets it all right, I mean for those of us really paying attention to what "WE" want we WILL find dependencies or the smallest of imperfections! My opinion on SXT is I'll wait until I see it, I've seen the SD40-2s in person at a show last February but those were decorated samples and they looked awesome, so awesome that I went home and placed my pre-order for a couple of the ATSF motors. Im glad you pointed out the things you didn't like here as I saw them throughout the review. I must say overall its a pretty sloppy assembly from the closeups you shot, glue glops, scratches and flash are all over the place I'm also not sure if its the angle of your shot but the close up of the sunshade looked like the edges were pretty jagged, the sand lines is something I hope they address soon as shortening them by trimming will make them look funny. I hope they address all these bugs before the ATSF version drops and I hope they do right by the current purchasers of these, overall yes a nice models with the same less than perfect model like every other manufacturer, the best thing I can say about these for now is at least they're not Genesis prices :P
Agree with your points. For the cab shades, I think that was the light reflecting funny off the flat paint as they do not look that jagged in person. Cheers, Kevin
I commend you on being honest in this review, too many people out there make these model manufacturers seem like gods.
Steven, thanks for the compliment and feedback. Cheers, Kevin
By the way the thanks, you did a great job with your review.
I'm waiting for my Chessie 7607 version to come tomorrow. So far as I can tell the biggest complaint I'v heard is about the sanding lines. Thanks for sharing. John
John, thanks for the feedback. Hope your's doesn't have the masking issues around the cab. Cheers, Kevin
WOW. Very detailed review. didn't waste a lot of time on box & paper. Got right into the nuts & bolts of the reason why we buy these things. Thank you for time well spent.
Thank you for the feedback on my review. Cheers, Kevin.
Hi Kevin, nice review of your new engines. They look, run, and sound great. I agree with you that they could have been more careful on their painting. Even though I model in N scale, the SD40-2 is my all time favorite engine so when I saw this video appear, I had to view it. They should make a great addition to your fleet. Thanks for sharing!
Randy
Randy, thanks for the compliments and feedback on my video. Scale Trains just might make their SD40-2 in N scale in the future. Cheers, Kevin
I commented earlier that I wouldn't buy one because of the issues you had. Well, I took a chance and ordered one. It's perfect. Maybe I was just lucky.
John, glad to hear your locomotive didn't have the issue mine did. Cheers, Kevin
Though your video is better than most, biggest problem w/ HO engines is the moment they begin to inch forward the movement (as on the real prototype) should barely be perceptible so "immersion" is maintained.
Dynamic sound build up should climax with engine movement at an "ultra slow crawl" giving the illusion of powerful forces moving tons of weight...
Thanks for the feedback. Cheers, Kevin
Great review and video!
Thanks. Cheers, Kevin
great video like always
Thanks for the nice compliment on the video. Cheers, Kevin
Great review, thanks, got one heading my way right now.
Garrick, thanks for the feedback. Cheers, Kevin
Really good review, thanks. You are not obsessive with your critique, and the detail photography & video are excellent. I agree Scale Trains have made a superb product. That it is slightly flawed, you could say - in similar ways to Genesis locomotives, is due to less than perfect quality control. Things like too much glue, some details poorly painted, mechanical binding of parts etc are not unheard of. The sound & light show is excellent, the handrails are straight, so, despite some small issues, Scale trains deserve to be recognised as real leaders in quality Railroad Models, the price of these is also very reasonable, in my opinion. Thanks again!
Thank you for the feedback on the video and engine. I agree with your points as well. Cheers, Kevin
Super awesome review! Those locomotives are amazing!
Thanks for the nice compliment on the review. Cheers, Kevin
Scale Model Trains & Colorado's Joint Line: that prominent line behind the beacon light maybe caused from the adding of the number board to the cab front. I looked at pictures of real SD40-2's but couldn't find pictures that showed the top of the cab. I think you will have to do some real careful sanding and maybe use just a little Squadron Green Putty to make it look right. Good luck and thanks for the video.
Thanks for the feedback and information. Cheers, Kevin
Great review. Your camera really captures all the details and the flaws with your unit. Cheers!
Thanks for the compliment and feedback on the video. Cheers, Kevin
The biggest problem I've had is consistent derailments where my other six axle power did not encounter. I'm fairly positive the sand pipes caused most of the problems I had to go around and cut off the pipes before I could use the locomotives. The derailments were reduced dramatically, but not completely. I've gauged the wheels and they seem fine so right now i am still in discovery. I really like these units and their appearance, but right now I'm disappointed in the problems I have with derailments. My guess is that these units are far less forgiving of minor track issues than other units.
Thanks for the feedback on your engines. I haven't had the derailment issues you mentioned, but I might not have run mine as much as you have yet. Cheers, Kevin
Yeah, totally baffling. Trucks just drop in for no reason I see. Did a shove with 30 cars this morning. No hesitation. Great sound. Loads of power. Looks great. 30 cars of varying lengths no problem go by this particular point and then the
locomotive just derails. Totally frustrating. AARRGGHH. LOL
Thanks for the honest review pointing out both the good and the bad. Considering one these as I don't have a BN yet and Midwestern flags is what I run.
Thanks for the feedback on the review. BN SD40-2s are pretty much a mainstay of midwestern railroading in the 80s and 90s. Cheers, Kevin
Awesome review!!!!!!
I did a google search for BN 7054, and it is not a HAVRE engine. Also, based on the image search I think it was scrapped, at the very least torn apart and rebuilt
the engine has the new esuloksound power pack in it,that is a great extra, great review thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the feedback and additional information on the engine. Cheers, Kevin
Awesome review! I just uploaded a video on how to prototipically weather the NS version for under 20 dollars.
Thanks for the nice compliment on the video. I'll have to check out your weathering video. Cheers, Kevin
hi what a great job you did very informative is F4 low idle and how many speed steps until reaches Notch number two thanks again love the Prototype info
Thanks. I enjoyed your review and found it helpful.
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed the video. Cheers, Kevin
Nice review! This looks like a nice Locomotive. Even though I do N-scale modeling, your layout and tutorial vids give great information for someone like me.
Ben, thanks for the feedback. Cheers, Kevin
Very nice looking and sounding engine, they did do a great job. I often wonder how they mast off the areas needed, especially with mass productions.
Thanks for the feedback Joe. Cheers, Kevin
Well, that was pretty good honest review, thanks.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you liked the review. Cheers, Kevin
Amazing video! I don't have the money to pick one up, but when I do, it will be NS (I model NS and CSX, but I'm looking to get NS right now and CSX later, I already have 2 NS units.) These seem to be AMAZING models!
Thanks for the nice compliment on the video. Cheers, Kevin
You are welcome!
Good honest review Kevin. Scaletrains SD40-2's are definitely not without flaws.
~Deryk
Deryk, I saw your review as well. They are nice models, but certainly not perfect. Cheers, Kevin
Great review. Thank you!
Thanks. Cheers, Kevin
Something else I saw that I don't think you either said or may have noticed yourself but there's a very bad light leak from the base of the beacon, a very helpful and honest review. One thing I'm curious about is how do the scale trains couplers work with kadee's as they seem alsmost cartoonishly big to my eye in the video
Mike, thanks for the feedback on the light leak. I'll have to check on that. The couplers are Scale Trains own unique thing. They can couple to Kadee #58 and #5 couplers and other similar couplers. Although sometimes it takes a bit of finagling to get them to couple. I'll going to mine with Kadee #58s. Cheers, Kevin
Scale Model Trains & Colorado's Joint Line if you look at the 12 minute mark when you start talking about the marker lights it's very clear that part of the light is shining through the beacon base, on 7068, but on 7054 it looked like maybe it wasn't bleeding through, I could be wrong but I'd imagine you'd check both models to be sure
Thanks again. I'll check them both under lower light conditions. Cheers, Kevin
Wow, that is a lot of paint and detail flaws. For now I'll stick to the Athearn Genesis line.
Excellent review no holds barred, loved the video.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad to hear you liked the video. Cheers, Kevin
I guess I'm glad the Santa Fe units are in the 2nd run....hopefully they get these issues corrected.
I've got some of the Santa Fe units pre-ordered as well. It would be nice if all this is fixed before they ship, but that might be asking to much. i guess we'll see when they show up. Cheers, Kevin
+Scale Model Trains & Colorado's Joint Line can you do a review on the ATSF Snoot nose SD40-2's by scale trains (if) when you get yours?
I've got that review on my to-do list, but sometimes I don't get all the reviews done that I want too. Cheers, Kevin
Awesome review! Very detailed and informative. I'm very exited to buy both the sd-40s and especially the new Gevos coming out soon... I think I'll wait a while until they work out some of the bugs... like buying a new car with a brand new design, there will always be imperfections on the first run of anything. But even still, especially at this price point! even the Genesis can't come even close to the detail and manufacturing defects with the Genesis is egregious, even on later runs... so great job on Scale Trains! Love your work, take care.
Tim, agree with your comparison to a new car model. Thanks for the compliments too. Cheers, Kevin
Great review, I was considering picking up 2 of these but with the quality issues you've shown, may be not. If your going to ask hundreds of dollars it should be right no matter where it is made. Check out the new Rivarossi U28C's, out of the box probably one of the smoothest running locomotives I've seen, with model specific details right down to the light packages and at a reasonable price. Thanks my friend.
Joe, thanks for the feedback on the video. Interesting you mention the Rivarossi U28Cs. My next review is of the Rivarossi U25C. Cheers, Kevin
Scale Trains is actually inviting you to LOOK CLOSE to see all the details. When there is less than good results, that reflects poorly on ST Quality Control. These are remarkable units overall and a new highwater mark in modeling.
great detailed view and review, sadly nothing is done perfict anymore from the factory. it's all about how many and how fast you can push something out the door. All these small imperfections should have not happened in the first place,one or two fine. But multiple issues, there is no excuse. however knowing the type of detail and quality sacel trains is trying to attain, these type of problems should be ironed out in future models and releases.
Peter, thanks for the feedback. I agree with your points too. Cheers, Kevin
I would email Scaletrains about those paint issues, seems like they might have some quality control issues, most of those issues shouldn't have made it out of the door! The sand line is probably more of an unforeseen issue
Thanks for the feedback. I'll consider doing just that. Cheers, Kevin
Another excellent video! Love the in depth review and the close up shots. While I agree Scaletrains seems to be off to a great start, they need to up the QA end of their game. I think I will hold off on their locos for now. That said, I have several of the rail-car "kits" of theirs and they are very nice!
Thanks for the feedback and compliments on the video. Cheers, Kevin
Best thing to do for the sand lines, trim them back a bit.
Thanks for the information. Cheers, Kevin
Honestly Kevin no one does a better review than you. Excellent as usual. I am a little disappointed with what I have seen in some of the reviews of the scale trains SD40-2. I have one coming in the mail in a few days and am concerned about what I will find. Even though the rivet counter line is a little less expensive than Walthers and Athearn I was really surprised that your locos had the quantity of descrepancies that they did. This is not the operator line but the "rivet counter" line and I honestly feel you had too many things wrong. A little something here or there but I actually lost count of the number of defect items you found. You shouldn't have THAT many. Great review !!!
Paul, thanks for the nice and humbling compliment on my reviews. Hope your engines are fine when you get them. Cheers, Kevin
My Southern unit I got I have been pretty happy with it. I literally snipped off all the sand lines. I could not stand the plastic clicking sounds. I don't know why they didn't mount them to the trucks like everyone else does. I also really like the capacitor installed for getting over dirty track or loss of power.
very good comprehesive review! very helpful
Thanks for the feedback and compliment on the video. Cheers, Kevin
Hey Kevin do you know anything about athearns last run of the sd70mac cream and greens from last fall. Is the BN and BNSF are the same shade of green in the athearn model or is the BNSF one lighter? I can't find anywhere on the internet that it says the BNSF one is "primed for grime" but in some of the adds it looks lighter.
thanks,
Joel
Joel, I don't know the answer as I have bought any of them from the latest run. I'll have to check to see if my local train store has any in stock. Cheers, Kevin
Packed like an Athearn. Great review.
Thanks. Cheers, Kevin
it seems a few people are having issues with these. like the details and paint
Thanks for the feedback. Cheers, Kevin
Great review. Scale Trains does do a great job with detail and the use of the ESU decoder but their quality control is not the best. With every run there seems to be a ton of small issues. I know every manufacture has issues but they need to step up the quality control. I think they should have known about the sand line issue since every loco has the problem.
Scott, thanks for the feedback on the video review. Cheers, Kevin
Would you prefer the Intermountain BN SD40-2's, or the Scaletrains version?
I own and like both the Intermountain and Scale Trains BN SD40-2s. I plan on keeping and running both of them. The Scale Trains version does have better pulling power, but I've never found that to be an issue. Frankly, I think pulling power is an over rated metric as you'll normally be running multiple engines at the front of the train not just a single engine. Cheers, Kevin
Great review. I purchased a Chessie System unit from ScaleTrains.com it is great overall, the only issue I found with my SD40-2 is just with the sand hoses clicking along some of the curves in the track.
Thanks for the feedback on the review. Cheers, Kevin
Yep. I had to cut off tons of sand hoses. Very very very annoying. Overall....I love them but I'm still having derailment issues I did not have with other six axle units I have
Great review Kevin! It's a shame to call these rivet counter versions with such defects. I'm sure they will get there on quality eventually. Just hope they don't lose too many customers before the do get there. Maybe they should just sell these for something in between rivet counter and operator series. Maybe "Operator, but Lost Count on the Rivets" series. LOL! Thanks for the fantastic review! Cheers, Dan
Dan, your proposed name for these made me laugh. Thanks for the compliment on the review. Cheers, Kevin
I want to get the BN one and just put it on display hooked up to power on stationary rollers :)
Go for it!
I am really surprised no flags on any of these units. I know not all did have them, but a dang lot of them did have them. Not hard to add.... but it was a marque thing of BN units.
Mark, the American flags were added to BN units during Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990-91. Since these are done up as late 80s era units, they wouldn't have the flags yet. Cheers, Kevin
Were there any modifications to the prototype locomotives between the 80s and 91 where simply applying a flag to these would not be appropriate - other changes that would be needed? Besides the clasificatioeion lights?
Mark, yes there would a few other modifications for an early-90s model. While each road number is a bit different, for a early-90s model I would remove the rotary beacon, relocate the airhorn to behind the dynamic brakes, and remove the classification lights. Then add the American flags. You could also add ditch lights as a lot of engines got them right before the BNSF merger. If you watch my video, the second shot of the prototype BN SD40-2s givens you a good look at the roof of the cab. Cheers, Kevin
Great review. Very thourough.
Thanks for the feedback on the video. Cheers, Kevin
cool train
As Trump Correctly said lets bring back jobs in America, why can’t someone build model Trains in USA 🇺🇸 ? Superb Quality.
Please come back i miss your videos
Just be patient, more videos will be coming. Making train videos isn't a full time job for me and model railroading isn't my only hobby. But, my next video review will be uploaded shortly. Cheers, Kevin
Scale Model Trains & Colorado's Joint Line ok
Y no horn?
Good point Scott D
Thanks for the feedback. Cheers, Kevin
Is Broadway Limited Better Quality ?
Scale Trains seems to be very good quality, but their quality control on these two engines was lacking. BLI is also a good company and I own a lot of their engines too. Cheers, Kevin
Can you remotely couple on this locomotive or do you have to manually hook it to your consist?
Yes, the couplers will automatically couple when the engine moves into contact with another engine or car. They will not uncouple with magnets like the Kadee couplers though. Cheers, Kevin
Scale Model Trains & Colorado's Joint Line thank you for the details. I just got this locomotive for my birthday yesterday and I'm actually transferring from O scale. You may see me asking about some details because I'm just getting into HO. I actually got the SD40-2 with the Federal Signal 372 rotary beacon. I also got the Union Pacific Big Blow turbine from ST. I'm planning to collect the locomotive in here with the Prime PM Stratolite rotary beacon.
1:27
thanks for the review but with a $219.00 price tag and the classification of "rivet counter" there should be no flaws
Agreed. Cheers, Kevin
My Legacy BN SD40's are flawless compared to these. I can't take paint defects or material flaws.
Please return these two, not up to Rivet Counter quality.
Ed, thanks for the suggestion. I'm considering doing that. Cheers, Kevin
this happen made in china not made in the USA.
patiffin
Chinese workers take $5.00 per hour and work fast.
American workers take $18.00 per hour and leaking of skill.
"Made in China" never end forever!
I like your Tran
You spelt airhorn wrong 😛
Ah the joys of not having spell check in the video editor. Thanks for the feedback. Cheers, Kevin
Its "SPELLED" ... this isn't jolly ol' England... its AMERICA!!!!!
lol
I would be sending those back, unacceptable imo concerning the detail.
Chris, thanks for the feedback and suggestion on the engines. Cheers, Kevin
Good thing my eyes are not as good as your camera to see those mistakes.
Joe, that's certainly taking a "glass is half full" approach. I like it. Cheers, Kevin
Too many flaws for my taste. I would return them. A real disappointment.
John, thanks for the feedback. Cheers, Kevin