Hi C Mastracci , thanks for a host review on the SW7. Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger I’ve got 4 BLI locomotives and they are not worth a dime. I wish someone would offer a SW 1500 in n scale. Hope it’s Scale Trains. I’ve been breaking in locomotives. I have got 14 out of 18 done and they are all Scale Trains. I’m a very happy camper. All ran fine right out of the box no issues. Thanks for sharing. Have a good week. 😎😎 👍
ScaleTrains has always done right by me. Same with Kato, the recent Bachmann offerings, and Atlas - although there was a brief run where I had to clean the wheels of the Atlas locos out of the box before they would work. Other than that, those brands have all been very reliable and I can easily recommend. I believe I'll continue to let others try the first runs on BLI and I'll wait to see how they perform and then decide how bad I want that loco or paint scheme. it'll give other manufacturers a chance to announce it LOL!
I made the mistake of buying two of the BLI SD40-2. Absolute waste of money. Safe yourself a lot of anguish and see if you can find the ScaleTrains version! But welcome to the channel!
My Broadway Limited 6930 Heavy Pacific 4-6-2 Paragon4 runs like a swiss watch right out of the box. Could be QC, but so far my experience has been really good with them, espealty with the paragon 4 stuff.
I have this same loco. There are pick up tab coated in rubber that touch the wheels which I believe causes this jerky/grinding noise and action. Clearance parts and all seems fine.
Guess I'm not surprised that the BLI loco started off with issues. Glad you were able to get it to an acceptable running level. That Southern switcher you have here a beauty of a switcher and the sound is great at least. I've yet to pick up a BLI Loco. There's one coming next year that I really want but very nervous about getting it.
that's the thing. they make these locos that look great but then you get one and it looks awesome, sounds awesome, and then it runs shit and the rest doesn't matter. they have a couple coming out next year i'd like, too. but i'm not getting them until others review them. and even then, i'm going to watch the forums before i decide if i'm going to buy them. maybe another manufacturer will release it and then i'll gladly wait.
I have both an NW2 and SW7 bought off the refurbished/outlet site and they have been very nice little units as have all of my other BLI locomotives-all bought from the refurbished/outlet site
My luck with the factory-new hasn't been so great. I'd be terrified to buy a refurbished one. pretty sure i'd end up with an empty box with some screws and a left over wheel in it.
Carlo, I repair n Scale locos for a lot of people. I am not a big fan on over lubing the trucks, seems that it just masks the gear set. Question did you inspect the gears in the trucks? I have found in the past on a lot of locos the trucks are the issue for Grinding and jerky ops. Found a lot of burs on the gear teeth. I also have had luck lapping gears with cheap tooth paste for silent running. Seems all manufactures have issues, even scale trains have truck issues , mine the rear truck was out of gauge which I had to get a new rear truck to use it. To me Kato out of the box is my go to.
as a general statement - i agree. over lubrication can really make a mess - gums up bearings and gears, also attracts dirt and can impair electrical pickups. In this case, there was legitimately no traceable amount of lubrication on the interior worm gear or bearings. that little bit of sheen on the gears in the trucks i think might have been largely new plastic and not oil. so after it ran a bit, i did clean up any over-greasing with a papertowel (not a cotton swab - made that mistake before). and i'm confident it's only where it needs to be now. calmed the loco way down - took care of the noise, too. the jerky motion all but stopped now. the loco is a nice little workhorse. again, totally agree with Kato - the only locomotive brand i've NEVER had an issue with, ever - is Kato. Other manufacturers should take note because what they do, works.
I have 11 BLI locomotives. 1 Paragon 3 and the rest Paragon 4’s. I’ve never had an issue with the Paragon 4’s. Been very happy with them. The Paragon 3 BLI replaced the decoder and so far it’s been fine. But I will have them upgrade it to the Paragon 4 soon.
i don't have any Paragon 3 locos, they're all 4s. my issues have never been decoder issues - they've all been mechanical issues with missing parts, misfit parts, or general lack of grease in this case. I'm assuming this is a quality control breakdown.
@ 😂. Keep up the great videos. Really enjoy them and so do the public visitors at my club. Hopefully you picked up some new visitors on your RUclips channel.
Hi, I finally got my first BLI Conrail SW7 and it too was jerky and speed was not great (though it is a switcher). I love the sound and looks but still on the fence about buying more. I have over 100 locos and they are mostly Atlas and ScaleTrains. I went DC since I have too many locos so the sound ability appealed to me for this model. Hopefully if I get a second one, it’s better…really want a Reading T1 Steam Engine
What a beauty. You sure cone out better fixing it yourself than sending it back eh! I'm scared the mail will lose or explode stuff and then your totally out of money! Heard of a company storing it for 6 weeks before touching and shipping had destroyed it so it was past time for insurance to be filed! I've bought 3 BLI's. I used ES44AC, NW2, and SD40-2. I got 3 quite smooth ones but the SD40-2 misses track power way more than the tiny NW2?!?. The ES44 never skips. I'm so glad you took it apart and greased it. Now I need to buy some of the oil and lube that you have. I think I read Labelle 107 oil and 106 thick grease. Do you really prefer the 107 medium oil over the 108 thin oil? I have used Turbine generator 732 lube oil for years on RC Car bearings and such. I'm not sure if I should continue that or buy some Labelle 🤷♂️. Great vid.
So my ES44 is the Southern unit that runs great. I really like it - never an issue. Lots of power issues with the SD40-2s. ScaleTrains solved that problem for me - and now they're releasing high-hoods next year so the BLIs are gone. I've only ever sent one loco back - and it was a ScaleTrains and the decoder fried while under warranty. from the time i shipped it until i got it back it was 3 or 4 weeks but the process was easy and cost me like $15 shipping instead of a $100 ESU decoder so... not a terrible trade. As for the oil, I purchased it back when i new jacksh$% about model trains (it's lasted almost 20 years). I probably should have gotten a thinner lube but i've never had issues with it and the oil/grease do lube the locos well and don't seem to cause binding or excessive dirt collection. other than some spot application - i pretty much oil my locos every couple of years when i do a heavy cleaning/maintenance. otherwise, just a drop or two from time to time does it.
@@NitroStarGT i thought it looked pretty cool but those don't fit my railroad so i didn't buy one. i figured if they were still available when i was just goofing off online one day i might buy one to say i have it. but, these locos are already light in my opinion so i would be curious to see how cutting parts out makes them perform.
the wheels have a cross-cut in them for traction like most locos - you can see the pattern in the wheels. but that shouldn't make a grinding sound. that seems to come from the mechanism. motors and the gears should be quiet and you definitely shouldn't hear them over the sound.
@AlleghenyNorthern ahh that makes sense. And could be the case with mine. I haven't experimented with this much on the BLIs because I haven't been that pleased with them
I just got on last week and it was my first BLI engine. It runs good but the sound is bad. Very distorted. Im going to replace the Paragon 4 with Lok 5.
at least you got a good running one. i've never had sound issues with Paragon 4 decoders - usually it's mechanical issues. Paragon 4 sound is actually decent - giving credit where it's due. Did you check to make sure you don't have a loose speaker wire?
Having 7 N scale P3 diesels and a steamer from BLI, I can say only that buying one is a crap shoot. They will stand behind them but I want to buy a locomotive, not a warranty claim with shipping charges and a wait for some indeterminate period. As the odds became stacked against me, I stopped buying them. Thus no P4s. QC is a shame because they always look good and the decoders are full featured.
Just a side note: it sounds like you are playing with the change in your pocket every time you speak. It ended after you cut for putting in the screws.
Maybe you just got an unlucky dud. In my experience, I've had incredible luck with Broadway Limited stuff. I own a couple of the F7's, gevos, and Pacifics they make and they all run fantastically.
Possibly. But if that's the case, I am extremely unlucky. I'm about 3 out of 5 to the bad. This one was salvageable. The NS high-hood was salvageable. But I'll be honest - ScaleTrains just announced a month or so back NS high-hoods for early summer and the BLI won't see a minute of rail time after those are in. I think it boils down to piss-poor quality control. all of the issues i've had should have been caught before the models left the factory; missing parts, no grease, and misfit components leading to failure.
I have this and 3 other BLI models. They all run great...call me lucky.
you're lucky! LOL
Hi C Mastracci , thanks for a host review on the SW7. Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger I’ve got 4 BLI locomotives and they are not worth a dime. I wish someone would offer a SW 1500 in n scale. Hope it’s Scale Trains. I’ve been breaking in locomotives. I have got 14 out of 18 done and they are all Scale Trains. I’m a very happy camper. All ran fine right out of the box no issues. Thanks for sharing. Have a good week. 😎😎 👍
ScaleTrains has always done right by me. Same with Kato, the recent Bachmann offerings, and Atlas - although there was a brief run where I had to clean the wheels of the Atlas locos out of the box before they would work. Other than that, those brands have all been very reliable and I can easily recommend. I believe I'll continue to let others try the first runs on BLI and I'll wait to see how they perform and then decide how bad I want that loco or paint scheme. it'll give other manufacturers a chance to announce it LOL!
I bought an SD 40-2 new outta the box and it does the exact same thing. Now I know how to fix that. Thanks! Subbed.
I made the mistake of buying two of the BLI SD40-2. Absolute waste of money. Safe yourself a lot of anguish and see if you can find the ScaleTrains version! But welcome to the channel!
My Broadway Limited 6930 Heavy Pacific 4-6-2 Paragon4 runs like a swiss watch right out of the box. Could be QC, but so far my experience has been really good with them, espealty with the paragon 4 stuff.
Their Pacific's are their best n scale locos imho. I've got 5 of them and all pull remarkably strong, smooth as silk.
I have this same loco. There are pick up tab coated in rubber that touch the wheels which I believe causes this jerky/grinding noise and action. Clearance parts and all seems fine.
Guess I'm not surprised that the BLI loco started off with issues. Glad you were able to get it to an acceptable running level. That Southern switcher you have here a beauty of a switcher and the sound is great at least. I've yet to pick up a BLI Loco. There's one coming next year that I really want but very nervous about getting it.
that's the thing. they make these locos that look great but then you get one and it looks awesome, sounds awesome, and then it runs shit and the rest doesn't matter. they have a couple coming out next year i'd like, too. but i'm not getting them until others review them. and even then, i'm going to watch the forums before i decide if i'm going to buy them. maybe another manufacturer will release it and then i'll gladly wait.
I have both an NW2 and SW7 bought off the refurbished/outlet site and they have been very nice little units as have all of my other BLI locomotives-all bought from the refurbished/outlet site
Outlet store is THE way to buy bli's... always been great. I even picked up a couple of the dreaded box cabs and they've been phenomenal runners.
My luck with the factory-new hasn't been so great. I'd be terrified to buy a refurbished one. pretty sure i'd end up with an empty box with some screws and a left over wheel in it.
It is a shame BLI can't get it right out of the box but what a beautiful little Switcher. Love the color too
it really is disappointing. it's so hit or miss. two hits out of five isn't real good odds for me.
Carlo, I repair n Scale locos for a lot of people. I am not a big fan on over lubing the trucks, seems that it just masks the gear set. Question did you inspect the gears in the trucks? I have found in the past on a lot of locos the trucks are the issue for Grinding and jerky ops. Found a lot of burs on the gear teeth. I also have had luck lapping gears with cheap tooth paste for silent running. Seems all manufactures have issues, even scale trains have truck issues , mine the rear truck was out of gauge which I had to get a new rear truck to use it. To me Kato out of the box is my go to.
as a general statement - i agree. over lubrication can really make a mess - gums up bearings and gears, also attracts dirt and can impair electrical pickups. In this case, there was legitimately no traceable amount of lubrication on the interior worm gear or bearings. that little bit of sheen on the gears in the trucks i think might have been largely new plastic and not oil. so after it ran a bit, i did clean up any over-greasing with a papertowel (not a cotton swab - made that mistake before). and i'm confident it's only where it needs to be now. calmed the loco way down - took care of the noise, too. the jerky motion all but stopped now. the loco is a nice little workhorse. again, totally agree with Kato - the only locomotive brand i've NEVER had an issue with, ever - is Kato. Other manufacturers should take note because what they do, works.
I have 11 BLI locomotives. 1 Paragon 3 and the rest Paragon 4’s. I’ve never had an issue with the Paragon 4’s. Been very happy with them. The Paragon 3 BLI replaced the decoder and so far it’s been fine. But I will have them upgrade it to the Paragon 4 soon.
i don't have any Paragon 3 locos, they're all 4s. my issues have never been decoder issues - they've all been mechanical issues with missing parts, misfit parts, or general lack of grease in this case. I'm assuming this is a quality control breakdown.
@ wow, I run mine every weekend at the club and my personal layout. Crazy how some people have luck. My scaletrain loco act up for me.
@@cj_unhinged7742 and i don't have a single problem with my ST locos. if that's the way the luck goes, i'm happy with the ST locos!
@ 😂. Keep up the great videos. Really enjoy them and so do the public visitors at my club. Hopefully you picked up some new visitors on your RUclips channel.
Man, they must have your number or somethin'... I have 4 BLI's and they're all awesome outta the box.
i was beginning to think it might be a conspiracy.
@AlleghenyNorthern 🤣
Hi, I finally got my first BLI Conrail SW7 and it too was jerky and speed was not great (though it is a switcher). I love the sound and looks but still on the fence about buying more. I have over 100 locos and they are mostly Atlas and ScaleTrains. I went DC since I have too many locos so the sound ability appealed to me for this model. Hopefully if I get a second one, it’s better…really want a Reading T1 Steam Engine
it's the operating quality that does it in for me. they're just unreliable. I do have the Reading T1. It's one of the two that runs decent.
What a beauty. You sure cone out better fixing it yourself than sending it back eh! I'm scared the mail will lose or explode stuff and then your totally out of money! Heard of a company storing it for 6 weeks before touching and shipping had destroyed it so it was past time for insurance to be filed! I've bought 3 BLI's. I used ES44AC, NW2, and SD40-2. I got 3 quite smooth ones but the SD40-2 misses track power way more than the tiny NW2?!?. The ES44 never skips. I'm so glad you took it apart and greased it. Now I need to buy some of the oil and lube that you have. I think I read Labelle 107 oil and 106 thick grease. Do you really prefer the 107 medium oil over the 108 thin oil?
I have used Turbine generator 732 lube oil for years on RC Car bearings and such. I'm not sure if I should continue that or buy some Labelle 🤷♂️. Great vid.
So my ES44 is the Southern unit that runs great. I really like it - never an issue. Lots of power issues with the SD40-2s. ScaleTrains solved that problem for me - and now they're releasing high-hoods next year so the BLIs are gone. I've only ever sent one loco back - and it was a ScaleTrains and the decoder fried while under warranty. from the time i shipped it until i got it back it was 3 or 4 weeks but the process was easy and cost me like $15 shipping instead of a $100 ESU decoder so... not a terrible trade. As for the oil, I purchased it back when i new jacksh$% about model trains (it's lasted almost 20 years). I probably should have gotten a thinner lube but i've never had issues with it and the oil/grease do lube the locos well and don't seem to cause binding or excessive dirt collection. other than some spot application - i pretty much oil my locos every couple of years when i do a heavy cleaning/maintenance. otherwise, just a drop or two from time to time does it.
@@AlleghenyNorthernGreat to hear! What you think about the 40T-2 tunnel motors with the hacked out chassis in rear?
@@NitroStarGT i thought it looked pretty cool but those don't fit my railroad so i didn't buy one. i figured if they were still available when i was just goofing off online one day i might buy one to say i have it. but, these locos are already light in my opinion so i would be curious to see how cutting parts out makes them perform.
Gotcha 👍@@AlleghenyNorthern
ALL of my BLI locos do the exact same grinding. I think it's the wheels grinding on the rail
the wheels have a cross-cut in them for traction like most locos - you can see the pattern in the wheels. but that shouldn't make a grinding sound. that seems to come from the mechanism. motors and the gears should be quiet and you definitely shouldn't hear them over the sound.
@AlleghenyNorthern ahh that makes sense. And could be the case with mine. I haven't experimented with this much on the BLIs because I haven't been that pleased with them
Better off with a 'Life Like' switcher.
wow, that's going back. still have a lifelike GP 30. actually crammed a decoder into it.
I just got on last week and it was my first BLI engine. It runs good but the sound is bad. Very distorted. Im going to replace the Paragon 4 with Lok 5.
at least you got a good running one. i've never had sound issues with Paragon 4 decoders - usually it's mechanical issues. Paragon 4 sound is actually decent - giving credit where it's due. Did you check to make sure you don't have a loose speaker wire?
I have not had any luck with HO scale BLI. I can’t imagine their N scale.
WOW. HO seems easier to me simply from a sizing standpoint. Is it still quality control issues in HO scale or something else?
I have 3 BLI locos, 1 sw7 and 2 F units. All 3 have the same issues. Why do I keep trying? 🙄
That's what I'm wondering about my own purchases. it's a nice little loco now but why couldn't it be out of the box?!
Having 7 N scale P3 diesels and a steamer from BLI, I can say only that buying one is a crap shoot. They will stand behind them but I want to buy a locomotive, not a warranty claim with shipping charges and a wait for some indeterminate period. As the odds became stacked against me, I stopped buying them. Thus no P4s. QC is a shame because they always look good and the decoders are full featured.
Just a side note: it sounds like you are playing with the change in your pocket every time you speak. It ended after you cut for putting in the screws.
Maybe you just got an unlucky dud. In my experience, I've had incredible luck with Broadway Limited stuff. I own a couple of the F7's, gevos, and Pacifics they make and they all run fantastically.
Possibly. But if that's the case, I am extremely unlucky. I'm about 3 out of 5 to the bad. This one was salvageable. The NS high-hood was salvageable. But I'll be honest - ScaleTrains just announced a month or so back NS high-hoods for early summer and the BLI won't see a minute of rail time after those are in. I think it boils down to piss-poor quality control. all of the issues i've had should have been caught before the models left the factory; missing parts, no grease, and misfit components leading to failure.
Turn off the loco sound so we can hear just the mechanism.