I had actually wanted one of these so badly that years ago I broke down and bought an Overland Models SD45X, thinking we would definitely never see one in plastic 😮 but it was great to be able to get a few more now in *relatively* affordable form. I agree about there being little difference versus the Rivet Counter line. The way Shane Wilson explained it on a livestream that I saw was that the museum quality line is used for “boutique” projects that they know will be niche and low volume, and are offset by the profits from the GEVO and SD40-2 models among others which have a ton of potential variations that can be sold. Thanks for the review
That makes a little more sense then. I can understand if they're doing a lower volume run that they would need to charge a little more for it to make it worthwhile. It seems like this model would appeal mostly to SP fans. I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
It was kinda the same thing with the SDL39s and Turbines. I had the opportunity to ask Shane about this at a M&G and he kinda backed up the point that MQ focuses more on One-Offs that haven't really been offered outside brass. If it really was "Legendary" locomotives, the line would also be chalked full of SD40-2s and GP-38s because those are legendary in their own right.
Thorough review - thank you! As another viewer noted the price differential has very little to do with special features and/or details and a lot to do with the unit cost for tooling a model for which there is a limited market because so few prototypes were built. ScaleTrains has no choice but to charge more and make it easier to swallow by incorporating whatever ‘extras’ they can. As consumers we have no choice but to pay the higher price in return for getting a beautiful model which would otherwise not be built. As modelers we are living in the Golden Age. Thanks again for the excellent review.
The new gear boxes needs to be standard now. I had been on this topic for a number of years now. Finally Aurora did it on the 50F where it worked. Places like Athearn have said it would never work and I just simply chock that up to laziness in the last several years. This is now 2 manufacturers that have successfully accomplished this point and it is very welcomed in my opinion for the current price points.
It does look a little nicer to be able to see through the trucks. It's great to see companies like Aurora and ScaleTrains pushing the envelope a little to see what can be accomplished. Maybe Athearn will eventually follow suit. Thanks for watching!
Another great video, Dan! It was informative and entertaining. The observation, at the end, about making models better and better was an extra layer of model railroading insight. Many Thanks.
One note for non ESU users, ScaleTrains has put a video out to access more of the lighting features on their engines. It does require some very fine soldering but should be worth it in the end.
Dan, Another great review. These were amazing beasts, I remember thinking that when I photographed the EMD 5740 at EMD in LaGrange, IL during an EMD open house. I agree the pre-weathering of the wheels are great addition. Keep them coming.
I'm glad you liked the review. That's cool you got to see one of the units in person. It's possible I might have seen them on Donner as a kid but I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it at that age. Thanks for watching!
A model I never expected to see in super-detailed plastic, but I am happy Scale Trains went for it. I really love the look of the new "traction motor" gear boxes. If ST does a second run of these, I hope they'll do them in mid-70's thru mid-80's when they all had the SP on the noses and the deeper red band at the rear and looped uncoupling levers. Thanks for another good review, Dan. 🤠👍
I do agree rotating fans would be a good thing to add, although since only 7 units were built the price could also be an excuse of lower interest in a more obscure model, but that is merely speculating. Nice video as always.
That was the first thing that popped into my head as an add-on feature. I couldn't really think of anything else that could be added detail-wise. I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
Your knowledge is something else.I wish I did HO.I would swear by your reviews. Have you ever considered doing historical content?The history of railroads and the equipment is fascinating to me Great video as always
I'm glad you like the reviews. I rely heavily on my library of books for the info that I put into the reviews, at least for railroads that I have books about, like SP. I haven't thought much about doing a purely historical program, but it's something to keep in mind. Thanks for the suggestion and for watching!
Awesome review Dan! I've always found experimental units like this and the GP40X very fascinating. A darn shame these didn't last much longer than they did. A good number of GP40Xs are still around today.
Well... should watched the whole video first. I thought you gave it a lower score at first. But did I miss or you didn't really came back talking about traction sensors ? I watched the video again and you mentioned it a bit when it was running thru Kato track's curve. You're damn right about the level of details today's engine are reaching. Pretty hard to make them better. Course when they will run by their own with a rechargeable battery, it will be heaven for all of us modelers. Thanks for taking time to do those videos for us.
I went with battery powered DCC for my outdoor layout. We live in an area with some farms and ranches and the dust is constant, so I didn't even want to attempt track power. It could be cool in HO, too, if they could reproduce all the functionality of regular track powered DCC at that small scale, with batteries that lasted a while. My large scale engines will run for hours between charges. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for your review, it’s one of my favorite SP locomotives! I also appreciate your honesty on the price. I do have an Overland brass with ESU Dcc and sound. I got a great deal on the model and I added the sound so it was actually cheaper than the Scaletrains model!
I'm glad you liked the review. I haven't seen the Overland version. It's good you got a deal on it. Their diesels are usually really pricey. Thanks for watching!
The Museum Quality line, based on this release in particular but also for the SDL39, seems destined locomotives that would not generate the sales and multiple production runs that the standard SD/GP/DASH/GEVO release would. Hence they charge a premium to justify making these. Personally alright with that! Might not have been there original intent, as the GTEL 8500’s were released across both MQ and RC, but if the MQ line allows for more limited production runs of models no offer manufacturer would touch, I would think it worth the extra asking price. Appreciate the review as always Dan!
That makes sense. A couple of other people have commented about that as well. I'm glad to see ScaleTrains making models of some more obscure prototypes on occasion. Nothing like that would have happened 20 years ago, except maybe in brass. Thanks for watching!
Hi Dan. Very interesting as usual. Thanks for sharing. The ONLY bad thing I found on that engine is on the electric cabinet side (witch has none). On that side, at bottom of cab - I think those are battery boxes openings, there's a small gap between bottom opening and seal on right corner. It's like the cab was not snapped properly to the chassis. Otherwise, that engine is spectacular. Too big to run on my layout but Scaletrains is making very nice models lately. I would give it 80 or 85%. Even 90%. Couplers is not that big of an issue for me. Keep on your good work Dan.
@@DanielCortopassi Hey Dan. Thanks for answering. I bought a Trinity 31K crude oil tank car from ScaleTrains. That is one heck of a car. At has nothing wrong on it. Nothing. Expensive but truly a beauty. I would like Scaletrains to go back in the past a bit but it seems like Rapido is more in that era than Scaletrains. The other thing I like is that when one manufacturer makes great improvements, the rest of them follow. As you said, it's hard to improve what's already highly upgraded. Keep on your good work.
Great Review. I noticed that about the Museum and rivet counter lines that there isn't that much more detail just the interior lights in the cab and the track sounds. Besides that, they're the same.
A couple other people commented that ScaleTrains uses the Museum Quality lines to produce models that are more special interest. They sell at a higher price to offset the lower sales volume. I didn't know that when I taped the review but it makes a kind of sense. The detail level is about the same, as you mentioned. Thanks for watching!
I agree about the red demarcation on top of the short hood. I would need to see proof but it should be an easy fix with careful masking and paint matching to make it straight across. The SD45 looks correct. Even at this price it is a bargain compared to the Overland brass models into the $1000's.
I wasn't sure what to think about that, either. These were oddball engines, so it's possible that the paint treatment was a little different. I didn't know the Overland models were that expensive now. Yikes. Thanks for watching!
I’ve had quite a few models with droopy couplers; if they’re slightly low, this generally causes a problem only if the coupler trip-pins catch on turnouts or grade crossings. Once you put tension on the couplers (by pulling a decent load of railcars behind it), the forces will tend to straighten out the “droop” naturally. Shimming it up is a good idea, but make sure the shim doesn’t introduce too much friction in the side-to-side motion of the coupler, or it could pull the car behind it off the tracks on a curve. I think - if I buy one - it’ll be in the EMD demonstrator scheme. 😊
I have started to use shims a lot in situations where there is a lot of vertical play in the couplers. I would have had to file quite a bit more material on this model to fix the coupler height if I hadn't used the shim. I didn't mention it on camera but I did end up filing one of the shims slightly so that it wouldn't pinch the coupler and keep it from moving side to side. The EMD demo scheme looks nice, too. Thanks for watching!
Really looks nice! Great history lesson also (seriously). This is one of my favorite basic designs as I have an SD40-T-2 ScaleTrains locomotive. I wonder if ScaleTrains SD45X and SD40-T-2 are the same length. Thanks always.
I'm glad you liked the review. I haven't compared the models but the real SD45X and SD40T-2 had the same wheelbase so in theory the models should be about the same length. Thanks for watching!
It appears that this model has the same problem that plagued their SD39L and dash nines. The coupler mounting screw boss is too short and when the mounting screw is tightened (in this case too tight) the front end droops causing the coupler to droop. Adding a washer between the two usually helps.
Great review of this model. I would think a model this expensive the couplers would be at the correct height. I'm just wondering why so many engines have that problem.
I enjoy your detailed reviews. "Drooping" couplers are a problem with many locomotives and cars. One point: there are tolerances on coupler height, prototype and models. Per AAR Interchange Rule 16 E. 12., coupler height is measured from the top of the rail to the center face of the coupler knuckle. For empty cars, the minimum height is 32 1/2 inches, maximum 34 1/2 inches; for loaded cars, minimum is 31 1/2 inches, maximum is 33 1/2 inches - a 2" tolerance (what's 2" in HO scale?). Per NMRA Standard S-2, for HO scale, the tolerance is +/- 0.017 inch/ 0.43 mm (unlike the AAR Rule, NMRA doesn't differentiate between "empty" or "loaded"!) The point is, a coupler does not have to "exactly match" a coupler height gauge to be too high or too low. For this review, and others, it does appear the couplers are out of tolerance.
Coupler height is the most common source of deductions in my reviews. I don't know why so many locomotives have this issue. I assume that they are engineered to be correct, so I suspect it may have to do with things like paint thickness and slop that creeps in when the models are assembled. I've begun to think I would really like to see locomotives designed with the coupler mounting pads about .020 too high, with a shim installed. That way if the couplers end up low it would be a matter of removing or replacing the shim to raise them, much easier than all that filing. I will admit that I am very strict about coupler height, more so than some people. That comes from bad experiences with unwanted uncoupling. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi Agreed - thanks for your reply - - do think that even though “low” (more common than “high”, once coupled to a locomotive or car, under tension, the coupler may lift up. Of course, being low makes coupling a pain!
Given the level of detail on the "Rivet Counter" models, I guess the main thing they can do on the "Museum Quality" line is detail variations between different road numbers. That might be uneconomic at the price-point of the "Rivet Counter" line.
It's possible they might be doing that. I only bought one so I can't say for sure, though the first three SP units apparently have the road number on the front end instead of the large "SP", which was correct as delivered. Thanks for watching!
It be an interesting comparison to see how this would hold up to the overland brass model that was released years ago. I remember as a kid brass was the standard for those who wanted the best of the best. These days I hear mixed reviews on it mainly the motors sounds like tanks. Still hope you can someday do a review on brass Ho models and have your input on them Vs the plastic models today.
All of my brass locomotives are steam, and most are older production. I haven't ever had a brass diesel, but I'd be willing to review one if I could maybe borrow it from someone else. The most recently produced ones are super pricey. I had a couple of Overland chassis at one point, and though they ran okay they were a little noisy. Most of my plastic diesels had better drives. I sold off the Overland drives years ago. Thanks for watching!
I bought 9502 and really like it. I bought it because SD45's were a staple locomotive in SP's fleet. I didn't know they were retired in 1988. I model 70's to just before the merger. Southern Oregon lumber trains. The x model was short lived and I knew they didn't buy very many. Oh well, I did like your honest review. The cab light is a pain in the patootie it would be nice to be able to turn it off. I don't intend to buy any more museum quality because you made good points about not being much different than rivet counter. I tend to agree.
From what others have said, it sounds like ScaleTrains uses the Museum Quality line to produce models that they know have a limited appeal, like the SD45X and SDL39. The higher cost helps to offset the lower volume, so it's not so much about having more detail. I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
I'm sure if ScaleTrains did a Museum Quality steam locomotive it would be really cool. Maybe they'll do that someday. I saw a video a while back where someone used water to make a steam / smoke effect rather than smoke fluid. That would be intriguing too. Thanks for watching!
I don't have any of those, but they would probably not do very well. I do make some allowances for price. I think the level of expectation for a cheaper model is lower, so I try to grade accordingly. Thanks for watching!
Bowser, Bachmann, Broadway Limited and Scale Trains are all making keep alives standard which I think is great but the next feature I think they could tackle is step lights. There is always one more thing.
I'd like to see the keep alive capacitors in everything. It really makes a difference, especially with small engines or in N scale. Step lights would be cool, too. It looks neat at night. Thanks for watching!
Nice review. Good job I think the problem with the brake hose location within the plow is actually related to the oversize width of the Kadee compatible draft gear box. IIRC, the Kadee box is 1/4" wide, which scales to 24" on the model. Most prototypical draft gear boxes are only 18: wide. So how far do you go to compromise other details to accomodate the oversize draft gear box? We;ll, you have to have a bigger opening in the plow to accommodate the bigger draft gear box. I wonder how this compares with ScaleTrains SD45R and Athearn's Genesis SDO45, as the prototypes all have similar pilots - at least the snow plow is the same across these (and the SD40 and SD45T-2s). If you want to talk about stretching your modeling era... Imagine a Southern Pacific modeler who concentrates on SP Coast Division in 1953 getting one of these. Yep, guilty as charged. Some models are just too good, and too unique to pass up. The SD45X and KM ML4000 are stand out models in every way, and will be run at the club as appropriate.
I'm glad you liked the review. You're probably right about the slight inaccuracy being a concession to practicality. I don't really mind stuff like that too much. I often have to do similar things with my own builds. I think it's important to always keep the number one rule of model railroading in mind: fun. If you're having fun, you're doing it right. I don't want to get so strict with my "era" that I stop enjoying what I'm doing. Thanks for watching!
Got me the same engine - as an SP fan from the 70's and 80's, I wanted to add one to my fleet. I noticed your SD45T-2 still has that generic plow - I actually avoided buying those versions and waited until Athearn later ran more SD45T-2's with a prototypical looking plow. Are you going to do a review of the ScaleTrains N scale tunnel motors?
I'm glad you liked the review. I haven't worked on the Athearn unit yet, and I will be replacing the plow among other things. It's an old one that I've had for a long time. I'm considering getting one of the N scale SD40T-2 units, though I'm not totally sure yet. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi Your reviews are very good. The ScaleTrains N scale SD40T-2's are probably the best you can get in N scale. Significantly better than the Intermountain SD40T-2. The 88" nose SP are show out of stock but venders may have them. I bought 2 of those and one of the 123" nose. I bought all of the D&RGW numbers but one is DCC ready so I'll have to figure out how to install decoders.
It would be a 100 if the couplers were 1/64" higher. That is an easily fixable problem on an otherwise perfect model. Good through review. Thank you. The two things that I don't like about Scaletrains is the stanchions on the handrails always have a slight curve and the shell thickness behind windows always makes the windows look funny. You need to pop out the windows and paint them dark or cab color. Pain in the rear. Otherwise they make absolutely amazing models.
Plastic handrails are often a little off kilter, unfortunately. I kind of wish manufacturers would switch to metal ones that are more dimensionally stable. Some Rapido models have metal handrails with plastic stanchions, which is somewhat better. If they're bad enough sometimes I make new ones out of brass for my models. Thanks for watching!
This seems like a good unit, however, I’d say an almost $400 model should have real chains used for the handrail chains and tow chains. Also ScaleTrains headlights and mars lights are way too dim. Overall I’d say 8/10 but the model doesn’t warrant the price.
The reason for the so-called "fake" plastic chain is to make it easier to access the mechanism (even though I don't know this from personal experience, I've heard it's a bit of a chore to get the shell off some Intermountain and Atlas units that do use real chains on the trucks). Chains on the end rails and tow chains sound interesting, not sure I've seen something like that on a non-brass model before. One thing I would have like to have seen would be metal railings down the side similar to how Rapido does.
Being Railroad-Specific, I'm sure it wasn't cheap! What was the MSRP on that compared to a SD-45 or a SD-40-2 what's considered to be more of a common engine among a plethora of Road names?
Hi Dan, I haven’t been around here for a while because of my job. First of all, great video. Second, could you or anyone in the community recommend me a model train shop that ships internationally? I live in Colombia and buying from another country is the only way to get new stuff for this hobby
Welcome back. I'm glad you liked the video. I'm not sure about international shipping. I have bought models from Model Train Stuff, Lombard Hobbies, Factory Direct Hobbies, and others, as well as direct from some manufacturers like ScaleTrains. I've never had any problems, and the domestic shipping is usually pretty fast. Maybe check out some of the websites and see if they ship internationally. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Yeah, I'm sure they were impressive in person. It makes me wonder if I ever saw one when I was younger, but if I did I was too young to know what I was looking at. Thanks for watching!
I'm disappointed to see they continued to make these with the frog clank under the trucks. My museum quality SDL39 has them, they're not very robust and once they pop out of their holes, they catch in switches and crossings. I ended up removing them.
I was wondering about that. I can't really run models much right now, but when I get the layout going we'll have to see how well it holds up. I would remove them too if they became a problem. Thanks for watching!
It does have a lot of parts on it, much like the ScaleTrains Rivet Counter line. Having a lot of little parts does make models a little more fragile, that's for sure. Thanks for watching!
A couple of people commented on this so I went and got the model and checked, and the number boards work fine. I think the camera angle and studio light combination made it hard to see that one was on. Thanks for watching!
At least two people commented on this, so I had to check. Both number boards work. I think the problem is that with the studio lights and camera angle I used, it's not apparent on video. Thanks for watching!
I had actually wanted one of these so badly that years ago I broke down and bought an Overland Models SD45X, thinking we would definitely never see one in plastic 😮 but it was great to be able to get a few more now in *relatively* affordable form. I agree about there being little difference versus the Rivet Counter line. The way Shane Wilson explained it on a livestream that I saw was that the museum quality line is used for “boutique” projects that they know will be niche and low volume, and are offset by the profits from the GEVO and SD40-2 models among others which have a ton of potential variations that can be sold. Thanks for the review
That makes a little more sense then. I can understand if they're doing a lower volume run that they would need to charge a little more for it to make it worthwhile. It seems like this model would appeal mostly to SP fans. I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
It was kinda the same thing with the SDL39s and Turbines. I had the opportunity to ask Shane about this at a M&G and he kinda backed up the point that MQ focuses more on One-Offs that haven't really been offered outside brass. If it really was "Legendary" locomotives, the line would also be chalked full of SD40-2s and GP-38s because those are legendary in their own right.
@@DanielCortopassi I'd rather see less of these boutique models and more availability of their general line.
Thorough review - thank you! As another viewer noted the price differential has very little to do with special features and/or details and a lot to do with the unit cost for tooling a model for which there is a limited market because so few prototypes were built. ScaleTrains has no choice but to charge more and make it easier to swallow by incorporating whatever ‘extras’ they can. As consumers we have no choice but to pay the higher price in return for getting a beautiful model which would otherwise not be built. As modelers we are living in the Golden Age. Thanks again for the excellent review.
That makes sense. I agree that it's great we have so many awesome models to pick from these days. I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
The new gear boxes needs to be standard now. I had been on this topic for a number of years now. Finally Aurora did it on the 50F where it worked. Places like Athearn have said it would never work and I just simply chock that up to laziness in the last several years. This is now 2 manufacturers that have successfully accomplished this point and it is very welcomed in my opinion for the current price points.
It does look a little nicer to be able to see through the trucks. It's great to see companies like Aurora and ScaleTrains pushing the envelope a little to see what can be accomplished. Maybe Athearn will eventually follow suit. Thanks for watching!
PIKO Krauss Maffei is also the same
@clintonpringle8537 That's definitely out of my range and era, but from everything I've seen on those, they did an impeccable job on those.
Another great video, Dan! It was informative and entertaining. The observation, at the end, about making models better and better was an extra layer of model railroading insight. Many Thanks.
You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed the review. Thanks for watching!
One note for non ESU users, ScaleTrains has put a video out to access more of the lighting features on their engines. It does require some very fine soldering but should be worth it in the end.
That's good to know. Thanks for the info and for watching!
Dan, Another great review. These were amazing beasts, I remember thinking that when I photographed the EMD 5740 at EMD in LaGrange, IL during an EMD open house. I agree the pre-weathering of the wheels are great addition. Keep them coming.
I'm glad you liked the review. That's cool you got to see one of the units in person. It's possible I might have seen them on Donner as a kid but I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it at that age. Thanks for watching!
A model I never expected to see in super-detailed plastic, but I am happy Scale Trains went for it. I really love the look of the new "traction motor" gear boxes. If ST does a second run of these, I hope they'll do them in mid-70's thru mid-80's when they all had the SP on the noses and the deeper red band at the rear and looped uncoupling levers. Thanks for another good review, Dan. 🤠👍
I'm glad you liked the review. It will be interesting to see what they do in future runs. Thanks for watching!
I do agree rotating fans would be a good thing to add, although since only 7 units were built the price could also be an excuse of lower interest in a more obscure model, but that is merely speculating. Nice video as always.
That was the first thing that popped into my head as an add-on feature. I couldn't really think of anything else that could be added detail-wise. I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
One of my personal favorite SP engines scale trains did! I think it looks great!
I'm glad you liked the model. Thanks for watching!
Your knowledge is something else.I wish I did HO.I would swear by your reviews.
Have you ever considered doing historical content?The history of railroads and the equipment is fascinating to me
Great video as always
I'm glad you like the reviews. I rely heavily on my library of books for the info that I put into the reviews, at least for railroads that I have books about, like SP. I haven't thought much about doing a purely historical program, but it's something to keep in mind. Thanks for the suggestion and for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi thank you for your unbiased reviews and sharing your knowledge
Awesome review Dan! I've always found experimental units like this and the GP40X very fascinating. A darn shame these didn't last much longer than they did. A good number of GP40Xs are still around today.
I'm glad you liked the review. I had one of the Athearn GP40X models for a while. They are cool locomotives. Thanks for watching!
Great review Dan 👍🏾. Thanks for sharing.
I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
Thanks! Great review
Thanks so much! I appreciate the generosity!
Well... should watched the whole video first. I thought you gave it a lower score at first. But did I miss or you didn't really came back talking about traction sensors ? I watched the video again and you mentioned it a bit when it was running thru Kato track's curve. You're damn right about the level of details today's engine are reaching. Pretty hard to make them better. Course when they will run by their own with a rechargeable battery, it will be heaven for all of us modelers. Thanks for taking time to do those videos for us.
I went with battery powered DCC for my outdoor layout. We live in an area with some farms and ranches and the dust is constant, so I didn't even want to attempt track power. It could be cool in HO, too, if they could reproduce all the functionality of regular track powered DCC at that small scale, with batteries that lasted a while. My large scale engines will run for hours between charges. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for your review, it’s one of my favorite SP locomotives! I also appreciate your honesty on the price. I do have an Overland brass with ESU Dcc and sound. I got a great deal on the model and I added the sound so it was actually cheaper than the Scaletrains model!
I'm glad you liked the review. I haven't seen the Overland version. It's good you got a deal on it. Their diesels are usually really pricey. Thanks for watching!
Great review!, they went to all that trouble, but didn't do the rear walkway/cross walk lights....but still a very nice model
I'm glad you liked the review. More lights like that would be cool. Thanks for watching!
The Museum Quality line, based on this release in particular but also for the SDL39, seems destined locomotives that would not generate the sales and multiple production runs that the standard SD/GP/DASH/GEVO release would. Hence they charge a premium to justify making these. Personally alright with that! Might not have been there original intent, as the GTEL 8500’s were released across both MQ and RC, but if the MQ line allows for more limited production runs of models no offer manufacturer would touch, I would think it worth the extra asking price.
Appreciate the review as always Dan!
That makes sense. A couple of other people have commented about that as well. I'm glad to see ScaleTrains making models of some more obscure prototypes on occasion. Nothing like that would have happened 20 years ago, except maybe in brass. Thanks for watching!
Hi Dan. Very interesting as usual. Thanks for sharing. The ONLY bad thing I found on that engine is on the electric cabinet side (witch has none). On that side, at bottom of cab - I think those are battery boxes openings, there's a small gap between bottom opening and seal on right corner. It's like the cab was not snapped properly to the chassis. Otherwise, that engine is spectacular. Too big to run on my layout but Scaletrains is making very nice models lately. I would give it 80 or 85%. Even 90%. Couplers is not that big of an issue for me. Keep on your good work Dan.
I'm glad you liked the review. I think ScaleTrains is making some nice models, too. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi Hey Dan. Thanks for answering. I bought a Trinity 31K crude oil tank car from ScaleTrains. That is one heck of a car. At has nothing wrong on it. Nothing. Expensive but truly a beauty. I would like Scaletrains to go back in the past a bit but it seems like Rapido is more in that era than Scaletrains. The other thing I like is that when one manufacturer makes great improvements, the rest of them follow. As you said, it's hard to improve what's already highly upgraded. Keep on your good work.
Nice review.
I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!
Great review! I’m hoping for an “n” scale announcement. For the rivet counter build. 😊
Maybe they'll do one in N scale. I saw they just released tunnel motors in N, so it's possible. I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
Great Review. I noticed that about the Museum and rivet counter lines that there isn't that much more detail just the interior lights in the cab and the track sounds. Besides that, they're the same.
A couple other people commented that ScaleTrains uses the Museum Quality lines to produce models that are more special interest. They sell at a higher price to offset the lower sales volume. I didn't know that when I taped the review but it makes a kind of sense. The detail level is about the same, as you mentioned. Thanks for watching!
I agree about the red demarcation on top of the short hood. I would need to see proof but it should be an easy fix with careful masking and paint matching to make it straight across. The SD45 looks correct. Even at this price it is a bargain compared to the Overland brass models into the $1000's.
I wasn't sure what to think about that, either. These were oddball engines, so it's possible that the paint treatment was a little different. I didn't know the Overland models were that expensive now. Yikes. Thanks for watching!
I’ve had quite a few models with droopy couplers; if they’re slightly low, this generally causes a problem only if the coupler trip-pins catch on turnouts or grade crossings. Once you put tension on the couplers (by pulling a decent load of railcars behind it), the forces will tend to straighten out the “droop” naturally. Shimming it up is a good idea, but make sure the shim doesn’t introduce too much friction in the side-to-side motion of the coupler, or it could pull the car behind it off the tracks on a curve. I think - if I buy one - it’ll be in the EMD demonstrator scheme. 😊
I have started to use shims a lot in situations where there is a lot of vertical play in the couplers. I would have had to file quite a bit more material on this model to fix the coupler height if I hadn't used the shim. I didn't mention it on camera but I did end up filing one of the shims slightly so that it wouldn't pinch the coupler and keep it from moving side to side. The EMD demo scheme looks nice, too. Thanks for watching!
Really looks nice! Great history lesson also (seriously). This is one of my favorite basic designs as I have an SD40-T-2 ScaleTrains locomotive. I wonder if ScaleTrains SD45X and SD40-T-2 are the same length. Thanks always.
I'm glad you liked the review. I haven't compared the models but the real SD45X and SD40T-2 had the same wheelbase so in theory the models should be about the same length. Thanks for watching!
It appears that this model has the same problem that plagued their SD39L and dash nines. The coupler mounting screw boss is too short and when the mounting screw is tightened (in this case too tight) the front end droops causing the coupler to droop. Adding a washer between the two usually helps.
Maybe in the future I'll try that and see if I can save myself some filing. Thanks for the tip and for watching!
Great review of this model. I would think a model this expensive the couplers would be at the correct height. I'm just wondering why so many engines have that problem.
I enjoy your detailed reviews. "Drooping" couplers are a problem with many locomotives and cars. One point: there are tolerances on coupler height, prototype and models. Per AAR Interchange Rule 16 E. 12., coupler height is measured from the top of the rail to the center face of the coupler knuckle. For empty cars, the minimum height is 32 1/2 inches, maximum 34 1/2 inches; for loaded cars, minimum is 31 1/2 inches, maximum is 33 1/2 inches - a 2" tolerance (what's 2" in HO scale?). Per NMRA Standard S-2, for HO scale, the tolerance is +/- 0.017 inch/ 0.43 mm (unlike the AAR Rule, NMRA doesn't differentiate between "empty" or "loaded"!) The point is, a coupler does not have to "exactly match" a coupler height gauge to be too high or too low. For this review, and others, it does appear the couplers are out of tolerance.
Coupler height is the most common source of deductions in my reviews. I don't know why so many locomotives have this issue. I assume that they are engineered to be correct, so I suspect it may have to do with things like paint thickness and slop that creeps in when the models are assembled. I've begun to think I would really like to see locomotives designed with the coupler mounting pads about .020 too high, with a shim installed. That way if the couplers end up low it would be a matter of removing or replacing the shim to raise them, much easier than all that filing. I will admit that I am very strict about coupler height, more so than some people. That comes from bad experiences with unwanted uncoupling. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi Agreed - thanks for your reply - - do think that even though “low” (more common than “high”, once coupled to a locomotive or car, under tension, the coupler may lift up. Of course, being low makes coupling a pain!
Given the level of detail on the "Rivet Counter" models, I guess the main thing they can do on the "Museum Quality" line is detail variations between different road numbers. That might be uneconomic at the price-point of the "Rivet Counter" line.
It's possible they might be doing that. I only bought one so I can't say for sure, though the first three SP units apparently have the road number on the front end instead of the large "SP", which was correct as delivered. Thanks for watching!
It be an interesting comparison to see how this would hold up to the overland brass model that was released years ago.
I remember as a kid brass was the standard for those who wanted the best of the best. These days I hear mixed reviews on it mainly the motors sounds like tanks.
Still hope you can someday do a review on brass Ho models and have your input on them Vs the plastic models today.
All of my brass locomotives are steam, and most are older production. I haven't ever had a brass diesel, but I'd be willing to review one if I could maybe borrow it from someone else. The most recently produced ones are super pricey. I had a couple of Overland chassis at one point, and though they ran okay they were a little noisy. Most of my plastic diesels had better drives. I sold off the Overland drives years ago. Thanks for watching!
As an FYI-ScaleTrains can send you replacement sun shades if you contact their support
I may try that. Thanks for the tip and for watching!
I bought 9502 and really like it. I bought it because SD45's were a staple locomotive in SP's fleet. I didn't know they were retired in 1988. I model 70's to just before the merger. Southern Oregon lumber trains. The x model was short lived and I knew they didn't buy very many. Oh well, I did like your honest review. The cab light is a pain in the patootie it would be nice to be able to turn it off. I don't intend to buy any more museum quality because you made good points about not being much different than rivet counter. I tend to agree.
From what others have said, it sounds like ScaleTrains uses the Museum Quality line to produce models that they know have a limited appeal, like the SD45X and SDL39. The higher cost helps to offset the lower volume, so it's not so much about having more detail. I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi I typically never buy museum quality. I just wanted another strange SD45. I have a SDP45. Another unusual one.
A museum quality steamer would be great. With cylinder smoke. ESU did this with some German steam engines, so it is possible.
I'm sure if ScaleTrains did a Museum Quality steam locomotive it would be really cool. Maybe they'll do that someday. I saw a video a while back where someone used water to make a steam / smoke effect rather than smoke fluid. That would be intriguing too. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi Oh, I thought they all used water, these days? And some ultrasound thing to produce the vapour cloud.
I really want to see a review of some old tyco or AHM locomotive, see how few points it ends up getting
I don't have any of those, but they would probably not do very well. I do make some allowances for price. I think the level of expectation for a cheaper model is lower, so I try to grade accordingly. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi It would just be really funny to see the exact opposite end of the spectrum from something like this
Bowser, Bachmann, Broadway Limited and Scale Trains are all making keep alives standard which I think is great but the next feature I think they could tackle is step lights. There is always one more thing.
I'd like to see the keep alive capacitors in everything. It really makes a difference, especially with small engines or in N scale. Step lights would be cool, too. It looks neat at night. Thanks for watching!
Nice review. Good job
I think the problem with the brake hose location within the plow is actually related to the oversize width of the Kadee compatible draft gear box. IIRC, the Kadee box is 1/4" wide, which scales to 24" on the model. Most prototypical draft gear boxes are only 18: wide. So how far do you go to compromise other details to accomodate the oversize draft gear box? We;ll, you have to have a bigger opening in the plow to accommodate the bigger draft gear box.
I wonder how this compares with ScaleTrains SD45R and Athearn's Genesis SDO45, as the prototypes all have similar pilots - at least the snow plow is the same across these (and the SD40 and SD45T-2s).
If you want to talk about stretching your modeling era... Imagine a Southern Pacific modeler who concentrates on SP Coast Division in 1953 getting one of these. Yep, guilty as charged. Some models are just too good, and too unique to pass up. The SD45X and KM ML4000 are stand out models in every way, and will be run at the club as appropriate.
I'm glad you liked the review. You're probably right about the slight inaccuracy being a concession to practicality. I don't really mind stuff like that too much. I often have to do similar things with my own builds. I think it's important to always keep the number one rule of model railroading in mind: fun. If you're having fun, you're doing it right. I don't want to get so strict with my "era" that I stop enjoying what I'm doing. Thanks for watching!
Got me the same engine - as an SP fan from the 70's and 80's, I wanted to add one to my fleet. I noticed your SD45T-2 still has that generic plow - I actually avoided buying those versions and waited until Athearn later ran more SD45T-2's with a prototypical looking plow. Are you going to do a review of the ScaleTrains N scale tunnel motors?
I'm glad you liked the review. I haven't worked on the Athearn unit yet, and I will be replacing the plow among other things. It's an old one that I've had for a long time. I'm considering getting one of the N scale SD40T-2 units, though I'm not totally sure yet. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi Your reviews are very good. The ScaleTrains N scale SD40T-2's are probably the best you can get in N scale. Significantly better than the Intermountain SD40T-2. The 88" nose SP are show out of stock but venders may have them. I bought 2 of those and one of the 123" nose. I bought all of the D&RGW numbers but one is DCC ready so I'll have to figure out how to install decoders.
It would be a 100 if the couplers were 1/64" higher. That is an easily fixable problem on an otherwise perfect model. Good through review. Thank you. The two things that I don't like about Scaletrains is the stanchions on the handrails always have a slight curve and the shell thickness behind windows always makes the windows look funny. You need to pop out the windows and paint them dark or cab color. Pain in the rear. Otherwise they make absolutely amazing models.
Plastic handrails are often a little off kilter, unfortunately. I kind of wish manufacturers would switch to metal ones that are more dimensionally stable. Some Rapido models have metal handrails with plastic stanchions, which is somewhat better. If they're bad enough sometimes I make new ones out of brass for my models. Thanks for watching!
This seems like a good unit, however, I’d say an almost $400 model should have real chains used for the handrail chains and tow chains.
Also ScaleTrains headlights and mars lights are way too dim.
Overall I’d say 8/10 but the model doesn’t warrant the price.
I'm glad you found the review informative. Thanks for watching!
The reason for the so-called "fake" plastic chain is to make it easier to access the mechanism (even though I don't know this from personal experience, I've heard it's a bit of a chore to get the shell off some Intermountain and Atlas units that do use real chains on the trucks). Chains on the end rails and tow chains sound interesting, not sure I've seen something like that on a non-brass model before. One thing I would have like to have seen would be metal railings down the side similar to how Rapido does.
Being Railroad-Specific, I'm sure it wasn't cheap! What was the MSRP on that compared to a SD-45 or a SD-40-2 what's considered to be more of a common engine among a plethora of Road names?
This sound equipped version of this model is about $380, direct from ScaleTrains. The sound equipped SD45 is about $300. Thanks for watching!
Hi Dan, I haven’t been around here for a while because of my job. First of all, great video. Second, could you or anyone in the community recommend me a model train shop that ships internationally? I live in Colombia and buying from another country is the only way to get new stuff for this hobby
Welcome back. I'm glad you liked the video. I'm not sure about international shipping. I have bought models from Model Train Stuff, Lombard Hobbies, Factory Direct Hobbies, and others, as well as direct from some manufacturers like ScaleTrains. I've never had any problems, and the domestic shipping is usually pretty fast. Maybe check out some of the websites and see if they ship internationally. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Nice to see that at ‘Museum Quality’ still gives you incorrect coupler height!
It does seem to happen a lot, unfortunately. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi I find it astonishing that even “top end” manufacturers have failed to address this recurring issue.
The fuel gauges are unpainted or the prototype was in that way?
In a couple photos I found of 9503 the gauges appeared to be gray. Some of the other units look like they had red painted gauges. Thanks for watching!
That’s one kind of rare SP Diesel-Electric Prototype, sadly none of preserved and scrapped.
Yeah, I'm sure they were impressive in person. It makes me wonder if I ever saw one when I was younger, but if I did I was too young to know what I was looking at. Thanks for watching!
You're welcome. @@DanielCortopassi
I'm disappointed to see they continued to make these with the frog clank under the trucks. My museum quality SDL39 has them, they're not very robust and once they pop out of their holes, they catch in switches and crossings. I ended up removing them.
I was wondering about that. I can't really run models much right now, but when I get the layout going we'll have to see how well it holds up. I would remove them too if they became a problem. Thanks for watching!
Honestly, I'd be scared to touch let alone break open a museum quality engine in fear of knocking something off.
It does have a lot of parts on it, much like the ScaleTrains Rivet Counter line. Having a lot of little parts does make models a little more fragile, that's for sure. Thanks for watching!
cooling fan anamation
I reviewed an Aurora model recently that has that feature. Thanks for watching!
🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🍺👍
Thanks for watching!
Supposed expert reviewer and misses the blatant number board light out and gives it a padded score.
A couple of people commented on this so I went and got the model and checked, and the number boards work fine. I think the camera angle and studio light combination made it hard to see that one was on. Thanks for watching!
@@DanielCortopassi fair enough.
You have the right number board burned out, that’s too bad, 80/100 possible points
At least two people commented on this, so I had to check. Both number boards work. I think the problem is that with the studio lights and camera angle I used, it's not apparent on video. Thanks for watching!
Its a Sd 40T-2. You don't know.
great comment!!!!!!!!!!!!
No SD40T-2s in this video. There's the SD45X, plus an SD45T-2 and an SD45R that I used for comparison. Thanks for watching!