MTS IMPORTS, INC. December 6, 2011
will be on vacation in Florida from
thru March 6, 2012 During that time you can reach us at our regular e-mail address:
mtsimp85@yahoo.com
them shut. It’s a nice touch if one wants to pose a crew member in the doorway or prop them open to allow fresh air into the cab on those hot desert days in the Owens Valley. A few parts are provided for the modeler to install, including the num- ber boards (with extra train symbol “X- 1” displayed), front window wipers, and window glazing. I used Micro Kristal Klear to install the number boards and cyanoacrylate for the wipers. I have not yet installed the glazing, as I intend to cut my own win- dow glass from microscope slide covers. My model came in the as-delivered scheme. Paint is uniformly applied with crisp color separations. The let- tering is also well done, although some SP fans will want to add a few extra pieces of data that can be spotted in prototype photos. As a mostly-black lo- comotive, this model will definitely benefit from weathering, and, as I’ve already noted, weathering definitely played a role in the prototype’s six- year career on the SP. I don’t have an On3 layout myself,
but my good friend Dave Burroughs has an excellent D&RGW layout, so I packed up Little Giant and took it to his place to put it through its paces. (It was the first time he could recall that a diesel had visited his layout, which he has been building for more than a quarter century.) My model came gauged for On3, so it includes Kadee 803 couplers. They do project too far from the ends of the lo- comotive, but this allows the Kadee trip pin to clear the boiler tube pilot tucked between the footboards. I’m confident anybody working in On3 would be able to quickly and easily modify a pair of Kadee couplers to mount them further into the pockets, and that’s what I’ll do on my model. One of the really strong suits of mod-
els from this importer is performance. Rich Yoder drive trains are designed to be smooth, and the drive in this model is no exception. We did, however, no- tice a bit of growl when running in re- verse, although it was not excessive at realistic speeds and it may disappear with a bit more lubrication and run- ning time. A good-sized motor is mounted verti-
cally on the front truck, with reduction gears powering the second axle. A belt drive transfers power to the front-most axle.
The rear truck is unpowered. This is
a concession to the prototype’s low height and the model’s detailed cab. There’s just no room for a second mo- tor. However, the Owens Valley, where the prototype worked, also strikes me as flat or at least in photos shows it that way. I foresee no issues with haul- ing a train on the level or escorting a few cars up a modest grade. On Dave’s layout we pulled a decent string of cars weighted to NMRA standards on the level, and even on a short stretch of four percent grade we managed to haul three D&RGW boxcars. Based on this, I’d guess that the locomotive would perform just fine on a prototype-based SP Keeler Branch layout, providing one shoves short cuts up the elevated ore transfer at Owenyo. Modelers look- ing for mountain goats should stick to those geared steam engines. Everyone else, however, should be pleased. Eight-wheel pickup is standard, and
the model comes with directional light- ing. A welcome addition for many will be the inclusion of a DCC decoder, fac- tory set to address 01. We tested this using DecoderPro, the free software from JMRI, and the factory decoder ap- pears to be an NCE D13SRJ, which features a number of motor control fea- tures such as Silent Running and Torque Compensation, plus four func-
Start
training here.
Go to
www.greatesthobby.com and get links to hobby resources and reference materials, lists of train shows and events, and information about planning and building your first model railroad layout. We’ll even help you find a shop or club in your area willing to coach you one-on-one. It’s everything you need to know to start enjoying your new hobby. Getting started in the World’s Greatest Hobby has never been easier!
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90 JANUARY 2012
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