Very good review of the model. But a quick note about running it as a GN prototype. Mentioned at the end of the review, the GN Class F-11 and F-12 did have radial firebox, but only the F-11 had dome / bell configuration similar to the model; the locomotive could be renumbered as 590 or 591 and resemble the prototype. The light placement on the model would be accurate for 590 or 591, but the F-11 class had a different tender (and no reverse light as in the model). It seems that the Great Northern did not have dedicated tenders for individual engines, so that may be a minor detail (although I am not sure that the model is accurate for other GN tenders). The domes on the F-11 class were taller and not like other GN steam or sand domes. One takeaways from all of this is that if BLI had numbered this as GN 590-591 the discussion of prototype would be very different. The critique that BLI is sloppy on prototype is accurate but that is because they are producing a generic model for several different railroads when they could do better. This is not like most of the GN 2-8-0s but you could put in on your layout as long as it is pulling trains on secondary routes east of the mountains, not in mainline service.
Looking at the photos of the real GN of this run series, yes it looks like BLI just did a flashy green and silver paint job on their Milwaukee Road pre c1900 consolidations and called it a day. They'd have done better recoloring their PRR model..but that would have still missed historic features. However they would be easier to fix. Reminds me of the Mantua kitbashing switcher cabs onto road giants and AHMs nice looking castings painted for a dozen roads without changing much on the loco or tender to get the year and order correct. Nice description and nice honesty on where they missed.
+raymond schilke Glad to hear you like the review. Hope you enjoy your PRR version. I've got one in PRR too and it is great. You might be surprised by the unique sounding Pennsy whistle if you haven't heard it before. It sounds a lot different from the GN version. Cheers, Kevin
I can't understand why they omitted the Belpaire firebox. The engine is clearly just based on a PRR H10, which had the correct firebox. Why did they change the shell to something even less accurate when they already make shells for this that were closer to prototypical?
Paul, I'm right there with you. It would have been a better model if they had just applied the GN paint scheme to the PRR model without any changes. There still would be lots of things incorrect, but at least the firebox would be correct. Cheers, Kevin
Thank you for a great review. I'll be saving my pennies for a long time, but I WANT one of these! Sure, there may be some discrepancies - and I'll even agree, that for what they WANT for these, they could make a little more of an effort I guess.... But personally, after 43 years in the hobby, I'm just looking at it as a beautiful model, of a manageable sized Steamer, for a LOT of money!! :( :O I admit, I REALLY like that fan-driven smoke units have been perfected in HO Scale. it was one of the things I missed about O.... But again, you did a great job presenting this, and I felt you were quite thorough.
Finally bought one a couple of years ago, had to send back for repair, and also my N scale EMD 7 had sound issue that was no longer fixable from BLI....:(
Dwight, too bad to hear about your engines. I've heard from some other people that had problems with their BLI engines too--usually with the decoders. I don't want to jinks myself, but I own/have owned over 40 BLI steam engines and a few of their diesels and haven't ever had a problem with mine (except a couple minor packing issues). Cheers, Kevin
Great review, I noticed the fire box as soon as you took it out of the box, come on BLI! Final thought, is all those extra sounds really worth the price? Some how it seems like to many "bells and whistles".
+Joe Saurina Thank you for the compliment on the review. With regards to the extra sounds being worth it, I think that is pretty much an individual choice. For some, I'm sure they aren't worth it, but for others they might be. In other consumer products there are a lot of "bells and whistles" that aren't worth it to me, but I see a lot of other people buying those things. Also, I'm not sure how much lower the cost would be if BLI only had say 12 sound functions instead of 20+. Anyway, glad you liked the review. Cheers, Kevin
+jlwii2000 James, ha you're right. "During today's performance evaluation, the crew performed above the required minimum standard, with the following discrepancies noted..." Maybe its from back in my days as an evaluater. Cheers, Kevin
Why on earth is it so hard for these companies to get, deck plate at proper height, headlight at proper position, bell in proper place, and draw bar to at least have one or two more holes closer to the cab ?? They must be some $350. At this price, details should be 99% accurate...
+H.O.trainiac Not really as I don't run the smoke units on my steam engines very much. I haven't noticed any residue on any of my BLI engines with smoke units or anywhere in my layout room. However, even if they would produce some type of residue, I'm sure I don't run mine with the smoke on enough to see it. You can get some smoke fluid seepage on the engine if you overfill the smoke unit. Hope this helps. Cheers, Kevin
I heavily prefer the newer way they package the consolidation, with it in a single plastic shell that holds both the locomotive and tender together, so you don't have to fiddle with the plug
I completely agree. BLI's been consistently improving there packaging every couple years. I think they've got it right now with the long box. Cheers, Kevin.
+Christoffer Van Dyke Yes, BLI makes this engine in many different road names. You can check out the BLI web site for all the different road names available. Cheers, Kevin
Kevin in viewing this video you showed a double crossover. Did you do any special wiring when you installed the double crossover? I enjoyed your review of the BLI Great Northern Steam! You have a great flair to your presentation of your videos. I have watched many of them and they have progressed to a true professional quality. Well done! Lynn
+Lynn A Holcombe Lynn, thanks for the great compliment. With regards to the double crossover, no I did not install any special wiring. I just wired pick-ups at the ends of each mainline and that was it. Now wiring goes directly to the interior sections of the double crossover. Cheers, Kevin
I'd rather have the HO Bachmann Connie (tho I think they don't smoke [yet])...And why can't they get the foot plate to land level on the cab floors ? I just saw one that did in another vid/loco.. So it is not impossible...I knew the headlight was too high before running vid....Why on earth do they get these things wrong in the mold-making Depts ? Why must domes/bell Pos. be goofy on some locos ?
Hey man sense you know like every thing about BNSF do know why they are sell all there great locomotives like c30-7,GP 38u's,GP40, SD 45's, and other a like plz tell me
+James Fagan The reason those are gone is because BNSF doesn't need these engines as they are buying brand new locomotives and downgrading locomotives like SD40-2's into yard and local service therefore eliminating the need to have these locomotives around. (The C30-7's & SD45's have been gone since the early 2000's.)
What's with the dark picture ?! 2:36 How stupid is that ! The tender is way too far back !! And when is someone going to produce a steamer where the footplate really lands on the tender sill and at same level !! No Belpair, wrong headlight/bell location. Wrong valve gear. Too many sounds we'll never use. Freight announce__Oh please ! Does it have 'keep alive' ? Let me guess : $425 !_____ I think I might like the Bachmann better...M Los Angeles
A Pennsy steamer trying to pass for a GN steamer doesn't fly. A Tenshodo F8 consolidation mops the floor with the BLI in terms of prototypicallity, detail, pulling power, and price. Another big fail for BLI.
![KRK - ชนิสรา Ft.WanMai , N/A [Official MV] Prod. By Sakarin](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/C-WMwwYobcU/mqdefault.jpg)
Very good review of the model. But a quick note about running it as a GN prototype. Mentioned at the end of the review, the GN Class F-11 and F-12 did have radial firebox, but only the F-11 had dome / bell configuration similar to the model; the locomotive could be renumbered as 590 or 591 and resemble the prototype. The light placement on the model would be accurate for 590 or 591, but the F-11 class had a different tender (and no reverse light as in the model). It seems that the Great Northern did not have dedicated tenders for individual engines, so that may be a minor detail (although I am not sure that the model is accurate for other GN tenders). The domes on the F-11 class were taller and not like other GN steam or sand domes. One takeaways from all of this is that if BLI had numbered this as GN 590-591 the discussion of prototype would be very different. The critique that BLI is sloppy on prototype is accurate but that is because they are producing a generic model for several different railroads when they could do better. This is not like most of the GN 2-8-0s but you could put in on your layout as long as it is pulling trains on secondary routes east of the mountains, not in mainline service.
Thanks to you, and jlwii2000, for a great info on this fab. engine. This and the MTH evo hybrid are what I'm saving my money for....
+Dwight Crisman You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed the review. Cheers, Kevin
As always, great video Kevin! Always look forward and enjoy your posts! Cant wait to see more of the layout.
+Joe T Thanks Joe. Glad you liked the review. Cheers, Kevin
Looking at the photos of the real GN of this run series, yes it looks like BLI just did a flashy green and silver paint job on their Milwaukee Road pre c1900 consolidations and called it a day. They'd have done better recoloring their PRR model..but that would have still missed historic features. However they would be easier to fix.
Reminds me of the Mantua kitbashing switcher cabs onto road giants and AHMs nice looking castings painted for a dozen roads without changing much on the loco or tender to get the year and order correct.
Nice description and nice honesty on where they missed.
Great review. Ordered mine today in the PRR theme.
+raymond schilke Glad to hear you like the review. Hope you enjoy your PRR version. I've got one in PRR too and it is great. You might be surprised by the unique sounding Pennsy whistle if you haven't heard it before. It sounds a lot different from the GN version. Cheers, Kevin
I can't understand why they omitted the Belpaire firebox. The engine is clearly just based on a PRR H10, which had the correct firebox. Why did they change the shell to something even less accurate when they already make shells for this that were closer to prototypical?
Paul, I'm right there with you. It would have been a better model if they had just applied the GN paint scheme to the PRR model without any changes. There still would be lots of things incorrect, but at least the firebox would be correct. Cheers, Kevin
Thank you for a great review. I'll be saving my pennies for a long time, but I WANT one of these!
Sure, there may be some discrepancies - and I'll even agree, that for what they WANT for these, they could make a little more of an effort I guess....
But personally, after 43 years in the hobby, I'm just looking at it as a beautiful model, of a manageable sized Steamer, for a LOT of money!! :( :O
I admit, I REALLY like that fan-driven smoke units have been perfected in HO Scale. it was one of the things I missed about O....
But again, you did a great job presenting this, and I felt you were quite thorough.
Thanks for the feedback and compliments on the review. Agree that this is a great locomotive even with the non-prototypical details. Cheers, Kevin
I run a Freelance Railroad....
Details usually don't bother me, as long as it isn't ridiculous! :P
Great review of a nice steamy.
+Peter CPRail8748 Thanks.
Finally bought one a couple of years ago, had to send back for repair, and also my N scale EMD 7 had sound issue that was no longer fixable from BLI....:(
Dwight, too bad to hear about your engines. I've heard from some other people that had problems with their BLI engines too--usually with the decoders. I don't want to jinks myself, but I own/have owned over 40 BLI steam engines and a few of their diesels and haven't ever had a problem with mine (except a couple minor packing issues). Cheers, Kevin
Great review, I noticed the fire box as soon as you took it out of the box, come on BLI! Final thought, is all those extra sounds really worth the price? Some how it seems like to many "bells and whistles".
+Joe Saurina Thank you for the compliment on the review. With regards to the extra sounds being worth it, I think that is pretty much an individual choice. For some, I'm sure they aren't worth it, but for others they might be. In other consumer products there are a lot of "bells and whistles" that aren't worth it to me, but I see a lot of other people buying those things. Also, I'm not sure how much lower the cost would be if BLI only had say 12 sound functions instead of 20+. Anyway, glad you liked the review. Cheers, Kevin
Sweet! Wish i could afford one of these. Someday....
Thanks for the feedback. Keep an eye on the secondary market. Sometimes some lightly used ones go for a lot less than retail. Cheers, Kevin
You said "discrepancies" I've done the same thing in some reviews. Big blue has influenced our reviews :)
+jlwii2000 James, ha you're right. "During today's performance evaluation, the crew performed above the required minimum standard, with the following discrepancies noted..." Maybe its from back in my days as an evaluater. Cheers, Kevin
I would have bought one but the location of the class lights bothered me.
what is the price of this actual steam engine??
Why on earth is it so hard for these companies to get, deck plate at proper height, headlight at proper position, bell in proper place, and draw bar to at least have one or two more holes closer to the cab ?? They must be some $350.
At this price, details should be 99% accurate...
Nice model, great sound, but the horn is too weak.
Could you do an ops session back in the steam era in the future? I think a lot of railfans would love to see that
Great review my friend.
+chris shoulders Thanks Chris. Cheers, Kevin
Can you tell me if there is much oil residue after operating the smoke unit for a while?
+H.O.trainiac Not really as I don't run the smoke units on my steam engines very much. I haven't noticed any residue on any of my BLI engines with smoke units or anywhere in my layout room. However, even if they would produce some type of residue, I'm sure I don't run mine with the smoke on enough to see it. You can get some smoke fluid seepage on the engine if you overfill the smoke unit. Hope this helps. Cheers, Kevin
I heavily prefer the newer way they package the consolidation, with it in a single plastic shell that holds both the locomotive and tender together, so you don't have to fiddle with the plug
I completely agree. BLI's been consistently improving there packaging every couple years. I think they've got it right now with the long box. Cheers, Kevin.
Does this locomotive only have Great Northern road name or does it have others??
+Christoffer Van Dyke Yes, BLI makes this engine in many different road names. You can check out the BLI web site for all the different road names available. Cheers, Kevin
what controller you using
I use the Digitrax Super Chief Xtra Duplex Radio DCC system. Cheers, Kevin
Kevin in viewing this video you showed a double crossover. Did you do any special wiring when you installed the double crossover? I enjoyed your review of the BLI Great Northern Steam! You have a great flair to your presentation of your videos. I have watched many of them and they have progressed to a true professional quality. Well done! Lynn
+Lynn A Holcombe Lynn, thanks for the great compliment. With regards to the double crossover, no I did not install any special wiring. I just wired pick-ups at the ends of each mainline and that was it. Now wiring goes directly to the interior sections of the double crossover. Cheers, Kevin
L love these train and i like 280 train it so cool
Caden, thank you. I like them too. Cheers, Kevin
Ok thx
I have the southern 630 variant
I'd rather have the HO Bachmann Connie (tho I think they don't smoke [yet])...And why can't they get the foot plate to land level on the cab floors ? I just saw one that did in another vid/loco.. So it is not impossible...I knew the headlight was too high before running vid....Why on earth do they get these things wrong in the mold-making Depts ? Why must domes/bell Pos. be goofy on some locos ?
Is it DCC Equipped
Yes, this engine has a Paragon 2 DCC sound decoder. Cheers, Kevin
They have the exact REAl loco at my railroad muesem
Cool. I guess you live in Wenatchee, WA since 1147 is on display in Mission Street Park there.
Hey man sense you know like every thing about BNSF do know why they are sell all there great locomotives like c30-7,GP 38u's,GP40, SD 45's, and other a like plz tell me
+James Fagan The reason those are gone is because BNSF doesn't need these engines as they are buying brand new locomotives and downgrading locomotives like SD40-2's into yard and local service therefore eliminating the need to have these locomotives around. (The C30-7's & SD45's have been gone since the early 2000's.)
+railroadpics _ thank you very much for telling me I did not know that the c30-7
Where gone I saw I csx locomotive c30-7 so thanks LOL
Depeche Mode
I LOVE that band!!!
What's with the dark picture ?! 2:36 How stupid is that ! The tender is way too far back !! And when is someone going to produce a steamer where the footplate really lands on the tender sill and at same level !! No Belpair, wrong headlight/bell location. Wrong valve gear. Too many sounds we'll never use. Freight announce__Oh please ! Does it have 'keep alive' ?
Let me guess : $425 !_____ I think I might like the Bachmann better...M Los Angeles
A Pennsy steamer trying to pass for a GN steamer doesn't fly. A Tenshodo F8 consolidation mops the floor with the BLI in terms of prototypicallity, detail, pulling power, and price. Another big fail for BLI.