The benchmark locomotive.

[tomparryharry]

Hello Folks, here's a poser for you. But! Bear in mind, this is 4mm RTR.

 

There are lots of reviews hereabouts about "the loco can do this" or, " the loco can do that", which is fine.  However, which is the standard, against which other models are rated? As a purely personal choice, the Western 56xx gets close, but what about all the other models, makes & types? 

 

We had 'Glasshoughton no4 for a couple of years at Blaenavon, and it was a lovely loco.  Rapido have done a nice job on the model 16", but it's only a personal perspective. 

 

Who, or what, is the benchmark?

[The Johnster]

The Baccy 56xx is a pretty good benchmark, superb little model, runs like a sewing maching, beatifully finished and well detailed.  It's not the newest tooling but I would see no need to retool it; it ain't broke, so don't fix it!!!  I have two of them and they are a delight.  There are other locos at Cwmdimbath that are as good, but none are better.  It is possible that the upcoming Rapido small prairies might be a significant step up enough to become the new benchmark, but we'll have to wait and see, won't we?  I'm happy with my Baccy small prairies, but they are a bit on the edge for tractive effort, and this is on a small flat BLT.  They will gib at a 2-coach train of Keyser whitemetal kit-built auto trailers (mind, a 9F would probably have trouble with these things) and will pick up their driving wheels with one and an Airfix A30, rewheeled for better running. 

 

Baccy panniers, except the 94xx, are good, but not quite as smooth as 56xx, and the 94xx is very good but a bit high-geared for my taste.  I have a Bachmann 3MT tank which took a long time to run in but is now immaculately behaved.

 

None of my Hornbys come close, but are 'adequate', and I have to heap praise on anyone who can volume produce a W4 Peckett that runs as well as that, but they suffer from delicate detail syndrome a bit.  I have no locos from any other manufacturer in service now just; this is not down to brand loyalty (though I do consider Bachmann to run better and have better QC than Hornby, and so they should given the price difference), but simply that, thus far, no other RTR companies have produced locos that I want.  A Dapol pug, Triang Dokafority, and Playcraft Jouef North British diesel shunting engine are all in the new chassis queue, and a High Level for the pug is in progress.  A kit built Kingdom Models 'Fife Special' Andrew Barclay that doesn't run well is also in the pipline, but none of these are really 'benchmark' material. 

[DenysW]

My Trix K.Bay.Sts.B PtL2/2 takes some beating. Smooth, cute, and immaculately detailed.

[adb968008]

I have different personal benchmarks, and they shift.

steam

high benchmark.. GNR Stirling Single (Used to be Bachmann 82xxx)

average benchmark.. Hornby B1

low benchmark.. Triang Polly - I doubt anything will ever beat that.

 

diesel

 

high benchmark.. Hattons 66 (used to be Dapol 68)

average benchmark.. Bachmann 37 (pre 2022)

low benchmark.. KR Models Fell (used to be Hornby 29 and Dapol 150/2).

The high benchmarks represent the best rtr models ever made imo.
The low benchmarks represent the worst rtr models ever made imo.

The average benchmarks represent good all round  models which work well, look good, perform average, have reasonable accuracy and a realistic price for their time.

 

These set my personal bar to judge newer rtr models against.

 

The a/s 66 has imo the potential to be the best rtr 00 ever made interms of detail, accuracy, variations available in both tooling and livery… in steam I think the ultimate Black 5 could be steams best ever rtr model, but no one has risen to that challenge sufficiently.

 

Edited February 28, 2023 by adb968008

[GreenGiraffe22]

My Bachmann H1 and H2 are my benchmarks, they perform flawlessly. There is some challenging, less than perfect trackwork on my layout, I will rebuild it one day when I have time and funds, but those two locos can handle everything where other modern spec locos might derail or stutter. 

[rogerzilla]

There are some very good and unloved older models in the Bachmann range, like the Collett Goods and N class.  For what they cost (mint or unused), they look good and run like clockwork.

[The Johnster]

On 28/02/2023 at 07:58, adb968008 said:

ow benchmark.. Triang Polly - I doubt anything will ever beat that.

 Smoky Joe; that’ll beat anything up to light for speed!  At least Polly was freelance with believable motion and small driving wheels.  SJ is stretched in every dimension and  utterly unrepresentative of a Neilson with crude toy motion. 

[rogerzilla]

I have the CR Pug (same as SJ).  The recent ones are either regeared or have a different motor, because it runs impeccably and not too fast.

[The Johnster]

Yes, I’m aware of the Taming Of The Beast; I’m told it now runs quite well.  But it’s still a horrible model even as a kiddie’s starter set engine, as are it’s co-conspirators.  I believe the best, by which I mean the least bad, is probably the Dowlais tank, and one can hardly criticise Tarmacadam for not being to scale; it is a complete freelance fiction in the best toy train tradition!  They are all completely out of scale in length, height, and width, have driving wheels which are much too large, the diesels should have a representation of crankshaft drive, and the outside cylinder steam engines have a very crude and simplified generic motion, particularly apparent on the Holden which is in reality quite ‘busy’ in that area.  I have no objection to fictitious liveries on freelance toys, but the nonsense those examples based on real locomotives are sometimes adorned in is, IMHO, insane. 
 

Why could we not have had a Neilson saddle tank that was dimensionally accurate with wheels the right size.  This would have cost no more to produce than the inaccurate oversized product we have, sold at least as successfully, and been just as suitable as a starter set loco.  But we would have had an opportunity to work it up into an acceptable ‘serious’ model; I’m sure High Level or Comet would have done a full-fat chassis kit for it.  Likewise the Holden, Dowlais, 06, and Bagnall.  Tarmacadam and Percy are what they are, and at least do not claim to be models of anything that existed!
 

Instead we have locos that are irredeemably wrong, and a chassis that is of no use because of the oversized driving wheels, albeit the current version runs acceptably.

Edited March 3, 2023 by The Johnster

[jjb1970]

An old Kato GP35 in Rio Grande livery, the stars must have aligned when that individual model was made as I've never had another OO or HO model (including others made by Kato) match it for quiet and smooth operation, it is almost silent.

 

In N, an old Tomix EF81, again the stars must have aligned as it is exceptionally quiet.