brwebster posted:Nate,
The BB1's are/were 2 rail brass offerings from N J International. I have added pickup rollers and a reverse unit for 3 rail use, but much remains to be done before they're ready for service. Note the extended reach of the pantograph and the spindly phosphor bronze wire construction.
I haven't heard of any bad experiences with the Lionel BB1's. Like the MTH version, the bodies are cast metal, which was probably necessary to add sufficient traction. There's a "not so local" train shop that has one of Lionel's first offerings still sitting on the shelf. At full retail + price, it'll probably be there for another 12 years.
Thought I'd add this to illustrate how high the real things can extend.
Your brass BB1's are superb models. If you have them set up for 3 - rail operation, they would be my choice for running. I have a very close friend that had a pair of the early Lionel BB1's and had nothing but trouble with them. Their slow speed was "jerky". He returned them for store credit and got other equipment instead.
