Originally Posted by David Eisinger:
if the vertical two motor drive is so superior to any other drive as Atlas claims, why are they not using it in all of their HO and N scale engines?
To quote Hans Landa from "Inglorious Ba$tards", "OOOOOhhhhhhhh, that's a BINGO".
I'm an HO modeler. I LOVE Atlas locomotives, and I bought two ALCo S-2 switchers with ESU Loc-sound about four months back. Absolutely stunning models, and amongst the best running diesels in my fleet.
I also own three Atlas GP9s (two powered, one dummy) in three rail that I had converted by Atlas to fixed pilots. I also own an A-B-B-A set of Atlas F-3s in three rail, with the A units powered (added the fixed pilots). Compared to the HO models (I also have other Atlas product going back to their KATO produced GP7s), the drives in these locomotive flat out suck. Now keep in mind I'm comparing the three rail O product to the gold standard in HO.
Low starting torque, jack rabbit start at 1 mph, and then if you put a substantial train behind them, very difficult to accelerate prototypically. Some of that may be the TAS EOB boards that were installed, don't know, and at this point, don't really care. If all you want to do is accelerate up to speed, and then run in circles at a set speed with the cruise control engaged, sure, the twin motor drives are adequate. Not all of us operate that way.
Dan Dawdy from "O Scale Resource" had success in wiring the motors in series, and had I decided to stick with three rail, I would have done that modification. But all that is doing is putting lipstick on a pig.
I have not sold off my Atlas locomotives, yet. I've been toying with the thought of putting a two rail single motor drive in them, with the appropriate DCC sound decoder, and making them two rail. I have not figured out why I would want to do that (I have a basement sized HO railroad to finish), but Jay Criswell's drives have me intrigued, and who knows, maybe I might do some storeable modules in O two rail out in the garage.
So, glad that Jerry Kimble is here as the spin master, but he needs to go spend some time with his HO and N counterparts to learn what a real quality drive consists of.
Regards,
GNNPNUT