How well made is the Williams NW-2 Switcher and how do you like it ?

I got one (NYC Cigar Band) from Mario's Trains last fall and I think it's wonderful.  Good puller, speed, and decor is good enough.  Tru Blast is good, too.  If you want conventional, for the $ this is a good deal.  Mario's Trains has the good deals, too!

I have owned the Seaboard version for several years - very pleased and built like a brick!

A worthy model of the original Lionel NW-2 (1949 - 1950's).  It you want a conventional NW-2 there's absolutely no reason not to go with the Williams.

          paul m.

Here's mine smoothly pulling a 21-car train like it was nothing:

The bell sounds like someone beating a cowbell with a sledgehammer, but other than that, it's as solid a performer as any other Williams locomotive.

---PCJ

Tiffany the NW-2 are great engines. The club put in a train at TL hotdog he got the B&O NW-2. They have put over 500 hours on it the only thing that happen the brass gear on the axle wore out and i have pulled 11 coal hoppers loaded with coal with mine for 2 hours the motors barely got warm. Just make sure keep it greased well.  

Hello chessie1971,guys.....

I am looking forward to ordering the Williams NW-2 next week .   How do they compare to the postwar lionel #623 NW-2 ?   I had the postwar #634 back in 1965 and it only had one axle drive, it was a blue Santa Fe so wanting to replace that with the BETTER Williams NW-2.  The lionel #634 just fell apart about 1974 lol.

the woman who loves the S.F.5011

Tiffany

You'll love the Williams switcher! We have run ours at the Railroad Museum of Long Island for many hours without an issue. We got ours at Trainworld in Brooklyn NY at a great price !

ihave 3 of them and they are Super.

I am looking forward to ordering the Williams NW-2 next week .  

 

the woman who loves the S.F.5011

Tiffany

If I were you, I wouldn't wait too long. Patrick's Trains and Trainworld both show a few in stock and on sale. The prices are great. Not to talk you out of a NW-2, but for my $$$ I picked up a BL-2. I got the Demonstrator paint scheme, so it fits in anywhere. As far as looks I think it is a much better looking engine. The BL-2 is on sale to for about the same price.

As for running, you're going to really like WBB. They are sturdy no-fuss engines that just plain run! I have three that I purchased to run exclusively on our club's modular layout. They get run for hours at a time and I REALLY enjoy seeing them pulling 20-40 car trains.

When you get a WBB engine, take the time to pull the motors and grease the gears. The last three new ones I have seen, the gears were dry as a chip.

Gilly

Tiffany, I feel that you can't go wrong with Williams' locomotives if you are running in conventional mode as I do. They are very well made locomotives. I have six different kinds. As mentioned above, hurry and pick up one soon! The NW-2's are not in the 2013 Catalog and I'm sure the selection of road names is dwindling on Retailer's shelves.

Cobrabob.

Here below is my Williams C&O BL-2

And below is my Williams B&O NW-2, which is AWESOME!!! In My Humble Opinion!

The Williams NW2 is great! I have a few other Williams engines and love them all. Heres a video I took a while ago of my Williams NW2 and some of my other modern Williams engines in my collection on my different layouts over the years 

I've got one of the first issues of it, bell only just like the Lionel. It's the black Santa Fe version. I re-wired mine to run slower (series?) and other than the clear film for the windows falling out, no problems.

Hello Gilly@N&W...

We have to wait until next Friday because we are short on funds to purchase the Williams NW-2 from Pats and Friday is payday for us.  We really want to get the black Santa Fe #21698.  Thank you for reminding us to put grease in the gear box and spur gears,oil the axles too.  We are planing to use lucas red & tacky #2 to fill in the gearbox and spur gears.  The NW-2 is my favorte small diesel as i had the lionel #634 back in 1965.

the woman who loves the S.F.5011

Tiffany

I use the Red & Tacky too. Really impressive to see the WBB engine before and after a good greasing. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that your engine is waiting for you when you call next Friday. good luck.

Gilly

Hi Tiffany, I'm just getting ready to list one on eBay.  It's a CSX and hardly ever been used.  If you're interested send me an email.  I can make a short video if you would like to see it.  It's been boxed up for about 18 years.  I just unpacked it yesterday because I'm clearing some items.  I'm not really a big fan of switchers. 

email at campbell14731@comcast.net

Rick

Rick, if Tiffany is not interested I would encourage you to list it here first. But, it is your engine.

I have 2 of them - the Seaboard & the B&O - both are great - no problems at all

Williams NW-2 switcher in CSX colors.  See "Buy/Sell" forums.  Just listed.

Rick

hello RICKC.............

that is nice looking NW-2 but i am buying a Santa Fe version and the problem is that i am not a painter and Patstrains has them for 109.99 plus shipping.

the woman who loves the S.F.5011

Tiffany

I bought a new  Milwaukee version of the SW-2 late 2012.  Nice looking but it runs way too fast for me.  I think it clears 100 mph scale.  But for only $100, maybe I got what I paid for too. 

Tiffany, that's quite alright.  You have to get what you like.  Someone will buy it.  Thanks for letting me use your post as a billboard.

Rick

Williams locomotives do all the heavy lifting at the Paradise and Pacific layout at the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale, AZ.  They are set to run on automatic via a motion detector when the building is open and the layout is unattended or more likely the members are busy working on the #3 & #4 mainlines!  The club pulls the reversing units out and replaces them with forward only rectifiers. These locomotives see a lot of miles of service seven days a week.  I will say that they are not perfect.  Every machine needs maintenance and there is a large stable of NW2s, U33Cs, GP38s, and other Williams locos that are in the shops to keep the show running for the public.  Having said that though, they easily out perform other brands in terms of reliability. For me as a scale oriented person, I have been really pleased to also see the kind of improvements Bachmann has brought to the line.  Better paint, newer models with better tooling and some nice details like scale handrails on the NW2s. 

Someone mentioned the Lionel Santa Fe 634...without doubt, the worst piece of $#@%&*( !!!!  they ever made.   The Williams is sooooo much better than this thing, it's like it was made on another planet!  The Lionel original cast frame NWs were outstanding in their own right...a little weak for pulling power, but smooth and quiet.  The Williams looks 95% as good, and only loses points for being a bit too high off it's trucks; the old flywheel clearance thing again.  Enjoy that Williams NW2; I have two and once wired in series, they are near perfect. 

Almost, there were a few lesser/cheapo Alcos that made this one look like a deluxe model.

I would like to get a few of the Williams switchers, but my Lionels are working fine as of right now. 

hello ADCX Rob.............

That lionel junky 634 was my first switcher back in 1965 as that engine,i had to most fun with and this is the reason why i am ordering the williams 623.  It had a single axle drive and only pull about 3 or 4 LIGHT cars but i was 6 years old and didn't care.  I wish to have the Williams 623's body or shell repainted to be like the 634 i had. 

the woman who loves the S.F.5011

Tiffany

Here's my 1963 634 with the same drive train (at 1:25 you can clearly see the 634 pulling the whole train):

If you use MPC fast angle Freight cars, especially the lighter ones, then a 634 could mebby pull a few cars...but it won't be long 'til the motor explodes, and or the two position E unit goes belly up.  This thing was bad enough to inspire the Lionel one wheel drive craze from a couple years ago.  They even got the public to bite on all this jive for a wee bit.  Had things gotten any stupid-er, you'd a seen locomotives with tiny sails attached to the roof, and people powering their trains with an occilating electric fan !  Since JLC left aeons ago, Lionel has, with mighty few exceptions, been all about making $$$ first, and trains....way down the list!

Hello jaygee.....

Oh,lionel has done WORSE !,they put in H.O. size can motor in some of their early 2-8-4

berkshire starter set engines but later they up graded to larger can motors.  The H.O. size can motor cost about 3.00 but charge 12.00 for the replacements.  Is MTH worse ?

the woman who loves the S.F.5011

Tiffany

" For me as a scale oriented person, I have been really pleased to also see the kind of improvements Bachmann has brought to the line.  Better paint, newer models with better tooling and some nice details like scale handrails on the NW2s."

So why no screw opening to grease the worm gear? Lionel, when introducing the 700E, learned this lesson in one year.  Most Williams failures, and I admit there are few, are caused by lack of drive gear lubrication.  Tearing an engine all apart just to lube the gears is really stupid!

Hello PATSTRAINS......

Thank you for letting me know SMILE   May i ask for the UPS tracking code please.

the woman who loves the S.F.5011

Tiffany

Hello 56f100.....

CCT (classic toy trains) magzine did a review on the Williams NW-2 back in Jan 2001 issue.  I love short bed trucks, short beds are uncommon where we live but plenty of long beds and mine is a long bed with strong 390,C6,9 inch. We are slowly fixing it up inch by inch.  We would like to build a mini layout (3 by 6) and looking for 031,036 even 027 track cheap to make a simple oval and siding and put it on my computer desk with my desk top and 19 inch tv (3 in 1) combo.

the woman who loves the S.F.5011

Tiffany

Though I am not completely sure I think it is an original Williams. It has Flywheels so it must be a little newer. 

Hello PATSTRAINS.............

I got your E-mail about the UPS shipping tracking code number BUT its not working or invalid number. I tried to check the tracking few times and still not working.  Can you resend the correct UPS tracking code please. Thanks Pat and Billy.

the woman who loves the S.F.5011

Tiffany

Tiffany,

The UPS number is not working because UPS does not pick up on weekends.  The number will not be put into their system until it is picked up on Monday.