Are brass model trains any better than die cast metal ones?
Brass engines have a problem – they are hard to modernize with the new digital controllers, as the wheel power has to be isolated from the frames. If you intend to run them on some of the radio-controlled layouts, they can be a pain to convert. But it can be done.
Plastics and diecast metal has advantanges in that they’re cheaper, and if you make an Oops, it won’t cost you as much. Plastics are easy to chop and modify for different engine revisions and changes, which happen over time in the 1:1 world. Brass, while it has plent of detailing, is more expensive and you could ruin them if you don’t know how to work with metal properly.
Most all the "serious" club "runners" in my HO club, not modelers, prefer the plastics, as they can run them with radio control, and make mods as needed. While there are a few serious rivet-counters out there, it’s safer to say that most of my club members prefer the easy to fix, and cheapest, engines. All depends on what you want/like.
- The Gremlin Guy -
February 28th, 2010 at 6:58 am
Brass is for show—not often run as a die cast is on a lay-out
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February 28th, 2010 at 7:32 am
yes, better but more expensive
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February 28th, 2010 at 8:18 am
yes they are better in the aspect that they have many detail parts as far as running them they are only as good as the engine that is in them. if all you want to do is run trains and are not concerned with prototype and detail go with diecast metal but if you are a very particular person and you model for accuacy aand prototype and you have a big checkbook go with brass
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February 28th, 2010 at 8:49 am
Brass engines have a problem – they are hard to modernize with the new digital controllers, as the wheel power has to be isolated from the frames. If you intend to run them on some of the radio-controlled layouts, they can be a pain to convert. But it can be done.
Plastics and diecast metal has advantanges in that they’re cheaper, and if you make an Oops, it won’t cost you as much. Plastics are easy to chop and modify for different engine revisions and changes, which happen over time in the 1:1 world. Brass, while it has plent of detailing, is more expensive and you could ruin them if you don’t know how to work with metal properly.
Most all the "serious" club "runners" in my HO club, not modelers, prefer the plastics, as they can run them with radio control, and make mods as needed. While there are a few serious rivet-counters out there, it’s safer to say that most of my club members prefer the easy to fix, and cheapest, engines. All depends on what you want/like.
- The Gremlin Guy -
References :