Rivarossi Loco's

[Sawdust]

Here are a few Loco's I recently purchased on ebay. I was very surprized when I received them to find out they are brand new & run very well. They don't look like they were ever on a track. They are the older Made in Italy models & they have the better motors that are round. I got all three of these for $112. Any comments are welcomed.

B&O 2-10-2 Classs S with the Vanderbuilt Tender.

0-6-0 ATSF Saddle Tank Switcher

0-4-0 B&O It has a truck under the tender missing but no other problems.

This Loco I bought for two reason's. I have Bachman Spectrum's but don't have any of their Plus series. I also was attracted to the sellers info. He was selling his Father's trains so in appreciation for someone elses memories I bought this Loco for $31.
Bachman Plus 2-8-0 Consolidation

I sent this seller an email thanking him & letting him know that a piece of his Father's collection would be very much taken care of & appreciated.
Here is his response.

Dear sawdust513,

Thank you for your kindness. Hard to come by these days. I used
to run these with my father years ago when I was a child. Now
they bring to much sadness to see them. Memories are what they
gave me, good memories. I hope you can enjoy them, as it
would bring me happiness. not meaning to give a life story, just
appreciative of the kind words.
Please take care
Mike

Thanks for viewing I hope you enjoyed.

 

[ytter_man]

Wow, that's a heckuva deal. And it's great to see locos with someone's history getting a good home.

The only Rivarossi i've dealt with is their 2 truck Heisler, my first geared steam, and it's a darn good runner.

 

[Doctor G]

A very nice story and great bargains to boot. Several years ago I had to sadly sell off my deceased Dad's large n scale collection on eBay. It took months and I too was gratified by the nice responses I got from customers.

You will like the Rivarossi loco's. They can sometimes be a bear to get parts for but that is usually rarely needed.

Here are a couple of shots of my original Rivarossi Heisler I bought 27 years ago and still running on the club layout after dismantling my HO layout.

Doc Tom

 

[Bill Nelson]

Back in the 1970's the Riverossi locomotives were the best running locomotives right out of the box

 

[Sawdust]

New Rivarossi's?

Hey Doc or Bill have any of you or anyone else had any experience with the new Rivarossi engines especially the Heisler's. I know the older made in Italy are the ones that most people like & have had good experiences with. All five that I have are the old ones & are very nice & reliable as most older items are. I've been looking at the newer ones & really like the detail on them. All the stuff that I have ever done involving trains for some reason I have never got into detailing engines. I have been looking at Toptrain1's posts & he has got me inspired to do this, you know get me out of the train box thing & get some experience in un charted areas. Your Heisler is a nice one Bill I also like the car behind it. Is that car a scratch build? Thanks guys!

 

[Doctor G]

Rivarossi Heislers are great!!!!

Hey Doc or Bill have any of you or anyone else had any experience with the new Rivarossi engines especially the Heisler's. I know the older made in Italy are the ones that most people like & have had good experiences with. All five that I have are the old ones & are very nice & reliable as most older items are. I've been looking at the newer ones & really like the detail on them. All the stuff that I have ever done involving trains for some reason I have never got into detailing engines. I have been looking at Toptrain1's posts & he has got me inspired to do this, you know get me out of the train box thing & get some experience in un charted areas. Your Heisler is a nice one Bill I also like the car behind it. Is that car a scratch build? Thanks guys!

Hi Sawdust,

I thoroughly enjoyed the "new" Rivarossi Heislers. I have a three and two truck model (see the pictures). I can honestly say they are the best running out of the box HO steam locomotives I have ever bought. THey have great detailing, are robust and great pullers. They can operate at a crawl and take even tight 15" curves without a whimper. When I took apart the old C&S layout I kept these babies for future use on the Clarksville RR club layout as I knew they could hold there own with all the DEEZUL power we have at the club.

I ,like you, have never been in to super detailing or "tweaking" locomotives. I will paint and weather after a locomotive is thoroughly broken in. The "new" Rivarossi Heislers are perfect for running well right out of the box. Unlike the old style R. Heislers the new ones have all wheel pickup and are ridiculously easy to put a decoder in (no sound though).

I think you would enjoy this locomotive. Wish they made something in On30 my new principle modeling scale.....hmmmm perhaps an HO to On30 conversion is in order.

Have fun, Dr Tom:thumb:

 

[Sawdust]

Thanks Doc, enough said I will sure put one of these on my Christmas list. I actually just got out bidded by $2. while trying to talk on the phone & bid at the same time, the buyer got a brand new Rivarossi 2 truck Heisler for $78. with Coos Bay lettering. I don't care what lettering is on it because I will change that later. Well I guess it just wasn't meant to be this time, maybe he needed it more than me. Thanks again & have a nice weekend!

 

[Bill Nelson]

Your Heisler is a nice one Bill I also like the car behind it. Is that car a scratch build? Thanks guys!

I have three heislers. # 16 and #17 are older Riverossi 3 truck behemoths, which are good solid locomotives. If somewhat large. when these were first developed good small motors did not exist, and so the locomotives were supersized untill the motors would fit. These are as large or larger than the largest heislers . They are really strong pullers, and I run my pair with a track cleaning train that nothing else can get up the mountain.

#9 is a model of Westside Lumber Co.'s #3, imported in the 70 by Westside models this model is also supersized, as #3 is a tiny thing,which has in it's lifetime been a narrow gauge and a standard gauge locomotive. #9 has been on the roster of the DG, CC, & W RR for more than 35 years, and has worked in many capacities. Now it is the switch engine serving Harlow Tn.

I went looking at pictures of it in Harlow, and the only really distinctive car I noticed was a N&W wooden Hopper. This was built from a Northeastern (?)Kit many long years ago. It is a model of a world war 1 war emergency hopper, which was almost completely of wooden construction. It is a very interesting car, I wish I had saved the plans.


Tom seemed satisfied with his recent issue Riverossi heislers, and his railroad was very hard on motive power, so I can recommend them. Bachman shays are nice looking, but I'd not recommend them unless one is using #6 or greater switches 20 or 21 inch radius curves, and no grades over 2%, they don't have much pulling power compared to the Riverossi Heisler or my ancient brass


Bill Nelson

 

[Doctor G]

Thanks Doc, enough said I will sure put one of these on my Christmas list. I actually just got out bidded by $2. while trying to talk on the phone & bid at the same time, the buyer got a brand new Rivarossi 2 truck Heisler for $78. with Coos Bay lettering. I don't care what lettering is on it because I will change that later. Well I guess it just wasn't meant to be this time, maybe he needed it more than me. Thanks again & have a nice weekend!

Was that on eBay? Sounds like a good deal. I know the competition can get pretty fierce as the bidding draws to a close. I think some how people rig their computers to jump in and up bids incremently in micro seconds. Pretty fast action.

Here's another shot to keep the juices flowing. Forgot to mention earlier that these two Heislers were so reliable that they were the prime motive power during operating sessions on the old C&S RR. Operating sessions will not do well with balky stalling locomotives. The new style Heislers performed flawlessly during operating sessions.

Doc Tom:thumb:

 

[Bill Nelson]

I have been running a track cleaning train, starting in the Southern staging yard. here is a photo of it. it consists of a center line roller cleaner with a Riverossi Heisler on either end with hart gondolas with masonite scrubbers on either end often there is a third hart gondola, but it has a droopy coupler, and has been bad ordered.

I got one photo of the train to show the equipment, and then tried sticking my camera on the layout like Dr. Tom does.


As Tom says these are reliable as all get out, good pullers, and track well on substandard track. Only a big roster of very well tuned locomotives tends to keep these monsters in non revenue service #16 and #17 have stacks robbed from the carcasses of dead J. W. Bowkers, which makes them look distinctive. as a kid, I could buy a Bowker on sale for less than I could buy parts, so I cannibalized a lot of them, and the stacks have ended up on these Heislers and my MDC Shays, giving them a family look and helping hide their common origins.

Bill Nelson

 

[Sawdust]

You guys got me drulling over these Heisler's now. Yes that was on eBay & I don't normally bid in round numbers but was trying to talk on the phone & bid at the same time. Bill I like the shot from under the bridge. The multi levels of your buildings in the distance really show up good that way. I'll probably wait a few weeks before shopping for a Heisler again. I have spent a lot lately on some other engines & some supplies for this winter. I would like to get some layout going again in sections so if need be it can be broken down & not wasted like the previous layout. I have been building everything in modular form & packing it away for later. Thanks for the Heisler info & I will keep you posted when I get one or two or three or whatever.

 

[S class]

hey bill you might want to send the boys in blue to warn that driver to stick to the right side of the road and watch out for the bridge piers in the top photo of the track train.


He must be an Victorian on holiday

 

[Doctor G]

I got one photo of the train to show the equipment, and then tried sticking my camera on the layout like Dr. Tom does.
Bill Nelson

Hey Bill,

That's a cool shot. The station looks really neat in that perspective.

Keep these kind of shots coming. You can make little "wedges" of foam to help position and steady the camera for these "on the layout shots."

What is appealing about this type of photo is it is similar to an HO little person holding a camera at his eye level and photographing your very imaginative layout.

Here is a picture in which the camera was placed on a flat car for the "brakeman's view" of the layout.

Have fun!!! Doc Tom:thumb:

 

[Bill Nelson]

hey bill you might want to send the boys in blue to warn that driver to stick to the right side of the road and watch out for the bridge piers in the top photo of the track train.


He must be an Victorian on holiday

That is the photographer's car, He parked in front of the pier, rather than get near the bad shoulder.


Actually it was on the grade crossing, and I moved it un carefully to clear the route for the track cleaning train.

Sawdust--- The heislers would be a good choice for the maple valley. I love my MDC Shays, but they are heavily modified, my Brass geared power would cost bigtime trying to replace, and many of them needed considerable modification as well.

Bill Nelson

 

[ytter_man]

Heckuva roster of those beasts^ :thumb:

I've got some shots of mine running up on youtube;

click here.

 

[Doctor G]

Heckuva roster of those beasts^ :thumb:

I've got some shots of mine running up on youtube;

click here.

Another smooth as silk Heisler. Very good.
Doc Tom:thumb:

 

[Bill Nelson]

videos!!!

ytter-man you have been a very bad boy, and opened up a whole nother can or worms. I have been wanting to do some model train videos ever since I put the video on U tube of mechanism of my attempted R/C roman Bireme (on you tube , search sn850788copy).

The boat is too heavy, and the oar ports are too close to the water. My radio ****ed out on me too, so I have to start over with another larger lighter boat; but my trains work!

I will have to put a video of my shay #8 up there. #8 is a highly modified MDC 2 truck shay. It may not be my slowest . I have 3 modified PFM shays that are painfully slow also #15 has a gear reduction motor, and # 18 and #19 have NWSL gear reduction sits; and due to gear whine, they cannot be operated above 3/4 throttle without ear plugs, or the serious threat of imminent hearing damage.

Dr. Tom was here this afternoon. The plan was for us to work on operations planning, but I was behind schedule in doing my prep work. While trying to dog out the Southside of Harlow Tn after recent ballasting issues I had an odd electrical issue, and In Murray, Tn. one of the switches to the big passing siding was fused in place. I had had an electrical contact issue, and had flooded the switch points and the DPDT switch that doubles as a ground throw with contact cleaner. I had not used this brand before, and it liquefied the white glue that held the ties in place. when the white glue re solidified, it fused the throw bar in place. when I tried to throw the switch while cleaning track with my Riverossi Heisler powered track cleaning train (see this really is relevant to the tread in a incohearantly rambling fashion) I broke the solder joint on the homemade ground throw.


So with Harlow and Murray inoperable,, we were not able to do the planned study of operations on the Valley division, and so instead, Dr. Tom got to run the track cleaning train through Crooked Creek, re acquainting himself with the intricacies of the power routing switches in Crooked Creek. Not at all what I had planned , but such is life in the mountains.

photos will be posted on my main thread, which I should have entitled up Crooked Creek without a paddle.

Bill Nelson

 

[Sawdust]

I'm done drulling for awhile now. I got a brand new Rivarossi 2 truck Heisler with West Side Lumber Co. markings on eBay for $122.50 plus Shipping. Most of these I have seen sell between $160.-$200. so not a bad deal. I could have gotten an old one fro $69. but passed for the new one.Thanks again guy's for the info.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310171230565&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

 

[Bill Nelson]

Congratulations

Glad to hear you are starting to collect the logging power needed to go with your extraordinarily fine sawmill buildings. I will be very surprised if the heisler fails to meet your needs, as they will fit the bill equally as a woods engine, a logging mainline engine or a mill switcher.

will the loco wear the maple leaf, or will it's livery be more subdued.

Bill Nelson

 

[Sawdust]

Hey Bill I'm not sure on the lettering of the new Heisler already with the West Side Lumber Co. on it. I do have a 3 truck Bachman Spectrum Shay that I want to put the "Maple Valley Logging Co." on it. Here is a link I thought you & the Doc might enjoy. Make sure you view page 15 showing the #3 Heisler.
http://narrowgaugememories.com/v/aroundworld/northamerica/Westside+Lumber+Company.html