The local Eckerd Drugs store is selling a custom IHC/Mehano HO scale train set that features an SD-40 painted in the genuine Eckerd livery, plus a couple of box cars, a flat car with loads, a Coca-Cola tank car and a caboose. With a $10 coupon I got the set for $20. I figured, what the hey, it would at least provide me with the items I needed for a layout under the tree (pulled by my little IHC 4-4-0).
Well, I took it out and set it up for my son and I to play with. I'm fairly impressed with it! The locomotive runs really smoothly, and it doesn't look too terribly toyish. But my favorite part of the set is the power supply. It's very simple: a wall transformer that plugs into a separate throttle. The throttle has a very smooth control knob, and the locomotives (both the SD-40 and the 4-4-0) start off creeping and smoothly accelerate.
The power pack works really well on my N-scale layout, too. My old power supply is a cheapo Life-Like unit that came with a train set. Locomotives go from stop to fast with it. But the little Mehano unit works much better. I can now make my N-scale locos run a lot smoother!
Who'da thunk it?
-Rory
Well, I took it out and set it up for my son and I to play with. I'm fairly impressed with it! The locomotive runs really smoothly, and it doesn't look too terribly toyish. But my favorite part of the set is the power supply. It's very simple: a wall transformer that plugs into a separate throttle. The throttle has a very smooth control knob, and the locomotives (both the SD-40 and the 4-4-0) start off creeping and smoothly accelerate.
The power pack works really well on my N-scale layout, too. My old power supply is a cheapo Life-Like unit that came with a train set. Locomotives go from stop to fast with it. But the little Mehano unit works much better. I can now make my N-scale locos run a lot smoother!
Who'da thunk it?
-Rory