Atlas VO-1000 generation question

  I am NOT a big fan of installing handrails on N-scale locomotives!!!!!!!!!!! I hate it, I hate it, and I HATE IT!!!!!! If a loco is going to be sold as RTR, then it NEEDS to have the hand rails INSTALLED!!!!!!! My peepers aren't good enough to do that for one thing, and my hand to eye cordination is not good enough. I have been eyeing the VO-1000 for some time now. Seems there is even a drop in decoder available for the VO's. Hmmmmmmmm do I see a Tiger Striped SP VO-1000 in the future???

Jacko 

 Thanks B7g....................I knew that about the Kato NW-2's. I just happen to like the VO-1000's better. SP musta liked em pretty well too! It seems SP bought a good number of them and then they got Baldwin S-12's too. I remember as a kid seeing VO-1000's working and in Tiger Stripes. I like the sound of a Baldwin, more of a chugging sound when they run, sort of like crossing a John Deere tractor with a 2-10-2 steam locomotive. Now BLW shows that they have some in Tiger stripe. IF they are without hand rails, I DO NOT WANT ONE!

Jacko 

if at all possible, WAIT!  And ask.  :D  I wish I had asked.  I'm not even sure they changed the model numbers from the korean version to the chinese version.  I know how hard it is to wait when you have the gottahavits.  :)  Like I say though, I am still 89% pleased with my Vo.  If I had all the small hand tools you need for handrail installation, it would be 100%. 

Jacko-  I like the tiger stripe, too.  I need to do some more research on the Espee so as to see if it wouldn't be too weird to include a couple locos.  I already own two kato closed hoppers in SP markings, but rolling stock prolificity and loco proloficity are obviously two different animals.  But now I'm just thread jacking...   :P  Back on topic....  :) 

Wellllll, I went ahead and ordered it, even though by then I'd pretty much determined that it is likely to be the Korean version.  Why?  A few reasons.........

• Even in the critical review, overall it was given a B rating....which to me is still slightly better than average.
• The railings are not that big of a deal to me...if it turns out they are excessively daunting, I'll not be upset if they are left off until I feel comfortable attacking them.  I am definitely not a rivit counter (though there is nothing wrong with that, for the people that it works for).
• The lack of any other early 50s SF switcher in the period paint scheme...from what I have been able to find, there are no Chinese release SF Zebra stripe units.
• The price....about 18% less than I could find anywhere else for the same model...and about 45% off of list.

Hopefully I do not end up regretting it too badly.  Regardless, I'll try to remember to give an update once I get it, and have a few hours break-in running on it.

Well, the # 150-50002 is definitely not one of the newer Chinese versions....separate railings.  Except for the railings, my first look at the unit was favorable. I set up an 11"r  circle of Unitrack to test it out.  Yes, it was a bit loud...but not the coffee grinder I was expecting based on the reviews I'd read.  After about 3 hours of running forward and reverse, at varying speeds, it quieted down considerably.  At the end of the 3 hours, the slow speed running seems pretty good...just under 3 minutes to complete the 11"r circle without stalling.

For a comparison, I then ran my previously broke in Kato F3.  The F3 is quieter, but not by enough to embarrass the little VO-1000...and the little switcher runs much much better at slow speed.  The F3's minimum no stall speed was close to double the VO-1000.

All in all, I'm happy with it so far.

I'm glad you like your new VO, Zandoz.  And they do creep pretty well, don't they?  Did you decide to try your hand at installing the handrails?  The biggest problem I ran into was the pegs were slightly too big for the holes in the frame.  I mean we're talking hair thin here, and I don't have any precision drill bits THAT small.  Any pictures of your new switch hog? 

Jacko-  What railroad is NC&SI?