Proto 2000: Dare to be Different
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- čas přidán 10. 08. 2023
- Proto 2000 was life like's attempt at capturing the high end model railroading world, changing the entire industry while they were at it.
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The gear cracking issue is a known problem with a simple, direct repair. The broken gears are replaceable with the same item used in Athearn engines. Most hobby shops stock them. Lots of them. Since the body comes of so easily, this is not a difficult repair to make. Life Like in this Proto 2000 line released virtually every prototype's paint scheme you could want, and often in multiple road numbers. My friends and I were starting to build a Wabash proto type layout in the late 1990's and Life like filled our roster with accurately painted and detailed engines. I'm a great fan of this product line, sorry it fell into the hands of Walthers.
Super glue sales 📈📈📈
Oh they're for sure easy to fix. On top of being able to use Athearn parts, Walthers still produces new drive gears for these locomotives.
@@cobramerciless Do you have any experience with the Walther's replacement parts? The nice thing about using the Athearn parts was that the tolerances were better and the axle gear was made of a different plastic than the originals, so they seem to last forever.
@@cdjhyoung I haven’t tried them, both my locomotives haven’t had gears crack
The E series models had a problem with frame warping. Hard to believe that heavy die cast frame could bend, but I have 3 of them with it. No help from Walthers on the warranty, so bargain shopped on ebay for replacements and swapped shells.
Yes, I agree one through 2000 came out with 280 it took the industry by surprise and their diesels man. Great detail thank you for 2000s are high-quality and great runners. They just need a little love once in a while thanks for your channel.
I have a few proto 2k in my collection. All are great runners with only one of mine needing new gears. I own a Pennsy FA-2, UP SD60, CNW SW8 switcher, CNW E7, two identical Burlington Northern GP7s (different address numbers), and a CN GP9. For the price, these are the best engines to get for the level of detail they have to offer and bonus that they share parts with athearns. Out of the ones in my collection, my SW8 and FA-2 are the only DC engines. the rest have DCC and the two GP7s and GP9 have DCC and sound installed.
I have had two Proto 2000 locomotives so far. I’ve had a USRA 0-6-0 and a GP18. The gp18 is lettered for the Norfolk and Western Railroad, and the 0-6-0 is lettered for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. They’re very nice engines. Maybe a little delicate, but resilient and hardworking.
My BL2 is sitting on the shelf for a year because I can’t find a local hobby shop that stocks, or will order, the athearn replacement for the cracked gear. It wasn’t even on the layout when it cracked, but the second I took it out of storage click click click. But I agree it’s a nicely detailed model.
Ron's Hobbies in Mundelein Illinois has Athearn wheels. When I did this I replaced all wheels and gears.
@@roberthunerberg1509 The shipping and duties alone would be more than the gear is worth
plenty of online shops including amazon stock athearn gears
then you have some absolutely useless LHS. These parts are incredibly easy to find and order.
@@etmccaus as it turns out another sorta nearby store didn’t have the gear but instead carries the whole truck replacement from Proto itself. Just drop it in. So obviously Proto acknowledges the problem and has provided a simpler solution than searching for Athearn gears. As to whether or not the LHS’s are any good it’s always a challenge getting small parts and tools imported from the USA.
I have a Proto2000 Y3a 2-8-8-2 in the ATSF livery. One day, I decided to hold up the model and compare it to the real-life photo of the prototype. Needless to say, I was very shocked and amazed at how accurate the details are and that it is exactly the same as the prototype.
The 0-8-0 absolutely drop kicks the spectrum to the curb. It is the finest running model I have ever observed, perfectly silent on the one I have.
I just bought a Y3 and have several diesels. You can not beat them.
Does your Y3 indicate that it was made by Roco in Austria?
I understand one of the few P2000 locomotives not made in China
Roco is a very highly regarded European make, certainly by the time of the Y3.
I LOVE the proto Y3 ; I’m on my third in fact. Also a GP9 that’s been a constant runner.
The only proto 2000 engine in my fleet is an EMD E8 class diesel in Erie Lackawanna paint.
Even though she's pretty much 2 centuries old and has been in my roster since 2020, she's still one of the best running and strongest engines in my fleet and I wish I had more engines like her.
The LL Y6b was my first steam engine and I upgraded it to a ESU Loksound decoder. The 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 came later and they did not disappoint. The E7/8, Geeps and SD units have all been modified to DCC with hardwired decoders if they were not factory PNP. After 20 plus years they all hold up well with proper maintenance and care.
Fun fact
Lifelike 2000 can be often used to use the chassis to make the Lima HO VR B Class diesel more weighted. It’s a common practice for Australian model railways
I've got a couple of Proto 2000 locomotives. One is the SD7 featured in your video, except mine has the coupler box portion of the frame broken off, while the other is a Frisco E8 that's in near mint condition! Interesting thing about the Proto 2000 E units is that they had an early form of a functioning Mars light, as per prototype scheme, which had a pretty ingenious design in which it had 2 bulbs that flashed alternately in a way that it simulated a Mars light! Not bad for pre DCC era locomotives!
Life-Like was based here in Baltimore. They often had warehouse sales.
Cracked gears on Life Like and details on Walthers not glued fall off. Check them out don't want to loose anything.
Preach brother preach! I have every type of diesel they ever made, been collecting since the late 80s. Loved the video bro and the way you tell the story. Look forward to more of your videos.
Great video on the Protos.
Maybe: Lose the Ring light - or at least move it off to the side so it doesn't reflect so distractingly into the camera lens...
Yeah I thought the same. The issue with the ring light is that it's attached to what I use to hold my camera. Due to the position of my main light source, it has to be on to illuminate the other half of my workbench. I wish I could just turn the brightness down, but sadly it's only settings are off and on. I have another lamp on order, so hopefully I should be able to finally turn that wretched thing off.
Cracked axle gears are easy to detect, the locomotive will make a thumping sound as it runs.
Super. 💙 T.E.N.
This has me very excited about my recent purchase for a project im working on. Proto 2000 Missouri Pacific PA locomotive
yep i believe this video made me wanna get some Proto 2000 diesels considering i am going to a train show soon lmao. btw good vid keep up the good work!
Wish Wathers would re release the 0-6-0 and 0-8-0s. That would be something!
These are great looking locos! I have 2 FA-1s, A GP-7, and an FA-2. They all had cracked gears, but I replaced them with the Athearn gears, and also the Walthers replacement trucks which just drop in! I purchased a Walthers Proto GP-7 recently and it is even better looking than the Life-like versions.
I have a Proto 2000 GP7. It's a good runner.
I really like the life like F7As but so far all of the old ones ive come across are broken in some way, getting a conrail one soon though so heres hoping!
never change proto 2000, never change.
I grew up on life like toy sets, this is insane it was made by the same thing
I love my proto 2000 e8/9! The only thing is it doesn’t run well if and when it runs. It creates sparks and when it runs it runs about a foot and then stops.
I have a Proto 1000 CNJ 0-6-0 with DCC and Sound. Bought it last year and it is an amazing runner. Proto locomotives in my opinion run similar to Tuned Athearn Bluebox albeit with less noise. I havent got many stories about my Proto 0-6-0. But i did have to service a custom PRR GP9 Proto and replace all its axle gears. But they are exceptionally good models for what they are worth.
See ya
KJP
I have 2 GP9 ((Great Northern) and 1 GP7 (Great Northern) which I purchased in the l, late 90's; these are still great runners (I have converted to DCC/Sound). Recently got a Reading GP7 and Southern E7A, again I converted to DCC/Sound. I've replaced the "bad" gears on the GP's and a said, easy to obtain. I've always wanted a 0-8-0 or 0-6-0, and after the video, I'm going to have to get one.
Sweeeeeeeeet
On my e8/9,the separate axle boxes fall off. Hard to locate, impossible to put back. No idea why they went to this design, serves no purpose. Otherwise excellent locomotive.
It may have something to do with different axle box designs being used if the chassis for the E7 and E8 are shared
@@cobramerciless yes, a good thought. they would have to work out the extra production costs of installing the tiny axle boxes onto the side frames compared to just moulding different side frames. Either way, my loco has 4 missing axle boxes and 8 that pointlessly slid up and down until I glued them in place.
Nice ring light.
Lol You were doing so well talking about a quality product within proto 2000 lines, then I was blinded by the name and appearance of a bachmann loco.
I heard the rest of the video but I can no longer see😂
The Proto 2000 drive mechanism is similar to Atheran's
Original Proto 2000 was the sht. New Walters stuff is too but I can't forget about Life-Like.
Don’t forget how much that can pull. HO Proto 2000 2 Pound Grade test
czcams.com/video/r4AKyxl71mo/video.html
I assume this is HO
They are ho!
Do kids even play with trains these days? Can the hobby survive without new modelers.
There’s a decent amount of us younger people. A lot of people in the 15-30 range seem to be into it
@@cobramerciless I'm a bit older than that, but I can tell you that it's a problem for those of us who model 'across the pond'; British outline (OO gauge) feels like it keeps going in and out the doldrums, given the constant woes with Hornby and Bachmann Branchline.
You need to watch your language dude there are kids watching. 😔
It is not intended for children. It’s just how I talk and I made sure to check the “not for kids” box whenever I upload.
This video is not for kids lol
You should be supervising your children when they are online and guaranteed they hear worse at school or from people in stores