Broadway Limited Challenger and Coal Drag

[D&J RailRoad]

Bought this BLI Challenger from YankeyDabbler this past weekend. Cleaned the wheels and added some steam fragrance smoke fluid to it and put it into service pulling coal hoppers. This is a cut of 90 hoppers being pulled up a 1 1/2 percent grade.
Yeah, this is the second one I bought.

 

[bnsf971]

Cough, cough... Nice smoke unit...
The engine looks good, as well.

 

[montanan]

Nice video. That's quite a drag pulling the grade. Quite the locomotive.

 

[flyboy2610]

Very prototypical!
This is the UP 3985 pulling 143 double stacks, uphill, unassisted:

 

[migalyto]

Very prototypical!
This is the UP 3985 pulling 143 double stacks, uphill, unassisted:

That’s one of my favorite videos. The comments are hilarious!

 

[montanan]

The Challenger is one of my favorite steamser. Wish there was a way to justify and fit one on my layout. I have ridden behind 3985 a couple of time on excursion outings and really enjoyed every trip. Here's a video of it at speed. It is amazing that the thrashing side rods do what they do.

 

[trailrider]

Aside from the fact I can't afford one right now, the Burlington Route wasn't big on articulateds. About the only ones the Q ran were hand-me-down 2-6-6-2's from the Great Northern, and they didn't last long. Great videos, however!

 

[beiland]

Just wonder how this compares with an Athearn Genesis Challenger ??
I have a brand new one still in the box, and unrun at this point.
I think it has sound and DCC also.

 

[bnsf971]

Just wonder how this compares with an Athearn Genesis Challenger ??
I have a brand new one still in the box, and unrun at this point.
I think it has sound and DCC also.

I had one, it sounded good, but wouldn't pull very well. The BLI sounds okay, and pulls like you see in the video. The smoke can be turned off.

 

[migalyto]

Excellent video, Ken! Is that a Paragon3 unit? If so, do you have the rolling thunder sound system, and is it worth the hype?

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Yeah, Paragon 3 but I don't have the rolling thunder system.

 

[tootnkumin]

Can't wait to see it crossing that "other" bridge.......What's that? Wrong railroad? Oh Rat's.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

It is a painfully tedious process. I'm also a certified contortionist from this work.

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Can't wait to see it crossing that "other" bridge.......What's that? Wrong railroad? Oh Rat's.

All those wooden ties that I made him for that "other" bridge are gonna suffer from dry-rot before they are used!

 

[D&J RailRoad]

All those wooden ties that I made him for that "other" bridge are gonna suffer from dry-rot before they are used!

No, they're still in great shape, awaiting the day they see the road bed ballast and passing trains.

 

[tootnkumin]

We're being unkind, aren't we.

 

[flyboy2610]

We're being unkind, aren't we.

Who, us?

 

[D&J RailRoad]

smirk.

 

[NYC_George]

I liked the video but why did you cut it so short? I was looking to see the whole 90 car train pass by. When I do videos now I dub-over a second sound track of the train car's squeals and squeaks which I record from the real thing. People are amazed with the realism when you do this.

George

 

[D&J RailRoad]

I thought it would be boring to watch all 90 hoppers go by.