Proto 2000 SW9/1200 new run vs. old?


jasonelki

jasonelki

Milwaukee Roader
I see walthers is or has come out with another run of SW9/1200's, and I have the opportunity to purchase a similar unit, but of the old run(maybe 5 or 6 years, don't really know :eek:). Other than the occasional cracked gear in some of the older run Protos, is there some big difference I should know about? Do the newer versions run better, have better detail, etc? I have a handful of older run loco's, no SW's though, and they all run like champs.

I see the new run starts out at $170 :eek: for DC, where I have the chance to get an older version for about $50.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Jason
 
I don't know about any better detail but I believe the cracked gear problem was not assiciated with the smaller switchers. I have one of the first runs that I bought undecorated and painted it for CN. I'm quite happy with the detail. In fact I retired my detailed athearn switcher shortly after I finished with the proto.
 
jasonelki said:
I see walthers is or has come out with another run of SW9/1200's, and I have the opportunity to purchase a similar unit, but of the old run(maybe 5 or 6 years, don't really know :eek:). Other than the occasional cracked gear in some of the older run Protos, is there some big difference I should know about? Do the newer versions run better, have better detail, etc? I have a handful of older run loco's, no SW's though, and they all run like champs.

I see the new run starts out at $170 :eek: for DC, where I have the chance to get an older version for about $50.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Jason
Click to expand...

My old Proto switchers run excellent - They're quiet and can crawl at very low realistic speeds, but for some reason require more juice than the newer locos on today's market.

I'm very impressed with them considering the price I paid back then for them. I've seen brass models out of the box not run nice as the Protos.
 
That's what I always like with a new run - double the price! What the heck? Same dies, same cheap labor to assemble.
Sorry for the Rant.

The only thing I didn't like about the earlier ones were, the hand rail on the hood was always warped and not straight, other wise they looked great and ran nice.
 
Buy the older one for $50. There is not $120 worth of difference. The new version will not run any better than the older version, since the older version is one of the better running locomotives around.

No cracked gear issue with the proto sw issue to worry about. As another has mentioned, sometimes the handrail on the hood sides are wavy, but you can replace them with thin wire if it bothers you.

Also, I've noticed, the light conections on the older version can be a bit loose resulting in dim lights. It conects via clips under the top side of the hood and if the shell doesn't seat right, they will be dim. Again, not a big deal.

Does anyone else know if the shell mounting light system has been changed on the newer versions?
 
price change: devalued US dollar compared to where they are made. When I was going to Japan in the 90s, 1 US $ got me 150 yen. Now that same dollar gets you 80 yen. So if I bought something for 10000y then, it was $66.67. Now that same 10000y item is $125.00. China's (where the Proto stuff is made) exchange rate change has been even more dramatic.
 
knew said:
price change: devalued US dollar compared to where they are made. When I was going to Japan in the 90s, 1 US $ got me 150 yen. Now that same dollar gets you 80 yen. So if I bought something for 10000y then, it was $66.67. Now that same 10000y item is $125.00. China's (where the Proto stuff is made) exchange rate change has been even more dramatic.
Click to expand...
Sure most other countries but China has been the exception (in the news a lot lately) they have been devaluing their $$ on purpose just to keep things down so we keep buying from them. I can't see how US companies can justify the prices.
Spectrum just re-released their "City Scenes" line of structures, what was $59 is now $99. Come-on!
I love this hobby, but my income doesn't seem to keep up.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the responses on this, I went ahead and picked up the older run SW9/1200 in Milwaukee Road, now I really have way too many loco's for my paultry layout! :D
 
I recently got the Proto 2000 SW9/1200 in Canadian National #7035 (Noodle); She is DC / DCC Capable, but yeah no sound so I got it cheaper for $142.00 (CDN) including shipping and handling.

I wanted the one with DCC / Sound, which is almost double in price, but couldn't afford it. Why hasn't the price of DCC / Sound hasn't gone down significantly?
 
Old Proto 2000 SW's

Hi,
Although this is an old post after searching around on the net about the light issues with older Proto SW9's this was the only thread where this problem is mentioned that I could find. so...I recently got me hands on a few "cheap" blue box Life Like Proto 2000's off of eBay. My first experience with them. No intention of converting to DCC yet. The odd under shell lighting connection is the only issue. Like others have said, I find these Protos to look great and they run fine as far as I'm concerned. So Ill just end up wiring new LEDS directly to by pass the light board...the small bulbs in these SW's are ok..but..it seems to me this deal where the wiring from the headlight to the copper pads, which have to touch the light boards...I guess to just a blob of solder..is not making that connection and I've fiddled with the copper inside the shell but no dice. And The shell seems to be seated ok.,Is this typical? Just curious if this is what I should expect from these. And...pretty difficult to get the cab unhooked...besides having to pop out the rear stair handrail which I snapped one already..as the rear light has to be replaced as well. Any insight appreciated.
Best,
Paul
 
Haven't had any issues with my loco whatsoever, but getting the shell off the first time on any of these locos can be a bit tricky. Good luck!
 
zoegraf said:
My old Proto switchers run excellent - They're quiet and can crawl at very low realistic speeds, but for some reason require more juice than the newer locos on today's market...
Click to expand...

I would check the amps they're drawing. There was a problem on some of their passenger units that turned out to be bad motors. Their amp draw was much higher than other P2K locos. While I haven't heard of this being a problem with locos like the SW's, I guess that it is possible.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top