Rivarossi??? Any good?


M

midrange

Steam & Diesel Fan
SO tomorrow I am picking up a Rivarossi 2-8-8-4.

I can't wait, i love steam trains and a 2-8-8-4 is nice to add to the collection.

I have never heard of Rivarossi before.. is it any good..

The train is not DCC ready which is ok with me. Any suggestions?
 
well from what i have seen very nice engines.had a few that were nice before i sold them on ebay.
 
Rivarossi is decent, although most if not all of their models have a small level of inaccuracy or missing some detail (which detail parts can fix). The earlier runs of Rivarossi locos have the pizza cutter flanges that will not run on any track smaller than code 100 (the track that comes with trainsets).

Rivarossi is only good for their steam locos. Their diesel locos and freight cars are worse than Tyco junk. Their passenger cars are decent though.

Rivarossi is a European company so the earlier stuff isn't built to American standards (but when they realized the steamer market in the states, they quickly changed)

Depending on when it was made, you may also want to remotor it as the older motors are not that great. They are very noisy.
 
Rivarossi steam was about the best you could get in the 70's and 80's for plastic steam, other choices were Mantua and Bowser diecast engines that took lots of detailing to make them look nice, or Brass engines. Late run Rivarossi, ie the red box era, commonly have can motors, RP25 flanges on all the wheels and usualy run the best of that brand, early stuff can be made to run well, flanges can be turned down carefully(the wheel centers are plastic) and remotored. I have an old NYC Hudson that runs great and will also run on code 83 track after I turned down the flanges with my dremel and stone wheel. Took about an hour of carefull work as to not get the metal rims to hot. Tender wheels I just replace. Enjoy your new engine. Mike
 
Before the latest "era" in model railroading, Rivarossi "Red Box" steamers were about as good as one could get. I have a trio of 2-8-8-2 Mallets. They are true horses. Add a couple of traction tires to each of the 8-wheel engines and you have a locomotive that can pull a ton of cars. I have one 2-8-8-2 that has headed up a group of 237 coal cars at a local show.

I have about a dozen or so Red Box engines. Including Berkshires, Hudsons, Challengers, and a couple of Mikados. I would have a hard time replacing any of them or giving them up in trade.

The older versions, including the ones listed as AHM/Rivarossi's, are just OK. Not great performers but sufficient for most modelers when detailed. Performance is nowhere close to the Red Box models. I am upgrading my older Rivarossi's to the can motors and frames as I find replacement parts. There is a store on eBay that must have purchased the inventory of Golf Manor Hobbies. I've been dealing with them for a few months now. Sooner or later all of my old AHM/Rivarossi's will be converted to the new configuration.

Bob
 
I pretty much agree with what has been said about Rivarossi locomotives so far. They were very good quality for the 60's and 70's. Yes the flanges were large and ran best on code 100 rail. By todays standards they are average. Where I disagree is that their diesels weren't any good. I have had an Alco C420 for years and although the detail is not the highest is does run very well. I also have A PRR GG1 (sold by AHM) and even though it is only single truck drive and underpowered, again with the large flanges it runs very well. Just remember they are old technology so don't over pay for one.
 
The C420 sold by Rivarossi was the old MRC/Lima one, and did run well.
As for the 2-8-8-4, I don't think they made one. Their articulated stable consisted of 2-8-8-2, 4-8-8-2, 4-6-6-4. and 2-6-6-6. They ran from fair to good to really good, depending on what incarnation and locomotive. The really old ones had a 3 pole open-frame, square motor (fair), 3 pole round motor (good), 3 pole inside-the-boiler-with-flywheels (between good and really good), and pretty much state of the art for when it was made (DCC ready) a'la the 2-6-6-6. They've since gone out of business, but that doesn't mean the stuff is junk.
 
thanks for your info guys. Appreciate it.. I will have a lot more questions soon.

Going to pick it up in half an hour. Pics up soon.
 
Anxiously waiting. I also have a set of the "Southern Crescent". I collect passenger trains and cabooses. And since the "Crescent" is not a part of my railroads, it is a "shelf queen".

Bob
 
ok, i am back. I made a mistake. Its a Red Box 4-8-8-2 cab forward. But we (my dad and I) went crazy and also bought a 2-8-8-2 and a bunch of other things. i'm a big kid right now.. going to open them up and get some pics.
 
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