I Wish More Model Trains Were Like This | Walthers GP9 | Unboxing & Review

[@markpackham6361]

Ten or so years ago I bought a second hand Walthers GP?, not sure if it was a 9. I bought it cheap because it had splits in the plastic gearing. I emailed Walthers just to query if parts were available & how much they would be. The reply bowled me over, they were going to send full replacements for all four axles, FOC & postage free to the UK. These duly arrived and cured the problem, now a beautiful runner. Thank you Walthers, real customer service. I don't think Hornby or Bachmann would be so generous. Best service ever!

[@ACE324MINER]

We run these at the Museum I work at, these locomotives are built like tanks and running forever, current record is 7 months of almost daily use running 5 to 6 hours a day

[@Colt45hatchback]

Is that just "put on the track and forgotten about till they stop" or do they get oiled and cleaned?

[@ACE324MINER]

​@@Colt45hatchback More or less yes, we do oil them if they start to squeak or make noise. but other than that it's set it up and forget it.

[@ACE324MINER]

But that mainly do to pour display designee, it take three guys to lift the glass panel out to get to the layout and serves the trains so it's not something that can be done regularly :(

[@Colt45hatchback]

@@ACE324MINER yeah i figured it would be hard to get to, there used to be a large layout in an office fawyer (i forget how to spell it, the lobby) my dad used to deliver to when i was a kid, there was always 2 or 3 broken or derailed locos in there, due to the 2" thick perspex on all sides making it hard to access so it only got maintinence once in a blue moon, think out of the 4 years of school holiday trips with dad in the truck, i only ever saw it all working once, then it was taken away and replaced with a fountain instead. Lol i did ask where the trains went, hoping to be taken to a store room handed a v line s class. But apparently it all went in a skip when the office was remodelled 😟

[@SamsTrains]

haha not at all surprised - the quality of these mechanisms is fantastic. What was it like after 7 months? Did it even need much to fix?? Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@Antluvstrains]

Honestly there should be more companies that produce budget-friendly models like this. The hobby would benefit from it greatly.

[@AndrewTheRocketCityRailfan4014]

As an American viewer, I’m proud of how well many of my country’s manufacturers including Walthers impressed you with their value for money and performance. I’m not a model railroader(more of lego train designer who makes informative and history videos about trains) but I am really into trains with alot of knowledge of them, and I’ve seen plenty of quality model trains from American manufacturers. Many of them make insanely good model trains, which is fitting for the fact that our life size locomotive manufacturers make insanely good prime movers and locomotives(especially freight ones).

[@kenruble5292]

I think the model was made in China.

[@ComndrBly7675]

Im glad you liked it! Im from Milwaukee Wisconsin and my mom actually works in the design department at Walthers. Its always great to see someone with as big a channel as you shed some light onto smaller, family owned companies such as Walthers. Keep up the great work!

[@scottfw7169]

Hey cool! Might you pass along to her that a couple of my favorite locos are a pair of Walthers SW1 in Chessie System livery. Very smooth runners, they have put in quite a bit of time at club & visitors even got to drive them. Of course they also see use on my little bitty home layout. Was a neat detail to make their hood top bell from flexible plastic - discovered that when placing locos in coffee mugs to hold them for giving radiator grille a black wash.

[@SouRwy4501Productions]

And mine are the Walthers Proto models. My personal favorites are the E-units and the now discontinued 0-6-0s.

[@MrBnsftrain]

The theme of the locos on the layout in this video is that they are all 4-axle (B-B) diesels. Lovely choice of getting a BNSF GP9, as they were 40 years old by the time BNSF was created and were beginning to be retired. BNSF sold their last GP9 in 2011. They still have some of the six-axle versions called SD9s in their possession and have donated quite a few of those to museums. Other than that, not too many diesels built after 1970 are still in service on major railroads in the United States. I consider Watlhers to be the American version of Hattons in that they stock lots of brands of model trains as well as produce their own. Walthers has a more basic line called Trainline and higher-end line called Proto.

[@Zebrails]

Like 777! #24:28 BN 912 a 1000 HP End-cab switcher the odd loco out? Sam, please note the colours of this locomotive. It is painted in the "Heritage" colours of the once Great Northern Railway... Yes, both British and North American "Great Northern" railways. Most modern BNSF are still painted in this colour scheme. The lineage of this locomotive has a few number changes, but at present is still operating in revenue service in Texas. I previously included that information as well as the link (but it got deleted?) Yes, this is an excellent locomotive model. Budget and good looking, good running, and dependable! It would actually pull the other cars from your other running locomotives (with possible slippage.) John British Columbia, Canada

[@srenchin]

Hi Sam, please note that "Walthers Mainline" products are considered a Walthers MID RANGE line. Walthers value products are sold under the "Walthers Trainline" brand. Walthers high end product are sold under the "Proto" brand name. It would be interesting for you to compare a Walthers "Trainline" GP9m model to the Walthers "Mainline" GP9 that you just reviewed. By the way, I purchased one of your propeller driver Gresley's Rocket locomotives and i love it!😃

[@robertknight4672]

I only have one Walthers locomotive and it's a trainline F40ph Amtrak locomotive. You do have to put some of the detail Parts on that one yourself including some of the Parts on the trucks (bogies). Even so the trainline F40ph still has all-wheel drive and directional lighting. I'm not sure if it's the exact same Drive they used in the train Mainline range.

[@SamsTrains]

Duly noted, thank you both for the extra info - appreciate it! Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@minnesotarailfan12]

Nice choice! Walthers is a great manufacturer that has been proven in the industry for quite a time. Their mid and entry level model trains still have the same drivetrain as their top of the line Proto models, which means that for modelers just starting out and wanting an affordable and reliable locomotive Walthers is the way to go! I just got a pair of their F7A/B locomotives in the Burlington Northern "Executive" paint and they look and run fabulously well.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks! Yeah definitely - I'll be sure to try more from them soon, super impressive! Absolutely awesome for beginners - what a service they provide! Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@Matt-qf6pd]

Im glad my first loco i bought was from this brand and glad it was a good buy

[@Uptownloki47]

Walthers Mainline models are some of the best budget locomotives on the US market and are great starts for a superdetail project. They also offer a superdetail kit for the locomotive which allows you to add separately fitted parts yourself.

[@SamsTrains]

I'd agree - one of the best/best value I've ever soon - the detail kits are amazing!! Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@DarkTerritory71]

"Common Theme" you mentioned, is American freight locos/trains. I first started watching you, when you did the criticisms of your channel video, I laughed my &$$ off at you, that was good fun! As an American modeler, I like the Walthers locos because I can detail them myself, and they are Great runners, and with DCC, the crawl and performance, is much better. My personal Fav is the SD70ACE. On the end of the walthers box, where it reads, EMD GP9 HH PH2: Electro-Motive Division. General Purpose 9, High Hood, Phase 2. (Just trying to help). Thank you for your videos, I truly enjoy them. Happy New year, God bless.

[@IndustrialParrot2816]

some history about the EMD GP9 The EMD GP9 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between 1954 and 1959. The GP9 succeeded the GP7 as the second model of EMD's General Purpose (GP) line, incorporating a new sixteen-cylinder engine which generated 1,750 horsepower. This locomotive type was offered both with and without control cabs; locomotives built without control cabs were called GP9B locomotives. EMD constructed 3,626 GP9s, including 165 GP9Bs. An additional 646 GP9s were built by General Motors Diesel, EMD's Canadian subsidiary, for a total of 4,257 GP9s produced when Canadian production ended in 1963. The GP9 was succeeded by the similar but slightly more powerful GP18. At least 23 GP9 locomotives have been preserved at various railroad museums, as "park engines", and as excursion engines according to The Diesel Shop: B&O 6607, originally numbered 3414, is at the B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore, Maryland, in operating condition. Southern Pacific 3194, a GP9R rebuild built as Texas and New Orleans 281, is at the Golden Gate RR Museum, California. It is in operating condition. Northern Pacific 245 preserved at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, currently painted as North Shore Scenic Railroad 245.

[@SamsTrains]

Thank you so much for the extra info - appreciate it!! Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@TheAreotrain]

Walthers have been a household name in model railroading since the early days of the hobby as it is known now (got some of their old O-scale 2 rail items from way back) and it is a company that has a number of good model railroaders working for them (know a few of them and they do hear it from many in the area if there are issues with the product). The Mainline product line is solid for the money and I have not heard any gripes about it. I know you mentioned about the concern for the bearing pickup and from personal experience has proven more reliable than wipers as the pickups don't wear down as fast. Seen engines that are 40+ years old with that sort of pickup and they still run fine. Keep up the great reviews, it is fun seeing the products from this side of the pond. Also your theme was 4 axle locomotives.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks a lot for sharing - I'll be trying much more from them soon I think, especially if it's all as good as this. Yep - no problems at all with the axle pickup in this case! Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@a2020vision_official]

Athearn in particular did a good job making the axle bearing pickups popular in the US. My very first loco was a blue box F7 that I really abused back then but which I recently serviced and now works fine.

[@DieselElevators]

Walther's is a fantastic manufacturer. Mainline is their budget range and Proto is their "better" range. However, the differences are in detail only. Both ranges have the same quality drive system. I have a set of locomotives from Walthers, HO scale, each locomotive is 1 1/2 pounds in weight, and they all run beautifully!

[@r.a.monigold9789]

Sam - you know trains from real to teeny tiny and all in between as well as Einstein knew physics. You're an impressive chap. Funny (a bit silly), entertaining and always sharing information with us. I feel so fortunate to have discovered your channel. From a 76 year old train fan I say Thank You Sam for all you do for us, your loyal viewers. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[@SamsTrains]

haha that's very kind of you - many thanks for the kind words! Merry Christmas to you too, Sam :)

[@Neville60001]

Sam, will you ever do a railway set from Kato?

[@roberttapken1139]

Sam, I have 2 Walthers Alco PA-1 passenger locos. Both with sound and DCC. Also from Trainworld. I paid $159.99 each for them. Great runners, no problems in over a year. Walthers also has lots of passenger cars to match. I have Deleware and Hudson, Southern (for my E7 from Bachmann) New York Central. There are several retailers here in the US that sell these cars for about $35-40. Enjoy.

[@tjmfarming9584]

looks like the theme is either Road-switcher locos (Which the GP9, RS11 and the remainder of the GP's are) or it's Diesels with Cabs at one end, judging by that Irish loco and that BR engine sitting in the background I can certainly agree with you on several points throughout the video Sam! Wish UK model manufacturers would take note... Be interesting to see how the Australian model manufacturers hold up, perhaps an idea for a future video?

[@MrSEANDEERE]

I have had Walthers trains ever since I started the hobby back in 2008 when I was 10. I started with their Trainline series, I had purchased the Proto 1000s and 2000s series that were subsequently bought out by walthers and then basically resold as the Mainline series which has a fantastic line of locomotives and rolling stock. I currently have 2 Mainline locomotives. A massive SD70ace and SD60 both in CN Livery and both came DCC equipped. Even better, both were purchased for under 250 canadian dollars brand new. They are fantastic running locomotives and I love using them when ever I get the chance. My Trainlines are also still going strong after all these years, all three converted to DCC and Sound. My two GP9Ms often heft freight around at the club yard and my FP40 in the VIA rail scheme hauls 8+ coach long passenger trains on weeklendly basis! Walthers is great value and for us North American modelers they are a true gem!

[@DC4260Productions]

I've got an EMD SW1 from Walthers, and it's another impressive budget model from that company. She has working lights (just like this GP9), as well as good detail and weight. For reference, my SW1 is No. 9137 from the Pennsylvania Railroad, and oddly enough she was a second-hand purchase from Hattons.

[@pathvalleyrailroad9277]

I'm guessing the common theme is they are all American locos. the GP9 was such a good machine that they can still be found now and again on shortlines and pulling excursion trains.

[@SamsTrains]

It was indeed - and yep, got to love a GP9! Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@RAVAGERrules]

I actually picked up a pair of these in the Santa Fe livery and for the price they are astoundingly good models. They were the first locomotives I had purchased from walthers and I was blown away by how much I got for the money.

[@timbervalleyproductions]

Brilliant review Sam. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

[@goldie44]

Walthers Mainline is the midrange model from Walthers. Walthers Proto is the high end. And the "HH" means "High Hood" in front of the cab. This particular GP9 would have been in its 2nd or 3rd livery since it is in BNSF paint. BNSF or Burlington Northern Santa Fe was created by a merger in 1996 between the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railroads. The Burlington Northern railroad was another merger in 1970

[@Lexx2k]

A GP9 from Walthers Proto was my very first H0 train that I've bought. Back then I was impressed by the quality and how everything felt and worked, and even though it's small, the details seemed sturdy. Later I bought a train from another company, but the quality was a lot worse, details would break easily, etc. etc.. this made me realize that the Walthers GP9 was not the minimum quality standard, it was just really well made. The more you know.

[@wolfiealternateaccount4181]

Modern trains are fantastic. Many of my locomotives are Atlas Gold series DCC with sound. They all run superbly. I wish I could find a DCC Hogwarts express that ran half as well. The Hornby and Bachman efforts are toys by comparison, unfortunately. I would pay a good price for a perfect running Hogwarts locomotive. I recently bought an Athearn DD40X and this loco crawls at barely imperceptible speeds so smoothly it is amazing.

[@davidbugler4597]

12.59 The 'steps' are the primary springs for the truck suspension, with side control provided by the swing-links -- the big U-shaped arms. These springs are sets of four semi-elliptical leaf springs side by side, with the sets paired face to face.

[@samorowell535]

I have two of these and I love them, easily the most reliable in my collection, and some of the strongest, I pair them up for long freights (15+ American freight cars) with no issues

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah the reliability is immediately noticeable with this - absolutely awesome! :D

[@louisbuscarino7330]

It is 4:30 PM on 1/1/2023 Sam I just bought one for myself and it runs great it is the first Walthers engines I ever owned. Sam your review was spot on again. Keep them coming.

[@lindaoffenbach]

Lovely, and the first time that we are actually seeing a Walthers loco in-depth. It seems to be great value for money Sam. The American model train companies and H0 do of course have the benefit of economies of scale, whereas we can only imagine the OO market to be quite restrictive in terms of potential volume. This evidently does reflect in pricing in the end, but curiously, OO also somehow doesn’t push innovation too much; remaining lagging years behind, which is quite odd, to be frank if you don't mind. Anyway, this GP9 from Walthers is fantastic value. Cheerio.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks Linda - yes indeed, awesome value here! You would expect that, but many American models are far more expensive than our British ones.... even when they're small! So nice to see Walthers being an exception to that rule! Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@CyanShock]

Hey Sam, glad to see you discovered walthers. By far my favorite us manufacturer for budget models. They have 3 lines of models: trainline(super basic), mainline(budget), and proto(super detailed). I have 6 sound fitted mainline locos, 1 of which had some pick up issues out of the box but the other 5 run better than some of the pricier stuff I've got. The mainline rolling stock are excellent, good detail for the price. The only issue I have really had with walthers is the couplers on the rolling stock sometimes dont couple well, much like the Bachmann ones they're kadee compatible but still not up to the quality of actually kadee brand couplers. Glad you liked this one, I've been considering buying one in a different livery. The plastic hand rails definitely arent the best but they tend to be the industry standard for modern us models, at least from all the manufacturers that I've bought from. Look forward to seeing more.

[@vaclavmacgregor2464]

Sam I would reccomend some streamlined american diesels from Walthers particularly there Alco PA and Aloc Dl-109 both affordabel yet verry well done(why dont you rewiew Lionel i have a Lionel Alco PA).

[@danieljones1861]

Hello. I really enjoyed this one. Like you, I really wasn't expecting the performance or quality to be as high as it was for that price. When the product is from a company you are not familiar with, it can usually be a gamble. I'm glad to see you got a good quality locomotive at a decent affordable price. In terms of suggestions, I think the EMD GP9M might be interesting. It's not the same model just by the livery. It has a lower rebuilt hood/nose to increase crew visibility. The price is about 67.98 to 79.98 dollars, which is 56.20 to 66.12 pounds. There are numerous different liveries you can choose from, but they are all the same price, as far as I know. If not the GP9M, the EMD GP15 is another similarly priced locomotive. It cost a little bit more, but not much. Again, amazing video. I'm really happy to have learned about Walthers from you. I'll definitely check out some of their products in the future. I personally got a Bachmann Southern Railway 2-6-2 this year, so it might be nice to be able to compare it with another manufacturer. I know it is a bit late, but I hope you and your loved ones had a merry Christmas. I'm really looking forward to seeing what your channel brings in the new year. :)

[@SouthWalesTrainSpotter]

I recently bought a class 66 freight liner livery for £130.95 I think and Bachman have done a amazing job as it looks beautiful going round my layout

[@tvtoms]

I detailed one of these and upgraded the decoder and speaker. Brought the price up to closer to $250 I estimate roughly. It required about forty holes drilled with a #80 bit and pin vice. I averaged four holes per bit, as they are so small and fragile! Walthers sells a Diesel detail kit with all of the grab irons and lift rings. I also added coupler cut levers, mu hoses, nose bell, cab visors, cab light, spark arrestors. The NYC RR took the horns apart and arranged the two smaller ones over the long hood so I did that too. Still need to add drop steps and chains, but it's a favorite model which began as a $99 buy.

[@Mike__B]

15:03 Did I miss something? It says dual flywheels yet I only seem to have seen one, even the exploded diagram shows only one. I wonder if all the selling points here are for another line of locos as they do have a number of lines? This looks like a nice loco, I do also love the BNSF color scheme. Do need to be a bit careful though as Walthers also has a Trainline series (and Proto too but that's at least a completely different sounding word) and the Trainline is an even more budget line of models and if you're not paying too much attention the boxes actually look quite similar (I think Trainline is white vs Blue Mainline but still for someone who may not know that it is a bit difficult to tell ). I'm not sure of the differences other than Trainline does not tend to be DCC ready, I do see them pop up on Amazon though with some paint schemes being cheaper than $70 which is quite nice if the only difference between the two is the 21 pin DCC ready board Either way, I'm really happy to see this review as this is a loco that is "in my backyard" (the OO scale stuff, like Hornby, not so much), and at $100 is something I would consider purchasing. LASTLY, I promise, I'd love to see a database of your train ratings, feel like it would be interesting to break it down into values, e.g. all the 5 star trains as one grouping so you can see of the true value stuff what is "better" than others.

[@corytaylor8514]

Greetings from Milwaukee! I have a pair of these myself and I completely agree, they are an absolute joy!

[@mattsmocs3281]

What i noticed is, because of competition the shear amount of the same models by every maker in the US, plus a massive change of quality in the early 90s when Life Like shook up the industry on quality… British model making industry has become complacent to what it was back in the day, Bachmann did bring in things from there late 90s early 2000s to the British market but nothing like what is being run now in the US as there was still and still is a massive competitive range to a customer market who is far more critical and expect higher quality and had forced manufactures out of the market if they didn’t meet the needs of the customers. Also i see you got multiple themes here, High Hoods, orange and green, BN (one of the 2 roads of BNSF) and american built locos from emd and alco the 2 true rivals of first and second generation

[@KibuFox]

Fun Fact: US modelers don't call them "Bo-Bo" or "Co-Co". Generally we recognize by the letters at the front. GP units tending to be 4 axle units, SD being 6 axle. Other notes: 1.) The GP engine wasn't just for the "north and south" of America. These were used nation wide, with railroads all over the nation, not just in the north or south (as your statement implies) using them. 2.) Walthers Mainline is known for their detail, and price-point, being one of the more afforable 'true' model railroad model producers. While the locomotives are, by no means perfect, they are decent enough that many US model railroaders will have one, or two Walthers locomotives on their roster. 3.) The "GP" in the locomotive's name, stands for "General Purpose." In the US, General Purpose locomotives are generally 4 axle locomotives. There are some exceptions, but those are very, very rare. Other designations in the US are "SD" which stands for "Special Duty" and refers to 6 axle larger variants of the GP locomotives. Also, if you ever see something referred to as a (for example) GP38-2, it means the locomotive is an upgraded version of an earlier design. 4.) The GP9's usually had dual control stands. Depending on the railroad, this meant either the short hood, or long hood could be designated the front of the engine. If you ever want to know which end is the 'front', just look along the sill near the front steps. There will be a small "F" letter. That designates which end is the "Front". Some railroads, like the Southern Railway, had the long hood designated as the front. 5.) Walthers "Proto" line is more aimed at the serious modeler, with single locomotive models having even greater detail than you see with the "Mainline" variants. Some variants of locomotives in the Proto line costing two, or three times what the Mainline models cost.

[@ErickC]

I don't know anyone who refers to all four or six axles as GP or SD units; everyone I know reserves those terms for the GP and SD product lines as built by EMD/GMD. In the US, we use the terms B-B and C-C. America is a landmass, not a country, so I presume he meant "North and South America, the continents." This is true, by and large, these weren't exported to Europe due to the restrictive loading gauges, but operating examples, while primarily found in North America, can be found all over the Americas. General-Purpose locomotives are ALWAYS four axle locomotives because it was a GM product line. Similarly, SD locomotives are ALWAYS 6-axle. Dual control stands in these locomotives are exceptionally rare. First, they take up a lot of room in an already-cramped cab (it's smaller than it looks); second, they are an added expense to order and maintain. This is why some roads elected to set up the long hood as the default - contrary to popular belief, it had nothing to do with crash safety and everything to do with making bidirectional operation with a single control stand more practical by ensuring that the view out the "wrong" side of the locomotive (i.e., where signals are less visible) would be over the short hood rather than the long hood.

[@IndustrialParrot2816]

yes walthers mostly make budget model products in ho scale but they also retail products from other manufactiorers (bleh i can't spell) like broadway limited imports, rapido trains, and bachmann

[@scottfw7169]

Four notes: 1: There on hood ends note double row of tiny bumps between deck and numberboards, those are locating points with bolt detail for adding your own grab irons (ladder rungs) allowing access to roof, especially the filler caps to the sand boxes for traction sand. 2: And then speaking of the hoods -- on box labeling, the "HH" is for high hood, referring to short hood in front of cab. At some point on the calendar, railroads which didn't use that space for a steam generator for heating passenger cars began cutting the short hood down to make a Low Hood and add more windshield windows to cab. 3: the "Ph II" in label refers to "Phase 2" body details. Locomotive design phases are pretty much a creation of the railfan community for efficiently noting production variances in detail and factory installed equipment. 4: Note tiny "F" stencil on side sill below short hood, these locomotives could be set up with either the long hood or short hood designated as the Front and at some point the government regulated the marking of locomotive as to which end was front.

[@wjstix]

Walthers makes a detail kit for this loco that includes the missing grab irons etc. It lists for about $10. It does require drilling out small holes with a pin vise at the "dimples" on the model, but once done it enhances the model a lot. Walthers also offers this engine in it's upscale Proto line, which comes with railroad-specific detailing added at the factory. Both versions use the same motor, chassis, and drive train. The model is based on the old Life-Like Proto model from the 1990s, so has held up quite well!! BTW "HH" means "high (short) hood", "Ph 2" means it's a Phase 2 GP-9. EMD made several improvements over the run of GP-9s, so railfans/modellers recognize different "phases" of construction. The "flimsy" handrails are because they're meant to be scale size, most inexpensive models have grossly oversized handrails.

[@bdvids7930]

I think the theme for the three engines running around the layout is cabs that are towards the front of the locomotive or something like that

[@gawainemellors]

WOW, you're really treating us over Christmas, thanks Sam.....

[@SamsTrains]

haha it's a pleasure!! :D Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@RailKingMell]

Walther's mainline rolling stock is the best value for money well you wanna build a long rake of cars on a budget. And if you get any Walther's proto product on sale, that's an absolute bang for your buck!

[@PaulinesPastimes]

I have a Walthers GP15 that is every bit as good as you say. So smooth and quiet. I changed the couplings to little tension locks so I can couple it to my Tri-ang TC range of freight cars. 😊

[@nigelnicholson7439]

Hi Sam, I enjoyed the video review, as usual, thank you. My understanding from engineers, working on boats rather than railways, is that the main advantage of helical gears is that they are quieter in operation. Not sure how important that would be with plastic gears but I suppose everything helps.

[@NWRJ_WStudios]

13:51 oh yes Sam trust me..... THEY DO!

[@AzaleaGP30]

I do have a couple of Walthers EMD F40PH models, one’s fitted with DCC sound. I can confirm that Walthers is a very good, affordable brand of model trains.

[@SamsTrains]

Very nice - I was super impressed by this one!! :D Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@entropytango5348]

And thanks for a great year. You have inspired me to take the hobby up after N scale many years ago. Happy New Year!

[@EsotericArctos]

The information included may go a bit overboard, but this is a fantastic little model. We really do need a budget range that looks good to bring people into the hobby that can't afford the expensive ones. Looks like the may have replaced flat blade with philips head screws in manufacture, but not updated the manual. US People do call the single slot flat head or slotted screws and the ones in this model are "philips" head.

[@Waty8413]

There are also extra detail kits available for Mainline locos. The keen eye will notice stations for grab irons and that sort of thing to be added rather than the detail being molded on.

[@GrandTrunkWestern85]

They've got the Proto drive line which is very smooth and you can buy the detail kits if you want to upgrade them. Cheers Freddy

[@nerfreak01]

I grew up around GP-7s/9s in the SF Warbonnet scheme. Loved them.

[@stevenlamb3971]

I just did a Soundtraxx Econami sound conversion on a Trainline Santa Fe 1600 GP9. It turned out to be a good smooth runner! Only thing I don't like specifically about the 1600 is the location of the cab end headlights, should be in the (modified post crash) short hood, not above the cab. If I ever get a replacement decal for the nose I'll probably relocate them.

[@scottfw7169]

Talking about loco speed, the real deal had an axle-hung electric motor on each axle. Motor had a pinion gear which engaged a gear on axle. Typically for freight locos the railroads chose a 15 tooth pinion and a 62 tooth axle gear, referred to as 62:15 which was sometimes stenciled on trucks/bogies or the loco. Top speed with that setup was around 69 mph, 111kph.

[@enforcer0175]

I just impulse-bought one of these. The short line railroad near where I work just got a new-to-them GP9, still in Pennsylvania Railroad livery, which really surprised me since PRR hasn't existed since 1968. Sure, its missing paint on the cab roof, and probably other spots I didn't notice, but was very cool to see. I can only guess that it was sold sometime before the Penn Central merger and has been passed around to different lines over the years for various jobs. Either that or they've had it for a long time and it was in storage or something.

[@geraldratte9254]

Hi Sam's trains, I can say, yes Walters, scale trains, intermodal, have the best price but depending on what you are looking for prototypical or close to, all depends on how much you have to spend on your hobby for locos and freight cars as you know it is a hobby and we always look for the cheapest things we cand find and improve them, love your video on Walters BNSF engine.

[@flyingvillager1472]

Awesome review Sam! I love watching you review American brands and getting to see how they stack up against others we don't see much in the states. If you're looking for suggestions a Walther model I would love to see you check out is one of their EMD SD70ACe models, especially in a Union Pacific livery.

[@danielbatdorf3873]

Heh, I mentioned the SD70ACe, too, only difference is that mine is NS instead of UP. What a fantastic engine. If Sam reviews one, I think it'll really blow him away.

[@SimRacin14]

The Geeps are some of my favorite locomotives, real and model railroad. I have had a few of Atlas's N scale GP7s or GP9s and they're pretty solid. I've actually been in the cab of a GP9 once, a few years ago in southern Indiana. If you want to see the evolution of these locomotives, check out the BL2. It was supposed to provide better visibility when switching compared to the F units but wasn't a good seller. Then EMD released the GP7 and it worked really well. The two nearest railway museums to my home both roster GP7s (one has a BL2 as well, one of 7 still around). A lot of GP7/9s were rebuilt at Paducah, KY a few hours west of here. There are HO scale models of those units as well (GP8/10).

[@realzachycards]

the website brass trains is currently selling a broadway limited imports 844 for about $355 (which is far less than the $600 it is usually going for). I would highly recommend picking it up.

[@williamhall667]

This is a serious contender for you're top five of 2023. I've never been a fan of american locomotives and it is in HO and not OO. however I run many Hornby railroad models and it is encouraging, that I can buy good quality models for me and my young children at a fair price. They have serious potential as a company if they carry one as they have started.

[@clippermuso]

To me it’s the perfect loco - well-priced, solid mechanism, good runner. Detailed enough, but not too much that something falls off everytime you pick it up. A loco you’d enjoy running. Definitely a place in the UK market for a range of locos based around this detail and pricepoint. Closest we probably have is Dapol.

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah absolutely - it's pretty much as close to perfect was we see! Would love to see UK equivalents of this! Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@srenchin]

I would recommend a "Walthers Proto" product next, I have a Santa Fe "PA" locomotive in the red and silver "War bonnet" paint scheme from that product line and it is just gorgeous!

[@Trainsbigandsmall]

Hello, GP stands for General Purpose btw Nice looking model despite no grab irons nor hoses they kinda make it up by having crew figures in the cab. Walters Proto which was once Proto 2000 has the high end models in their selection. Good review

[@97SEMTEX]

tbf you don't get fitted cab crew in even the top end UK models, although Hornby have started supplying them with their "black box" models so maybe we can expect others to start doing this as well on their "black box" models in the future? Either way, this model does look good and does run nice but their "most detailed model locomotives available today" is completely false and should be re-worded as its provably false.

[@a2020vision_official]

Walthers is pretty good overall. They have an even more budget friendly "Trainline" product line which has a few diesels in the sub-$100 range. I have a couple and they're also really good for the price. My understanding is that as other companies have gone defunct in recent decades, Walthers have ended up buying a lot of their tooling, then pairing it with updated chassis (which is probably a familiar story to certain other manufacturers, though Walthers seem to pull it off pretty well). I don't think they have much in the way of affordable steam, though, which is a shame.

[@dibsyardshuntinglayout]

Fantastic. Having seen the high quality versus cost of a lot of the US outline LOCOS, I think if I was starting again I'd model HO US outline. Mind you, could you imagine what a disrupter it would be if Walthers started producing UK outline locos to this quality and cost, and started selling to the UK market. That would put the cat among the pigeons, for sure.

[@rogermoore5761]

Hi Sam - I model N.American outline and find Walthers are very good locomotives. Loved the review. Carry on with the good work.

[@ROBERTNABORNEY]

The EMD Gp7 and Alco RS11 were competitors. GM sold 4272 GP9's while poor Alco only managed 426 RS11's. Having said that, they are two of my favorite locomotives and I have several examples of each in my fleet - along with EMD GP7's, GP18's and GP20's and Alco C-420's. I also have a never happened "GP3" i made by back dating a GP7 shell .

[@hunterkiller86]

Great review. Walthers offers detail kits for these models as a separate purchase, that way the super detail modeler can add these. Also the "steps" on the boggies are actually springs.

[@colestrains1]

Walthers mainline are great! You should consider their alco dl109. It’s a hard to find model but if you can find it, get it. It’s an amazing runner and crawls at bassicly 10% throttle

[@jamesdunloptrains]

Awesome video today Sam beautiful locomotive and merry Christmas Did you have a good one

[@personified5102]

Train world is my favorite whole seller and I have a couple of walthers products and even on thier mainline products are really good for the price.

[@trackxorailfan]

i have a couple of walthers products, and they never disappoint me. walthers is probably my favorite manufacturer for model trains with the quality of low budget models

[@sailormatlac9114]

The drive are good and they are nice starting point if someone want to customize them.

[@trackxorailfan]

@@sailormatlac9114 oh yeah definitely, it’s just an overall a great manufacturer

[@michaelgough6977]

Awesome review. I run a layout over here in the US and Walthers has been our lifesaver. We run many mainline engines. All are DCC and slow speeds seem to be improved with dcc. Walthers mainline rolling stock has also been quite good. Both seem to have the best value for money in my opinion.

[@avlisk]

My pair of Walthers SD9's became my favorite locos immediately upon first run. Top quality, great sound.

[@winstonstone]

Sam order the Walther's Model Railroad Reference Book (Catalog really) directly from them and you can see their entire line and all then other manufactures they carry. Walther themselves carry Locomotives, Passenger cars (coaches)of all types, Freight Cars (Goods), building kits, Vehicles, people. Quite an extensive range as you say. Plue Atlas, Bachman, Bush, Faller, Vollmer, PECO. Well worth the price and for you the postage. There are some Walther's Authorized Dealers in UK. Not sure were you are located, but here are their dealers in UK: Gaugemaster, Arundel; American Railroad Center, Bodmin and Mech Models, Burton Upon Trent. These dealer may have the aforementioned book in stock saving you some costs. Cheers!! I used be one of their dealers when I own shop here in Massachusetts.

[@randytaylor1258]

Very impressive! Performance to match the brawny good looks. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas!

[@Simon-Davis]

Modern this locomotive is not. Walthers took on the old Lifelike Proto 1000 and 2000 range donkeys years ago, of which this model was part. I'd recon it dates to the 1990s, but they were great models back then and the full fat range under the Walthers banner are still decent today. Some older batches were chronically prone to splitting gears, I've had my share, but that was back before they went to using helical. Over the years they've been mechanically retooled and re-specced from originally needing a PCB swap to DCC fit them, through to 8 pin and now 21 pin. This one has been pared down somewhat without added extra details like the nose end grabs, pilot details and MU hoses, so it is very much the entry level end of the range. Once they sorted those splitting gears, that mechanism really was a good one that has stood the test of time. edit to add, if you want to try more Walthers models, give one of the EMD F units a try. Trainworld has the FP7 on offer at the moment for a good price. Its a shame their passenger coaches are hard to come by at the moment though. Some 1950s coaches to go with a 1940s diesel is a wonderful thing to see. I have a Genesis F3 4 unit ABBA set in Rio Grande with the Broadway Cali Zephyr coaches, I don't think there are many trains which look better than an old American streamliner and matching coaches. Santa Fe F units running the Super Chief probably being the absolute most gorgeous of the lot.

[@BringMayFlowers]

I just bought a chopnose version of this with both a BNSF and inaccurate Santa Fe (uses the Super Fleet Warbonnet and not the yellow/blue Freightbonnet) body for $40 from eBay, it's arriving today. I'm pretty excited, gonna use the Santa Fe body (even though the ATSF is my #2 favorite after Conrail) to paint up in a brand new livery. I would personally call that speed that it becomes smooth Notch 1 myself, so I'm happy with that. Even switching around shortlines, that's as slow as you see it go. Also, I see that Class 15.

[@dimitrioskoutsouras1014]

Nice work Sam, with the review, we have Walthers model trains here in Australia too, I use their Trainline models for experiments in trying new things, controls, lighting for example, as they're cheap, yet quality models, easy to work on. I agree with your review of the Mainline product and I wonder if you've seen a Walthers Proto, a bit more in price, but a lot more in detail, as I purchased the Walthers Proto GP9 and was quite impressed, comparable to other high quality and more expensive models available on the market. Maybe you could do a review on a Walthers Proto in the future, as you keep up your good work.

[@realzachycards]

another american model train company that i recommend that you try is broadway limited imports. although their locomotives are a bit expensive, the value and level of detail as well as their pulling power is unmatched. I highly recommend purchasing a broadway limited engine with a smoke unit.

[@YJRail]

My model train club has a pair of Walther's proto F7s that we have been using for track testing and they have been the most reliable locomotives we have.

[@metalstorm242]

Quality built models like these are why I sold all my OO stuff and switched to US HO scale. never regretted it.

[@cessnaace]

The screws that you unscrewed (the correct ones) are usually referred to in the U.S. as Philips head. Also, what you call a bogie in the U.K. we call a truck. I believe HO scale and OO scale are interchangeable. It seems so based on your video. HO refers to Half of O. If I remember correctly OO had some popularity in the U.S. prior to WWII, although O Gauge, followed by S Gauge were the most popular. OO resurfaced in the U.S. as HO either in the late 50s or early 60s. My first layout as a kid was either OO or HO. We were living in France at the time but that layout and the locos all worked in the U.S. Some of the coaches would derail on tight curves though. They were really long. I got a new layout and a Tyco HO scale set in the 70s. My youngest brother got the Spirit of '76 set. These were released to coincide with the nation's bicentennial. One of these sets is for sale on eBay for $169. By then I no longer had any of my earlier trains. Walthers offers alot of locos, rolling stock, sets, etc.

[@felixfelix9062]

I love the black on this model!

[@chandal804]

Merry Christmas Sam! Thanks for this excellent review. I have got my first dcc roco set, and I must say that your reviews has taught me to identify a good railway model. The only downside is the curse of knowledge! Its now difficult to admit that my once favourite models are not as great as I had thought!. Anyways, would love to see you review german/austrian models more, which have smoke and sound functions. Also, would love to see the ease of maintenance, and expected life on your evaluation metric. For instance, my roco steam locomotive has some snap fitted parts, which made me so nervous to open the locomotive for the first time for oiling and lubrication. I almost get a mini heart attack while I apply force to my delicate models. Also, I had to remove so many parts to get access to the desired part. This makes the experience of maintenance quite unpleasant. Talking about the expected life, one of friend who owns a model railway shop recently shared his experience about roco's ten coupled axle freight steam locomotives. He said that in order to negotiate tighter curves, the side play for driven axles is more than in real life. This puts a strain on the coupling rods, and shortens their life. Also, only one of the axle is geared, and it is driven through a cardon joint from the motor in the tender. The rest of the axles are driven through coupling rods, just like real life, which I think you appreciate in a model. However, the coupling rods are further strained, and hence are prone to failures. I remember in one of your reviews you said that its silly to have all the axles of a steam locomotive geared, because its makes the coupling rods redundant, and introduces extra noise in the model. Perhaps its done to avoid strain on the coupling rod. Let me know your thoughts on this. Thanks in advance.

[@SamsTrains]

Merry Christmas! That sounds awesome - haha you're right, I feel the same about some of my old favourites! Thanks a lot for sharing all of this - you can still enjoy a model that isn't as great on paper... I do it all the time!! ;) Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@jamesstrickland631]

I can vouch for Walther's Mainline engines, good balance between cost and details, good pulling power, quiet operation and great paint. Some models also have detail kits that can be purchased separately and applied, to give you a more detailed locomotive.

[@andrewpalm2103]

Woohoo! US prototype engines and cars on all three mainline tracks at Sam's Trains. Thanks, Sam, as I really enjoyed watching this review. And I think you were very fair in your assessment. EMD did not invent the road switcher concept (that goes to the Alco RS-1), but the GP7 and GP9 dominated the freight diesel market when they did come out. Yes, they were boring and utilitarian in comparison to the "covered wagon" F units, but they got the job done and set the template for future freight diesels here in the US--not just with performance, but also maintainability and reliability. Cheers from Wisconsin!

[@russellbenton2987]

Very interesting Sam . Yes we could do with a similar range here . True Railroad a 37, 47,66 with lights metal chassis , good running and reasonably detailed body . Trouble is there are a lot of people here wanting max detail and prepared to pay the price for it ( things like £80 for a Polybulk wagon for instance!) which I think skews the market . Everybody is putting more detail on and charging accordingly . We do need that “basics” range but not that basic as you have shown .

[@skylershummingbird1667]

The MainLine range isnt super detailed out of the box but Walthers does sell a grab iron detail set. The small dimples on the hood are the drill points for the grabs and once put together, they are very mpresive locomotives.

[@Pepperknight341]

Regarding the cross screws, we call them phillips. Either the instructions made a typo, the model was planned to use flatheads initially but changed later without updating the instructions, or they substituted the flatheads with the phillips.

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah exactly - definitely not flatheads are they?? Confusing! Thanks for watching - Sam :)

[@Enby-wierdo]

I literally just got a Walther's steam 0-6-0 steam locomotive for Christmas and it runs so well it's my very first locomotive that I got brand new and I love it so much it dosent have much detail but it was only $114 which is ok i think because it is a tender engine with a metal chassis and a good mechanism with working directional headlight and a smoke unit so hopefully it lasts a long time

[@willausterman3104]

Walthers Proto passenger cars are among the best in HO scale, right up there with Rapido IMHO

[@customwoodworketc1046]

I find walthers train line locos very good also mainline very good runners. I love them

[@michaelfeldman-budarick9295]

You should get some cabooses for the end of your freight trains sam,

[@richardjayroe8922]

I have seen a few in service myself in Newport news Virginia working the coal yard. And if I recall NS (Norfolk Southern) uses modified ones to train new trainies. The theme is "hood" diesels, and there is one oddball I noticed

[@TrainsAreReallyCool]

NS got rid of their GP9's many years ago.

[@richardjayroe8922]

@@TrainsAreReallyCool it's been awhile since I was in training

[@Batesandrw]

Very nice model loco. I do like my U.S locos. I have O scale/gauge Atlas and MTH locos, wagons and buildings. Love them. 😊

[@davidballoid2118]

I thought I seen an Alco S-1 and an Alco S-3 along with your EMD GP-40 and new GP-9 your theme is Diesel Electric Locomotives. The railroads use 4 axle locos now days, for yards and local road switching duties. 6 axle locos are used for prime-movers and long-distance.

[@carburetorgaming5173]

For gear grease, Ive found di-electric grease to work the best. I prefer the super-lube, you can buy it at Autozone and Napa, but any di-electric grease should work well

[@Dokkensound]

Nice collection of 4 axle locomotives. Enjoyed your review, great job on the important details.