BLI/PCM E8A Quality

[Herc Driver]

Hey Guys -

Just wondering if anyone has any opinions on the quality of the Broadway Ltd Imports/Precision Craft Models E8A with the Paragon 2 dcc/sound decoder. I ordered one today, so I guess I'll know in a week or so how they operate and look. I was wondering if anyone had any first hand experience with them though. I've read a fair amount on the web about the engines, but much of the info is dated (2007 or so). I hit upon a video on youtube of the engine slowly running someone's layout, but couldn't quite make out the finer details. Plus, anyone had any programming issues with the Paragon sound decoder?

Thanks!

[Charlie B]

Herc, I have a couple Paragon steam locomotives in HO, A trio of BLI E7's that are the early ones, like from 2006, an SD7, A T-1, 3 F3's 2 light mikes (Blue Line) an M1-A A Y6b, A K4, I-1 and an SW-7 all sound (the I-1 is also Paragon.) My friends also have quite a few Paragon Steam locomotives. I have never had anything but a speaker go bad, which BLI replaced in a heartbeat, and My friend had a couple locomotives with glitches that were instantly fixed.
So far they all program wonderfully, now I know a little more. Documentation was a little poor, but I think it is improving.
I'm sure you will be very happy.
Charlie

[Herc Driver]

Thanks for the info Charlie...I appreciate it.

My LHS has only one PCM E8 (no dcc/sound) on their shelf (at a good price btw) and I've looked at it but never had it on a test track. It looked good, but I really wondered how it ran. I figured I'd take the chance and see how the one I ordered worked...and if it's all they advertise, I might buy more in the future. But it sure seems like it takes a very long time for BLI/PCM to bring anything to market. I gave up two years ago on the PA2 production. Now, almost four years after it was first announced, they're released. I'm not sure what internal production problems BLI/PCM was experiencing, but waiting four years for an engine to be produced hints at some major production issues, or a company that holds out to get the "minimum" production run orders from their market. The PA2's sure look great though...so I guess it would have been worth the wait after all.

[Charlie B]

I've been waiting for the Centipedes which have been set back several times. I just got an email and they are promised in June. They said they had some problems with QC and wanted then ironed out before full production.
Charlie

[TrainNut]

I hope you have better luck with your E8's than I did with my PA/PB set. Still waiting on that by the way. It'll probably be a while.

[Herc Driver]

Got word that the E8 arrived at home, so as soon as I get back I'll open it up and post a review.

[torikoos]

Let us know please! I'm still to buy my first BLI locomotive, and I'm still looking which one. Their catalog is not that big, and I am looking forward to a nice 4 axle diesel of a relative modern era, say 1990's or so ( a GP 40 or similar perhaps, sound recorded under load as Rapido trains does, so that the engine is not just idling through the settings, but actually straining a bit and working, oh with and without dynamic brake whines etc of course :-) )
For that matter, a nice tunnel motor with similar effects would be nice too :-)

[Herc Driver]

I'm hoping it's all BLI advertises. I know in Nscale, it's tougher to get a good sound out of a small speaker. We'll see.......

[Herc Driver]

Here's a "sort of" review of the E8A...

On first inspection, the fit and finish of this model is really great. I checked my unit over and found no exterior blemish or broken parts. The detailing is superb.

Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there. After making sure I had control over the engine and its functions on the factory address of 03, I successfully reprogrammed the engine to the four-digit road number. I ran the engine for only a few minutes the first day, deciding to run it more the following day when I had more time. So (yesterday), I turned on the track power ready to run this engine for a while and heard only a crackling sound from the E8's speaker. No movement, no control over the light functions, no recorded sounds. After making sure the track and wheels were clean, I tried again and again to run the engine. Every so often, the engine would come to life and work fine, although noticeably slower to respond to throttle commands than on the first run fresh from the box. Then, it wouldn't run at all. After repeated attempts, the engine no longer works. There is electrical power going to the circuit board as indicated by a faint buzzing heard around the circuit board and a buildup of heat on or near two electrical components (6v and 10v resistors?) when power is applied to the tracks. I removed the shell and inspected it under a magnifying glass and found nothing wrong from what I could see. There's no indication of burning, no broken wires, nothing touching or grounding out from what I see. I haven't taken the entire engine and decoder apart since it is still under warranty. Without some guidance from Broadway Limited, I'm not going to tear into this engine and do the trouble-shooting for them. Much as I like the way this engine looks, it clearly has some problems and will most likely need to be sent back, so I don't want to disassemble it.

So there you have it. This is my first BLI/PCM engine and although it looks great, it no longer runs. I've already written to BLI/PCM and await their guidance and suggestions. Additionally, I called Factory Direct Trains of Asheville, NC, and should hear from them next week on what should be done next to replace this unit. Factory Direct is an "authorized" retailer for BLI/PCM, so this will be a good test to see how well they support the products they sell.

Stay tuned!

[Charlie B]

Herc, they will make it right. They are very good about that. I had a speaker go bad and it was a year out of warranty but they sent me a new speaker. I did get a new SD7 that was dead out of the box, but that was just a loose decoder so pushing it in tightened did the job. Of course my stuff is HO.
Charlie

[TrainNut]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Welcome to the club!