# New Piko



## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

Hi,all. I just bought my first Piko locomotive and tender. It's their Santa Fe 0-6-0 #728(https://www.piko-america.com/collec...es/products/0-6-0-sf-steam-locomotive-g-scale) . It's very plain Jane with no smoke unit or sound,but the price was right at $203.99 plus $26.95 S&H.However,Ebay is giving me $20.40 back on the purchase,so my total after the Ebay Bucks discount is $210. 54. Piko lists this little loco on their website for $259.99,so it's not a bad deal. It is brand new, and from a very reputable seller on Ebay. I plan on buying a Seuthe 7 smoke generator for it within the next couple of weeks, and eventually, the Piko #36221 analog sound unit which runs around $100.00,or maybe even their Piko DCC/digital sound kit #36220, which seems comparable in quality and sound to the Phoenix boards,and runs around $170.00. I thought about buying their Pennsylvania 2-6-0 Mogul that has factory installed smoke and analog sound, but that would have cost an extra $100.00,or so,and I don't have that large a budget right now. Besides,this loco allows me to select whether I want to add smoke and/or sound at my discretion, and that can be an advantage! Of course, I have to wait on it to arrive until as late as May 23, but oh well.
Later!


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## choochoowilly (Oct 31, 2016)

*smoke generator*



RkyGriz said:


> Hi,all. I just bought my first Piko locomotive and tender. It's their Santa Fe 0-6-0 #728(https://www.piko-america.com/collec...es/products/0-6-0-sf-steam-locomotive-g-scale) . It's very plain Jane with no smoke unit or sound,but the price was right at $203.99 plus $26.95 S&H.However,Ebay is giving me $20.40 back on the purchase,so my total after the Ebay Bucks discount is $210. 54. Piko lists this little loco on their website for $259.99,so it's not a bad deal. It is brand new, and from a very reputable seller on Ebay. I plan on buying a Seuthe 7 smoke generator for it within the next couple of weeks, and eventually, the Piko #36221 analog sound unit which runs around $100.00,or maybe even their Piko DCC/digital sound kit #36220, which seems comparable in quality and sound to the Phoenix boards,and runs around $170.00. I thought about buying their Pennsylvania 2-6-0 Mogul that has factory installed smoke and analog sound, but that would have cost an extra $100.00,or so,and I don't have that large a budget right now. Besides,this loco allows me to select whether I want to add smoke and/or sound at my discretion, and that can be an advantage! Of course, I have to wait on it to arrive until as late as May 23, but oh well.
> Later!


 









G-SCALE MICRO VOLTAGE REGULATOR, BRIDGE RECTIFIER
I would highly suggest also getting one of these off eBay and change the seuthe unit to a # 5, Then # 7 requires a pretty high voltage in order to make it smoke but by adding this voltage regulator it will smoke at slow or fast all the same and they are only about $4.00. Adjust the voltage out of the board to about 5vdc and then add a 200 ohm resistor to another circuit and you can power LED's I used it with a smoke unit + flickering red and yellow Led's for fire in the fire box, Bill


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Rky;

Since you indicated an 0-6-0, I am guessing you mean the camelback. These are good, robust locomotives, and they are easy to convert to Kadee couplers, should you decide to upgrade at a later date.


















Enjoy your locomotive,
David Meashey


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

Hi,Bill. Thanks for the advice! I like the Seuthe 7. I've installed them on my USA Trains caboose(a replacement for the factory installed unit), and also in my HLW 4-4-0 locomotive with good results. I installed the one in the HLW directly ,without adding any extra connections,except for the addition of an on-off switch installed in the back of the cab. The Seuthe 7 can handle higher voltages( up to 16 volts )without the need to install resistors. I like to keep the wiring in my trains simple, so that repairs are easy and uncomplicated should the need to fix them arise.


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

Hi,Dave! Nice train. No,it's just the regular 0-6-0 locomotive and tender. The camelback locomotives are currently way too expensive for my limited train budget.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Should still have the same chassis, hence, the same attachment provisions for Kadees.

Have fun,
David Meashey


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

Good point! I do like Kadee couplers. They work well. I use hook and loop couplers as it's been my experience that a lot of knuckle couplers(Kadee couplers excluded) are not trustable since they have a tendency to open when you don't want them to.


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

Please be aware that I am not 100% satisified. Please read my commentary section posted on this video by clicking on youtube to take you to my video on the website for the details of why I don't think that this is a great locomotive!


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

The power pick ups on the passenger cars create the drag that limits your pulling power.
But remember an 0-6-0 was a switcher for yard work more than pulling trains.


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

I know. But my little Lionel 0-6-0 switchers pull all 4 of my Bachmann D&RG cars without any problems.3 of them are lighted via track power, while the baggage car,of course, is unlighted.Here's a video of both of them in action together: 



They are both 32 years old, and they make this brand new ,and much bigger, Piko seem lame by direct comparison!
Later!
Andrew


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I had bought my trains long before Piko came along. I've only seen them on the shelves at the store.


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

I heard that Piko was pretty good and compares well with LGB. My LGB mogul pulls several cars ,and I expected this one to be able to pull at least 4,maybe 5 cars. I initially hooked it up to 5 of my Bachmann cars, and all it did was spin its' wheels. I think that if it had traction tires, and maybe a little more weight, it would be fine. I'm a bit shocked that my old Lionel 0-6-0's can out pull this Piko.
Oh,well...


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

I am surprised that the locomotive slips. Is it new? If not, perhaps it lost a traction tire. Look for a wheel or two that seem to have a grove in them. My camelback has pulled four cars on R1 track, and at a rather slow pace.









The new 25 ton GE critter battery locomotive has traction tires on all four wheels. It will run for almost two hours on six AAA batteries. When the cleaning blocks are removed, it can easily manage one or two cars.









Best Wishes,
David Meashey


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

Hi,Dave. It's brand new from a real hobby shop that also sells on Ebay. I verified them using Google and Yelp,before my purchase. Especially after the debacle with that other LGB the seller canceled on me.Nope. No groves on any of the wheels. It wouldn't pull 3 cars when I got it yesterday. I changed out the plastic wheels on the tender for heavier Bachmann metal wheels, and I think that the extra weight helped a bit with the traction. I guess that they didn't make this one to be much more than a basic switcher. Too bad,but I've decided that I like it enough to keep it. I just wish that it would pull more cars. I hope that their Mogul isn't like this.


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

Hey! I got it to pull 4 passenger cars by hooking them up to the front coupler and running it backwards. Interesting that it can't do the same thing when facing forward. The change in the weight displacement must have made the difference. It's pulling all 4 cars just fine now.
I made another video to show exactly what I did:


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Rky;

There are flat, self-sticking weights offered at various hobby shops. They can be made of steel or lead, and can usually be broken apart into half ounce increments. You could try purchasing a card of weights and gradually adding them to concealed parts on the underside of the locomotive (perhaps between the boiler and frame plus under the pilot deck and the cab). Go easy with them, as you do not want to tax the motor and drive train.

I had to do the same thing to get enough pulling power with my Bachmann Indy 2-6-0. Once I had enough weight (had to use fishing sinkers), I painted the weights flat black. Most people do not see them unless they are pointed out.

Oh, almost forgot. The same company that makes the self-stick weights also offers a lead putty. It will conform to various pockets and depressions on the underside of the model, and it is a charcoal color. Just be sure to wash up well once you are done using it.

Best,
David Meashey


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## 1to3 (Mar 15, 2017)

Interesting... I do not have those passenger cars - which I have heard are very heavy - but I do have a good amount of Piko cars and I have that loco. I would guess the weight is the issue, not necessarily the motor. Mine can pull quite a bit.

I know that Piko uses more than one gearbox and the ones with smaller wheels are the "more budget" versions that usually don't pull as much. This you can check easily by looking at the wheels and comparing with their images of Camelback's (which I like a lot).


I can also say that Lionel from the 80's would have a lead weight in it... something that NOBODY can use anymore due to compliance, regulation, etc. In fact, most people don't realize that lead was used exactly because it was the heaviest and cheapest metal. Hence newer weights are more expensive and not as heavy, even if they are the same size. (So even a 1980 LGB Mogul will outpull the exact same loco produced in 2019.)


If you want to pull more weight, the issue isn't really the motor but getting as much weight on top of it as you can. Put ball bearings, or whatever metals you can find on top of the motor and you should be fine to pull more cars. I personally have seen a 4-year old sit on a piko Santa Fe starter set at a train show... and it carried him around half the circle of track - till his parent took him off!! (That had to have been 40lbs or so. But he was sitting directly on the loco or the motor.)


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

The Seuthe 7 smoke generator has been successfully installed in my 0-6-0. See it operate in this test video:




Enjoy!


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## tomplatten (Sep 12, 2008)

I still have one of those 0-6-0 I bought three of them when when they were first introduced. I don't know if they have improved the since I bought mine but I found they don't like uneven track---the side rods fall off because they were held in the drivers with press fitted plastic "screws" and the internal drive gears would strip if over loaded it. I purchased extra gears and extra siderod "screws". Their prices have climbed substantially by now. Maybe they have gone to brass gears!


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

RkyGriz said:


> The Seuthe 7 smoke generator has been successfully installed in my 0-6-0. See it operate in this test video:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh5-KwQKz70
> Enjoy!


Did you say in the video that you did not install a voltage regulator? If not I would not expect it to last long running at that speed. I would guess that you were over 18 volts..


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

Hi,Tom! Nope, still the same old plastic gears and pins/screws holding the side rods on. I complained about that to customer support, but didn't get anywhere. 

Oh,well!


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

Hi,Mike. My Lionel 4060 transformers are only rated at 18 volts vac. I don't usually run my locos at full power. I needed to get the smoke generator heated up quickly, and that was the fastest way to git 'er done without having the video run longer than it did. A voltage regulator has proven unnecessary for the Seuthe 7 as they are rated to 16 volts, and I hardly ever run my trains at that level of voltage. Usually at 8 to 12 (half to 3/4 output on the Lionel 4060)volts. As I'm sure you are aware, the Piko 36220 and 36221 sound systems both have an on-off switch included in them, which is good since I normally run all my smoke equipped locomotives with the smoke generator turned off. I only use the smoke very occasionally. I mostly just like having them so I can add the smoke for a video, or simply want to have it going. Which doesn't usually happen.
Also, I consider running my trains at "cannonball" speed to be abusing them ,and risking potential failure of the drive trains in them. And they're too darned expensive to risk that!

Later!
Andrew


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## tomplatten (Sep 12, 2008)

For some reason my reply was deleted yesterday about Piko units. Based on my experience, they are NOT that durable. I owned three of them! All 0-6-0 saddle tankers. I found they do like uneven track as they tend to throw drive drive rods. Also the cannot pull long trains as they tend to strip their drive gears. If they have ungraded to brass drive gears and screw-in drive rods then maybe they are worth the price they are asking!


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

Hi,Tom. Every locomotive that Piko makes,at least for U.S. consumers, has plastic gearing. In fact, with the exceptions of the motor and the wheels,virtually everything on them is plastic. They are nice trains, but I have to agree with you that their drive trains do not appear to be very durable.I removed the bottom plate from my 0-6-0 to have a look, and also to relubricate everything, and was not pleased at what I saw. So, I called Piko America and talked to support at their office just 2 days ago. The tech support guy said that they talk about adding better detailing,metal gears,metal drive rods, and other,better parts at their meetings, but they don't do it because of the added expense that would have to be passed on to the customers. He claimed that American consumers are generally too tightfisted with their money to drop the kind of cash that Europeans do for their far more detailed,expensive,and ,hopefully, more durable European locomotives. Basically, they don't do those improvements as they believe that Americans will no longer buy their products if prices were raised too high for our tastes. I guess that we're too cheap to get the good stuff!


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

Dang! This Piko 0-6-0 does make a pretty decent freight puller,at least. I've got it hauling 6 freight cars, and it's moving them nicely. Even at minimum power,which makes for a nice, slow freight train. You know: the kind of train that seems to take forever as it slowly rolls through the crossing. And the smoke unit works as expected. Takes a little more power than the Piko for it to make decent smoke, but that's as I expected.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

RkyGriz said:


> Hi,Mike. My Lionel 4060 transformers are only rated at 18 volts vac. I don't usually run my locos at full power. I needed to get the smoke generator heated up quickly, and that was the fastest way to git 'er done without having the video run longer than it did. A voltage regulator has proven unnecessary for the Seuthe 7 as they are rated to 16 volts, and I hardly ever run my trains at that level of voltage. Usually at 8 to 12 (half to 3/4 output on the Lionel 4060)volts. As I'm sure you are aware, the Piko 36220 and 36221 sound systems both have an on-off switch included in them, which is good since I normally run all my smoke equipped locomotives with the smoke generator turned off. I only use the smoke very occasionally. I mostly just like having them so I can add the smoke for a video, or simply want to have it going. Which doesn't usually happen.
> Also, I consider running my trains at "cannonball" speed to be abusing them ,and risking potential failure of the drive trains in them. And they're too darned expensive to risk that!
> 
> Later!
> Andrew


Are you sure you are running on AC, don't think it would run at all on AC voltage.


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## RkyGriz (Feb 14, 2019)

Actually, they put our 7-19 volts VAC and 6 to 17 volts VDC ,so they are a little less powerful than I stated in my previous post. I wasn't paying enough attention to what I posting.
Sorry for the confusion!
Andrew


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