# Hartland locomotive works



## DennisB (Jan 2, 2008)

I have been searching eBay looking for Hartland steam engines or Railbuses. I am interested in buying one of these products. Has anyone had any experience with this product line? Are they durable?
Regards, Dennis.


----------



## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

They are every bit as reliable and durable as LGB.


----------



## Sampug394 (Dec 30, 2010)

Consider them a generic, American LGB that makes generic beefy, reliable, bashable American trains - Pretty much a fantastic market stance for them. I wish them all the business in the world so they can expand their offerings.

I should buy another mini series car...


----------



## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

They have a web site, might check with Kidman's, they probably can get Hartland stuff. They are a good dealer. [email protected]


----------



## DennisB (Jan 2, 2008)

I am looking at buying the HLW Laporte steam engine. I have read that the gears were poor in this model. Any truth to this?


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Can't say on that loco, but I've literally driven the rims off the wheels on my Jupiter 4-4-0, at 114 air temp the rails get hotter and the glue lost it's grip. Some Super glue flowed right in and no trouble since.
Compromise scale on hobby curves, looks good to me.

John


----------



## Dick413 (Jan 7, 2008)

RLD hobbies has it for all most 100 less than e-bay

Dick


----------



## Amber (Jul 29, 2011)

Ebay can be good, but it can also be a ripoff, depending on the person selling the item. I think some of the ebay sellers think their items are made out of gold...


----------



## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

We do have most everything that HLW makes, and less than Ebay. I do know that the La Port is light weight and not much of a puller. That is the only complaint I have had from them.


----------



## W3NZL (Jan 2, 2008)

Our club has several Hartland engines, they just run & run & run & run... 
They get kicked around, abused, little service, and still they continue to 
run faithfully for literally thousands of hours... Yeah, they're tough, run
'em till the wheels wear out, put on new wheels and run 'em some more...
Paul R...


----------



## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

I have a whole stable full of Hartland stuff and am very, very happy with their products... 

As has been posted, they're reliable, stable and have great longevity. (redundant but true) 

When repairs are needed, they are very easy to fix. Parts are readily available at Hartland Parts... 402 571-2933 Tuesday and Thursday's from 8-1... 

The two power truck Big John can haul just about as much as you want to put behind it... (I have 3)

As Mike (Treeman) shared, the LaPorte is a lighter weight locomotive and does have "limited" pulling power as did the prototype. But, it's a great running locomotive and is very nice looking...


----------



## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

I have three Hartland powered units and have enjoyed them for a long time. One of the best things about HLW is that they stand behind their products.


----------



## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Dennis;

I had a stiff pony truck on my LaPorte when I first got it. It had a tendency to pull the lead driver off the rails on curves or places where the track dipped a bit. The stiff spring on the pony truck also took tractive effort from the lead driver. After a little work loosening the pony truck and its spring, things smoothed out and the locomotive became a very good runner.










The photo is a bit blurry, but it does show my locomotive settled down and working.

Best,
David Meashey.


----------



## Vinny D (Jan 25, 2013)

I have a Big John & Princess HLW engine, like others have said they just seem like they will run for ever with no issues at all.
I also have (5) of their long passenger cars (which have recently been discontinued), they make a nice product, it's not as detailed as others, but it is well built and can take a lot of abuse.
My last HLW purchase came from Reindeer Pass, very easy to deal with and they actually return emails!.... something some other vendors should look into and maybe they wouldn't cry that there business sucks.


----------



## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

I have an HLW Reno loco (4-4-0) I'd bought new, about 4 years ago. I ran it for the first time last summer, and on at least one drive wheel the plastic spoked hub part was warped to the point of climbing out of the track on any curve. 

After talking with the Man, Phil J., at HLW, I ordered new drivers. They weren't cheap. 

But, otherwise I'd agree with what's being said. The Phil Jensen story used to be in an article here, a very interesting read. Not sure if it's available anymore?


----------



## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

If the La Porte could run on my pizza I'd have one in a heartbeat


----------



## JWR (Mar 12, 2014)

And contrary to popular belief there where prototypes for Hartland produced locomotives. I haven't had any of their steam locomotives so I really can't comment on them, but one of my favorite Hartland is below. I had one years ago and they run like a swiss watch and in my opinion the best bang for the buck in large scale.

Here's the kicker, they are made in America.
(when's the last time you heard that one right)

And I believe Ozark miniatures are taking them over. But don't quote me on that.


----------



## TJH (Dec 27, 2007)

anyone have links to videos of the 4-4-0 in action? I've been intrigued by the locomotive but its proportions look a little off in pictures. I've never seen one in person and haven't found many videos of them in operation.


----------



## Sjoc78 (Jan 25, 2014)

Also worth noting that their 4-4-0's and their freight cars were originally by a company called Kalamzoo and its worth checking for that on ebay. Don't know if they made any mechanical changes but the old Kalamazoo's didn't seem too bad.


----------



## HaBi Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

What scale is Hartland, 1/29?

the other Rodney


----------



## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

"What scale is Hartland, 1/29?"

Rodney;

They are closest to 1:24. The trolleys, the long coaches, and the Mack switcher are reasonably scaled models. Many of their other offerings are fairly toy-like, BUT 1) they are very robust, 2) they make great kit-bashing fodder, and 3) the mechanisms are bullet-proof.

Regards,
David Meashey


----------



## lone Ranger (Feb 15, 2013)

TJH said:


> anyone have links to videos of the 4-4-0 in action? I've been intrigued by the locomotive but its proportions look a little off in pictures. I've never seen one in person and haven't found many videos of them in operation.



Here's a bit of Video I took this afternoon of a Hartland 4-4-0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucsnu2XRR6c&feature=youtu.be


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I've got the Jupiter and like it. I feel it's 1:24, the awkward age... not quite narrow, not quite standard...
I've read that the boilers are short, but I think that was part of early G when compression aided the tight curves.
They are fine 10' locos* and will be a good platform for extra details.


*The informal 10' rule ... if you can't see it at 10' don't worry. Many details won't be seen.
However if it bugs you....that different!

Happy Rails,
John


----------

