Trainline45's new Pfiffi (HSB 99-6101)

[dunnyrail]

I think you need to look at the pick ups again Jon. Mine runs extremely well, even on less than clean track. It is a heavy blighter and that helps. Pulls 8 bogies on my slight grades easily.

Thanks Allan I was thinking of adding Pickups to the centre drivers and investigating a new wheel to ditch the Traction Tyre one. But my quest for Battery Power Continues and after such a great day this week Operating with no issues of Track Power I may well battery up Pfiffi, if Incan manage to jeep the Chip as recently mentioned by Phil this could be what will happen. Just waiting for roundtoit to kick in. At least the bix sits in my siting room so a constant reminder!

It Was always a tricky decsion as to whether to buy one of the smaller TL Locomotives due to potential running issues and I now wish I had got a non sound one, then the issue of battreying the thing up would not have been such a big or traumatic (and less expensive)issue. Though I Have to say the Zimo Decoder is a great sound.

 

[stockers]

You will loose a lot of the functionality of the Zimo on batteries Jon.

 

[dunnyrail]

You will loose a lot of the functionality of the Zimo on batteries Jon.

I know that but what is the use of a Loco that just will not run on DCC and to be honest I am getting tired of Track Cleaning. Plus when running I tend only to use Whisle, Bell and Blow Off as these are pretty well the most common sounds that one tends to hear or in my case want. Though the curve wheel squeel is good but I can live without it. Plus having 24 Functions many of them on Extended Keys by the time you have gone over to the Extended Key the event you want the sound for has passed. Lots of it is nice to have but little used. Probably missing out on a lot, but I prefer to Shunt Wagons!

 

[meiningen8]

Just to add to the "review" with a few more thoughts...
Pfiffi is an attractive loco, well-proportioned, about the same overall size as the LGB Rugen 0-8-0; it looks less "chunky" than the Harz 2-6-2 (99-6001), and nicely fills a gap in the HSB loco roster - I believe that prior to the new TL45 release the only G scale models of Pfiffi and Fiffi (the sister locos, 6101 and 6102, the main differences between them being the length of the side tanks and the fact that one has a superheater - I can never recall which) were the very expensive and rare KISS versions.
On the subject of expense, there is no doubt that the TL Pfiffi is not a cheap loco, but it's about on a par with similar LGB models such as the aforementioned Rugen tank; I would say its level of detail and finish are very similar to current LGB standards too - while the boiler does have some moulded-on pipework there is also quite a bit of separately-applied plumbing, plus some very fine handrails which, although plastic, are not made of bendy stuff.... there is enough fine detail that you need to think twice about how to pick the loco up - the safest method I've found is by the cab windows (unlike the Mallet it's a one-piece cab so you don't risk the roof coming loose!) and under the footplate just behind the front bufferbeam.
As I've already mentioned, the Zimo decoder is very nice - it has some great little touches like the lamps taking a second or two to come up to full brightness when you turn them on, rather than just flicking instantly from off to on.
The pulsed smoke unit (which is one thing you won't find on a comparably-priced LGB model) produces a good volume of smoke, and a handy pipette is supplied to fill the unit (3ml is the recommended fill) although you don't actually get any smoke oil, not even a little starter bottle!
Some chunks of real coal are supplied to go in the rather large open bunker on the left hand tank top, but these are really oversized lumps, and of course if you put them in loose you've then got to be careful not to tip the loco up - I'm going to make up a solid block using some of the much better sized "coal" lookalike that Dunelm sell as Vase Filler (see my post about that from some time back).

I will add some more comments to this thread as and when I think of them. Overall I've very happy with the loco!

Jon.

Hello About the Kiss models I purchased both 6101 and 6102 and paid only a couple of hundred more per Loco over the Trainline price as for rareity I couldn't comment meiningen8

 

[dunnyrail]

As mentioned in another Forum mine is to be batteried up with the new Aristo DCC offering in the hope that all will be well. In the meantime the User Add on Centre Wheel Pickups remain in the bag in the box with the coal and all the other add ons! Had I have known about the pickups plugs in the bag earlier she may have had some running now.