Williams By Bachann GP38 O-scale 3-Rail

Introduction

Today I am reviewing one of my favorite Williams locomotives, the bulletproof Williams GP38. For all you HO and N scalers out there, Williams is the bulletproof and reliable no-frills brand for locomotives. Instead of separately-applied handrails they are stamped metal handrails bent up from the sheet-metal frame.

Features

The shell, my copy decorated for the DT&I, has most details molded on, except for a 3-chime air horn. The paint was neatly applied, and the graphics where perfect. Runs on O scale 3-rail track and is very quiet. As with all Williams locomotives they can pull stumps and not break a sweat. My copy could pull an average 5 pounds of rolling stock on a flat surface. It has 2 pickup rollers, one of each truck. Each end is equipped with a die-cast tinplate-style thumbtack knuckle coupler. Everything is die-cast except the shell giving it a hefty 4-pound weight.

Operation

It comes with two can motors and a minimalist sound system. When you push the whistle button the locomotive emits a grade-crossing horn sequence, and had a bell sound too, which sounds like someone hitting a pipe with a monkey wrench.

Summary

As with all of the Williams line, the locomotives are close to scale size, run great and have simple electronics. They can run 12 hours straight and not break a sweat and can pull almost anything you can throw at it. With an MSRP of $200.00 you can't resist picking up a few. Dummy units are also available for $100.00.