Whimsy was at work.
Fast-forward a few decades and you have another situation where the engineers of cute and whacky have been busy, and they have cranked out a product unlike any you’ve seen running on three rails, the mini-F unit that Ready Made Trains by Aristo-Craft has dubbed “The Beef.”
First announced back in 2006, this O gauge model had a few elements in mind – it was small and promised something new for an operator running a traditionally sized layout. Second, it was whimsical in that it looked like part of a shell placed on a single truck in some roundhouse backshop. Third, it was offered as an inexpensive alternative to high-dollar trains.
Well, a lot has transpired since 2006, but interest in this model has not waned in the least.
Opening the boxes
Back in 2006, we had a prototype of the Beef in the office for photos for Product News. My memory was a bit fuzzy, so I had the images printed out so I could have them handy for when the models came out of the box, to gauge any obvious external differences.
Envision this as the old tooling for a K-Line E8 diesel, and then cut it in two. That, in a nutshell, is the origin of this model. Breaking a larger locomotive in two tidy sections and then mounting it on a motorized chassis.
This product was originally offered as being sold separately as an A or B unit. When I opened the shipping carton I found boxes for an A-A set and a separate-sale B unit.
Generally, there is a satisfactory level of cast-in detail on both the A and B units. Keeping in mind that a streamlined diesel shell has fewer detail points than a road switcher possesses, this model captures the look quite well. On the noses you’ll find rivet, louver, seam, and hatch detail as well as cast-in simulations of uncoupler arms and air lines on the pilot.
Add-on details are where this basic model shines. Along the sides of the A and B units are see-through screens. You’ll find grab irons by the cast-in nose hatch as well as above each windshield. There are add-on window wiper arms, too. Grab irons are placed at the doors and the corners of the A and B units.
Up top, you find large antennas (on the Pennsylvania RR A units only) mirroring the Pennsy’s early radio-telephone antenna system. Horns are above each cab, and you’ll find see-through screens and radiators (with separately applied fan blades). You will also notice the add-on lift rings.
At the rear of the B unit you’ll find appropriate stacks where the passenger train steam system would be located. The models all have flexible rubber diaphragms.
The powered locomotive cab has two crew figures, and the cab doorways open. The unpowered cab unit lacks crew figures (but then you wouldn’t have two figures in both cabs at the same time anyway).
Application of paint and other decorations, such as the builder’s plate, was first rate. Of special note was where the yellow stripe went over the portholes that possess a cast-in hinge (as if you could open the window outward).
If there were going to be a smudge or flaw, this would have been the spot. But they were clean and crisp as though a little 1:48 scale painter worked his spray gun magic on the model.
On the test track
This is truly a smile-evoking model. The only way it could have generated more chuckles would have been to have Donald Duck at the throttle!
Each locomotive (powered or unpowered) has two pickup rollers approximately 2½ inches apart. A tether electrically connects all units. None of the units has traction tires.
The units are connected through a thin wire tether. You can run a single powered A unit or an A-A, A-B, or A-B-A combination of your choice.
The low-speed average for this conventional-mode only locomotive was 5.5 scale miles per hour. Our high-speed average was 94.9 scale miles per hour. Running with two powered units, the drawbar pull was 1 pound.
Motor operation was generally quiet and smooth. There was a bit of roughness running in the lower speed ranges, but it wasn’t terribly distracting and didn’t disrupt the fun.
The powered cab unit has a headlight and cab illumination. When the direction is changed, the headlight goes off. The unpowered A unit and the powered B unit did not have lighting, which was a bit of a surprise. I’d expected directional lighting changes.
The unpowered A unit has an electronic horn that is more of the door buzzer school than a digital re-creation of an actual locomotive horn.
It is quite loud and distinctive, and it fills the square.
The Beef mini-F is a clever product. By having locomotives that are, to steal a line from a Halloween candy bag, “fun sized” rather than full sized, it adds an interesting visual element to any layout large or small.
Beefs look great at the head of a few freight cars or a gaggle of short passenger cars. The fact that these are available in a variety of road names expands their appeal even more.
Ready Made Trains gets two thumbs up from me for creativity and for injecting fun back into the hobby with these well-made locomotives.
Features: Dual motors in powered units, digital horn in unpowered units, metal couplers
I waited till they went on sale. got an nj aa set for
waited until they went on sale. got a nj transit set for $88 plus shipping. disconected the coupler swing spring. have had no problems on 027 or 031 curves. if you want pulling power just double head the powered units. good value, just wait for the sales.
Follow up to my 1/23/12 comment. The rating for the article remains the same. Subsequent communication with Ready Made, (including e-mail) their position is that my experience with the BEEF not interacting with postwar Lionel cars on 0-31 curved track was strictly unique to me and that has never been brought to their attention before. If that is the case, I must have some very unique 0-31 track or some very unique postwar Lionel cars or a very unique coupler on the Beef. In any case, should this be my very own unique situation, then my apologies to Ready Made and maybe Classic Toy Trains would like to write an article on my very unique trains and track. Suffice it to write, I and my buddies will be looking to manufacturers of trains and accessories that do not present problem results on such a unique 0-31 curved layout.
Purchased ABA set mid Nov. 2011 at full price. Dec. 2011 before Christmas they are Buy one get one free. Do not pay full price. My mistake. When connected to postwar lionel cars even on 031 track, let alone 027 as advertised, they will through car off track as the coupler is too short for the housing on the front of the engine. Coupler hits side of opening as it is not wide enough. Making contact through E-Mail seems to be a problem, at least for me, but had no problem when making the order.
I bought a new Beep locomotive last month and I used it to pull the Christmas train that I had setup under our tree. I paid $60 for it and I plan on buying several more Beeps in the near future. The mini F unit Beefs are nice, but there is no way that I would pay anywhere near what this article says they cost.
They are WAAAAAY overpriced!!!
absolutely too expensive. they aren't THAT cute.
As i believe I'm rating the article and not the engine I'm giving it a 5 the engine gets a 1..Because there are so many really great engines for the same price. I can't imagine anyone buying a Ready Made ABA F? P.S.they look so sad!
At these prices you would be well advised to by the 'O' gauge or scale trains; just a bit pricey, don't you agree?????????????????
Why would anyone want to spend so much money for a novelty item when there are Williams, MTH, and Lionel items available for nearly the same money? My feeling is that RMT items are overpriced for what they sell you. I had purchased a "Beep" that looks OK, but doesn't have the power to pull more than a few cars. The Beef has almost the same power unit, for hundreds more. Not a good deal.
My observation is that when Aristo-Craft buys an existing product, the price increases between 35 and 100%. The same thing happened to the price of K-Line's O-72 switches when these folks took over their distribution from Lionel, which had lready nearly doubled the price K-Line was charging. Now Ariso-Craft prices the same product equil to what lionel sells their traditional O-72 switches for.
The list prices of basic equipment like track and freight carshave gone thru the roof with no justification that I can see.
End of rant.
From experience,I have found,like many things,that the actual "street" price will be much lower. As an aside,I am more than willing to pay more money for really crisp paint,anything else can be tweeked,later on.
I think your article missed a key point in failing to comment on RMT's steady progression away from affordability. Since these units use the same power chassis as the (now) $99.95 Beeps, what's the rationale for pricing them at nearly double the cost?
That price must be a mistake.
Nice review – very thorough.