44 Tonner Review

Adriatic posted:

There is a switcher that comes close to Lionels 44 ton, but it's closer to 144 ton and would have needed licence.  You almost have to wonder if the outcome was a compromised design to a more popular Whitcomb as only a few of these existed.  Gramps had custom one's based on Lionels.

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132 tons.  Why would you need a license?  The Wellsville Addison and Galeton bought five of the eight units GE made from Ford.

Rusty

Dave, loco aside, your scenery, both landscape and structures are outstanding. 

I really appreciate you adding the video and giving the detailed information.  I've been considering the newer Williams model but wasn't thrilled with the road name choices.  And now I absolutely want to order the Springfield Terminal model from the latest MTH catalog.

got mine earlier this year in LIRR Livery. Here is a short video of it running on the TMB club layout. Great ittle puller and proto sounds are awesome

Rusty Traque posted:

Adriatic posted:

There is a switcher that comes close to Lionels 44 ton, but it's closer to 144 ton and would have needed licence.  You almost have to wonder if the outcome was a compromised design to a more popular Whitcomb as only a few of these existed.  Gramps had custom one's based on Lionels.

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132 tons.  Why would you need a license?  The Wellsville Addison and Galeton bought five of the eight units GE made from Ford.

Rusty

There were 8 of these units built for Ford, a couple of 125 tonners and the rest were 132 tonners. All eight were basically the same in appearance. The WAG bought 7 of the 8 centercabs from Ford.

L.I.Train sent me a link to WM 44T pix, showing the rehabbed #75.  In the photos there is one entitled "WM in Michigan."  It shows a weird looking loco, said to be a a GMDH-3, a diesel hydraulic built in 1960 at London, Ontario.   That would make a conversation piece as a model

I can’t remember, do the MTH 44 Tonners have DCC circuitry as well, or are they strictly conventional  plus DCS? Also, is only one axle per truck powered (with both wheels of that axle having traction tires, while the unpowered wheels are only for ground? Does the little Ingersol Rand switcher from a couple of years prior to the GE have basically the same drive as the 44T, and also share the S gauge electronics?

Bill in FtL

Bill, I have both locos.  The  old IR has a regular ps2 board, but only one motor.  I don't know what is in the recent ps3 version. 

Thanks RJR,

I didn’t realize there was more than the one version of the IR that came out a year or two prior to the GE. I wonder what other differences between the versions of the IR there are, did the earlier PS2 version use the 9 volt rectangular battery or the 3 volt shrink wrapped battery?

Bill in FtL

My favorite 44 tonner (really a 144 tonner):

Lionel Postwar B&O 626

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

My favorite 44 tonner (really a 144 tonner):

Lionel Postwar B&O 626

A friend and I refer to it as a 44 mega-tonner...

Rusty

The IR was in 2007.  I bought it NIB in 2016.  It had the 2 cell battery, the 3 volt board.  First thing I did was replace the battery with a homebuilt supercap.  I don't think there was an earlier version.   MTH just released a new version, which dealers had at York.  PS3 and one motor.

Gonna have to get me one of those IRs. I love small switchers! I should have looked for one at York. I would want one in the Ingersoll-Rand livery.

Mr Muffin had a few.  Unfortunately, none of the current ones were owned by the railroads whose livery they wear, as far as I know.  I had to buy one because I saw one of the originals regularly running in the Bronx.

I love mine. For the size of this unit the sounds I think are very good and it can pull! 

This guy from MTH has been running on the S&Y RR layout in DCS mode for over a year now without any issues what so ever. Passes through all switches, Gargraves or Ross, 072 or larger without losing power or sounds.

   Bill T.

The Yoder 44 tonner. Three rail.  The model was designed for two rail. 

(1.)  There are two can motors and chain drive between truck axles, that allows for all wheels to be powered.   No traction tires. 

(2.) All brass construction, window glass and an operator are missing. 

(3.) Smaller but the scale dimensions are off, width of hoods a problem. 

(4.) No electro-couplers or command control, though there has been efforts to add these features. 

Just what I needed another project.  Now that I know the Fords were so big a Lionel or Williams 44 ton and some 1930s model grills will make for a good 144 ton.

coach joe posted:

Just what I needed another project.  Now that I know the Fords were so big a Lionel or Williams 44 ton and some 1930s model grills will make for a good 144 ton.

The grill is why I figured they might need to be licensed. It's late 30s Ford design if Im not mistaken. I'm no copywrite lawyer but have to presume those lines are spoken for as long as possible. And even if I was I'm not sure I'd want to waste efforts messing with Ford's legal teams without good reason .

And 125t & 135t are correct, but I read they got heavier to 165t but I've only read it once, on the net, and knows where? It could have been a typo, glitch, etc...?

Michigan is home for a couple GMDH, maybe a few. There's bigger steeple cab versions too.

Adriatic, as long as you don't sell it, I don't think there is any question of copyright infringement.

Allan Miller: One note in the IR/GE boxcab:  The traction tires are not the standard MTH diesel tires, unless MTH changed in the 2018 version.  They are smaller in diameter, and even in width--I had to trim them down.