@clem k posted:Is there room for batteries, sound, and smoke in a diesel locomotive.
Absolutely. If it can be done in HO it can be done in O:
If I could get my wish Lionel would make 2R Hi-rail battery powered engines and a new line of 2 Rail Hi-Rail track. That would enable them to run on traditional 3R layouts or 2R layouts. MTH had the right idea with Proto 3/2, but they fell a little short due to a few critical misses in their design. With a little tweaking the MTH Hi-Rail engines would have been able to run on code 148 2R Atlas track but they got the gauge and tread size wrong. I have a feeling that most 3R modelers stay in 3R because they can get big trains in a smaller space. Not because they love the look of 3R track. Of the prominent 3R modelers that I've spoken with every one of them would rather have 2R track. They don't want to give up Smoke and Sound and they definitely don't want to have to double the min. radius or more to run traditional 2R models. I really think a new line of 2R Hi-rail models, possibly deadrail, would convert a lot of 3R modelers.
Just my 2 cents...
