@TOKELLY posted:Rusty, what were the four fantasy schemes for American Flyer Challenger? On the NASG website I looked up the models offered by Lionel (Clinchfield, Denver and Rio Grande Western, Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Western Pacific, and Spokane/Portland & Seattle) and checked the history of the Challenger 4-6-6-4 class, and it appears that all of these railroads did own Challengers. Many did not like them and traded them off to other railroads as soon as they could, but they did run them. Or did Lionel take some liberties with the sizes of driving wheels and graphics from real life? I'm curious because I thought Lionel did a good job with these after recovering from the Big Boy.
Terry
They did own Challengers, just not the same design as the UP and Rio Grande (which the D&RGW got by way of the War Production Board, then the Rio Grande later sold them to the Clinchfield.)
That classifies the other four as fantasy in my book. Just like the Flyerchief Northern's in the 2020 V1 catalog. Yes all 6 roads had 4-8-4's but they are fantasy paint jobs on a distinctively UP locomotive.
I'm not criticizing the Challengers, (or the Northern's) at least Lionel didn't give them screwy paint schemes...
BTW: GN bought their two 4-6-6-4's from the SP&S in 1946, then sold them back in 1950 and the SP&S scrapped them in 1960. NP, and WP didn't sell their Challengers, they held on to them until they were retired and scrapped. NP scrapped theirs between 1955 and 1959. WP scrapped their 4-6-6-4's in 1952.
Rusty
