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Reply to "Burlington streamlined Aeolus 4-6-4"

MTH RailKing has made two fantasy models of the CB&Q Aeolus.  

For both of these models, they used their C&O Yellow Belly Hudson tooling.  

The first one was numbered #4000 with PS-2.  I passed on pre-ordering this one. A few years later, I saw one operate at a show & liked it.  

So when MTH offered it again with PS-3 in 2016, I pre-ordered it.  I contacted MTH right away & suggested that this new one be numbered #4001 for variety.   I received it in mid NOV-2016, unfortunately this was after the BRHS LaCrosse meet.  

MTH also used this C&O Yellow Belly tooling with Santa Fe & other RR paint schemes.  

The model is more of a caricature of the Aeoli locomotives than an exact model.  I can live with that & that is what MTH advertised it as.  

The slant in the model's nose goes the wrong way for Aeolus.  The nose does not have the BR herald, Aeolus medallion, vents, or whisker stripes.  BR heralds do adorn both the left & right sides of the smoke box (similar format to the C&O logos on the C&O Yellow Belly model & prototype).  Although both sides have the Aeolus name in Zephyr Gothic font, the A & E are not combined as in the prototype & Mark's PSC model.  The model's locomotive skirting does not extend down over the trailing truck.  All six drive wheels are spoked; the model does not have the Boxpok middle drive wheels.  

Even with these deviations from the prototype Aeolus, I really love this RailKing diecast model.  I plan to improve its appearance with the following modifications:

1.  Add an Aeolus medallion to the front of the nose.  I will scan the medallion from the 4000 Foundation's tee-shirt at Staples and then make an approporiate ~1/48 decal on Micro Scale decal paper.  I will mount the decal on a silver painted styrene sheet disk.  Then the medallion disk can easily be affixed to the model's nose.  

2. Possibly add vent decals for either side of the headlight.  Drawings of these vents may be available in the BRHS Bulletins on the Aeoli & Hudson locomotives.  If not, I can probably easily draw them myself & then shrink them down to -1/48 scale onto Micro Scale Decal paper.  

3. Paint the trailing trucks, drive wheels, & cylinder housings silver.  Notice in the MTH catalog page in my photo how much better the C&O model looks with silver trailing trucks, silver drive wheels, & silver cylinder housings.  Likewise, my model's Silver Tender trucks stand out well in comparison to the model's black trailing trucks.  

The photo is from my display at the BRHS 2017-Fall meeting in Rochelle IL.  Most BRHS members are HO-scalers & many others are N-scalers.  O-gaugers & O-scalers are minorities within the BRHS membership.  At least half of the attendees liked the MTH-RK Aelous; the rest said it was too weird for their tastes.  

I really love running this MTH-RK Aeolus under the Christmas tree.  It is rugged & can take a minor accidental kick from excited family members on X-mas morning during the mad scramble for fetching & unwrapping their gifts.  To my knowledge, this model is the closest model to an Aeolus in  3-rail O-gauge that exists.  

However, I would certainly buy a scale O-gauge Aeolus if one is ever produced by 3RD Rail or any other O manufacturer.  

Enjoy !!!

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  • BRHS_2017-Fall_IL-Rochelle_MTH-RailKing_Hudson-4-6-4_CB&Q_Aeolus_#4001
Last edited by CBQ_Bill

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