The problem with supplying scale wheelsets with steam locomotives is in changing the drivers. They must be quartered properly and the instillation process must be exact. This is the reason Don Thompson from SHS decided to build both scale and highrail configuration with his Consolidation. Consider also, you must change 6 drive wheels and both the pilot and the trailing trucks on this loco. The tender trucks would most likely be just a swap out.
This is not as much of a problem in the diesels, as you do not need to consider all the valving and eccentric rods. Therefore, selling the product with both scale and highrail wheel sets makes sense.
If Lionel produced these steamers with, not the AF wheel flanges, but a highrail flange such as both AM and SHS do, along with the smaller driver flanges a on the Challengers, these will work with code 100 rail. If you are just beginning to build your scale layout and are OK with closed frog turnouts, you are in good shape. Open frog turnouts will still need scale flange depth to go through the frog.
As I understand it, the design is still in progress, so scale flange, DC and DCC plugs are still a possibility. The saga continues.
Roger
