Ted S posted:The "783" (8406) and "784" (8606) made during the MPC era are good copies, and were still rated for O31. These used the 2426W tender and small pilot wheels of the 773.
My 783 has the full-length tender.
You can sometimes find these still new in the box. Watch out for hardened grease which will have to be cleaned out, and also magne-traction magnets which may have shifted, and rub on the inside of the wheels. Once these issues are addressed, they'll run about as well as the Postwar version.
My 783 is probably the best-running locomotive I have, but potential buyers should be aware that it took me months of work and breakin time to get it that way. There was much more than hardened grease and rubbing magnets slowing it down. When it first came out of the box, it would barely move at all. Even the dealer who sold it to me wasn't optimistic. I don't know if they were all so problematic or not, but mine was.
It's probably worth noting that it's possible to add scale 700E valve gear to the 783 (I did it), but there's extra work and extra parts involved.
All of the versions I mentioned will make it around O31, but there's a TON of overhang, especially the cab roof when running in reverse. They were derived from prewar scale models, and IMO always looked out of place with the downsized toy trains and buildings of the postwar era.
This is true. The 783 would definitely not look right on a Postwar layout.
