Tough Crowd. What other train manufacturer/importer is adding features like this to their locomotives?
I'd be interested to see what you would come up with as features that are not already on this locomotive. If not the coal load, then what? Not being argumentative, but what feature would you make.
A waving engineer? A non prototypical swinging bell? Exploding boiler?
Seriously though throw some ideas out. Maybe one will get traction.
OK, here are some suggestions:
1) When offering "smoke blow-down" effects, it would be nice if the feature was done correctly, i.e. the UP Wilson Blowdown Separator system exhausts steam out of the top, forward of the cab, and exhausts dirty/sludgy water/steam out of a chute under the Engineer's side of the cab.
3) Much more prototypical spacing between the tender and the engine. Even better would be that fantastic adjustable drawbar arrangement Lionel developed for the the Milwaukee S3 4-8-4 models.
6) Synchronized cylinder cock smoke exhaust to coincide with the appropriate exhaust chuff.
Some comments in return:
#1) space in the loco, and additionally exhausting smoke vapor upwards clogs the exhaust port as the smoke fluid condenses. Doable, not reliable.
#3) We do this on MANY locos, diesels too! I think the upcoming Vision Big Boy should have the feature as well.
#6) Patents preclude us from this feature.
Keep the ideas rolling....appreciated.
