@CAPPilot posted:Anyone know how close to scale (1:48) this engine is? I always thought the tender was too big.
Ron, I'm sitting with my copy of Linn Westcott's "Steam Locomotive Cyclopedia and comparing what is in his book to my K-Line model and if Lionel's version is indeed made from the same tooling both loco and tender are too large in some dimensions. The proto tender is 26' 7" long front to rear sill the K-Line is 28' 6" The bottom of the proto tender to the rail head is 32" The K-Line bottom tender to railhead is 42.91" The K-Line is almost 11" too high and it shows. I lowered mine by 9". When I was planning I set it on trucks which lowered it the full 11" but it looked too low with the loco sitting high. The width of the proto tender is 10'0" K-Line is 10'3". The top of the proto tender before the addition of the bunker extension is 9'2" above rail head, K-Line is 10'3" above rail head. The side of tender at the coal bunker not including bunker extension; proto 78" the K-Line is 88.32" Ten inches taller. LOCOMOTIVE; Top stack, proto 14'11" K-Line 15'3" Top cab roof, proto 14' K-Line 14'9" Pilot beam to rear cab proto 33' K-Line 33'3" Center line boiler front above rail head, proto 108" K-Line 111.84". The boiler diameter at the center of the sand dome, proto 77.45" K-Line 83.5" I have three different PRR B6 locos The Lionel 18000 the Williams and the K-Line Of the three the K-Line has the best detail however the proportions are off in several areas the boiler is too fat the top of the stack is too high as a result of the boiler being to tall and the tender sits almost a foot too high. To me the proportions of the Williams is much closer to the scale drawing in the Steam Locomotive Cyclopedia however it is sorely lacking in detail. As for the Lionel 18000 if you can overlook the driver spacing the rest of the loco is very close to the original B6s the tender sits at the right height and is the right length. Strange as it may seem I think I like it best of the three. Might be the sweat I have in mine changing the 14:1 gearing to 22:1 and adding an ERR AC commander. It will run just as slow as my K-Line inspite of it's Pullmor motor even if it does growl a bit. I just turned the sound volume up. The K-Line does look better with the tender lowered. The bottom of the tender overlaps the top of the wheels as does the prototype. I also like it coupled close to the loco but it won't make it through sharp curves. Wish they had moved the rear pickup on the loco forward so that it wasn't so visible. j
