Skip, if your 18045 is anything like mine was, take it out of the box. Grease it and lube it. Run it. And it will sound like a coffee grinder. The 18063, on the other hand, had great sounds for its time. The tender weighed a ton.
Interesting story. I got a call from Marty Fitz, however many years ago, who knew how I felt about the 18045. He told me that Andy or Rich needed one for MTH right away. I got in touch and shipped it off. I was amazed that MTH never made a Premier Vandy.
The Empire State Express is my favorite NYC steamer. I got Mike's when he released it in the 1990's. It was my first Premier engine and with the passenger cars, it is a beauty (IMO). I had it upgraded to proto2 and still have it.
Gerry
