@bob2 posted:I have the Reading 0-4-0, and had the B6sb, but traded it even for the more robust Williams. The Reading had loose drivers, and I suspect it’s gearbox is good for an hour or so. I prefer the Gem cab on the B6, but for everything else I prefer the Williams ( which may be closer to 17/64 Scale). The Williams will run forever.
Edit - that did not answer the question. I consider Gem to be about halfway between IMP (flimsoid) and Max Gray (well built). I would put them just under Pecos River for sturdiness. Opinion, of course.
Just saw this thread. I finally found a Williams brass 2-rail B6. Not expensive, but a lot harder to find than the 3-rail version. I was looking for a Gem B6, but it seems that the Williams is a much better runner out of the box.
The Williams B6 locomotive is larger than the Lionel prewar B6, which I also have. But the Lionel prewar B6 locomotive is undersized, being compressed to about 93% scale sized, according to a Classic Toy Trains article from back in 1993. Of course, the Lionel has a different cab type, but the Williams seems to be pretty close to an exact scale sized model, and not oversized. Has anybody confirmed the measurements?
