Re: steam switchers... you might find that Lionel's four-wheel switchers are also "big." In other words, if the prototype is really a PRR A5, they scale out to more than 1:48. In this case the true scale models from Weaver and MTH might actually fit in better size-wise, although the paint finish and level of detail is very different from Postwar. If you want to stick with the Lionel 0-4-0's, IMO the 1656 is the smoothest runner of the bunch. For some variety, find a prewar 203 (0-6-0) and retrofit it with knuckle couplers. The 6-wheel small switcher was never reintroduced after the war. But they are geared a little lower and actually have pretty decent slow-speed for switching.
Those Kusan FA's look good! Never tried one. I would be interested to hear about how well they run, compared to the well-known Lionel versions. Love this topic!
