FlyPlanes-PlayTrains posted:... eventually, and thankfully, my LHS had a lightly used MTH copy 494 very cheap. It was a revelation. It turns at an exacting 8-10 rpm at 11v, which is dead on prototypical, and has needed no attention whatsoever.
Tom
Glad you had good luck with your MTH version. I've fiddled with several of my Lionel 494s, and then got a new MTH version to try that. It worked no better than the Lionel ones.
I'll have to dig these out and fiddle with them some more.