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Good evening, all but one of my Pennsy steam engines are Railking / Railking Imperial.

I think it is a great way to have a realistic looking steam engine without spending $1,000.00 + in cash.

I have never had anyone come in and view my layout and say that engine is not correct because of this or that.

The MTH Imperial line steps the steam engine line up a bit more with some added odd and ends that makes them even better in appearance.

My only complaint and I have voiced it here before with the Railking Steam engines is a front coupler. Other than that thanks MTH for this great line of affordable engines.

 

 

As much as I would love to have Premier or Legacy steam engines, my space and budget is limited.   Rail King   steam engines meet my needs and has worked well for me through the years.  I do run several scale freight cars and 70' passenger cars that look great behind the Rail King engines.  The majority of my diesels and electrics are Williams (closer to scale but run on smaller radius curves) upgraded to TMCC or PS2.  Most of my curves are O54.  Great smokers for the price.

I have 036 and 048 radius curves so I'm limited on what I can run. If the RailKing line wasn't around I would probably tear down and start over. The biggest problem with that is I don't have enough real estate for 072 radius curves and I have over 5 years invested in my layout and I like what I've done so far. The RailKing Imperial engines are my favorite. I think they are a great value and the detail of these engines works for me. Evan though I don't have the larger curves to run full scale engines RailKing still allows me to run some cool stuff.  

neilb711 posted:

Due to space, biggest curves are 042, and budget , I find Railking engines meet everything I need. My carpet central is 9x15 so I don't run particularly long consists. That being said I do run some scale freight but they fit in with the engines I have.

I have 10 to 15 Railking engines acquired since the mid 1990s. Provided they  have good traction tires, they are all great pullers.

Dave,

This is an awesome thread! Though I am starting to get my share of premier units, mostly through ebay or train shows, I must admit that some of the Rail King units I have fit the layout better, especially the steamers.

Most of the reviews out there and discussion focus on the premier locos for obvious reasons but I'm glad that the lower priced option is available. Rail King probably is a saving grace for the hobby and it's definitely more inviting to those considering the hobby. 

Hey who knows, maybe more reviews of Rail King locos will start because of THIS THREAD!

I only have one premier engine a Amtrak F-40 PH.  Been a Railking fan from the beginning.  I use to have a 9.5' X 10' layout with 0-42 and 0-54 curves.  Railking was a perfect fit.  I have 2 Railking articulated engines a N&W Y-6 and a Clinchfield Challenger I think they look better than the premier articulated engines especially on wide radius turns because of the boiler over hang.  A real articulated engine the boiler does not hang out like a premier articulated does.  You also don't notice that the back drivers swivel on the Railking articulated engines on the wide radius turns.  

When I first started this hobby in 1999, I wasn’t even aware of semi-scale vs scale. My LHS heavily favored RK engines and rolling stock, so as a result I have 24 RK engines and many RK passenger cars. I eventually switched to scale so the RK’s went to storage. My intent was to sell them off until I read this thread. They look great and are very good runners so I’ll be holding on to them. Still confused which RK is scale. Steam, E/F’s are pretty obviously semi. All Geeps look scale. But what about the subway stuff i.e. lo-v’s and R17’s?

Rich

When I decided to try out command control, I purchased a Railking SD70ace starter set with PS 3.0.  I quickly bought the full DCS system and have only bought Railking locomotives since.  I would love to run scale sized equipment, but it just doesn't look good on my basement sized (7x15) layout.  The Railking locomotives look great, run great, and don't break the bank.

I really like RK scale diesels. Great price point with most all the bells and whistles (sounds, start-up sequences, etc.) I could ever want with molded-in detail quality that (for me) is quite good enough. Some have a surprising number of separately applied details that really enhance the model.  I like scale stuff, but tend to limit it to 4-axle power and 40'-50' rolling stock so I don't have to take up a lot of room with large diameter curves.  I received my most recent RK acquisition for Christmas--the Amtrak GP-7 #760 with PS3--it looks and sounds great heading up my little Amtrak MOW train.

Last edited by Tuscan Jim

Since I returned to "O" gauge almost three years ago, I have tried a few Railing locomotives.  Both new and used.  In each case I wound up selling them.  My main interest is post-war.  I found the Railking locos too complicated to fiddle with.  I want to place a locomotive on the track and turn up the throttle.  The set-up or programing was too time consuming.    

Dan Padova posted:

Since I returned to "O" gauge almost three years ago, I have tried a few Railing locomotives.  Both new and used.  In each case I wound up selling them.  My main interest is post-war.  I found the Railking locos too complicated to fiddle with.  I want to place a locomotive on the track and turn up the throttle.  The set-up or programing was too time consuming.    

I have an MTH PS2 railking engine I have been running conventionally without any problems or had to program anything. It just occasionally needs to sit in neutral to charge up.

SGP posted:
Dan Padova posted:

Since I returned to "O" gauge almost three years ago, I have tried a few Railing locomotives.  Both new and used.  In each case I wound up selling them.  My main interest is post-war.  I found the Railking locos too complicated to fiddle with.  I want to place a locomotive on the track and turn up the throttle.  The set-up or programing was too time consuming.    

I have an MTH PS2 railking engine I have been running conventionally without any problems or had to program anything. It just occasionally needs to sit in neutral to charge up.

Charge up???

Jim

carsntrains posted:
SGP posted:
Dan Padova posted:

Since I returned to "O" gauge almost three years ago, I have tried a few Railing locomotives.  Both new and used.  In each case I wound up selling them.  My main interest is post-war.  I found the Railking locos too complicated to fiddle with.  I want to place a locomotive on the track and turn up the throttle.  The set-up or programing was too time consuming.    

I have an MTH PS2 railking engine I have been running conventionally without any problems or had to program anything. It just occasionally needs to sit in neutral to charge up.

Charge up???

Jim

 

Come to think of it, I think it has PS3 electronics. It is my understanding that these locomotives are now being made with a capacitor on the inside which allows the sound and lights to slowly fade out when the power is turned off. I am still new to MTHs product line so I apologize for not getting my terminology 100% straight. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can chime in?

SGP posted:
carsntrains posted:
SGP posted:
Dan Padova posted:

Since I returned to "O" gauge almost three years ago, I have tried a few Railing locomotives.  Both new and used.  In each case I wound up selling them.  My main interest is post-war.  I found the Railking locos too complicated to fiddle with.  I want to place a locomotive on the track and turn up the throttle.  The set-up or programing was too time consuming.    

I have an MTH PS2 railking engine I have been running conventionally without any problems or had to program anything. It just occasionally needs to sit in neutral to charge up.

Charge up???

Jim

 

Come to think of it, I think it has PS3 electronics. It is my understanding that these locomotives are now being made with a capacitor on the inside which allows the sound and lights to slowly fade out when the power is turned off. I am still new to MTHs product line so I apologize for not getting my terminology 100% straight. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can chime in?

If it charges up it's P3. And they run really well conventionally. I love them.

carsntrains posted:

I go to Trainworld.com and I don't see but one Southern steam engine from MTH under 400.00.    And it was 390.00.    What am I missing here on these great prices??  

Jim 

 

Mr. Muffin has couple of MTH Steamers for well under $300. Great dealer, great prices, great guy to talk to.
https://mrmuffinstrains.com/products/33-1045-1

Trainworld does have some LC+ for slightly more than Muffins price, however the discounted price is only only on old stock engines that lack the newest Bluetooth control. Any of the Bluetooth steamers on Trainworld are over $350.

MTH RK diesels can be commonly found for under $300, just need to shop around a little. Muffin's Trains has a nice ES44ac for $250:
https://mrmuffinstrains.com/products/30-20208-1

Look around, deals on everything are available.

Last edited by H1000

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