Any difference between 'RK' & 'Rugged Rails'?

It seems like "Rugged Rails" is where some older RailKing go when displaced by newer RailKings.  Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them, less detailed perhaps or even further compressed, like the "Bantam" 4-8-4's and 4-6-2's.

Rusty

NOt sure about the steamers but the cars are Lionel type 027 with minimal paint and graphics. the Diesels are bantam like... fully compresses and minimal electronics.

I'm familiar with the small diesels and bantam steamers. This 4-6-0 appears 'full-sized' but lacks the decorative banding ours has. We are really pleased with our C&O overall-its a great locomotive.

Not quite...I have a Rugged Rails F3, a B&O that came out of the 2004 B&O Freight RTR set that helped renew my interest in MTH. That puppy has the full PS2 package and has almost 4000 scale miles of HARD running under its belt with the ONLY problem being a worn pickup roller needing replacement. One of, if not my BEST running engine. It may be small but it has all the same features as the Premier F3s and runs just as good, if not better. 

AFAIK, if the item is a diesel, and is offered as open stock in the RailKing line, then that's the way it will appear in any RTR Set; fully featured w/o decontenting.  Examples - RS3s and GP9s.

The steamers are generally Bantam in size, but possess full PS2/PS3 electronic sound and operational characteristics.

The two engines in question (both RailKing 4-6-0s modeled after one of the WDW 4-6-0s) are the same other than one major difference.  The one in the set has a plastic tender whereas the separate sale version has a die-cast tender.  Also, the set version has less paint detail than the separate release versions.  The one in the set does not have cab figures either.  Any additional differences would most likely be internal with the electronics.

This question doesn't have a simple or perhaps "correct" answer.

The Rugged Rails lineup began with just a few rolling stock pieces.  Some, but not all, of these were smaller, 027-type cars.  They initially offered a boxcar, which was a newly tooled, 027-sized car.  They offered a hopper, which again was a newly tooled, 027-sized car.  They offered a gondola, which was another newly tooled, 027-sized car. 

Also available were a stockcar, tanker and a flatcar, all of which were the same cars made and offered previously (and still today) as RailKing cars.  The flatcar came with a single car load, which was the only difference from the RailKing versions that typically came with two cars.  The tanker was the single dome version, that did not have the platform around the dome.  All of these cars (stockcar, tanker and flatcar) were initially made and offered, beginning in 1995.   Of these cars, the tanker is probably most like a 027-type car, though it's probably not too far from scale size.  The stockcar and flatcar are both semi-scale sized. 

Lastly, they offered a Woodside Caboose, which was once again the same RailKing caboose initially made in 1995.  This Woodside Caboose, although RailKing, and then Rugged Rails, was still a scale (or near scale) sized caboose.

Soon after the Rugged Rails separate sale cars were offered, beginning in 2001, certain items began to show up for sale under the "Rugged Rails" nameplate.  From the start of these items, MTH made it clear that there would be nothing clear about what "Rugged Rails" would mean in terms of size or features.

One of the first "Rugged Rails" engines was a former Premier F59PH Amtrak diesel.  Full DCS/Proto-2 electronics, full scale sized and priced at $199.95 list.  Fabulous deal.  Great, great sound.  Tough to find today.

Another early separate sale "Rugged Rails" engine was an fantastic, PRR 2-8-0 steam engine.  Near-scale sized, but unlike the "RailKing" versions that came in RTR sets and separate sale offers, this "Rugged Rails" version came with a die-cast engine AND tender!  Again, full DCS/Proto-2 electronics and again, priced at $199.95!  This engine is even tougher to find today, than the F59PH.  To make things even more confusing (as to what MTH was thinking), the next year the same engine was offered, but with a plastic tender and the price was increased to $249.95.

About mid-decade (2005 or so), some RTR sets began to have internal components (either the engine or rolling stock) show up inside the set box with the items packaged in "Rugged Rails" boxes.  I've seen the 2-8-0, 2-6-0 and 4-6-0 engines in these boxes, as well as the SW-1500 and RS-3's.  But when some of these same engines are available as separate sale items, they have shown up as both "RailKing" (30-xxxx) and "Rugged Rails" (33-xxxx) items.  And just to make it more confusing, I've seen "RailKing" items produced under the "Rugged Rails" part numbering system (33-xxxx).

Also making things more confusing and confounding perhaps, is that MTH has done upgrades to products through the years and sometimes the most basic offerings (RTR sets or Rugged Rails packaged items) can still come with upgraded features.

My MTH Product Reference Guides attempt to identify all of these distinctions and make some sense out of it all.  Where an item is "bantam" sized or RK Scale or something in between, I try to note the differences and if a distinction is needed between what you actually get and what is noted in the catalog offer.

I'm sure this only makes more head's spin, but MTH has not made it easy.  They simply don't have hard-and-fast distinctions for their "Rugged Rails" lineup.  An item can be 027-sized, semi-scale or even full scale sized.  Detail features can be upgraded from a prior attempt, without noting it.

I'm sure MTH simple thinks that they are offering up value, which they are, sometimes in great measures, but the buyer can't always define it from the catalog.

Sorry if this doesn't help give anyone a solid, perfect answer.

Hey Bill & Steve - this is precisely what I was curious about! The tender would be a big issue with the Ten-Wheeler.

Great information here Steve - Thanks guys.

Whatever happened to those Rugged Rails inexpensive freight cars which used to be offered for separate sale in the MTH Ready-to-Run catalogs of a few years ago?  I bought several of them.  They are nice cars for the price and look good with the traditional post-war Lionel sized freight cars that I run.  Apparently they have been discontinued?

Bill

I have the Virginia & Truckee set with the 4-6-0 (same time frame as the Santa Fe set) and the first Pennsylvania version.  What I stated previously were the only differences I saw.  Of course, even though the tender shell is plastic on the set version, it still has a metal frame.

Rugged Rails can run on o27 track, while regular rail king can't. Because of this Rugged Rails models are smaller than railking.

Not correct, I run regular Rail King on 027 all the time. Most of the freight cars are fine. The scale size RS3 runs great on 027, I have even tried my RK hudson and it can run fine as well.

Most of my locomotives CAN run on 0-27 but many do NOT like it. I regularly run my Rugged Rails F3, Railking Scale SW1, and Railking Scale AS-616 on my upper O-27 "branchline" loop. My scale F3s, 4-6-4, 4-6-2, and SD70ACE can run on O-27 but don't like it. ****, I ran my Railking Imperial Y6B 2-8-8-2 on the O-27 loop once and it ran BEAUTIFULLY for an engine just over the 2 foot mark. Like I said, the RR F3, SW1 and AS-616 run on the 0-27 loop and everything gets time on the mainline/main level 0-42 loops. 

I'm not sure if MTH has dropped the offerings, but like many things MTH makes, they've just not catalogued any new ones in a few years.

For instance:  The Rugged Rails 027-type boxcar, first introduced in 2001, has had new offerings in 2005 and in 2008.  Perhaps you'll see another new group in the next year.

2008 was the last year that MTH offered up a wide range of Rugged Rails cars.  Interestingly, that year they also offered the Center Cupula caboose, instead of the Woodside style.

It's a bit of a different deal, but in 2012 MTH has a group of uncatalogued chromed tankers that are in the Rugged Rails lineup (33-7326 thru 33-7329), but the price point is at $39.95 each (which is still below the current RailKing edition price point).

It might stand to reason that the hobby will see more Rugged Rails cars again, but probably at a new (higher) price level.  Perhaps the original 027-type cars will return in new deco schemes, but probably at $29.95 each.

Time will tell.

Steve:

Thanks for the info.  You’ve confirmed that the last r-t-r catalog in which I could find them (2008) was the last time they were cataloged.  I noticed that those cabooses introduced in 2008 were priced at $29.95 while the rest of the freight cars were still at $24.95.  

I’d like to see some more of these cars but with MTH now diversified into so many other gauges and product lines that these cars are likely not very profitable.  You’re probably right that they would be at $29.95 or higher if they did make them again.   

Bill