Love to see MTH or LCT make a HUGE twin-motored Blue Comet Hudson and a set of matching "Showroom" cars. This Hudson would be on the scale of the BRUTE.
One AWESOME Blue Comet!
Would you purchase one?
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I guess that would be nice , But I think I would pass.
I have a junior size comet (400e) I would go for another color
rat
Lionel used twin can motors in both their standard gauge Hiawatha and Commodore Vanderbilt 4-6-4's, so the engineering exists. What I am proposing is a LARGER Hudson style loco to match the LARGE "Showroom" cars. This engine would likely require minimum O84 radii curvature (as do the "Showroom" cars) to look right. Such a set in Blue Comet livery would be mind-blowing.
Hey, a fellow can dream.....
I personally do not like the over-sized Lionel items, like the Brute. This was never intended as a SG item as the wheel gauge was a more appropriate 3.25". Hence, I am not a "big" fan of the Showroom Cars either. The Super 381 is/was a better choice for SG reproduction as it was originally designed for that sized track, it was just deemed too large for a child to handle and never put into production. I saw the original a few years back in the Tabor Museum of PA. It houses the Shempp collection, neat piece.
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Alas, nice as it is, the "Super 381" is NOT CAB-articulated. I have the green P-2 BRUTE and it is on display next to where I am typing this. The CAB-articulation gives it an extra dimension of operation which I enjoy very much!
It looked better running on 084 radii curves at my depot/home in North Carolina, but still looks well on my 072 curves here in Nashville, TN!
To each, his/her own!
Would you post a few pictures of your Brute? When did you aquire it? Is it an MTH remake? Thanks
Sorry, no pics. The original Lionel engine, later dubbed the "Brute", was a one of a kind prototype model originally intended for Buddy-L gauge track, and it was never put into production. MTH, in partnership with Lionel as Lionel Corporation Tinplate, did produce a version of the Brute with standard gauge motors. The first version was the proto 2.0 which I own. It runs on standard gauge track. Subsequently, LCT has offered a few different liveries as well as a Proto 3.0 version.
Thanks for the Brute update. Sounds very cool!
Both the super 381 and Brute are prototypes rejected by Lionel in the pre war period. Both still exist today. Both engines are big for Standard Gauge. The super 381 goes well with regular State Cars. The Brute was grossly oversized for regular State cars so MTH made showroom cars which are blown up versions of State cars.
I run the super 381 on my home layout with a few clearance modifications. The Brute will run with these same modifications.
I believe there are SGMA videos on You Tube showing the Black version from LCCA running at Trainfest 2014 or 2015.
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If MTH ever makes a something like a 600E they will eventually make it in Blue Comet colors.
For me there is no interest.
How would the Liberty Lines 600E look with those showroom cars, I wonder?
El Classico posted:How would the Liberty Lines 600E look with those showroom cars, I wonder?
A 600E is an extended 400E. In Tinplate it would better with regular State Cars. Although it would be more in scale with Showroom cars.
That sounds funny but most here know about O gauge. A scale Hudson looks very small with 21" scale cars. Especially when pulling about 15 cars which is what the real ones did. We were used to a scale Hudson pulling about 4 16" cars. Then about 8 18" cars. Then came the prototypical train and it just takes a while to get used to it.
In Standard Gauge the engines are generally oversized for the engines. The extreme example is a 400E pulling Blue Comet cars. It is just wrong but we are used to it.
The original Lionel standard gauge Blue Comet was pulled by a two-tone 390E, and the cars were more in proportion to that engine than the later 400E.
Boucher did, of course, make a twin-motored Blue Comet locomotive. It was not a Hudson, but then the real Blue Comet locomotives were Baldwin Pacifics, not Hudsons, so Boucher was actually on target with their 4-6-2 wheel configuration. I used to hear rumors at York that Mike wanted to make a Boucher Blue Comet but no one would lend him their original to disassemble so he could make the tooling. Probably an urban legend but who knows?
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Jim Kelly-Evans posted:Boucher did, of course, make a twin-motored Blue Comet locomotive. It was not a Hudson, but then the real Blue Comet locomotives were Baldwin Pacifics, not Hudsons, so Boucher was actually on target with their 4-6-2 wheel configuration. I used to hear rumors at York that Mike wanted to make a Boucher Blue Comet but no one would lend him their original to disassemble so he could make the tooling. Probably an urban legend but who knows?
A pity if it is true, those are beautiful engines.....
El Classico posted:Jim Kelly-Evans posted:Boucher did, of course, make a twin-motored Blue Comet locomotive. It was not a Hudson, but then the real Blue Comet locomotives were Baldwin Pacifics, not Hudsons, so Boucher was actually on target with their 4-6-2 wheel configuration. I used to hear rumors at York that Mike wanted to make a Boucher Blue Comet but no one would lend him their original to disassemble so he could make the tooling. Probably an urban legend but who knows?
A pity if it is true, those are beautiful engines.....
Some things are better left alone.
F&G RY posted:
Some things are better left alone.
I wish more things were left alone!!
Have you see the Creswell "Liberty Lines" Blue Comet 600E complete set with passenger cars for sale on Ebay. Been there for months, they want $7800 for it. Clearly one of a kind these days, good luck ever seeing a set like this any time soon." I think at half the price it would be snapped up quickly.
Look under Toys and Hobbies, I believe the item number is 591536046.
