Lionel SD38 vs MTH SD40-2?

Lionel Legacy and MTH DCS will make it difficult to operate the R&N SD38 and R&N SD40-2 together.

 

Andrew

What is an "SD38-T" in your title?

From a Conrail perspective, SD 38 were yard switches and did not venture out too much on the road. The sd40-2 is one of the greatest selling and performing diesel locomotives of all time.
The sounds between the two models should be different. The sd40-2 has a high pitched turbo sound that makes it sound like a jet plane. The sd38 did not have a turbocharger and was normally aspirated
I wouldn't be surprised if Lionel gave it the gp sound file- which is getting qite boring lately. Lionel had the resources and should go out and record a working SD 38.

You can operate two Legacy SD38s together and two DCS SD40-2s together if they are programmed using the remote controller.

 

Andrew 

 

Sorry Hot Water, that was my mistake. I am comparing an SD38 from Lionel with the SD40-2 from MTH. That is what I get for going off the top of my head.

 

 

Any advice is welcomed.  

I would go for the SD38's. These are new tooling so will probably be more accurate, and they will have the semi-fixed pilot design making them look even more realistic.

Good Day,

 

My thinking....................The new Lionel SD40’s and SD38’s will have great pulling power! If the powered truck assembly is the same as the new ES44AC's.........all axels will be powered. Now that is a fantastic feature with no modifications!

 

Regards,

Swafford

 

MTH Premier SD40 along with Aces, incredible pulling power. All six wheels can burn the rails. Nice scale 1mph with this 4 engine MU as well.

 

 

 

Good Day,

 

That is news to me. Has MTH changed their truck assembly on their 3Rail engines with 6 axles...........I thought the middle axle on each truck was a blind axle? There are only 4 axles with flanges that make contact to the rails on MTH SD40-2's and SD70ACe's? 

 

Regards,

Swafford

I have 2 MTH SD45s and 2 SD50s (both PS3) and all 6 axles are geared. I MU with 2 engines and they move smoothly at about 3 SMPH. At 2 SMPH they jerk and hesitate and don't move at 1. MY GP40s are the same.

 

You can't beat a LEGACY or ERR-equipped engine for crawl speed in 3-rail. At 200 speed steps a LEGACY engine has more finite control of speed than any other engine.

SD 40's all gear driven 3-2 3-Rail/2-Rail Conversion Capable. MTH  20-20149-1

http://mthtrains.com/20-20149-1

I just want someone to make as SDL39, please.

 

Dick

Good Day,

 

The new Lionel SD40 and SD38 for 3Rail will come with all wheels flanged and all wheels powered with no modifications. The MTH SD40-2 3Rail engine does not! I am not referring to the MTH -2 engines.  I like both Lionel and MTH but I like the idea of all wheels flanged, no blind wheels and all axles powered for 3Rail. 

 

Regards,

Swafford

I've got Lionel 2012 sd40-2's with only 2 driven axels on ach truck but all wheels flanged. All my MTH locos have center axels blind drivers but all axels are driven