MTH Northern Pacific Challenger (Z-6)

To the best of my knowledge, I do not remember MTH making a Z-8 challenger.  They made a Z-6. 

Regards,

GNNPNUT

I've also got the MTH GN Z-6 and she runs great.  I believe the GN, NP and SP&S Z-6's were all identical.

I have a Great Northern Z6 for sale on the buy sell forum

You're right but we've got to be happy with what they sell us!

Yep, the NP was coal fired. MTH came out with the 3 road names, NP, GN, and SP&S at the same time. I got the NP's little sister, the Spokane Portland & Seattle Z-6. Been running on my layout since its release 8 or 9 years ago. Never a hiccup. The SP&S was oil fired.

I really like the looks of the Z-6, -7 and -8 Challengers of the Northwest. I have no 

particular interest in that region's railroads, but I do like some of the equipment,

homely or not.

I wanted either the MTH or 3rd Rail Z-6. I don't really prefer MTH's operating system,

but I knew that the loco was built more robustly than the 3rd Rail brass one. I could

not find an MTH unit either - but I found and bought the 3rd Rail GN Z-6 at a price

that was "pretty good".

Runs well (for EOB) and looks nice - but it's a bit of a porcelain doll, and has some

crude tender truck detailing. Try not to handle it too much.

However, it does work and it is sharp-looking, so, if TMCC is your preference, the 3rd Rail piece might be worth considering. The MTH loco does seem to be rare on the used market (like the MTH Western Maryland Challenger - probably for the same reasons). 

I am running the Northern Pacific Z-6 right now on CONUS Lines.  It is a beautiful engine.  I particularly like the pumps on the smokebox front and the angular tender (coal).  I weathered it with a light 10% solution of Grimy Black and Roof Brown to bring out the running gear detail.

It walks a 18-car reefer block of Washington potatoes and apples up my 2.3% westbound grade without hesitation...all at "12" (nice and slow--the way I like 'em) on the DCS hand-held, with a pillar of smoke three inches high out of the stack.

I have a fair amount of MTH steam, and have always found their big engines (UP, WM Challengers, C&O Alleghany, etc.) to run more smoothly and quietly than their small power (2-8-0s, 2-8-2s, etc.)

@ Hump Yard Mike  There is an MTH G.N. Z6 on the OGR Forum right now for sale like new.

Does any one own the MTH premier NP Z6 Challenger?

I do.  And the SP&S version as well.

Does it run well?

Of course it does.  It is an MTH locomotive. 

Seriously, have you ever had an MTH locomotive that didn't run well?

Speed control is smooth down to 1-2 SMPH.  It is an exceptionally strong puller, even by MTH standards.  Rick said he regularly pulls 18 cars up 2.3% grades with his.  That is not even coming close to its limits.  The MTH Z-6 can probably handle 36 typical steam era Atlas/Lionel/MTH cars on a 2.3% grade.  That is quite close to its real world capability of 1500-2000 tons on a mountain grade.

Any pictures of it?

Here you go.

Is the model accurate or is just another engine (such as the GN version) with the Northern Pacific road name painted on it?

The MTH Z-6 is a very accurate model of the Northern Pacific's first class of 4-6-6-4.  They are quite a bit larger than a UP Challenger with a larger fire box and larger diameter boiler.  The Sunset model has finer detail in some areas like the front steps.  Overall the detail level is very similar with the MTH model having a significant advantage in pulling power and ruggedness.  If you want a Z-8 with vestibule cab and centipede tender only Sunset has offered that version.

The first 12 NP Z-6s were delivered from ALCO in 1936, shortly after the UP received their first Challengers.  The NP followed up in 1937 with an order to ALCO for 15 more, 9 coal fired locomotives for the NP plus 6 oil fired locomotives for the SP&S.  Two of the SP&S locomotives were leased to the GN for use on the Oregon Trunk Line.  They were later returned to the SP&S and ran until the end of steam in the 1950s.  If you model the NP feel free to run an SP&S locomotive from time to time.  The SP&S Challengers and Northerns went east on the NP from Spokane to the Livingston shop for heavy repairs.

MTH offered the Z-6s in four appropriately numbered paint schemes, NP, SP&S and two GN versions.  The GN black is historically appropriate.  So far as is know the famous Glacier Park paint scheme with light olive green boiler jacket was never applied the the two Z-6s leased to the GN.  However, it looks great and ended up being the most commonly ordered version.  Without the green GN version there would not have been sufficient orders for MTH to justify tooling up for the project.

I pull 14 MTH Premier GN passenger cars with mine.

You're right about GN not having a glacier paint scheme on the Z-6, BUT, I painted my HO version with it and I got the glacier MTH one too: What can I say...very few people, at least those that visit my layout, are aware of it!

If I remember correctly, the SP&S Z-8 was the most powerful challenger, surpassing the UP's, also more than NP's because SP&S used oil and NP used the low grade coal.

You can justify running all 3 railroads together, whenever there were washouts, they would use the other's tracks to get around it.  Also, can use the DM&IR yellowstone: during the winter, DM&IR couldn't move the ore so they leased them out.

Also, it's your railroad, you run what you want!