Which Lionel 773??

I have the Williams scale 773. I run it with Lionel legends cars on my carpet central 072.

It's a great puller a little fast but real nostalgic.

I also have an mth j1e proto 2 and a Lionel j3a 6-28072..both great looking and great runners.

But I'm especially fond of my santa fe warhorse hudson, ( great sound -what a whistle) 6-18062.

Not a real santa fe hudson but a toned down 773 (missing valve gear, wrong wheels ect) , but for the $ can be had for the cost of a Williams. Never seen one repainted nyc. Might be a consideration.

I bought a brand new, never opened Lionel TMCC CC 773 for $ 650 plus $14 shipping.  It does not have the display case, just the engine and tender in a sealed blue box. 

Reasoning- the CC 773 has great revues from owners as being a good runner with nice sounds, I think I got a great price, and now I can scratch it up instead of buying one that is already scratched up.  Also- an important factor is that, someday IF I move to Lionel Legacy control, I can run it with full functionality.

I just purchased and received my first 773 today, although not my first large Hudson (I already own a gray 785 Hudson and a K-Line Scale Hudson).

My 773 is a CC Hudson that came new in the box with the literature, blueprints and display case, all for a very reasonable price. This is a picture of her on my layout today. 

I find her to be a pretty good runner; with a very good whistle, and she smokes up a storm.

I finally got home after wintering in FL, to my NIB Century Club 773 Hudson.  Un- boxing it was like Christmas.

What a runner!!  It looks awesome, sounds great (my first "RailSounds" locomotive).  It runs great on my 072, 060 and (hidden) O42 curves.  Couldn't be happier!!

Hey Mike

Enjoy - nice reading a post that's upbeat /really refreshing 

Mike, if you are still looking, I just posted a mint-in-box Century Club 773 Hudson for sale in another post.

David

Oops, looks like you have one - I was looking at page one, and did not scroll to page two.  Glad you like yours!

David

@Mike Wyatt posted:

I am not, per se, a "collector".  I run all my trains.  I run conventional (for now) and Lion Chief Plus locomotives, using a ZW transformer for power.  As such, I am torn between buying a 773 in the different issues:

- an original 1950 773 (used)

- a 1964- 65 reissue (used)

- a (new) Century Club TMCC version

- or even (I think these existed) a Williams Hudson.

Obviously the cost is a factor, BUT not THE factor.  I figure that whatever I choose, if it is a "runner", then it is going to deteriorate in one way or another, during my use.  I also think that any of the above would give me value.

What say you guys??

I was fortunate enough to find a 1950 773 in near mint condition for a ridiculously low price on eBay. I don’t think the seller knew its true value. It had been re-motored with a modern Lionel motor and runs very smoothly and is a pretty puller. I have a very nice 2426W tender for it.

I see the Williams 773 has its fans and detractors, but I have some questions, if anybody knows: The WBB 2008 catalog shows the scale 773 as #40201, but some dealers list the scale 773 as WBB #40298 (still in stock). Are they both correct? Or is one wrong?  If you own one, what's the number on your box? Also, is this the model with the semi-scale tender? Lastly, is this the unit that takes off like a rabbit?

Thanks so much!

I don't know if it "takes off like a rabbit," but the gearing of both the large die-cast Williams reproduction is hopeless.  On top of that, four rubber tires and a ton of weight create a lot of drag and cause unrealistic slow-down anytime the loco enters a sharp curve.  No amount of speed control or motor swapping will make it run as well as an original that was made 60 years ago.  A shame, really, a wasted opportunity :-(

There are plenty of other Hudsons out there that run better for only a little more money.

This is a great thread and the Lionel Hudsons are uniquely beautiful. At one time I owned the 1950 773 hudson, beautiful to look at, wonderful to hold, that was a favorite of mine, however it was a disappointment in running. Then over the years Lionel and other manufacturers made nice J1e New York Central Hudsons and in my thoughts the Lionel VisionLine was the icing on the cake, awesome model. It had all the bells and whistles. However, my favorite hudson is the K-Line hudson with TMCC and resurrected by the Harmonyards shops…. The Pittman motor upgrade, Gunrunner John’s Chuff stuff/smoke stuff, ERR, remade headlight, realistic engineers, it’s simply a stump puller, and runs and runs and runs…. The1937 Lionel model would be a fun to own model, but I would miss the Legacy/TMCC operation…. Happy Railroading Everyone

Me again, the original poster.  It's now 5 years after the original post, and I just read all of the older ones.  My 774 (Century Club) is still running as it did, which was fine, for then.   Since, I have gone to TMCC Cab 1, and the features available for the CC 773 are miles ahead of conventional running.  So, I have been in contact with Brian Norcross to do a full upgrade, (Large Pitttman can motor, ERR Cruise Commander, Super Chuffer and Fan-Driven Smoke Generator , and LED lighting).  And I think that's the way I will go.

Here is the 773 that Pat, @harmonyards, built for me.  It's a Lionel PWC #6-38096 773.  Pat put the Pittman motor in it, SuperChuffer, cruise and excellently detailed the cab for me (painted gauges and replaced the engineer and fireman figures).  As with everything he does, the job was stellar and far exceeded my expectations.  It was so good that I just asked him if he would be coming to April York so I could have a similar treatment done to my NYC Mohawk, 6-18064.

My 773 has the classic looks of yesteryear, but operates like a watch.  Love how it can creep around the track. The only thing that I don't like about it is Lionel's choice of whistle.  I think it sounds like a diesel horn!  If I could somehow put an air whistle in it, I would.

Thanks for the awesome restomod, Pat!  You're the best, amigo!