Who runs mostly Railking?

Don't forget they offer a good number of scale engines as well in the Railking line.

Prior to my seduction to the dark side (aka scale) I ran only Railking engines having at one point 7 steamers from a 0-6-0 switcher to a 6-8-6 turbine.  I "loved" them - all had the same electronics as the high end engines and unlike other brands were all proportioned accurately to each other when compared to the other engines in the line.  

IMHO they are the best value in the hobby for those who wish to run command control engines.

-Greg

I have a couple of the ES44AC Christmas Rail King engines and love them. I have 2 more on order and am contemplating the Dash 8. Most of my other engines are conventional, but they sit on the shelf these days. I really enjoy the DCS system and the features of the Rail King PS 3 locos. Very happy with the value derived from the purchase,

I bought about 50 MTH RK locos before I bought a scale loco.....I was sold. BUT...I understand the RK allure....I am building my layout now....sized for big scale locos. I must admit testing RK locos in a scale environment they look GREAT and make the layout look better too!!! If I had not spent so much on new scale locos.....I'd be happy with RK stuff!!

Greg Houser posted:

Don't forget they offer a good number of scale engines as well in the Railking line.

Prior to my seduction to the dark side (aka scale) ........

-Greg

Oh Greg, you’re so easy!   

Nothing wrong with Railking engines. I run a bit of everything from scale non scale and a lot of tinplate! I have the curves to run big stuff both O and standard gauge but I find smaller proportioned trains look better on my 8x16 layout. Bottom line is run what you like. Most non train people who see your layout don’t know the difference between scale or not they just enjoy seeing the trains run!  

I run all scale equipment, Railking scale offerings included. I like the value of these engines and use them as a starting point for a more detailed model (I enjoy the challenge of creating and building). I'm a relatively new convert to O scale (from HO scale) and I liken Railking as the O version of the old Athearn blue box engines; good enough in their own right, but a great platform for improvement.

My Railking engines run every bit as good and are just as enjoyable as any of my Premier, 3rd Rail, and Legacy engines. 

Here are a few pics of a Railking RS3 that I just finished (still need to add headlight lenses). It has scratchbuilt fixed pilots, new paint and decals, brass and plastic detail parts, and weathering.

Joe Shipbaugh

Joedaddy,  awesome and those dual headlight bezels really make it stand out!!

I run Railking with my Premier scale diesels on the same layout.  To date, the layout has not imploded and nobody has showed up with a white jacket for me!   

351_DD-1 posted:

Joedaddy,  awesome and those dual headlight bezels really make it stand out!!

Thanks, glad you like it! I'm happy I made the decision to add them because I had originally decided to avoid the work of shaving off the cast on bezels! 

Joe Shipbaugh

I am a big fan of RK especially the PS3 diesels.  Plenty of pulling power these engines. I do not miss much of the finishing detail that the more expensive engines offer.  Less to break off on RK.  I wish they would offer several road numbers when they produce an engine so I could run lash ups of the same engine and road name.

Almost every new engine I buy is MTH Railking. Very happy with them, especially Proto 2 and 3. 

New Lionel is too expensive but very good.

Some modern K Line and Williams also very good.

My 2 main lines are powered by the MTH Z4000 so MTH Railking Proto 2 and 3 are ideal, much more affordable than Premier, and run thru my 031 curves and 022 switches better than the bigger Premier engines.

I USED to be a big MTH buyer - that is ALL I bought. Railking Only for years.

I'm a steam guy. PS3 ushered in the wireless drawbar in Railking (not a fan but I can tolerate it) and the "lock up stopping problem" in conventional (can't tolerate that at all). Now, I refuse to buy MTH PS3 steam. I've bought a few older PS2 steam engines since, all NIB/Old Stock or very lightly used. I have 2 PS3 engines on order, both diesels - the CP Holiday Train Railking engine and another 44 ton switcher.

Lionel is making what I want. I've been buying more scale stuff just because it is being made and I want it. Lionel is also getting a TON of my money in scale steam locomotives. Again, they run well and they make what I want. I am no fan of the current MTH products - steam especially. As I do not run smoke in diesels, the problem with the "lock up stopping" is non-existent.

I still have plenty of RK stuff - or at least 0-27 sized stuff that I run all the time.

My layout was designed to run Railking sized equipment. It will still run all of the scale items I have. As I will be moving this year, I do not plan to modify the layout to accommodate the Lionel Legacy scale Polar Express set I have on order. That will live in the box. I have 0-27, 0-31 and 0-42 curves. I am also buying lots of Postwar to run alongside the modern stuff.

See video below taken this past weekend. You'll see the Williams Baldwin with Railking cars, an MTH Premier light Mikado (bought through the forum via York - almost no miles on it and runs like a dream). Postwar BUDD cars and Freight also running.

I run mostly scale sized locomotives, but there are plenty examples that look just as great in RailKing, and best of all cost far less. The RK Proto2 RS-3’s look good and sound very authentic, and the 0-8-0 switchers are a tremendous bang for the buck. I have the 2000 version in CB&Q markings - which I bought from a forum member for about $250 - and I love the sounds and smoke output. The whistle has a lot more beef to it than the later higher pitched 0-8-0's.

(Not my vid, but it is the same model)

I started out with Railking in the late 90s, and it was Dave (David1) who use to run scale engines, that led me into the scale end of the hobby when we use to have regular train get-togethers, lol.

A strong point for Railking is that the engines have PS3.0 - the same system as their scale brothers. One remote controls them all.

That's all I run from MTH. In Lionel I run post war, and LC and LC+.

But most of my latest purchases have been RK. I love the value. I have limited space and I want as many loops of trains as I can get, so Rail King lets me run 036 as the largest curve.

Since I'm not much of a steam guy, I find their diesels really fabulous runners. I have all P3 engines. Since my first love are Amtrak, PRR, NYC subway and some LIRR, all lines I grew up riding, their passenger trains are awesome. I especially adore the PSA for passenger trains.

I love the product. As a toy train guy they have plenty of detail for me. 

I'll post some pictures of my favorite engines later. How about pics, guys? :-)

I come from the 2 rail O scale side of the hobby. So, when I went 3 rail, scale steam was the rule. But, RK diesels are very well detailed (from a stand-back) visual distance and a good value. I have a number of them; F and RS-3 units.

I would have considered Lionel and Williams except I can't seem to accept the stamped hand rails...turns me off every time I see them.

Most of my rolling stock is Railking. I have:

3 ES44s various road names

3 SD70ACes UP

3 19th Century Ten wheelers

AT&SF 4-8-4, RFP 2-8-4, SP 4-8-2, and a Galloping Goose

(Basically 13 Locos.) And a ton of cars

I was a latecomer to Railking locos; not buying my first one till about 8 years ago.  Since then; my purchases of engines from Lionel and Williams have dwindled to zero.  For the past 3 or 4 years I’ve only purchased Railking.  

As PDX notes in his post above; Railking engines are a great value.  And from a reliability perspective; I place them in a tie with Williams despite the more complicated electronics in an MTH engine.

The F3’s and GP7’s and 9’s are my favorites and operate well on my layout with 0-27 curves and switches.

Curt

" And from a reliability perspective; I place them in a tie with Williams despite the more complicated electronics in an MTH engine."

I agree completely, I just converted a Williams GP9 to PS3 and couldn't believe the similarities between the MTH and Williams drive-trains.

For the looks and price, Railking is all I run anymore. I picked up a nice NIB old stock Railking Pacific from 2015 last month for $280. It has Imperial detail, and looks great, the value in this line is phenomenal. 

I have a few of the early LC locomotives from 2013-2014 that don't even compare in quality & functionality and a single 2015 LC+ locomotive that is very close but still lacks some of the finer details seen in the imperial line and sound that still isn't quite as good as the PS3.

The latest LC+ stuff is right up there with the Imperial Railking line but I think the sound needs just a few more tweaks to be on par with PS3. But I can still buy my Railking stuff for a little less than the LC+.

I like the being able to run with all of the high end features & sound with having to pay the high end price.

Love Railking scale diesels though most of my stuff is Premier! Have 3 Railking Imperial steam engines which I love! Mix them with the diesels, nobody notices the size issues! Now that I run with the DCS WIFI with access to all the features I am a very happy camper!

I have some RailKing Scale diesels and Premier diesels.  I like them all.  Most were bought used, but the new ones I bought were RailKing.  Very good product for the price.  In steam I have several Premier and one RailKing, an 0-8-0 that size wise looks okay next to the Premiers.  My rolling stock is all scale or near scale I suppose you could say.  I do have two Lionel Legacy diesels, both bought used, so I didn't spend an arm and a leg for them.

MTH Proto 3 Great Northern Diesel with smoke

MTH Proto 1 Jersey Central FM Trainmaster with smoke. It runs oil tanker cars on the tracks along the NJ Turnpike!

I’m 99% sure both of above diesels are Railking

I think Railking engines look great running 10 to 12 Lionel postwar cars making up unit trains, ie oil tanker unit trains, operating coal/ore dump unit trains, box car unit trains etc., with a caboose as an exclamation point at the end of the train.

Don’t have enough yet, but maybe will also have postwar operating milk car unit trains and log dump unit trains.

I run only Railking, and mine are the originals from 1996, no Protosounds, at all.   I love them and would not trade them for anything.  They are the newest pieces I run.  They are as reliable as my postwar locos.

"Don't forget they offer a good number of scale engines as well in the Railking line."

But primarily in diesel; few 1:48 RK steamers. The USRA 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 are the only ones that come to mind off hand - and there is a nicer Premier version of the USRA 0-6-0 available. The RK looks pretty good, the but the Premier is outstanding.

The RK Triplex is an outstanding loco; parts (cab, cylinders, for example) are 1:48, parts are compressed (boiler) - making for a very impressive, essentially freelance Triplex. I have one. Great for re-lettering.

I do...it's all I can afford !

taycotrains posted:

I do...it's all I can afford !

Very nice engines, Bob.

george posted:

I run only Railking, and mine are the originals from 1996, no Protosounds, at all.   I love them and would not trade them for anything.  They are the newest pieces I run.  They are as reliable as my postwar locos.

I have an early MTH Railking NYC Mohawk, no Proto sounds, that I love.

With all this glowing talk about MTH's RailKing lines, I'll have to look into DCS at some point. I know I said I was going to probably stop at LC+, but you never know ... right?

Deuce:

I wouldn’t wait.  Mr Muffin is running what looks like a very good deal on a DCS system plus the Wi Fi unit.

I held off buying a DCS system till early last year; running all my Railking 2.0 and 3.0 engines conventional.  I should have had my head examined for waiting so long.  The difference in operation is like listening to The Boss on an old album versus seeing him in person.  DCS is just a much more complete experience.

Curt

Curt,

   I like your analysis however in my case it's Bing, Frank, Hank Jr, Beach Boys, and Patsy, maybe a little Elvis also.

DCS - Great stuff - Especially the Tin Plate Trains!

The Boss, well he is half decent also.

PCRR/Dave

IMO radio control is the new thing. (Bluetooth is radio control)  And I think its more affordable.  My LC+ engines are awesome and I haven't purchased a single piece of electronics!   I can buy a couple more engines instead of a system : )   

Jim 

I love and buy almost exclusively Railking engines and they are a great value. Lionmaster is great too just more expensive.

I have many RK locomotives.  I feel RK is a huge bang for your buck as it has the same boards as Premier.  I have an Imperial Big Boy and several RS1 and RS3 locomotives.  The majority of my locomotives are scale as a matter of choice.  Buy what you like and have fun.   All my Lionel engines are scale.  No Lionmaster and NO LC+.

The only reason I'll need one Imperial engine is for the mars light. I must have one, and I don't think any Railking engine has them.

I run 2 RK ps3 GE dash 8's (members of a 5 engine mu)   https://mthtrains.com/30-20340-1   in my fleet of diesels...I'm fussy about scale length and my other 20 engines are premiere. The RK dash 8 are scale length at 18.5 inches. I lowered the tanks and modified the radiator housings for a more scale appearance. One caveat with the RK diesels..only 2 pickup rollers..initially they struggled over some older atlas turnouts but i modified the turnouts and all is well. Of note..the sound file in the RK GE's has that typical GE engine rattle..sounds authentic to me

"IMO radio control is the new thing"

I love this! Just like the Radio control RC car I got in 1986 for my birthday, radio control was the new thing then too.  In early 80's My dad bought me a radio controlled battery powered train set (Tyco brand IIRC) that happened to fit on o gauge rails. Radio control isn't anything new, what's really surprising is that it took this long for RC technology to be adapted in trains.

Bluetooth is radio control

And WiFi isn't "radio" control?
Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15) operates very similarly to WiFi (IEEE 802.11) and within the same 2.4 GHz wireless radio frequency band.

And I think its more affordable. 

I bought my MTH Imperial Pacific steam last month, NIB for $280 (Marked down from the original sale price of ($295) from a dealer. I can't find an LC+ Pacific steam for less than $355 (sale price coupon - original price $380) online. If some one finds one cheaper please let me know, I'm interested.

Not sure why you posted here, the thread wasn't titled "Why is LC+ the best?"

I owe a lot to Rail King because it was my first step from pre-war Lionel to scale. My first RK steam engine was the 0-8-0. Loved the sound smoke and looks. It made my old Lionel look small. RK was all I bought for a number of years. The only really bad move they made was that short F-3. If you remember them they looked terrible. I still have a few scale RK diesel dummy Baldwin and Alco engines that look just fine on my layout. Thanks MTH.

Don

Good evening, all but one of my Pennsy steam engines are Railking / Railking Imperial.

I think it is a great way to have a realistic looking steam engine without spending $1,000.00 + in cash.

I have never had anyone come in and view my layout and say that engine is not correct because of this or that.

The MTH Imperial line steps the steam engine line up a bit more with some added odd and ends that makes them even better in appearance.

My only complaint and I have voiced it here before with the Railking Steam engines is a front coupler. Other than that thanks MTH for this great line of affordable engines.

As much as I would love to have Premier or Legacy steam engines, my space and budget is limited.   Rail King   steam engines meet my needs and has worked well for me through the years.  I do run several scale freight cars and 70' passenger cars that look great behind the Rail King engines.  The majority of my diesels and electrics are Williams (closer to scale but run on smaller radius curves) upgraded to TMCC or PS2.  Most of my curves are O54.  Great smokers for the price.

all railking they fit my budget and look good.

pdxtrains posted:

The only reason I'll need one Imperial engine is for the mars light. I must have one, and I don't think any Railking engine has them.

GS-4s got them

Due to space, biggest curves are 042, and budget , I find Railking engines meet everything I need. My carpet central is 9x15 so I don't run particularly long consists. That being said I do run some scale freight but they fit in with the engines I have.

I have 036 and 048 radius curves so I'm limited on what I can run. If the RailKing line wasn't around I would probably tear down and start over. The biggest problem with that is I don't have enough real estate for 072 radius curves and I have over 5 years invested in my layout and I like what I've done so far. The RailKing Imperial engines are my favorite. I think they are a great value and the detail of these engines works for me. Evan though I don't have the larger curves to run full scale engines RailKing still allows me to run some cool stuff.  

neilb711 posted:

Due to space, biggest curves are 042, and budget , I find Railking engines meet everything I need. My carpet central is 9x15 so I don't run particularly long consists. That being said I do run some scale freight but they fit in with the engines I have.

I have 10 to 15 Railking engines acquired since the mid 1990s. Provided they  have good traction tires, they are all great pullers.

Like your tag line. I started out with Railking. Do not run it now.

Dave,

This is an awesome thread! Though I am starting to get my share of premier units, mostly through ebay or train shows, I must admit that some of the Rail King units I have fit the layout better, especially the steamers.

Most of the reviews out there and discussion focus on the premier locos for obvious reasons but I'm glad that the lower priced option is available. Rail King probably is a saving grace for the hobby and it's definitely more inviting to those considering the hobby. 

Hey who knows, maybe more reviews of Rail King locos will start because of THIS THREAD!

Gentlemen,

  RK is simply Great stuff at a reasonable price, what is not to like.

PCRR/Dave

I only have one premier engine a Amtrak F-40 PH.  Been a Railking fan from the beginning.  I use to have a 9.5' X 10' layout with 0-42 and 0-54 curves.  Railking was a perfect fit.  I have 2 Railking articulated engines a N&W Y-6 and a Clinchfield Challenger I think they look better than the premier articulated engines especially on wide radius turns because of the boiler over hang.  A real articulated engine the boiler does not hang out like a premier articulated does.  You also don't notice that the back drivers swivel on the Railking articulated engines on the wide radius turns.  

I would, but MTH hasn't made a Railking Western Pacific steam engine since 2006.  And almost nothing Southern Pacific beyond GS-4s.

Professor Chaos posted:

I would, but MTH hasn't made a Railking Western Pacific steam engine since 2006.  And almost nothing Southern Pacific beyond GS-4s.

Southern Pacific offerings in Railking seem kind of plentiful, the Western Pacific name is limited:

I'm all RK when it comes to steam. They look and run great on my small layout.  And at a price point where I can build a sizeable roster.  The other selling point for me is the variety available.  The only engine I'm left wanting is a NYC Niagara 

The Railking 4-6-0 Camelback is 1/48 scale.  I added some detail on the plain pilot.  A great value for a really unique engine.

I have only one RailKing engine an Amtrak Genesis. I don't run it very much, most of what I run is scale steam. Aside from me not running it very often, it is still a good engine, it pulls my 4 Amtrak Superliners without any problems.

When I first started this hobby in 1999, I wasn’t even aware of semi-scale vs scale. My LHS heavily favored RK engines and rolling stock, so as a result I have 24 RK engines and many RK passenger cars. I eventually switched to scale so the RK’s went to storage. My intent was to sell them off until I read this thread. They look great and are very good runners so I’ll be holding on to them. Still confused which RK is scale. Steam, E/F’s are pretty obviously semi. All Geeps look scale. But what about the subway stuff i.e. lo-v’s and R17’s?

Rich

When I decided to try out command control, I purchased a Railking SD70ace starter set with PS 3.0.  I quickly bought the full DCS system and have only bought Railking locomotives since.  I would love to run scale sized equipment, but it just doesn't look good on my basement sized (7x15) layout.  The Railking locomotives look great, run great, and don't break the bank.

I really like RK scale diesels. Great price point with most all the bells and whistles (sounds, start-up sequences, etc.) I could ever want with molded-in detail quality that (for me) is quite good enough. Some have a surprising number of separately applied details that really enhance the model.  I like scale stuff, but tend to limit it to 4-axle power and 40'-50' rolling stock so I don't have to take up a lot of room with large diameter curves.  I received my most recent RK acquisition for Christmas--the Amtrak GP-7 #760 with PS3--it looks and sounds great heading up my little Amtrak MOW train.

I go to Trainworld.com and I don't see but one Southern steam engine from MTH under 400.00.    And it was 390.00.    What am I missing here on these great prices??  

Jim 

Since I returned to "O" gauge almost three years ago, I have tried a few Railing locomotives.  Both new and used.  In each case I wound up selling them.  My main interest is post-war.  I found the Railking locos too complicated to fiddle with.  I want to place a locomotive on the track and turn up the throttle.  The set-up or programing was too time consuming.    

Steam crazy, your camel back looks great with the added detail.  Thanks for posting

I collect mostly MTH Railking ! I have three Lionel engines only .  

Three of the diesels are Railking Scale .  

Dan Padova posted:

Since I returned to "O" gauge almost three years ago, I have tried a few Railing locomotives.  Both new and used.  In each case I wound up selling them.  My main interest is post-war.  I found the Railking locos too complicated to fiddle with.  I want to place a locomotive on the track and turn up the throttle.  The set-up or programing was too time consuming.    

I have an MTH PS2 railking engine I have been running conventionally without any problems or had to program anything. It just occasionally needs to sit in neutral to charge up.

SGP posted:

Dan Padova posted:

Since I returned to "O" gauge almost three years ago, I have tried a few Railing locomotives.  Both new and used.  In each case I wound up selling them.  My main interest is post-war.  I found the Railking locos too complicated to fiddle with.  I want to place a locomotive on the track and turn up the throttle.  The set-up or programing was too time consuming.    

I have an MTH PS2 railking engine I have been running conventionally without any problems or had to program anything. It just occasionally needs to sit in neutral to charge up.

Charge up???

Jim

carsntrains posted:

SGP posted:

Dan Padova posted:

Since I returned to "O" gauge almost three years ago, I have tried a few Railing locomotives.  Both new and used.  In each case I wound up selling them.  My main interest is post-war.  I found the Railking locos too complicated to fiddle with.  I want to place a locomotive on the track and turn up the throttle.  The set-up or programing was too time consuming.    

I have an MTH PS2 railking engine I have been running conventionally without any problems or had to program anything. It just occasionally needs to sit in neutral to charge up.

Charge up???

Jim

Come to think of it, I think it has PS3 electronics. It is my understanding that these locomotives are now being made with a capacitor on the inside which allows the sound and lights to slowly fade out when the power is turned off. I am still new to MTHs product line so I apologize for not getting my terminology 100% straight. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can chime in?

I am a big fan of Railking locomotives. My layout is still under construction, and I've had a couple of accidents where a locomotive has fallen and hit the concrete floor. Both locomotives suffered some cosmetic damage but still run fine. The damage was easier to take since I only paid around $300 for them.

SGP posted:

carsntrains posted:

SGP posted:

Dan Padova posted:

Since I returned to "O" gauge almost three years ago, I have tried a few Railing locomotives.  Both new and used.  In each case I wound up selling them.  My main interest is post-war.  I found the Railking locos too complicated to fiddle with.  I want to place a locomotive on the track and turn up the throttle.  The set-up or programing was too time consuming.    

I have an MTH PS2 railking engine I have been running conventionally without any problems or had to program anything. It just occasionally needs to sit in neutral to charge up.

Charge up???

Jim

 

Come to think of it, I think it has PS3 electronics. It is my understanding that these locomotives are now being made with a capacitor on the inside which allows the sound and lights to slowly fade out when the power is turned off. I am still new to MTHs product line so I apologize for not getting my terminology 100% straight. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can chime in?

If it charges up it's P3. And they run really well conventionally. I love them.

I have two LC+ engines that to this point run amazingly.   Bought new from a dealer for under 300.00.  And there is a legacy diesel that lists for 400.00 that I plan to get.     Smoke, bell, whistle, crew talk, flickering firebox, electro couplers.  I'm still missing the great savings??  ???/ 

Jim 

My first one is on the way!! I was invoiced today for the RK CP Holiday engine!!

With the exception of one TMCC engine, I run Rail King exclusively. My roster has 31 Rail King engines with PS2 & PS3, and most are steam engines.

carsntrains posted:

I go to Trainworld.com and I don't see but one Southern steam engine from MTH under 400.00.    And it was 390.00.    What am I missing here on these great prices??  

Jim 

 

Mr. Muffin has couple of MTH Steamers for well under $300. Great dealer, great prices, great guy to talk to.
https://mrmuffinstrains.com/products/33-1045-1

Trainworld does have some LC+ for slightly more than Muffins price, however the discounted price is only only on old stock engines that lack the newest Bluetooth control. Any of the Bluetooth steamers on Trainworld are over $350.

MTH RK diesels can be commonly found for under $300, just need to shop around a little. Muffin's Trains has a nice ES44ac for $250:
https://mrmuffinstrains.com/products/30-20208-1

Look around, deals on everything are available.