0-8-0 switchers

Sorry I don't have either but do have a couple of the earlier TMCC Odyssey versions. Nice detail and they had 4 chuffs with fan driven smoke. The TMCC versions can usually be had for less than the MTH Railking engine you are considering. Just a thought.

Pete

Pete is right, the TMCC version is very nice. I have the NYC and the sounds are great.

The only chip I have is the cab and tender spacing is sooo large... why?

I liked the NP version as well... great model of the G1 or G2 class

Go with the Legacy... you will not be disappointed.

Legacy 0-8-0 videos

Thanks,

Mario

I have the 2002 edition of the MTH switcher.  Excellent running loco.

I have seen both Lionel and MTH run and both are very nice.  Depending on your current control system or what you will buy in the short run could be the key in to which way to go. 

I have both "classic" TMCC and  also use MTH DCS.   Running wise,  for these two systems I prefer DCS,  it has more features and more sounds variety size.  The imperial version has updated features,  including real coal loads typically.  I cannot comment on Legacy at this point,  for now I am set with what I have.

Here is a video of essentially the same MTH 0-8-0 engine (not imperial) for running purposes,  a very quick 16 second video and certainly not great quality (one of my first You Tube videos back in 2008).   Good just to hear the sounds including whistle:  https://youtu.be/1HhnW3vSgEs

Mark

I believe the RailKing is semi-scale. Is that correct? (I own no MTH)  I'm sure you're aware of it, and is part of your decision.

I owned a Legacy 0-8-0 (Pere Marquette 11251) and it ran wonderfully under Legacy ..... operation and sounds. I really liked it.

I had another that I sold to a forum member and he ran it constantly in his club's displays at museums.

Good luck.

I have the Legacy version.  Love it!

 I have the Legacy version, very good loco.  I had two problems, the headlight was in the middle of the smoke box not above it as shown in the advertisements and owners manual and the gap between the tinder and engine was unreasonably large.

  I built another draw bar to close the gap. I will move the headlight to the top someday. I think the draw bar was so long so the locomotive could run on O-27 track.

  I have an unusual connection with my switch engine. In 1942 my aunt left a bar in Shreveport Louisiana at night(alcohol may have been involved). Her and three companions were traveling on a major US highway when they came to a railroad crossing, the guards had come down and there was a "flagman" at the  crossing.

 The driver of the car did not see any trains coming in any direction so he went around the guards and the flagman and drove into a Texas and Pacific switch engine that was stopped, all four occupants of the car were seriously injured.

 The next day somebody took a picture of the car stuck against the side of the engine, the engine had the head light above the smoke box. The picture was a very small black and white photo from that time period but the photo remained in our family for years.

Douglas

The legacy versions are a given. The TMCC versions are nearly just as good. Four chuffs per revolution and  fully round boiler detail. Lionel got these CC 0-8-0's right from the very first offering.

I have one of the TMCC 0-8-0s as well , slow speed switching is fanatastic

Headlight position and type varied depending on road and era. If yours is on the smokebox door you might want to check Lionel's replacement parts for a different smokebox front. They produced at least two different styles, maybe three.

Pete

I have the MTH New Haven (New PS3 unit).

I like it a lot.

Cab lip almost reaches the Tender so if you look down at it at all the Gap is small.

Whistle is a nice hooter that has a 2 stage sound.

Don't know how correct the Light / Bell / ect placement is but it is a good looking and excellent running engine.

Go with the Legacy model. You get great sounds and a realistic see-through space from the top of the drivers to the bottom of the boiler.

I agree with Rick's assessment. I have the Burlington Route TMCC version. It's a winner. All the reviews of these Lionel scale 0-8-0s, both the TMCC and Legacy versions, have been extremely positive.

My Burlington is one of the last of the TMCC versions, with RS 5 and more advanced Odyssey, real coal load, etc., and there's little discernible difference from Legacy versions.

Now that I think of it, has any one found a similar Lionel draw bar from the parts bin that will close the gap?... 

Maybe one from the 2-6-0? A-5 0-4-0? hmmm....

J, they aren't hard to shorten. While I mill mine with a lap joint you can just cut the drawbar, overlap as much as you want and solder. Its only .050" thick and once recovered with the shrink wrap, not noticable. I shorten the tender drawbar by 3/8". Any more and the slot will be below the body. The engine draw bar can only be shortened by 1/8 - 3/16" due to the sensor location. Any more and it will hit the engine frame on curves.

Then I add decking over the gap.

 This is a Hudson drawbar but the technique is the same.

step 1

Resoldered.

Comparison to original.

Pete

I have this MTH PS-2 version. It does run well, and has nice details. Other than having the a high headlight, and a wrong tender it's not too bad. But it is not a S1a. Give me the opportunity to buy a proper S1a and I'll sell this thing in a New York minute.

I have the MTH PS2 version and you can't beat it for the price.

.....

Dennis

I have TMCC, Legacy and DCS 0-8-0's. I favor the looks of the Lionel engine with the round boiler. The huge negative is the large gap between the engine and tender. The Lionel sounds a little better than the Proto 2. But at the speed they are opperated at doing switching moves it's not a deal breaker. Open both engines up to do any tinkering and the MTH is much more user friendly. The Lionel especially the Legacy is an adventure just to get the shell on without pinching a wire. As far as running. Both engines have only 2 pickup rollers. The Legacy really creeps. Which can be a negative. It tends to stall at very slow speeds when changing direction. My track could be cleaner but none of my other engines exhibit this. Lionel from what I was told is ditching the wireless tether on their steam switchers. I'm guessing they want to tye the engine and tender together electrically.

 It seems you a have a preference for a NH 0-8-0. I have an older MTH Proto 2. The lettering is gold. Don't no where Lionel got the white lettering from. If MTH reissued the old Premier engine with the new drawbar they'd have a winner for NH fans.

I wouldn't think that you would have to rush out and buy a DCS system.  You can run it conventionally until you want to buy the system.  I have this as a PS2 Railking in the GN scheme from the about the mid 2000's's.  The engine is scale but the tender is a bit over sized. Runs great with DCS. I've run MTH in conventional, and it's great.  You really don't lose much in the daily common functions in conventional.   For the money the Railking is ahead of the game.

Both are great.

Alan

I just picked up the MTH WM 0-8-0 30-1610-1 last week. I'm happy with it. I'm not a stickler for trains being correct.

You don't need a full blown DCS right away to run this engine. You can use a DCS remote commander. It will do horn, bell, couplers and yard sounds. You might have to have a factory set to run on remote commander with DCS unless the reset is in this loco with the remote commander. Mentioned above, you can run conventional.

This is the MTH 0-8-0. The sounds you hear are the actual engine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQhieuUY4PM

Ditto re the Rail King 0-8-0 Switcher. I have a New York Central version with PS 2 and it is a good running locomotive.

As for detail, the Legacy (and TMCC, and even most conventional Lionel 0-8-0s) have it all over the Railking version...  Lionel has put the extra work into the valve train details, and it is a winner!

Here is just a conventional 0-8-0 done up (and put out to pasture).

I have even purchased a Legacy engine and swapped out the boiler and tender from a conventional NYC 0-8-0, to make it a sweet model.

Thanks,

Mario

Sorry I started this and then ran away...

I can't believe how many replies it got in such a short time!

So here is my take away:

As a general statement pick-up rollers could be a problem--I have a Ross Double Slip to install...

Legacy: obviously better detail, can run on TMCC for the foreseeable future, way more expensive, tender gap may be excessive, but could be easily corrected, white lettering is not prototypical, $800

Railking: very close to scale, but proportions maybe aren't quite right, lettering is right, could use remote commander (along side tmcc?)

TMCC: not New Haven, which I would have to change--not sure I'm up for that project, otherwise could be the best value of all

I've also considered upgrading a conventional version of the Lionel New Haven ($450ish) with ERR components

I hope that was coherent and not too rambling

Thanks everyone