3rd Rail Dreyfuss Hudson

20centuryhudson posted:

Scored one of these for $500 brand new in the box---very nice engine-runs smooth-its my first 3rd rail engine--only pain is the plug in between the tender and engine hard to get in---I assume Lionel has a patent on the wireless tether which is really a nice feature and thats why no one else has it

Maybe it's just me, but I strongly dislike that Lionel "wireless/infrared" engine to tender hook-up. I have never understood why Lionel produces well detailed, large, SCALE models of big steam locomotives designed for 072 or larger curves, and then uses a drawbar length for much sharper curves.  Yes, I have disassembled those infrared drawbars, shortened them up quite a bit, but why should the consumer have to do that, on a model that was designed for 072 and larger curves, yet the drawbar spacing is for something like 054?

The drawbar arrangement on the Sunset/3rd Rail steam models suits me just fine, as I can easily shorten them in about 15 minutes, if so required.

I doubt the wireless drawbar is patentable. Its juat an optical coupler that transmits relatively slow serial data.

That was a good deal on that engine. The 3rd Rail Hudsons have detail that other 3 rail offerings only dream of. How does yours run?

Pete

It's not just you I don't like the wireless drawbar either.  At least with MTH draw bars you can change them out to tighten up the space between engine and tender

Now your need to find the matching golden gate depot passenger cars! There is 1/3 of the 12 cars set on the bay right now. 

http://youtu.be/I6vhVHvmWXY

I bit the bullet awhile ago and got the 12 car 1938 set new for a pretty penny and the Lionel dreyfuss didn't quite match-- so I lucked out-- this is the nicest full set in 3 rail ever in my opinion

Mr Water, above, took the words out of my mouth on Lionel's tether - I dislike them, too; have modified them, too; would have much preferred to just drill another hole in the drawbar...(have done that, too). The big box (smaller, now) is weird-looking.

MTH "wireless" (not really) drawbars I don't care for, either - regardless of their available lengths.

Turning a straightforward piece of metal with holes in it into a barely-modifiable piece of "tech" (L's or M's) is just annoying. If I were taking my steamers apart that often, I'd consider a switch to diesels.