a question for anyone who RUNS the Lionel 4-4-2 Hiawatha

Mine has run through Fastrack as well as Gargraves turnouts without issue.

No problems to report running through Ross switches, including back to back placement.

Eric Hofberg

TCA, LCCA 

yeah, well, ross.  what can i say?  had i known then, what i know now...

thanks guys

I run my Hiawatha quite a bit at our museum. No problem with the switches (which are also Ross). It does "hunt" from side to side at high speed, which is characteristic of short-wheelbase locomotives - there's just too much clearance between the flange and the rail to stabilize a two-axle engine. All of my 4-4-2's do the same thing. 

i am not a rivet counter, but that short of wobble would bother me operationally.  

What do you consider "high speed?". I usually run legacy medium or a touch higher. 

I don't have legacy so can't compare to their bar code. I run my Hiawatha at prototypical speeds around 80-100 scale MPH. I'm guesstimating based on the speed of MTH engines which have a scale MPH readout on the remote. The "hunting" is a function of the laws of physics and will affect ANY 2-axle locomotive, assuming the track and wheel flange spacing are normal for 0 gauge. Sit the engine on the track, you can wiggle it from side to side. A longer wheelbase will wiggle less because the longer wheelbase allows less angular deflection. 

yeah, i knew what you meant by hunting and understand the physics of it.  i am guessing here, but medium is, i think, 30 and limited, the next up, is 45.  so i usually run between those two.  how obvious is the hunting at these speeds?

I run my engine and have no problems with switches. I use Gargraves and Lionel switches. If you check the books about the real Hiawatha you will see that the real engine also moved from side to side.

"the real engine also moved from side to side"

that must have been an interesting ride at 100mph.