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Big, BIG, Favor To Ask...

laminglamingOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
Got a big favor to ask if any of you have examples of same.

After many years absence, I have been dabbling in 3 rail traditional again. My re-entry concept was so easy at first: Lionel Postwar steam engines, perhaps some Lionel Postwar diecast frame Alco's, 6464 boxcars, etc.

I have already found/purchased some of the above. Cool.

THEN... I discovered Kusan/KMT FA's via eBay. Wow... I was SMITTEN with their rugged good looks. I love the boxy, yet not too boxy, look of the Kusan/KMT interpretation of the Alco FA. (Better than a scale model, even!) Here's the two culprits that caused me to lust...





In a posting to the OGR forum here, I learned that shell dies for the Kusan/KMT went to K-Line, and that a Kusan/KMT shell is a drop-on fit for the early K-Line chassis.

After seeing the lines on the Kusan/KMT, I'm not 100% pleased with the very smallish Lionel diecast frame Postwar FA's I have.

Now, here's what I'm hoping one of you can help me with. (i.e. The big, BIG, favor.) I'm wondering how do the various interpretations of the Alco FA compare to each other?

Do any of you have a Lionel Postwar diecast frame Alco FA, a Postwar stamped frame Alco FA, and a K-Line Alco FA? If so, would it be possible to set them beside each other and snap a pic?

I would eventually like to replicate the paint schemes as pictured above... but I also want the overall "look" (i.e. proportions) to be as close as possible to the above as well.

I can't offer more than a sincere "thank you"... but being able to see some side-by-side comparison pics would sure help a lot before I lay out some $$ to pursue my idea.

If not... well... gotta' feelin' I'll survive it somehow!

Andre
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laminglamingOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
Well c.sam, that's an excellent idea, too.

I have been unable to view any usable pictures of the Golden Memories line of FA's: Most sellers use the artistic renderings of them. What pic or two I did see, didn't help much. However, they do look nicely proportioned from what I COULD see.

One thing for sure: If they are undiscernably close in proportions to the Kusan/KMT FA's... then going the Golden Memories route would be a LOT simpler.

Andre
RT Rusty TraqueOGR Forum Member
Well, for what it's worth, here's a photo of a pair of MPC stamped frame FA's. They do sit taller than the cast frame FA's:



I no longer own these, I repainted them way back in the 1980's.

The WBB Golden Memories FA's are essentially clones of the Lionel cast frame FA's. Marty over at Ma & Pa Trians has a pretty good picture of the WBB Santa Fe 218's. Just click on the image to enlarge:

http://shop.mapajunction.com/p...d=3386&categoryId=27

The Kusan/K-Line FA's are about the same size as the Lionel FA's. What make the Kusan's look sooo good is how nice and low they sit on their trucks.

Rusty
laminglamingOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
Hi Again Rusty!

Thanks for more input!

Yup... done saw that pic earlier today and I have already harvested it to my 3 rail folder for use as a comparison shot. I note that the little K-Line set appears to have the height of the Kusan/KMT, but the trucks aren't the same, leaving a gap fore/aft of the brake cylinder. Also, looks as if K-Line widened/heightened the gap in the front pilot. Both the trucks and the pilot gap does alter the total "look" a bit... but it DOES seem to have that overall boxy look that I find so appealing with the Kusan/KMT FA's.

I also hope to also land a good pic of a Williams Golden Memories FA as well. That one you linked to earlier really helped... just would like to see it next to a Lionel diecast frame FA. In fact, seeing a pic of all of the Alco's side by side would be the bomb.

I may have to go ahead and make a decision and bite the bullet and purchase for the final "look see".

Make more sense to go with the Williams set: Diecast frames, suspect they will run smoother than the dated K-Line models, still being mfg'd, etc. (I did have a K-Line set just like the ones in the above linked pic back in the mid-90's. They had jackrabbit starts on a PW ZW on account of their low-draw can motors vs the 4 volt starting voltage of a ZW.)

No telling what I'll decide!!! (Living my life is such a surprise!)

Andre
laminglamingOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
Thanks Robert!!

In your series of pics, the Kusan/KMT set looks closer in height to the Lionel w/diecast frame than the pics I posted in my original post. Hm. Obviously a camera angle thing going on.

I think it's safe to say that the Kusan/KMT copy of the Lionel FA is overall a better proportioned and nicer looking toy version of an FA than Lionel's. Shame they were 2 rail DC.

Are those models in your possesion, or pics that you have in your pics folder?

Andre
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