Chesapeake & Ohio Streamlined Hudson NOT "semi-scale"?

3rd Rail made a scale model, but it rarely comes up for sale.

The Lionel model is 27" long, so it is "close" to scale length.  Past posts on the Lionel engine commented that it had good detail.  The big issue I think is the Pullmor motor and early TMCC.  Depending on what you want, it would cost a lot to upgrade.

The Lionel C&O Hudson uses Lionel's NYC Hudson frame and running gear. The NYC drivers are slightly larger than the C&O's were so the Lionel C&O version has a longer wheelbase than it should have. Overall this makes the C&O engine a bit longer than it should be. I guess that makes it semi-scale. I had one of the Lionel engines I upgraded with a can motor and TAS EOB but sold it as soon as I received the far superior (and costly) 3rd Rail model.

Here's a picture of my 3rd Rail version from a couple of years ago.

I have a few minor quibbles with the 3rd Rail version but they nailed the shape of the nose and got the original orange color right. Gray used for the running gear is a little light.

Ken

Well, I don't know why the Lionel version is said to be semi-scale when Pat and some others have said that it is actually scale. Maybe just a tad short here or there, but not by much.

I had wanted one of these when they first came out but my wallet wasn't having anything to do with it. Well, I happen to have luck and Pat came through on this very engine. Of course as Ron said Pullmor is the biggest issue with these, and Pat replaced it with a Pittman.

Here it is all by itself before the Williams K4 #1120 arrived two months later. Yeah, it looks monstrous next to the K4, but the K4 isn't a Hudson not has the long tender.

Anyway, Pat did quite a bit of work to make the Yellow Belly into a more prototypical model than what it started out as. The passenger cars also got a very custom treatment the likes I've never seen done(at the moment, they're still boxed).

I'd say if you could find one by any of the various manufacturers, see about getting it to a better place than what it currently is sitting at. If these ever do come around again, you will be paying through the teeth and then some. You could probably get a used one in good condition and have that upgraded with passenger cars for less than what a new engine alone would cost.

I think the Lionel model, while perhaps not truly scale, isn't that far from it.  Besides, it's really the only game in town right now.  Obviously, it needs some work to make it fit into most modern command setups, but it's a pretty decent runner when you're done.

Here's the locomotive with wiring completed and ready to go together.  This includes the @harmonyards Pittman upgrade, the Lionel Hudson lighted cab backhead installed, and of course the ERR board, fan driven smoke, Super-Chuffer, and Chuff-Generator.

Since the original RS board has some great sounds, I moved the chips to a RS4 board and also included a wireless IR drawbar in the build.

The cab looks great with the backhead all lit.  You can also see the purple glow of the IR serial data transmitter on the drawbar.

Led headlight, lit number boards, and ground lights on the drivers completed the locomotive lighting.