Legacy Dreyfuss Hudson - after 9 months or so, what are your views?

Wishing you all a recovery from this terrible disaster, and that the missing turn up well and alive.

As for the Dreyfuss, mine is mostly for display and I liked it then and now.  Color doesn't bother me one way or the other.  Just an expensive toy train .  Operates very nicely using Bluetooth/Universal Remote/Conventional.  Sounds are, as usual, very impressive.  Haven't tried TMCC/Legacy yet. Hope you enjoy yours as time and events permit.

The color doesn’t bother me. But the striping on the tender not matching the passenger cars does and that’s a big issue on $3,500 worth of trains. I would love to just be able to buy a tender shell that matches the passenger cars… or explore custom paint if there’s anyone who could do it.

The light hue of gray or whatever color is growing on me. I've always wanted a Dreyfuss Hudson, and maybe I am rationalizing, yet I think it would neat pulling my CCII Empire State Express cars. Like everything else, it'll come down to finding one at a decent price (picture credit cards smoking red hot).

ordered it, sent it back, the color is awful and WAY off from what it should be to match with any other matching cars...a HUGE Lionel mistake!

@Paul Kallus posted:

The light hue of gray or whatever color is growing on me. I've always wanted a Dreyfuss Hudson, and maybe I am rationalizing, yet I think it would neat pulling my CCII Empire State Express cars. Like everything else, it'll come down to finding one at a decent price (picture credit cards smoking red hot).

The good news is they are readily available at deep discount, especially from other collectors. Weak resale market for them.

I love mine. I have the #5452 without the PT tender and with the Scullin disk drive wheels, and it has run great. Had to do the usual work on the smoke unit, but nothing special, and it sounds and looks great. I run it in front of all 8 of the 21st Century Limited 21" passenger cars, and no complaints at all.

Jeramiah,

What is the "usual work on the smoke unit?"

@BradFish1 posted:

Jeramiah,

What is the "usual work on the smoke unit?"

Nothing crazy: checking the batting, making sure it's packed right and moistened. Making sure the motor is spinning freely and lubricated so it's as quiet as possible. Checking the heating element to make sure it hasn't gotten anything burnt onto it. If there's a thermistor, making sure it's the right distance from the resistor. Mostly common-sense stuff.

Usually following the smoke unit commandments keeps everything working well, but I'm one of those people who like to check each engine every couple years and make sure it's all in good working order, even for the stuff that sits on the shelf. You just never know when you'll get a request to run something that hasn't been on the layout in a while!

@Don Beck posted:

...a HUGH Lionel mistake!

Oh the irony…….

@GregK posted:

The good news is they are readily available at deep discount, especially from other collectors. Weak resale market for them.

Exactly what pushed me over the edge. Bought it from an individual so no warranty and no sales tax but there was no way I could justify buying one at anywhere near 'street price' when issued. The color has begun to grow on me too,  been perusing photos of the prototypes and see many variations in the shades of gray. A few almost looked silver. Especially as they aged. Mine is #5445 so it's theoretically already 'aged' by more than a few years of exposure to sun and grime. I might try my hand at a little weathering to add some 'grit' and 'texture' as I gain confidence in the craft!

Just don’t park it near the MTH one!

Sold to the Central"s subdivision. the Bellevue and Schenectady RR.

@Don Beck posted:

ordered it, sent it back, the color is awful and WAY off from what it should be to match with any other matching cars...a HUGH Lionel mistake!

Who's Hugh, and why is it  his mistake?

@c.sam posted:

Exactly what pushed me over the edge. Bought it from an individual so no warranty and no sales tax but there was no way I could justify buying one at anywhere near 'street price' when issued. The color has begun to grow on me too,  been perusing photos of the prototypes and see many variations in the shades of gray. A few almost looked silver. Especially as they aged. Mine is #5445 so it's theoretically already 'aged' by more than a few years of exposure to sun and grime. I might try my hand at a little weathering to add some 'grit' and 'texture' as I gain confidence in the craft!

I ordered the engine and some of the cars when they came out. Yes, it is light gray (as opposed to the early 2000’s Lionel version which I also have with the aluminum cars issued with it). If I place the two sets on parallel tracks, the difference is glaring. But since I will probably never run them together, that’s not an issue to me. The cars are a nice match to the engine except for the mismatch between the striping on the tender and the passenger cars as noted by @GregK above - that was a completely avoidable error - I also would love to see a corrected tender. When I get some free time, I have to pull out my set of light gray Lionel E7’s from a few years ago to see how they go with the passenger cars.

@dk122trains posted:

Sold to the Central"s subdivision. the Bellevue and Schenectady RR.

Those are really nice looking Don,  can you post a few more photos showing them from different angles. I like 'em!

I have the #5449 and the #5454 with the PT tender and fantasy paint scheme. The #5454 looks better with the 20th Century cars than the pale gray #5449. Both run and smoke great no complaints there. The #5454 is my favorite. Because of the tender the #5454 needs at least O-72 curves whereas the #5449 handles 0-54 whithout issue. They both guzzle smoke fluid. I was in Charles Ro Supply store a few weeks ago and the #5454 was on display with a price of only about $1350, which was significantly less than I preordered it from them for $1500. The J3s seemed like a sure thing at the time in terms of value but you never know. Preordering can be a crap shoot.

I love my #5454 with the PT  tender in the custom darker grey.  I was able to order the matching front cover for the skirt to fill the hole and the Vision Line sound baggage car that matched the color.  I also found two Lionel solid baggage cars that also matched the Lionel grey.  Then I purchased ten MTH 18" Passenger cars with people on board that are a close match in color.  These are to run on my new 072 and 080 layout under construction.  In the mean time I have run them on my friends 12 x 46' track layout and they performed flawlessly.  Great engine sounds and  rail-sounds effects from the Vision Line box car. I am very pleased with the effect.

To me the value is not what you pay upfront or what your kids will  get after your gone but the ability to live the dream as you watch them move around the layout. Some people feel our hobby is dying but my experience is that with the advent of the internet we are living in the golden age of this industry.  We share, show off with video and make available more hardware and layout designs than any brick and mortar store could ever provide in the past.  Your ability to visualize and grow your dream for each consist is staggering. Yes this is expensive but the overall quality of new and old products continues to impress me, even with the inconsistencies in rivet count and color. The trains of 1980 when I started to collect are no match for what was made later.

Keep collecting and dreaming, engineers in training...

I appreciate those who shared pictures of your preferred hued Dreyfuss, and it'd be helpful if everyone did that. Frankly, when you post that cab # such and such is your favorite, it's like reading a Sunday Comic Strip without the cartoon . As we all know by now, the catalog pictures are not a good reference of production. If I wasn't on the hunt for one I wouldn't care so much, but there appears to be variations of the gray or khaki color, whatever it is called. Of course, these engines were designed to pull select passenger cars, and seeing pictures of your Dreyfusses and what  they're pulling would also be appreciated.

Thus far, Don's fantasy colored Dreyfusses take the cake. I'd love to see what cars they're pulling

Yes fellas,  please post more photos of your beauties. As Paul says, just posting the cab number can still be 'greek' to many of us. Most men are visual anyway and we enjoy photos!

Was able to run my new Dreyfuss last weekend and will be hosting some photos of that soon.  Here she is along with my other Art Deco steamer.

I've become  very fond of her too.

@dk122trains posted:

Sold to the Central"s subdivision. the Bellevue and Schenectady RR.

Pardon my ignorance with computer programs, A.I., et al, but Don - are these actual 'real' photos or perhaps a Photo Shop or similar application?   Everyone seems to like them. They are quite stunning. Paul would like to see the passenger cars too....

@c.sam posted:

Pardon my ignorance with computer programs, A.I., et al, but Don - are these actual 'real' photos or perhaps a Photo Shop or similar application?   Everyone seems to like them. They are quite stunning. Paul would like to see the passenger cars too....

The engines and scenes are not photoshopped , this is my RR scenery etc and repainted Legacy Dreyfuss Hudson. More photos below.and they pull Atlas express reefers in my road of course! Pacemaker scheme hauls pacemaker boxcars and my circus train. Cab numbers are year my father and oldest son were born.

@dk122trains Don, now that is a paint scheme. Mine will be getting a repaint when I'm ready for that, it will be a proper Dreyfuss paint scheme and not the light grey these engines came in with. Probably be slated on next year's calendar.

There are several images that I wish I could post here of a few that appeared much lighter than our usual gray/khaki we're used to seeing on the layouts and videos. Here is a link to one I particularly like that almost appears to be a dull silver. Very handsome and probably easily attainable by someone well versed in weathering.

https://www.reddit.com/r/train...he_hudson/?rdt=65377

Here are a few comparison shots of two Lionel versions of the Dreyfuss engine. The darker version is from the early 2000’s (pulling 18” aluminum cars) and the lighter is the recent issue (pulling 21” ABS cars). I like ‘em both!!!

I recently just got mine on the rails and the color really has grown on me.  I like the shade of grey it really makes the details to me on the engine "pop" more!  

When I crawl it thru my Atlas #5 switches thou it stalls out.  Extremely frustrating and I've been looking into options to correct it.  Anyone else have this issue since we are talking about the Dreyfuss and any help in correcting it?  I know Atlas switches this is common time to time but was hoping anyone with this engine had a solid fix to it.  Thank you!

Caleb - You can buy a relay from Ross Custom switches that will power all the rails in the switch depending on the direction.  It is the Z Stuff DZ 1008.

I have used it and it works great, no more stalling on switches.

That's a very nice video you showed there above Paul, thanks a lot for posting. Yes, they are both handsome trains!

Thank you for the reply William I will definitely look into that option!

@William 1 posted:

Caleb - You can buy a relay from Ross Custom switches that will power all the rails in the switch depending on the direction.  It is the Z Stuff DZ 1008.

I have used it and it works great, no more stalling on switches.

That's great. My club has a Gargraves, I believe, cross over switch track and My Dreyfus and other locomotives stall when going slow over it. I'll sugest it to the members and see if they want to go with it. It might be an RCS track section. I'm not sure.

It is a relay not a track section.  It attaches directly to the switch machine.  Go on RCS website and find the Z stuff DZ 1008, search and it comes right up.  That will solve your problem.

Simply said, it puts power to the inside rails that are causing the drop. Depending on the direction of the switch.  When you change switch direction - straight or turnout - it will switch power to the other rails that need it in the other direction.

I hope that makes sense.  But I just remembered you need the switch machine to be a DZ 1000 or DZ 2500, it attaches directly to it, so that might not work if you are not using compatible track.  No sure what switch machine is on Gargraves track but if it one of those 2 this relay works like a charm.  Reattach a few skinny wires and you are good to go.

Good luck!       William1

BTW - I like the light-colored version with the matching passenger set better.  I l like the blue stripe, very sharp.  Maybe a tad bit of weathering is a good idea, so it doesn't look so pristine and will bring out the details.  Nice trains!

@William 1 posted:

I hope that makes sense.  But I just remembered you need the switch machine to be a DZ 1000 or DZ 2500, it attaches directly to it, so that might not work if you are not using compatible track.  No sure what switch machine is on Gargraves track but if it one of those 2 this relay works like a charm.  Reattach a few skinny wires and you are good to go.

Thanks very much for that information. I will check what brand and model those switch machine are.