Lionel 6-8404 Turbine vs MTH RK Turbine

It is the standard Lionel S-2 tooled in 1946.  It has a worm-geared motor, MagneTraction, Smoke, Headlight, Back-up light, MSOS, and a "whistle" that sounds like a dieing cow.

Beautiful paint scheme!  Runs like the original: smooooth!

Jon

Rockyroad,

It is a very nice engine. I had it at one time, but had to sell it to pay bills. I plan on getting one again someday. If I remember correctly it's about 20 inches or so. Excellent runner, very smooth. The Mighty Sound of Steam, and whistle sounded great Also the set it was made to go with is very nice to.

Bill

I have the whole set.  It is the same engine as the Post War 682 painted Brunswick

Green and numbered 6200 as the Prototype was.  The Tender has six wheel trucks

and the legendary Backup lights.  It has Magne-Traction and runs very well.  After

this much time, it will need a good lube and oiling.  As Jon stated it has "Sound of Steam & Whistle.  The foam pad the circuit board is on should be replaced to avoid

"frying" it. 

Anyone have pro's or con's on the MTH Rail King 6-8-6?

If you can find the new MTH S2 turbine, 30-1560-1 and 30-1561-1 I would go there. PS3, wireless drawbar, Imperial details. Can't go wrong there. Many dealers still have them in stock. I sorta wish I didn't pass on on it when it came out. 

I just picked up a lightly used MTH Proto1 QSI Turbine and very happy with its performance especially being 1/3 price of the PS3. 

Alan

I have the 30-1395-1 Imperial S-2 and the lionel 6200, it's like comparing apples and oranges.

Bob: Which do you prefer and why?

If you're going to run it, hands down get the MTH. New style motor, traction tires, smokes like a pig, sounds. You are comparing old/new technologies. I'm not saying that the Lionel is "bad", but it is like comparing a 1963 Dodge Dart to a 2013 Dodge Dart. Just no fair comparison. 

Gilly

Answer to Alan D.

  MTH Imperial wins. For a reduced size it looks great. Runs great. Sounds great. The MTH baby turbine not so good.

Thanks Bob! What size passenger cars would look good with the MTH Turbine?

Yeah, it's squashed size makes it look a little goofy. The 4 chuff per revolution Locosounds are a joke. But it does smoke like crazy and mine has pulled absolutely everything we're ever put behind it. Mine stays on the ready track on our modular layout. It has run hundreds of hours trouble free.

Mine is the best $75 I ever spent on eBay.

Gilly

I picked up a well used 8404 Turbine at the York meet last October. It needed a new smoke unit which took next to nothing to install (though I bought the wrong one ), and it needs the cab steps.

The paint job is a lot nicer than the plain black of its two postwar sisters on the roster. I wish it had an air whistle instead of that awful electronic whistle and Sound of Steam, which I have turned off and just have to remind myself not to push the whistle button. It runs very well, and seems to pull as good as my 681.

I think turbines are kinda like GG1s to me. I've seen these small ones for so long, that when I see a scale sized one I think it looks odd.

J White

We have the MTH 30-4038-1 PRR Turbine.  It's the 6-8-6 with PS2 version and a very good smoker.  It's nicer than any of the Lionel starter or RTR sets that we have. 

We bought it used for a good price, and would definitely buy another MTH steamer.

I have both of these engines. Sorry to say I have never run the Lionel 8404. It is a beautiful engine and is a reproduction of the original 682 in Brunswick Green.

However, I have run the MTH 30-1149-1 and it has great sounds and smokes me out of the train room. The sounds are the original Proto-Sounds. The engine does NOT have a chuffing sound but does have a turbine sound which is correct. The whistle sounds good also.

One of these days I will have to run the 8404 and maybe upgrade it to Railsounds, although I don't think the correct turbine sound is available.

The regular (not bantam) Rail King S2 is of a respectable size.  As I recall it is 24-inches long and almost scale in height & width.  Much larger than any of the S2s Lionel made until Mike Wolf made the scale S2 for Lionel in the late80s.

But I would stay with any of the DCS versions.