Lionel Classics Question

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the 6-18005 700e Hudson was paired with these cars in 1990. 

That would be consistent with the 1930's original, which was paired with a 700E. But really, a scale Hudson is too big for the Rail Chief cars. It looks way out of proportion. A semi-scale Hudson is about right in size, better yet if it's a streamliner. I just bought a K-Line semi-scale Dreyfuss to go with mine. The light grey doesn't look good with the Rail Chief cars, so I'm going to repaint it. Another engine that would look good with that set would be a semi-scale Pennsy Torpedo in tuscan. Here's a picture that shows the proportions. The Rail Chief is being pulled by a scale size repro 763E Hudson with a Vanderbilt tender. The round tender mitigates the transition a bit, but the engine still looks way too big for those cars. You need to click on the photo to see it full size; the size difference between the Hudson and the cars is not apparent at the small display size on the page.

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I knew they made a scale Hudson in 1990. I did not think they made a Lionel Classic packaged engine for this set. It looks like they did not.

I have a bunch of choices a scale MTH Hudson, Railking Dreyfus Hudson even a MTH Pennsy turbine. Wonder how those 260 series engines would look pulling these cars.

Lionel cataloged the 18005 scale Hudson in the regular O gauge line, hence it's orange and blue Lionel box it came in. The Rail Chief came in the Classics Line since it was tinplate.

I pull my set behind any steam engine that strikes my fancy, mostly the Lionel 18005 Hudson, although it does look very nice behind Lionel's scale Mikado from 1992 or Mohawk from 1990.

But if you want a 260 engine to pull it, you'll need to get a different coupler for it since the Rail Chief set only came with a large-size Lionel O gauge coupler.

 I think those were in a set with a PA on the head end.

Al

What is a PA? Alco PA-1.

Anyway the cars came today and they are so nice. The coupler is nothing to change out to Tinplate. I think they deserve a Scale Hudson.

A couple of photos of a Hudson at the head end.

Yes the 18005 Hudson was the intended engine for this set.