I recently purchased Lionel’s model of New York Central 2-8-0 steam locomotive #960 (Legacy 2231120, MSRP $749.99). Here are my thoughts about it. I run modern O gauge models under conventional control and don’t use smoke or electro-couplers.
I had decided initially not to pre-order or buy this model because its prototype was a Union Pacific/Southern Pacific design, and my interest was in the New York Central version. Several things changed my thinking. First, it is a good-looking freight locomotive. Second, it is scale-sized and although there are differences, it approximates the look of the real NYC #960, which ran on the Michigan Central Railroad subsidiary of the NYC. Third, small and medium-size locomotives like this one fit well on my 12’-by-8’ and 10’-by-5’ model railroads and they are what I run. Lastly, I thought the selling-price of this model, at the low end of the Legacy range and discounted 10 percent from MSRP, made it a good value.
I examined the model and found no manufacturing defects. The boiler has a flat-black finish that looks realistic, and the graphite color of the firebox and smokebox also seems correct. I turned off the smoke and Bluetooth switches, set the pgm/run switch to “run,” placed the model onto my 10’-by-5’ layout, and slowly advanced the throttle of my Z4000 transformer to 13 volts. The sounds came on and I blew the whistle and rang the bell. After letting it charge for about one minute, a firm press on the direction button got the engine and train moving immediately. Operation was smooth in forward and reverse, so I reduced the voltage to about 10 volts (0.45 amps) and the locomotive slowed to a steady scale speed of about 20 miles-per-hour. Since then, I’ve been running it every day. The speed control maintains a constant speed as the model rounds the Atlas O-54 curves on my small layout. The four-per-driver-revolution chugging sounds are realistic and other subtle steam locomotive sounds can also be heard.
The green classification lights on the engine’s smokebox and the red markers at the rear of the tender are very bright. The flickering visible through the open firebox door is a nice effect but also too bright in my opinion. I would like to increase the loudness of the chugging sounds but no volume control is provided for use during conventional operation.
I noticed lately that the white lettering next to the pgm/run switch on the engineer’s side of the frame, beneath the cab, and also by the smoke on/off switch on the fireman’s side, is visible when the model is viewed at eye level. I considered painting the lettering black but decided to leave it alone because the letters are also molded into the casting and raised slightly, so they would still be visible even if painted. Lionel’s artwork for the engine does not show the switches or lettering.
Lionel’s list of features includes “cab glass.” My model has none.
A drawing of the Union Pacific prototype for Lionel’s model appears on page 50 of Model Railroader Cyclopedia – Volume 1 – Steam Locomotives by Linn H. Westcott. It is listed as “Harriman 2-8-0” and shown with a Vanderbilt tender.
The only information I could find about the real NYC #960 was a single online picture taken in August 1946 on the Michigan Central Railroad in Ontario, Canada. It states that the locomotive was a member of NYC Class G-6i built by ALCo-Brooks in 1909 with 63-inch drivers and 23-by-32 cylinders, and that it operated at 200 psi boiler pressure and was scrapped in 1954. Unlike many NYC 2-8-0 steam locomotives, #960 seems to have been built with a superheater. The picture shows conspicuous differences from the model with respect to valve gear, steam and sand domes, bell location, and the engineer’s-side walkway. The model’s driving wheels correspond to 60-inch diameter at full scale. For reference, NYC Class G-6k locomotives had an engine weight of 244,500 pounds, a loaded tender weight of 150,500 pounds, and a maximum tractive effort of 45,680 pounds.
I also consulted Steam Locomotives of the New York Central Lines by William D. Edson and H. L. Vail Jr., in which there is a picture of NYC Class G-2c 2-8-0 #2402 taken in 1914, after it had been superheated. #2402 looks more like Lionel’s model and, in my opinion, would therefore have been a better choice of road number.
Given the evident differences between this model and the real NYC #960, some New York Central modelers may not want to own one. Although I usually buy prototypical models, I made an exception in this case because it’s a good-looking engine and was reasonably priced. As it turns out, it was made well and runs well, so I’m satisfied with my purchase.
MELGAR
