I am thinking if getting a General type loco and wonder which would be best for pulling power and detail.Any ideas?
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For pulling power, MTH is the clear winner. It is heavier and has a much bigger motor. The MTH is diecast and heavy, while the Lionel is plastic and light weight.
For proportions, the Lionel looks slightly better to my eye, but that is subjective.
Both seem to have similar levels of detail.
Ok thanks!Looks like MTH gets the nod!
I’m going to get a General at some point and MTH would be my choice. The Lionel version is iconic and has been around for a long time but it feels to light and cheap in my hands. A little to toy like I think.
I have both....MTH is a modern loco.....Lionel 50's era. BOTH are over scale IE MUCH larger than they should be,
How does the MTH version run?
philo426 posted:How does the MTH version run?
The same as all my MTH....smooth and silent.
I have the postwar Lionel Super-O General and the MTH Rail King General. For running, I prefer the MTH. Great traction, weight, and smoke. At some point I'd like to upgrade mine to PS3.
John
MTH all the way.
If you’re a premier guy the golden spike Locos are nice looking Locos.
However if you’re on a budget, you might find the Golden Spike set that comes with an Engine, Boxcar and 3 Passenger Car each but no track
MIT worried about track just want a solid performer.
I have both.
The MTH version, with its diecast construction, certainly wins out on heft and pulling power, but the extended smoke box over the cylinders has always bothered me. It extends back too far toward the cab, eliminating the air space that gave the early Americans their distinctive thin-boiler look. I’m not sure why Samhongsa designed it like that for MTH 20 years ago.
The Lionel version doesn’t have that issue, but it also doesn’t look like a model of the General specifically. It lacks that squared-off smokebox at the front of the locomotive. And, yes, it is almost all plastic and a bad puller.
As AMCDave noted, both are way overscaled. Based on loose dimensional data I have, the MTH model scales to roughly 1:38.
I have toyed with the idea of modifying the MTH model ton at least give it the right smokebox look, but I have never done that extensive of a modification of a diecast shell. Has anyone else tackled this project?
