Lionel Scale Hudson Fans Roll Call

I have 4 scale Hudsons  .. the Gold, Commodore Vanderbilt, Blue Goose and Dryfuss .. the whistle on the CV is as nice as any engine out there ..  Would like to pick up the issue from 1990 but only at the right price ..

I have the 4000, as well, and the 4001 Dreyfuss.  Seems dad and I got a two-fer on them way back then.  They look nice, but run GAWD-AWFUL.  They're static display items....

OK. I’ll play.

6-18005 1990 J-1e “1-700E”

6-18058 Century Club 773

6-38041 J-3a (6-31705 Anniversary Set)

6-38000 Century Club II ESE J-3a (with 6-38097 PT tender and seven aluminum car set)

All four of these Lionel scale-sized Hudsons are handsome and run well. I had the good fortune to observe the CC773’s being built during the summer of 2000. I also have eight Gilbert AF S gauge J-3a’s spanning the years of production from 1946 to 1962 and a Gilbert O gauge J-3a from 1940, but that’s another story.

Bob

I remember my local hobby shop had a big banner for the 1984 783 NYC for I think under $500 if you pre ordered. A few years later I paid $750 for mine and that was a good deal at that time. I have several other engines bought around then when everyone thought they would go up or at least hold their value and now are worth 1/3 of what I paid if that. My 783 diden't run good but I was friends with a Lionel repairman and he fixed mine so it runs nice.

I'm a Vandy fan.  I have two of the 777 Commodore Vanderbilts...Lionel Lines and NYC...

The red one still is not working, but the NYC is very enjoyable to run.

Just thought I would add my favorite Lionel Hudson to the list.  It is the VL J1E.  It does lots of things well, operationally and electronically, and so far very reliably.

My second favorite would have to be the K-line scale Hudson, but the Vision Line J1E blows it away operationally.

Ed Boyle

MODERN SEMISCALE

1997 18058 #773 NYC
1997 18058 #773 PRR W/18068 "2671" TENDER (ALA 1964 PRR HUDSON)

My question is, how can the 18068 Tender be used with this engine? That was the add on tender for the #671 Turbine. The hudson had infared, the turbine still had the tether...Just find it interesting....

I have the followering:

5390 from 1990

5344 with vandy tender and PS2

5344 scale k-line Hudson w/PS2

495  Scale C&O Hudson w/PS2

It was a nice engine, but one thing that bugged me about the K-Line Hudson (it probably wouldn't matter to sane people) was that the lettering on the tender was off. Specifically, K-Line put an extra space between "NEW YORK" and "CENTRAL." The spacing between all the words should be the same.

Once I noticed this, it was one of those little things that stuck out - and bugged me - every time I looked at it. Like I say, most sane people probably wouldn't have given it a second thought, but it messed up the engine for me.

Darn Breezinup,  why did you have to point that out? 

The K-Line is the only Hudson we have now and I never noticed that before. Oh well,  the world isn't perfect and I can live with it - ours has a JDS PS2 conversion with MTH smoke and it's a terrific locomotive - best Hudson I've ever had!

Sorry. Just forget about it.

(If you can.) 

Well someone has a Lionel Hudson tender on the FS board for $350. That's WAY more than half of what I paid for the WHOLE K-Line model!

Worth it!

Even with the knowledge that it's there, the extra space on the K-Line tender never particularly bothered me. At a glance you would never know it, and like Sam I never knew until someone pointed it out awhile back. I still have to look closely to detect the error. As for the Lionel tender on the FS board, that's a J3a tender and I'm not sure if those were the same ones the J1e's used. It's also a wireless tether, so to mate it with the K-Line model either the engine or the tender needs to be converted to adapt the other. The number on the back would also have to be changed to match and the chatter features would be wrong (if you care about that kind of stuff; I personally don't).

And as for being a Hudson fan, I should have never bought Al Stauffer's book "Thoroughbreds". Since then I have become a New York Central steam fanatic. My collection currently consists of:

-Lionel 38000 Century Club II Empire State Express Hudson w/ K-Line 21" Empire State Express Streamline Passenger Cars

-Lionel 28069 Century Club II 4-8-4 Niagara w/ K-Line 21" 1948 20th Century Limited Streamline Passenger Cars (Not a Hudson but NYC nonetheless)

-K-Line K3270-5343S Scale J1e Hudson #5343 w/ K-Line 18" "The Pacemaker" Heavyweights

Still on the lookout for:

-Lionel 18063 Commodore Vanderbilt (Correct Color)

-Lionel 28084 Dreyfuss Hudson w/ K-Line 18" 1937 20th Century Limited Streamline Passenger Cars

-K-Line K3270-5344S Scale J1e Hudson #5344 w/ Lionel 18" pre-1937 20th Century Limited Heavyweights

I'm also currently working on a project to make a "Super 700E" Hudson out of Lionel's 18056 Scale 5344 Hudson from 1997 and 38097 PT Tender from 2005. You can read more about that here:

https://ogrforum.com/t...e-pt-tender-and-more

Love my Hudsons.

I have the 50th anniversary hudson

Yep - saw the K-line tender lettering drift first thing out of the box.

I'm OK, though.

Notice that the 3rd Rail "Super" J3a tender has an incorrect lettering style?

Not deadly, but still wrong.

I'm still OK.

Here is my Black Commodore I won at an auction last year...It even came with a letter from Lionel, stating it was less then 600 made....I love it!! I have the black heavyweights to go with it as well...I got lucky, I only paid about $400.00 for it..

Yep, that's the one I'm looking for too Mark. They used to bring big money in years past but they've started coming down like everything else. I plan to upgrade mine with a Timko DC can motor and ERR Cruise, along with replacing the drivers with open spokes. The 773 closed spokes don't quite fit with the quality of the rest of the model.

Nick,

Check this article out....

http://www.toytrainrevue.com/tm-cv.htm

Century Club 773

18056 with Vandy tender

28072

38000

J3a from 50th Anniversary set

Lionmaster Hudson

VL Hudson

MTH 20-3020 Hudson

MTH NYC lines Scale Hudson

MTH 20-3045 Dryfuss Hudson

K-line

K-3270 Cab# 5343 TMCC

I really don't need another one?

Ok I will hear the call,

C&O Yellowbelly

J1E with Vandy tender

Dryfuss

Silver CV

Black CV

ESE express from century club

I guess I like hudsons. I will be getting the 1990 remake soon. I will howver convert it to TMCC and tweek it a little for modern running

I agree Sam!

BTW, did you see my 5344 drawbar modification post a while back? Only an issue if you operate on 042 or smaller curves.

Rod

Rod, These shipped with two drawbars. One would allow operation on 031.

Pete

I've had the K-line Hudson for a couple of years and never noticed the lettering "error" ...

Ignorance is bliss. BTW, your membership application to the Nitpicker's Club is denied.

Also, better check that air in your right rear tire. It looks a bit low.

Pete;

Did not know that! I bought mine off the forum and I don't think it was in the box, but I am going to have another look.

Actually I will probly just leave mine modded the way I have it because it works so well, and it does not widen the gap between the engine and tender.

Thanks,

Rod

Pete;

I checked and sure enough, there is an extra long drawbar included in the box, along with the Ogauge dummy front coupler, spare bi-pin bulb, and traction tires. Thanks for pointing that out.

Unfortunately the drawbar is about 3/4" longer than the standard one, so the engine to tender gap would be huge if installed.

I think I will just leave my drawbar mod as is. It looks just fine.

Rod

1997 18058 #773 PRR W/18068 "2671" TENDER (ALA 1964 PRR HUDSON)

My question is, how can the 18068 Tender be used with this engine? That was the add on tender for the #671 Turbine. The hudson had infared, the turbine still had the tether...Just find it interesting....

Hi Mark,

I included this combination for completeness.

I ran across this combination somewhere on the internet, so I included it.

Rod, I didn't realize the long drawbar was included either until I tried to run it on 031 (just to test if it would as advertised). Of course with the short drawbar it didn't until someone else told me what I passed on to you. Their later NYC tuscan 18" passenger cars made to emulate the Lionel 1950 773 set also have fold out steps that allow them to negotiate 031 as well. They look pretty goofy on 031 but they will operate on it OK.

As for my Scale Lionel Hudsons:

Silver Commadore Vanderbilt

5444 J3a

5344 VL Hudson

more by other manufacturers

A man cannot have too many Hudsons.

Pete

Prewar

763 Gray

763 Black

Several OO

Postwar

773 1964

Modern

8606 B&A

Lionel in the middle.  3rd rail in front.  GGD 1938 TCL cars.

It's too bad Lionel doesn't offer the open spoke wheels separately from the frame. Lionel does offer the frame and wheel assembly as replacement parts still, at $210.

Pete and Rod - I didn't know that either and haven't had a chance to get up in the attic to check the box. We've had four of these beautiful Hudsons and I always used whichever drawbar was attached. The one I have here has two holes which I always assumed to be the 'adjustment'' feature.

Rod, yours is a PS2 conversion that you did yourself is it not?

What station announcement does it have? Ours says something about arriving from Cincinnati.

Have often wondered why MTH has not done a full-scale Commodore Hudson in all these years. Was Lionel's original model a bust as a seller? I remember all the hype when it was introduced about the beautiful casting for the shell with the 'plates' at slightly different angles to give the illusion of separately applied pieces (see photo below). It appeared that much attention was given to research of the prototype for accuracy and other detail in fidelity to scale. Lionel got the color wrong initially but it is still a very nice looking locomotive even in the light silver, more-so in the darker grey pictured in an earlier post.

SOMEONE should redo this locomotive as a full-featured piece!

Sam, It seems to me Lionel could take the mid 90s shell and modify it for use on the VL Hudson frame. Heck, they wouldn't even have to change the sound set. I suspect even a few here could do the same. Maybe a grey VL will show up at a blow out price?

Pete

Sam;

Mine is 5344 which came without TMCC, whistle only. I converted it to PS-2 about a year ago.

The sound file is actually specific to 5343, and yes I think the announcement is for Cincinnati.

I absolutely love it, but the issue of derailing on a few 022 switches was a real nuisance that I finally traced to the drawbar issue. I did not realize there was an optional longer one until it was mentioned in this thread, so I created my own, as documented on the forum back a few days ago.

All in all a great engine, and it now sees lots of run time on the layout.

If for some reason I ever had to sell off my train stuff, it would be about the last to go on the block.

Rod

Sam, I doubt it would drop right on. I am pretty sure the frames are different but the overall dimensions should be close. My VL is still under warranty but I may check it out when the warranty runs out.

Pete