I have been a huge fan of Lionel Hudsons ever since I became aware they existed, which was quite young. So far, I have accumulated 6 of them, all Modern Era: the 18005 90th Anniversary scale Hudson, the 18002 gray #785, the 18058 Century Club 773, the 18043 C&O Yellowbelly, and the new Vision Line Hudson.
But something rather unusual came upon me running some of the USA ones side by side. The 773 makes a rather noticeable grinding noise when you try to get it going slowly. This kind of confuses me, as the 773 was made the latest of the USA Hudsons. Now it's not a bad runner, it does run very smoothly and robustly, and the sounds are excellent, but the Pullmor motor is a more noticeable grinder compared to the others. I have lubricated and oiled everything in it without being excessive, but the grinding doesn't seem to go away. Now, it doesn't make me regret buying it, but at times it does get tedious.
On the other hand, when I start up the #5340 and the C&O the same way, they are much quieter - in fact, you could almost forget they had Pullmors in them!
I am still on the hunt for Hudsons, but I would like to know two things:
- Has anyone found a cure for that noticeable grinding, or at least to damper it down a bit?
- Has anyone found the same thing in the Century 773 or any of the other Modern Era Hudsons?
