Not shocked they sold out - Lionel's sold out very quickly and the pre order price, though high was worth it. I did a Google search and found one at $1999.99 and the others at a whopping eye opening SRP price of $2,699.99. Tempting to search for another but the train fund for 2015 is out and 2016 looks like small strategic purchases.
Loving this topic..and i am a diesel guy
AGHRMatt posted:Austin Bill posted:Matt, does the whistle sound like or at least close to recordings of the real thing?
Close but no cigar. MTH is planning to re-record the sounds when 4014 is back on the rails. It does sound good, though. I did hear 4014's whistle when they were moving him, albeit driven by air as opposed to steam. Supposedly the Challenger and the Big Boy were using the same whistle, but I haven't gotten a solid confirmation on that. If so, they would have had access to a correct whistle.
For what it's worth, the "big three" of UP steam locomotives, i.e. the 4000 class, the 3900 class and the 800 class, all used the same Manning Maxwell & Moore deep whistle. Depending on wear, the whistle from 844 and/or 3985, plus any other UP deep whistle, generally sound the same. Weather conditions and recording techniques will make the sound different from one recording to the next.
Thanks, Hot Water. In addition to what you provided above did these whistles also change pitch depending on whether or not the steam is dry or saturated? Someone told me they do but I figure you would know for sure and have been meaning to ask for a while now.
My QSI Titan Magnum DCC decoder has a setting for these two conditions for the UP whistle. The saturated steam sound in the recording sounds more ragged and gruff than the other one and than what I remember hearing 844 and 3985 in person in dry weather around Cheyenne.
My MTH scale wheeled PS3 Challenger whistle sounds a little more melodic and slightly higher pitched than the sounds from my 2 Rail DCC UP 844 with the QSI Titan Magnum decoder. But, they are close enough and work for me. Who knows under what conditions these respective whistle recordings were made.
RANT. This is in stark contrast to the original "Lionel Big Deal" release of the first Lionel Legacy Big Boy which came packaged a few years back with the first Legacy command sets. Lionel blew it big time. Way off. Really bad. Just plain old used the wrong sound set. But, the hard hearted Lionel management at the time refused to fix it. So, I sold the XXXX thing. Beware -- if you care about having an accurate Big Boy whistle -- those engines are still out there. END of RANT.
HHHMmmmm!
Sorry I missed you a couple of Friday's ago when I was down there. Didn't have your E-mail address so I couldn't let you know I was coming down. By the way, the 2-rail layout was running well. I'm planning to come back down in a couple of months, but on the next trip I'd like to see how some of my larger locomotives operate on a 2-rail layout.
Matthew , are you seeing another club on the side? 
John Pignatelli JR. posted:HHHMmmmm!
Sorry I missed you a couple of Friday's ago when I was down there. Didn't have your E-mail address so I couldn't let you know I was coming down. By the way, the 2-rail layout was running well. I'm planning to come back down in a couple of months, but on the next trip I'd like to see how some of my larger locomotives operate on a 2-rail layout.
Matthew , are you seeing another club on the side?
Well, considering I was wearing my AGHR Jacket, AGHR Hat and AGHR Polo Shirt, one might think I was down there poaching members from SD3R. 
86TA355SR posted:Austin Bill posted:The other noticeable difference is that the scale engine front pilot wheels are larger diameter not counting the flange than on the cookie cutter wheels. IMO this is a big cosmetic improvement ....
I couldn't agree more, Bill. Ron H showed me the light when he posted his Hudson with this mod. Now, the first mod I do to 3R steam is a set of scale NWSL wheels. A simple mod that really improves the appearance.
That was actually one of the deciding factors when I bought the scale-wheeled Blue Goose Hudson. I've been bouncing around the idea of replacing the pilot wheels on my hi-rail steam because the correctly-sized pilot wheels look so much nicer. Operationally, scale pilot wheels don't make much of a difference on modern hi-rail track since pretty much everyone has gone to flat-top rail.
Interestingly enough, MTH has cut down the flanges on their hi-rail locomotives which allows them to run on Code 148 rail. I just wish they ran on Code 172 wheels with backside spacing that would support running through scale turnouts, especially since the locomotives can run on 2-rail as well as 3-rail.
bob2 posted:It isn't often that the scale wheel steam locomotives come up for sale at a fair price in the secondary market. I was lucky to get a SP Daylight on the bay for $715. Scratch that locomotive off the bucket list!
I note that a couple of well painted USH Daylights have gone begging for under $600. A very long time ago I paid $750 for the Max Gray version - not nearly as nice - and not painted.
Bob, I have only been in 2 rail for about 12 years. Early in my 2 rail career I got burned in a transaction with an older 2 rail locomotive so now I stay away from those older 2 rail locomotives. It's not that I don't like them it is that I have very little knowledge about which ones are good runners, which ones have can motors, which ones have the open frame high amp motors, which ones are accurate, which ones aren't, how tight a curve they need, and most important of all what a fair price would be for the locomotive. I just got a drill press so I can do some light work on a locomotive if needed but I don't have a lathe nor the skills to use one. Maybe someday....
Sorry to quote you as I know you hate that but since I was bringing a topic from the first page I felt it was relevant.
Matt, thanks for the information about a possible run when the Big Boy gets restored. The problem with that is if you have read Hot Water's posts it appears that UP will never have another running steam locomotive again. I sincerely hope that he is wrong about that but they way things look right now I would have to agree with him 100%.
Just curious but are the High-Rail versions also sold out?
Phil - I do not hate quotes - I do it all the time. What drives me batty is when a whole lot of posts get copied, each one containing all the copied posts of the one before it. Then the poster says " thanks for your post."
Even worse is when a string of photos gets copied over and over and over. Someday they will invent software to stop that.
USH locomotives still hold their own in terms of realism and operability. They have plenty of detailed additions, and can easily be converted to can motors. They are also now about a third of their highest price, considering inflation. Very difficult to go wrong with a painted USH Daylight in good condition at $600 plus shipping.
Opinion!
Austin Bill posted:Thanks, Hot Water. In addition to what you provided above did these whistles also change pitch depending on whether or not the steam is dry or saturated? Someone told me they do but I figure you would know for sure and have been meaning to ask for a while now.
Well yes, that is true, except the whistles on the big three classes of UP steam power were piped off the superheated steam header. Thus, as soon as the whistle was "dried out" and all the moisture removed from the superheaters, the sound of the whistle/whistles really didn't change much. That said, in bitter cold weather, if the whistle had not been used for some time, the whistle would "gurgle" until all the condensation was blown out of the steam supply line.
My QSI Titan Magnum DCC decoder has a setting for these two conditions for the UP whistle. The saturated steam sound in the recording sounds more ragged and gruff than the other one and than what I remember hearing 844 and 3985 in person in dry weather around Cheyenne.
As I stated above, the whistles on the UP big three classes of steam locomotive were supplied with superheated steam.
My MTH scale wheeled PS3 Challenger whistle sounds a little more melodic and slightly higher pitched than the sounds from my 2 Rail DCC UP 844 with the QSI Titan Magnum decoder. But, they are close enough and work for me. Who knows under what conditions these respective whistle recordings were made.
A very key point. Not to mention, what sort of "digital effects" were done to the sound of the whistle in order to install that sound on a micro-chip?
Thanks, HW.
By the way, note Hot's technique. If he repeats somebody's post he does so to answer it. That is, in my opinion, the only reason for repeating posts, and Hot is a master at it.
bob2 posted:By the way, note Hot's technique. If he repeats somebody's post he does so to answer it. That is, in my opinion, the only reason for repeating posts, and Hot is a master at it.
Thanks. I also hate what you have described, i.e. the wholesale repeating of EVERYTHING, just to type one stupid sentence, like copying all the photos, just to say "Nice photos."! Drives me crazy.
Bob, okay I understand where you are coming from.
Matt, I didn't mean to high jack your thread. Sorry about that.
Looks like she's coming back in the MTH 2020 Volume #1 catalog, #22-3775-2.
Mojave Mike posted:Looks like she's coming back in the MTH 2020 Volume #1 catalog, #22-3775-2.
Yep. Hopefully they've had the opportunity to record the sounds from 4014 when it was out and about so I can re-flash mine.
It always intrigues me that they who are the most radius challenged (maybe I should make that diameter 
) gotta have the biggest engines, that look really stoooopid going around tight curves! Carry on!
Simon
