MTH 44-Tonner

Thank you Eric for another unbiased review. Hope you will always keep them coming. Your videos combined with the magazine articles just helps me make a more informed decision on what I want like to buy. I love this switcher...

Thanks for a great review of a great little locomotive! 

I actually purchased one this morning at the Midwest Train Show, and then came home to my surprise to see that Eric had posted a review. (Great work as usual)

One of the best sounding engines I own, she is a little beauty as well.

Nicely done as always.

Excellent as always!!!

Enjoyed the review, as usual - and hated it, too, because I want one of these (the die-cast aspect is appealing), don't need one of these (already have the SOU WBB scale version), don't run DCS to speak of (if it were only TMCC....), I had almost put them out of my mind, then you come along and bring the whole thing up again. Phooey.

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One thing: when the RR labor unions fought the removal of personnel from locomotives and elsewhere, they were not putting forth "silly" rules, to use your term in the review, as these were real people with real jobs and real families to support, who were about to be victimized by a change brought about through no fault of theirs. Also a "fireman" in a diesel electric made a very great amount of sense as they were essentially "riding mechanics", who, like their steam counterparts, kept the locomotive running while the engineer ran it. Early diesels, especially, were about as reliable as one would expect - touch and go, and the engineer cannot get up, go to the breakers (for example), and reset things when needed - as they often were. Also, the fireman and engineer called the signals to each other - still do. These are just a couple of examples. Running a locomotive pulling a mile-long train is not like driving an automobile or a "big rig". Serious business.

The 44-tonner was a switcher, and a switcher carried an engineer and a switchman - that's why there could be 2 cab figures.

Don't mean to pick, but many RR hobbyists miss the complications of running a railroad. It's hard. I've been in both the model and actual RR worlds (though not as an operating employee), and a Union member, then a Management employee. Complicated business, where most things are done for a reason.

Great review..really shows me how much I value accurate sounds in an engine

MTH did record the sounds aboard an actual 44-tonner.  Jamie Haislip's at the Walkersville Southern.

It is a very cool little locomotive.  My only "nit" is that it has a undersized supercap (or at least that's the symptom), and it will very quickly shut off if it loses power for a moment.  If you cut track power, within about a second the sound cuts out, it doesn't do the shutdown sequence properly as most other PS2/3 locomotives will when you cut power.

Once again, enjoyed the review.  Just the right length for this little engine.  I'm on the fence as to whether to get B&M or Amtrak.  The Maine Hi Rail club is getting a special run done on therefor Maine Central, but the ordering deadline may have passed.  

Eric stay with the same format for us toy train/hi-rail fans.  I'm not concerned with exact scale dimensions or authenticity of shades of color.  Good work.

That is a great little engine and as you stated the sounds are quite good as well. I don't yet have one, but have seen them run at my LHS. I doubt they will ever make one in the road name I have so I will have to pick some other road. Definitely on my want list though. Thanks for the review.