MTH announces Premier USRA Mikado's in 3 rail

looks nice and smoking whistle too!

Tell me when they make a big New Haven steam with a Vanderbilt tender.

FWIW...manufacturing steam engines is a very large PITA.  My feeling is that we are lucky that they are being made at all.

@DMASSO posted:

Tell me when they make a big New Haven steam with a Vanderbilt tender.

Hi Don

Stupid question: would one of those Lionel SP/UP Vandy tenders fill in...🤔

Mark in Oregon 🎄

Probably.  MTH and Lionel have made the tenders. Just need to match it to a Mountain or other style.

Any news on the price?

Just to be clear only the hi-rail version? No scale wheel version?

The image of the L&N 1517 looks almost Pullman green instead of black. Could that be MTH's intention? I think only L&N passenger engines had tender stripes too.(other than the M-1 2-8-4s)

@Johnny Winkler posted:

The image of the L&N 1517 looks almost Pullman green instead of black. Could that be MTH's intention? I think only L&N passenger engines had tender stripes too.

It appears only the L&N's 2-8-4 "Big Emma's" wore stripes.  A quick Google of L&N 4-6-2's and 4-8-2's didn't reveal any other locomotives wearing stripes.

Rusty

@Beth Marshall-The Public Delivery Track posted:

FWIW...manufacturing steam engines is a very large PITA.  My feeling is that we are lucky that they are being made at all.

Well some people ARE lucky they are being made BUT for the most part they are doing the “usual suspects” as Always and ignoring everyone else. NYC, Penn, UP collectors get to have another run - now probably approaching at least 100 issues each. These collectors are happy and MTH continues to make money. But Some roads continue to be completely ignored. For example - In all MTHs history, only one MP steam engine (switcher) and no MKT   Steam have been made !!!!  There’s others just like this. AMAZING !!!
MTH - Why not AT LEAST ADD an “undecorated” model so we can add our own decals to create the road/models that NEVER Get Done !!!!!! 😑

@TrainBub posted:

Well some people ARE lucky they are being made BUT for the most part they are doing the “usual suspects” as Always and ignoring everyone else. NYC, Penn, UP collectors get to have another run - now probably approaching at least 100 issues each. These collectors are happy and MTH continues to make money. But Some roads continue to be completely ignored. For example - In all MTHs history, only one MP steam engine (switcher) and no MKT   Steam have been made !!!!  There’s others just like this. AMAZING !!!
MTH - Why not AT LEAST ADD an “undecorated” model so we can add our own decals to create the road/models that NEVER Get Done !!!!!! 😑

Many of us make our own undecs. With MTH and Lionel steam all you need is a rag and some lacquer thinner and two minutes of your time. Of my 4 Moguls only one came lettered for NYC, now they are all lettered for that road.

No black paint was harmed during the making of this movie.

Pete

@Norton posted:

Many of us make our own undecs. With MTH and Lionel steam all you need is a rag and some lacquer thinner and two minutes of your time. Of my 4 Moguls only one came lettered for NYC, now they are all lettered for that road.

No black paint was harmed during the making of this movie.

Pete

Wow !!!! Thanks for this !!!! Always great to learn new “Trix” !!!

@Rusty Traque posted:

It appears only the L&N's 2-8-4 "Big Emma's" wore stripes.  A quick Google of L&N 4-6-2's and 4-8-2's didn't reveal any other locomotives wearing stripes.

Rusty

L&N had some 4-6-2s with tender stripes and cab heralds, but I have never heard of a 2-8-2 this way.

It appears that the NYC Mikado has a pre-1936 road number and is lettered in a pre-1940 font.  I wonder whether MTH could be persuaded to make a version that's appropriate for the steam-to-diesel transition era.

@Johnny Winkler posted:

L&N had some 4-6-2s with tender stripes and cab heralds, but I have never heard of a 2-8-2 this way.

Should have mentioned if it is Pullman green I am still in for one. I like it prototypical or not.

What are these Mikados based off of? Are these based off of a USRA Light Mikado specifically or are they more generic than that?

I picked up a very nice LNIB Lionel Mikado a few years ago that was missing the front of the smoke box, nobody seemed to want it.  But got it on a 'make offer' at a great price, and then found the smoke box front for it a couple days later, on Ebay, for a sawbuck and free shipping.  I think there is some kind of psychic connection with folks looking for stuff on Ebay, like the front of a Mikado smokebox, and someone going, "I need to put this on Ebay", or just a heck of a coincidence.

@Norton posted:

Many of us make our own undecs. With MTH and Lionel steam all you need is a rag and some lacquer thinner and two minutes of your time. Of my 4 Moguls only one came lettered for NYC, now they are all lettered for that road.

No black paint was harmed during the making of this movie.

Pete

Lacquer thinner, decals, clear coat. Premier NKP Mikado becomes ATSF. Not hard to remove the lettering to get an undecorated model.

@SGP posted:

What are these Mikados based off of? Are these based off of a USRA Light Mikado specifically or are they more generic than that?

I believe they are based on the as built USRAs Lights for the most part. MTH has called some Heavies in the past but they don’t appear to be them. Lionel has done both and the difference is obvious. Most were modified a few years later by the buyers so not sure MTH will be doing road specific versions or not. Mods consisted mostly of bell and other appliance location, maybe tenders in the later years.

Pete

I’m happy they are doing this and will likely order a PRR version.  I do wish they will do something eventually in Delaware & Hudson, Lackawanna and Lehigh Valley.

@700E posted:

It appears that the NYC Mikado has a pre-1936 road number and is lettered in a pre-1940 font.  I wonder whether MTH could be persuaded to make a version that's appropriate for the steam-to-diesel transition era.

Ah, a fellow NYC geek. That, and the fact that the L&N had no tender-striped Mikes, are both overshadowed by the fact that the PRR never had any USRA Mikes at all. But - there it is, anyway

"FWIW...manufacturing steam engines is a very large PITA.  My feeling is that we are lucky that they are being made at all."

True enough, but when it's our money, their plusses and minuses are our business.

Wake me when they do a CNJ Heavy Mikado.   

https://www.steamlocomotive.co...2&railroad=cronj

Don’t expect road specific details from MTH. Being die cast, a shell of their former selves, with limited staff, and a need just to make money.  Any Engines made going forward will be boiler plate off the shelf with many roads stamped on the tender to increase sales.

it is what it is and at least they are getting made

@D500 posted:

... overshadowed by the fact that the PRR never had any USRA Mikes at all.

The Pennsy received 38 USRA Light Mikes in 1919.  Guess they did not like them since they transferred 33 of them to MP and Frisco in 1920 and sold them by 1923.  The remaining five L2s engines has their generator moved ahead of the stack and the light moved to the top of the boiler, like the picture of MTH's engine in the first post.  They lived their life out in the Cincinnati area and retired in 1948.

I would think MTH still has the molds for this engine because they could not sell them.  The other manufacturers already produced their own Mikes.  Here is my K-Line version.  The headlight is correct, but not the generator.

Interesting Ron. Lionel made all their Heavy Mikes with the generator ahead of the stack. I had not come across any USRA Mikes that had them in this location in particular the NYC which I model. Now I know.

Pete

@CAPPilot posted:

The Pennsy received 38 USRA Light Mikes in 1919.  Guess they did not like them since they transferred 33 of them to MP and Frisco in 1920 and sold them by 1923.  The remaining five L2s engines has their generator moved ahead of the stack and the light moved to the top of the boiler, like the picture of MTH's engine in the first post.  They lived their life out in the Cincinnati area and retired in 1948.

I would think MTH still has the molds for this engine because they could not sell them.  The other manufacturers already produced their own Mikes.  Here is my K-Line version.  The headlight is correct, but not the generator.

Well - I learned something today - and I even have the K-Line version, bought for a project. I'll go stand in the corner.

As much as I am a PRR fanboy, their mechanical department engineers were a bit overly proud of their own accomplishments.  The L2s did not last long on the PRR as mentioned.  They preferred their Belpaire boilered L1s over the USRA design.  What a bunch of snobs!

Also, post 1928 all PRR locomotives got DLGE on the body and cabs while the running gear was painted black.  There has been much debate over the correct color for DGLE as it is about as close to black as you can get without it actually being black.

@Norton posted:

Interesting Ron. Lionel made all their Heavy Mikes with the generator ahead of the stack. I had not come across any USRA Mikes that had them in this location in particular the NYC which I model. Now I know.

Pete

That's because everybody seems to be working off the same drawings for the USRA Heavy Mikes. (Kalmbach's Steam Locomotive Cyclopedia)   Broadway Limited has the generator behind the stack on their HO and N models as does Kato on their N Scale model.

Rusty

@GG1 4877 posted:

As much as I am a PRR fanboy, their mechanical department engineers were a bit overly proud of their own accomplishments.  The L2s did not last long on the PRR as mentioned.  They preferred their Belpaire boilered L1s over the USRA design.  What a bunch of snobs!

Also, post 1928 all PRR locomotives got DLGE on the body and cabs while the running gear was painted black.  There has been much debate over the correct color for DGLE as it is about as close to black as you can get without it actually being black.

According to Pennsy Power book the L1's out performed the L2's and that was why the Pennsy was not happy also most components on the L1 and K4 were interchangeable and this is per the book Pennsy Power. I am considering getting the PRR one but like GG said they did not last long with the Pennsy. I have the RailKing Mike 30-1164-1 but would love to upgrade all my RailKing to Permier one at a time. The RailKing I do believe is a true L1 and not a L2 so a tough one to decide a legit PRR Mike for an also ran PRR Mike!!!

@RJT posted:

According to Pennsy Power book the L1's out performed the L2's and that was why the Pennsy was not happy also most components on the L1 and K4 were interchangeable and this is per the book Pennsy Power. I am considering getting the PRR one but like GG said they did not last long with the Pennsy. I have the RailKing Mike 30-1164-1 but would love to upgrade all my RailKing to Permier one at a time. The RailKing I do believe is a true L1 and not a L2 so a tough one to decide a legit PRR Mike for an also ran PRR Mike!!!

The PRR L1 and the K4 were basically the same locomotive short of the running gear.  Same boiler even.  I have a Williams USRA Mikado in PRR, but it is 3 rail.  The one I'm trying to track down is the postwar version of the 3rd Rail L1s in 2 rail.  It is such a beautiful model.  Scott has a prewar version on his shelf of trains at his office but that is before the era I model.

@GG1 4877 posted:

The L2s did not last long on the PRR as mentioned.

@RJT posted:

...but like GG said they did not last long with the Pennsy.

The majority of L2s did not last long, but five lasted until at least 1948, maybe longer.  The MTH version is a good example of that engine for those that model late PRR steam.  I am interested in seeing what Beth's price will be.

The problem with using a UP/SP Vanderbilt tender is that l THINK all the 3rail model ones are oil fired.  Makes modification necessary to coal....l am not aware of a three rail coal Vanderbilt.  Again, l THINK somebody made a C&O Pacific, but l don't think it came with Vanderbilt.  As usual, l wanted a C&O Mikado with Vanderbilt, and only gave it a glance .  I would love accessory Vanderbilts to be offered, but only have seen K-line box tenders once offered for separate sale.

@colorado hirailer posted:

The problem with using a UP/SP Vanderbilt tender is that l THINK all the 3rail model ones are oil fired.  Makes modification necessary to coal....l am not aware of a three rail coal Vanderbilt. 

Good point. I hadn't thought of that. 🤔

Mark in Oregon 🎄

@GG1 4877 posted:

The PRR L1 and the K4 were basically the same locomotive short of the running gear.  Same boiler even.  I have a Williams USRA Mikado in PRR, but it is 3 rail.  The one I'm trying to track down is the postwar version of the 3rd Rail L1s in 2 rail.  It is such a beautiful model.  Scott has a prewar version on his shelf of trains at his office but that is before the era I model.

I see K-Line once offered a rather nice looking USRA PRR Mike...

Mark in Oregon 🎄