MTH early Railking steam locos

I think the conventional Rail King steamers are really good. I have a couple, as well as some proto-1 locos, and they still run great, and look great. While they don't have speed control, and all the bells and whistles, they smoke great, and I actually manually controlling speed with the transformer. I think they are still worth purchasing and owning. As electronics inevitably will die in some of my ps2 locos, I may just convert them to conventional to be honest because I just enjoy running them.

I have one that my nephew gave me a while back. The whistle doesn’t work, but it’s a smooth runner. I re-painted it as a Lackawanna Hudson, and run it with a RailSounds boxcar.

do you have to do a lot of maintenance with them other than lubing?  I'm tired of working on eunits with my pw and mpc locos and if the mth is more reliable i might try to get a couple

I have a Pre-Protosounds Railking NY Central Mohawk that is, IMO, a terrific locomotive. Here it is in action:

It is a smooth quiet runner, smoke is OK, not great (no fan driven smoke), but it is one of my favorite engines to run when my wife is asleep because it runs quietly.

It stopped running a few months ago, our own GGG fixed it for me, and now it's running great again. Arnold

Arnold what the issue that made stop running? 

Bruce

They were made by Samhongsa in Korea, and to me they are better quality than the later Chinese versions.  I have a number of locos from early and late 90s, all of which I converted to PS2 when upgrade kits were released, and all run fine to this day.  The 3-volt PS2 units are rock solid.

@671/681 posted:

Arnold what the issue that made stop running?

Bruce

Good question. Bruce. I don't know the answer. I had been a workhorse, running flawlessly for 20+ years, then stopped running, so I arranged for GGG to diagnose it and fix it, which he did for a reasonable fee, and now it runs great again.

If GGG sees this and remembers what he did, maybe he will chime in.

I highly recommend this locomotive. It's one of my favorites. Arnold

I’ve got what I refer to as a PS “nothing” MTH PRR K4 and it’s a great running engine. It smokes well but, the whistle isn’t one that’ll make chills run down your spine. 😉

Insofar as maintenance is concerned; oil and lube every couple of years based on all the more times I run it each year. Doesn’t hurt to make sure side rods aren’t binding or the nuts coming loose. And, given the age of these engines now, keep an eye on the traction tires.

Curt

Hi Guys new to the hobby & I am thinking about picking up my first

MTH 10-1062-1 Blue Comet NYC 263E Steam Locomotive ...It seems to be early MTH (Ps-1) but what I wanted to ask was is there anything I need to know before dropping my hard earned $550

Is there a battery? Do I need to check things before firing up other than lube & smoke fluid? I was told it is conventional but still has smoke & railsounds- so what does that mean?- Also is that a good price & will it have any collectable value? Also what about parts later on down the road? ( Heard Mth is changing hands but not shure about parts/boards ect.) any info would be appreciated.

Yes to a battery; collectible? Hard to say. Price seems a little steep to me, but I have no firm background in tinplate. I just sold an entire O gauge tinplate PRR PS2 freight set for $500 plus shipping. Go to MTH.com, click on product locator, enter stock number, then click on stock number again, note the intro price of $399.95, then click on support, and finally click on the open manual with the overlying American flag, and read up on your prospective purchase. Keep in mind this loco is 23 years old, and it’s hard to assess how roughly it’s been used.

Back in the day, my first three MTH purchases were Rail King steam engines.  I had to go cheap, because I couldn't justify buying Premier or even the added cost of the Rail King PS1 option.  At this point, I have no regrets and am quite happy that I bought the basic versions.  They run reliably, smoothly, and quietly (I only do conventional), and I haven't had to cope with failed circuit boards with features I do not need or want.  I enjoy running trains quietly.  It gives me a sort of Zen peace and contentment.  The basic electronic whistles are good enough for when I want a momentary break in the silence.  My preference for simple and basic conventional running also probably explains my purchase of quite a few Williams diesels.  I think of Williams as "post" postwar Lionel, since it reproduced Lionel designs, but with many more paint schemes; and Williams added new designs of its own, which were affordable, attractive, and enjoyable to run.  I found I didn't have to have the best or the most expensive to enjoy running trains.  Made me lucky I guess, since "simple" has given me fewer headaches.

I love it all (DCS, modern, probably Legacy when I soon get my 1st one of those, postwar. conventional, etc.), but I agree with and related to Gordon's post.

Running basic, quiet trains like pre-Protosonds MTH is perfect when my wife is asleep, as I've said before. I also appreciate, and relate to, what Gordon said about experiencing a Zen-like peace and contentment when running them.

Arnold

My command engines were all Railking but Ps2's. Think they are great engines. I'm one who tires rather quickly with all the sounds to be honest. I've returned ti my childhood (oh, sooo long ago!) Now I am putting together Lionel cataloged sets from the 40's and 50's. Got six so far and many engines to match with consists.

Here is a video I took today of my early MTH Railking Pre-Protosounds NY Central Mohawk.

I mentioned on another thread that this engine was derailing on an 022 switch, but after I adjusted the pilot spring and cleaned the switch, it no longer derails. IMO, it's a very nice, quiet runner; and for a conventional engine, it's a very smooth and even runner as well:

@671/681 posted:

do you have to do a lot of maintenance with them other than lubing?  I'm tired of working on eunits with my pw and mpc locos and if the mth is more reliable i might try to get a couple

With the MTH Mohawk, there us no E Unit, and I never had any problem with the reversing unit that has worked flawlessly for approximately 25 years.

I have the Mt-1105 (30-1105) N&W J from 1996. It’s a great runner and has a haunting whistle. It threw a traction tire last winter and I haven’t run it since then.

I have that same Mohawk. Still runs flawlessly! Simpler is better! JohnA

John, I agree with you about that Mohawk.

For me, what I run depends on my mood, and whether my wife is asleep or awake. LOL.

For instance, when I don't have to worry about waking up my wife, and I want to hear all the booming train sounds, fill the basement with smoke, and/or do switching operations, I run MTH PS2 or 3 on DCS with the handheld remote, or LC+ or Legacy with handheld remote.

On the other hand, when she is asleep and/or I only want to hear the clickety clack down the track or music during an operating session, I run the simpler, quiet trains like that Mohawk.

Then, we also have the charm of the best that Postwar has to offer, like the 773, the 736 and those F3 growlers of the early 1950s, and, of course, those charming Postwar accessories.

Guess I love it all. Arnold

I got the MTH RailKing Norfolk & Western J when they first made it. Piston pump smoker, simple whistle, pulls like a mule and after 25+ years it still runs like the day I got it. It is one of my favorite engines!

Jerry