I cannot beat the engineer (not locomotive) out of myself so this question has been bugging me. I am looking for a MTH K-4 scale locomotive. The box art on some of their K-4s say they operate on O31, some say O36 and some say O42. What am I missing? I run O31 so this is an important detail.
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The MTH Rail King K4, like all Rail King engines, is designed to negotiate O31 curves and switches. Any Premier version is definitely going to require O36 or larger diameter curves.
I am not talking about a Railking. An MTH 20-3125-1 or 20-3296-1 advertise O31. I believe there are other MTH Scale K-4s which also say O31. Other K-4 offerings advertise larger radius curves being required
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Jeff,
An MTH 20-3125-1 or 20-3296-1 advertise O31. I believe there are other MTH Scale K-4s which also say O31. Other K-4 offerings advertise larger radius curves being required
OK, good luck with that.
First of all, the box you show for #20-3296-1 is for a PS1 engine while #20-3296-1 is actually a PS2 engine. Also, while the web site does state O31, the engine's instruction manual on its cover states:
Compatibility
This engine is available in 2- rail and 3-rail versions and will operate on any traditional O- 42 Gauge track system (3-rail) or any 40” radius 2-rail track system.
Regarding #20-3125-1, the web site states O31and on the cover of the instruction manual for #20-3296-1 is clearly stated:
Compatibility
This engine will operate on any traditional O-31 Gauge track system, including M.T.H.’s RealTrax® or ScaleTraxTM or traditional tubular track.
However, I'd guess that the O31 is a misprint. I have several 4-6-2 Premier engines and can assure you that they will not operate properly on O31 curves. They run fine on O42.
The older Premier K4s with Proto 1, the wheel base was shorter to run on 031. I had one but never ran it on less than 042, The boilers and tender are scale size.
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