MTH RailKing 4-8-2 M-1A Pennsy Steamer

A friend of mine got one and I went with him to the LHS to pick it up.  Very well done and great sounds especially the whistle. I have wanted one and am trying hard not to cave in.........

For a RK loco it has great bulk and muscle of the prototype engine. One of my favs!

You're in luck, one for sale right now in the forum: https://ogrforum.com/t...lking-4-8-2-mountain

 

Anybody out there with the NEW PS3 Imperial version? Can you comment on it so far? Tempted...

My RK Imperial PS3 model looks, sounds and runs great. I'm very pleased with it.

 

My only negative is that it lacks a pickup roller on the tender. However, I intend to correct that oversight.

Hey, SJC, how about buying that locomotive and sending to me? That way, you not only put temptation to rest but also bask in the glow of your generosity.

Barry:

 

Do you have the version (30-1579-1) with the elaborate stripping on the tender? If so, do you have a photo of it in person? Regardless, a photo of the engine would be greatly appreciated. 

Do you have the version (30-1579-1) with the elaborate stripping on the tender?

Yes, thats the one that I have. It looks great.

 

When I'm up in the train room, maybe tomorrow, I'll see if I can grab a quick picture.

Barry thanks but no need I already told the trigger on the 15t80 version

Pat's Trains has the 30-1579-1 & 30-1580-1 on his website for $429.95 PLUS 10% off anything on the website thru Friday for OGR members....$386.96

https://ogrforum.com/t...summer-sale-blow-out

Gee...perhaps I need more practicing typing with those tiny litter letters on the iPhone screen! Looking forward to getting my Mountain. 

The big Brown truck dropped off mine a couple of hours ago! Overall I am very satisfied with it being a Rail King line product. It sounds great and of course smokes like crazy. The only thing so far that I see is the Red wire coming out of the boiler to the headlight. This of course can be touched up with some black paint and a fine brush or maybe even a black sharpie. This really stands out which can be seen in the pics. Overall, IMO very nicely done. Very happy to see the "dreaded" tether gone!! Nice engine without breaking the bank.

 Hi,

 

Would love to see a video of one running; has a video been uploaded to Youtube yet?

 

Steve

Picked up my M1a...looks, sounds and runs great. One slight hiccup, a loose eccentric rod was binding when running. Paul at Catoctin Mountain Trains quickly grabbed a tool to take the rod off to reposition it. Back on the track, off it went with a 2 dozen car train around the store layout. Took it home to make a few laps, runs great although a little hesitant on my tighter 0-31 curves. Regardless, a fine engine. Odd but being an Imperial, it didn't have tender truck chains as past Imperial engines have. 

Now that you have the 4-8-2......I'll suggest another MTH RK that captures the feel of the real thing......The Hippo!!!

MTH got the big brute look pretty well....and has a nice long haul tender.

I found this brief one on youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3D1Ab3eqcw

 

Congrats Jeff & Matt on your acquisitions

 

That's a nice looking engine, and a lot of value in that price range (thanks for sharing the quality pics Jeff).  I'm finding myself awfully tempted at the 'sale' price.

 

Does it have a fire box light?  I thought I caught a glimpse of one in the youtube vid, but can't find it mentioned in any of the specs.

Thanks,

Robert

Hello,

 

  Yes it does have the firebox glow!! It is not a steady glow but almost like a very slow pulsating glow, very neat looking. That was a nice surprise I just assumed being Rail King it would have just been a steady glow.

 

Jeff

Not "like" a pulsating glow, it does pulsate with each chuff simulating the draft (I assume). It appears to glow steadily after reaching a certain speed. This is my 3rd PS3 loco. All run very well. I believe have 11 locomotives, all MTH Railking engines. All but 3 are PS2. 6 are MTH Imperial locos...fine engines. Most others are Railking Scale (ex Premier line). 

MTH Rail King train sets enticed me back into model railroading. I tried several brands, but I now only run MTH Rail King because they look good and have superior performance. There was a time when I valued K-Line as much as Rail King, but the demise of K-Line brought an end to that.

 

So far I have 30 Rail King locos, mostly steam engines, all PS2 & PS3 and most have been previously owned. Many of my Rail King engines have come from OGR Forum members and from eBay.

 

Since 2008, only 4 engines have had board failures, and 2 of these were fixed by MTH under warranty. The other 2 previously owned engines were fixed by forum member GGG, and all run great.

 

Recently, I bought 2 dead Rail King engines which do not often become available. The LIRR Camelback is a sister to an engine already running on my railroad, and the other, a NYO&W Mohawk will get new electronics because it is the Old & Weary engine on my roster. The Camelback will be a park display engine until I can afford another set of boards.

 

 

I personally Like MTH engines. I think for a operator they are great and the most bang for the buck. I do like all trains and find myself enjoying postwar,tinplate and others. But for sound and operation for the cost MTH is the best IMO. I sell Lionel but cant justify spending  $1000.00 for a legacy engine for myself...

I like them all, but I'll have to disagree about the best sound, IMO it's the Legacy engines.  However, feature for feature, MTH appears to be the better value much of the time.

 

I love the look of this guy, this is one unhappy locomotive.  Great face!

 

I have a #30-1366-1 Pennsy M-1A railking scale, PS-2. It was a resale at my LHS. Has cab figures. Could almost pass as Imperial. For RK scale it has nice size. It's look shouts steam power on the tracks.  Larger than my RK scale size NYC Mohawk. It's in the repair shop right now with what I think is a tether problem (replacement). I am considering buying the PS-3 version.

After reading posts and listening to the whistle on YouTube I was hooked. I called my LHS, Gryzboski Trains in Moosic PA, and they have it in stock for $389.99. I'm heading there tomorrow to pick it up.  

 

I am doing an addition to my layout and made a promise to myself no more trains till layout item purchases complete. Why do I lie to myself?

 

Gryzboski was always primarily my Lionel source. in the past few months they have been adding plenty of MTH items. I am very fortunate to live only 25 minutes from them, especially since now they carry so much of the MTH line. They really treat their customers well and are very knowledgeable. 

I am planning on returning my Mountain to my dealer. The major issue is the wireless drawbar, a never ending source of aggravation. This time, it gets caught in between the trailing truck and the frame and shorts. This has also caused the engine to derail as well while running it. Upon further inspection, the paint is chipping in numerous spots, mostly under the tender. In NO way should I spend hard earned money on this crap!

Hmm...  I guess I shouldn't run right out and buy one of these.

 

With my dealer an hour one way, that is what irritates me more, just the drive for unnecessary reasons. I didn't have much time to closely inspect it when I picked it up or even when I got home as I had other things going on but did so today...nice looking and sounding engine but not spending $400 on this. 

Man, I am sorry to hear that SJC, but I'll be honest it's been my one reservation on the purchase (I still haven't resolved my drawbar issue on the RTR 10 wheeler, but that's another thread).  Several times I've resisted pulling the trigger in the last 48hrs because of that experience, so thanks for sharing that.  I'll be waiting.

Guys,

 

FWIW, my experiences with the wireless drawbar have been nothing but positive.

 

I have 3 steamers with the wireless drawbar - RK Imperial UP Big Boy (PS3), RK Imperial PRR Mountain M1a (PS3) and Premier PRR G-5 (PS2) - and have no issues at all regarding the drawbar. I make it a point to ensure that it snaps in when connecting it and it works just fine for me.

 

The wireless drawbar was what made me more inclined to purchase steam. I find it much easier to deal with than the "anaconda".

Barry,

 

I know quite a few folks that have a number of "wireless drawbar" engines and have never had an issue and love the design and ease of operation. I also know a good number of folks, one who began getting quotes to have a Premier steamer with the drawbar converted to the tether cable, who refuse to buy another MTH steamer with the drawbar. I used to buy a good deal of MTH steamers with PS2 and the cable. I'd gladly pay extra to get new engines with the cable over the drawbar any day. With the introduction of the wireless drawbar to the Railking line, which I buy, my steam purchases have almost stopped completely. 

You should buy Lionel Barry.  They have a real wireless drawbar, and it's also very trouble-free.