O scale RS-3, who makes/made one?

Lionel, Weaver, Red Caboose, MTH and Atlas have all done RS3s.

Weaver RS3

If you are looking for a small switcher, you can NOT beat the MTH Railking Scale SW1. That little puppy goes were no engine has gone before and takes 0-27 curves without issues. Only downside is with the small speaker, the sounds are nothing to write home about. It is a really neat little engine. I use my SW1 to pull a crane and crane tender to use as a work train. 

 

MTH has done many Railking RS3s that also run on 0-27 or larger and sound and look great. I've come VERY close to buying a few recently. 

Like Silver Lake noted...just about everybody has made an RS3.  I have several models from MTH and Atlas.  Any particular road that you are looking for?

I run a RS 3 and a RSD 4/5 by Atlas Trainman with TMCC and like both of them very well. I run on 036 Lionel Fastrack and Atlas 036 track. At the time I purchased both there were several road names available.

If you're not married to an RS3, the MTH Railking RS1 is a knockout. Lots of added detail!

I have two. MTH and Atlas. This is the Atlas one. Don

Lionel made a decent number of these, I just bought a D&H version with horn for around $80, haven't had the chance to run it yet.

Red Caboose only made a GP7.  I assume you are looking for an early diesel road switcher.  The RS-1 and RS-3 are good choices.  Another choice might be a Fairbanks Morse H16-44 diesle road switcher.  Lionel did these a couple of years ago.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FM_H-16-44

 

Jan

 

 

MTH Akron Canton Youngstown

I've always wanted an RS-3.  MTH recently cataloged an Ohio Central so I pre-ordered one.  Can't wait to see it.

MTH B & O

Out of the box, and weathered

The only RS3 with smoke came from K-Line

Here is my Lionel D&H RS-3. It was part of a Service Station Set. I purchased the set and an extra locomotive when they came out so that I could double head them. While not a super detailed piece, they were decent for their time and I still run them from time to time.

Cobrabob.

Nice engine;  I have a Milw RS-1 from Atlas (very good engine with nice slow speed control and pulls well.) and an RSD 4/5 from Weaver.  This is a nice, special engine that most mfg's never made.  The Milw Road used them in pasenger service on their branch lines after the end of steam.  Their six wheel trucks (A1A-A1A) made them ideal for lightly built lines.  They look like an RS-3 except for the trucks.

 

Paul Fischer

MTH also made the RSD4/5 as a Rail King Scale item, if you like DCS. I have one; it's a nice little branchline engine. 

 

The earliest Lionel version of the RS-3 can be had dirt cheap (under $100) and doesn't look bad. As I recall it only has one motor. Conventional operation only, of course. I think it will actually clear 0-27 curves, but I'd want to double check to be sure.

I have a RS-3 from MTH and a SW-1 switcher and I love them both but the SW-1 will get into tighter spots and is a great little engine.

There was a discussion a while back concerning the "scaleness" of the various RS3, I don't recall if RS3 was in the title but if that's a concern it would be worth searching for the posts.

 

I think most of the RS3s out are pretty much close to scale, the main issue people had was the ends aren't as round as they should be.

 

I have a MTH RailKing RS3 with Locosounds and like it fine.  Other small switchers would be a NW2 (have that too) and a VO-1000.

 

If you want a steamer, the RK Imperial 0-6-0 can't be beat.

 

I have fixed pilots and Kadee couplers on my RS3 and NW2 and have 054 curves.  I've had no problems.

For a small scale switcher you just can't beat an Atlas SW9.

Sticking to Mid Atlantic local roads David's B&O looks mighty nice to start. My local proto emulated short line Maryland and Delaware are modified RS-3M but stock is close enough for government work. I hafta get out to shows/shops/online more to see what is available and all your manufacturer info gives me some valuable search points.

 

I'm strictly short line sticking to my present local Maryland and Delaware whose roster includes:SW900, SW8, RS3, CF7

 

I'm still in love with my previous shortline Maryland and Pensylvania whose roster included:SW‐1, NW‐2, SW‐9, GP‐7 Lotsa tight curves ya know.... 

 

I started off with a WOW eye catching O MTH Canton RR SW 1500 (I grew up in Dundalk just down the road from Canton/B&O-Chessie-CSX Penn Mary and Bethlehem Steel Grey's yard) w/matching caboose not long ago from JustTrains in Delaware. In my retentive N scale days I actually had a roster SW and GP 7locos custom painted, detaild and lettered for Maryland and Pennsylvania yellow and black.

 

The small back bedroom layout is designed combining elements of both these shortlines. Mostly designed, I still have to get RR Track software to fine tune. Benchwork will be via Mianne, again thanks to researching forum archives. I've wasted too may years messing with wood. I'm a model railroader dammit, not a carpenter.

 

Lionel RS-3 locomotives are quite varied:

 

Some are listed as scale, some are listed as traditional.

Some have smoke, some don't.

Some have 1 motor, some have two.

Some are TMCC, some are conventional.

 

Price varies accordingly.

 

I think the scale ones are K-line by Lionel. One of those is Western Maryland.

 

 

 

a small bedroom layout doesn't need rr track software and mianne benchwork to get it built.  it needs a model railroader and some elbow grease

I would add my vote for the RK Scale RS-1 over the RS-3 as it has smoke and amazing sounds - ours is one of our favorite diesels. We have the PRR RS3 and the NH RS1. Both are very nicely detailed and run very smoothly at all speeds. The shut-down sounds are especially good!

The new RailKing RS 3s in the 2012 version 2 cat. list a smoke unit, not sure if it is a typo or not. They now have PS3, so maybe they have room. They will ship in January.

I have several of the K-Line RS repainted to New Haven,Excellent engines!

 

Gunny

There was a lot of variations in the prototype in terms of under the frame tankage.  Some of the models that are "scale" are only accurate for specific versions of the locomotive.  The hood for the prototype is both narrow in width and short in height.  Trying to squeeze vertical can motors and an electronics package and smoke and sound is really pushing the envelope in terms of space.  A lot of the current RS-3 offerings take liberties in terms of accuracy to fit everything in.  The model sits high off the trucks, the hood is modified or the tankage is just wrong to fit in a speaker or smoke unit or something else.

 

If you want a scale and accurate model you can pick on from one of the manufacturer's that's close and then start kit bashing it to make it "right".  There are over $200 in brass detailing parts that can be used to trick out a "stock" version to get it closer to a specific prototype.  

 

These are pictures of what started life as one of the cheaper Lionel RS-3's that has hand made brass railings (you can buy cast side stanchions) and about $60 worth of brass parts to get this closer to the Erie version.  I also replaced the ludicrous Geep fuel tank with one Lionel used on a service center set.  I could have replaced the turbo stack, the main fan grill and the grab irons on the hood but I stopped with new horns, steam generator stack ,wagon wheel antenna and the marker lights.  The diamond tread on the frame deck is PlastStruct (ironically it's the HO version)

 

Looks nice Chuck   Will look even better with the STillwells behind it.  The Lionel version has those little can motors in the trucks don't they  I remember having the MExico built EL RS3 from Lionel and it was able to pull a caboose and that was about it.  I have RS3's from MTH, Lionel, Atlas, K-Line and Weaver.  I think the Atlas is the best but I like the K-Line one with the smoke

Still working on the Stillwell's.  The unit can't pull like the vertical can motored ones but it does better than a single horizontal (aka old Weaver).  

 

I never saw the prototypes pull more than 10 freight cars or six Stillwell's in real life so I'm happy with the pulling power.  I don't mind kitbashing something I spent less than $90 new.  I have a harder time justifying that on a $300-$400 unit that's SUPPOSED to correct and isn't.

Don't forget that the Atlas RS1's have that incredible sound set. Nothing else like it - I enjoy hearing it start up. 

I eyed a nice looking Weaver L&N RS-3 in the case today @ JustTrains, Del.

If it's still there next payday I might give it a spin on the test track.

I see Weaver has some other regional road names in their current catalog, USA made too.

Pat

Make sure its one of the newer Weaver RS's   The old one had a horizontal can motor like Chuck mentioned earlier   It drove the trucks through a sprocket and chain that would break if you looked at it wrong.  The newer ones have vertical can motors with gear driven trucks

Thanks for the warning. I don't find L&N in the online Weaver Catalogs until I hit 2004, so this is an OLDER unit. Maybe that's the reason it's still sitting around the shop...hmmm.

Some of the K-line RS-3's have TMCC & Railsounds.  The Atlas Alco's use the same sound system.  Most manufacturer's RS units can handle O-31 curves.  One possible exception would be the early Weaver units

 

John

I have the black Soo Line RS-3 by Lionel (very early production) and it has two motors.  I rewired the motors to series instead of parallel, which slowed it down nicely. 

 

BTW, it's easy to add a 2nd motor to the singled motored units.

 

John

Point taken William. Owing to my seeming lifetime of incomplete and unsatisfactory layouts and projects (carpentry has been my biggest PITA) the second half of my life (I just turned 51) has to accomplish something workable for the retirement bucket list so I can actually have fun running some trains for a change. Planning allows me to squeeze the most yet uncluttered operational track into the smallest space as well as well as allow for my specialty...scenery. Time spent so far has been on the actual fun part: trains, track and scenery...and not woodworking tedium.  My final plan will be as "no cut" as possible, which the Missus would like considering she gave up the 13 x 13 back room for my train room.