Opinion on MTH Engines

Hi Mike,

 

I have several MTH Steam Engines. The Imperial line have good detail for the cost and I have had no issues. My Railking Hudsons can pull over 20 cars, have excellent slow speed in conventional or DCS, and the sounds are fine.  I recently bought a Railking Imperail Big Boy on the forum, and it is outstanding. I would highly recommend purchasing a Railking Steam engine.

And nice smoking ability.

 

I concur with the comments above.  I have two Railking Steam Engines. 

They are the Pennsylvania S-2 Trubine and the Pennsylvania K-4.  They

run great and smoke out the train room.  I will be in the market for more.

 

 

Many thanks,

 

Billy C

  

All of my locomotives are Railking. I have 5 Railking Diesels and 3 Railking Steam. 1 Diesel (SD70ACe) and 2 Steam (PRR K4s 4-6-2 and N&W 2-8-8-2 Y6B) are Imperial Products. My standard Railking/Non-Imperial Streamlined C&O 4-6-4 "Yellowbelly", while lacking some detail, is still a very nice locomotive.  The NYC Mohawk is not an Imperial engine but will run and function just as well. It just lacks some of the extra detail of Imperial engines. I think you would be happy with it. 

My experience with MTH Steam has been good - I own about a eight in total, PS1 through PS3 - although two MTH locos form the "bookends" for all my experience. 

Worst - The most frustrating loco I have ever owned was an MTH Railking Big Boy - 3 times it went to the shop and yet every time it broke again.  I gave it away. 

Best - I have many good locos, including a bunch of Lionel steamers, etc., but the best bargain overall, even at near list price (I think I got a $40 discount by shopping around) was a recent PS3 European series 241.A loco (a 4-6-2).  Its PS3 system makes it a good runner although its sound is no great shakes compared to Lionel's best sound, but all other aspects of this loco are superior to anything I have seen anywhere for less than the cost of brass: super detail, many many added on parts and superb paint.

Mike,

 

I have not yet had a chance to run the Mohawk that I have, but when I bought it (off consignment) the hobby shop had charged and tested the battery and the loco, pronouncing it to be in great condition.

 

Here's a picture of it, on and off the tracks...

 

 

 

It is MTH 30-1165-1 (http://mthtrains.com/content/30-1165-1) with DCS and PS2.0 sounds.

 

Thanks,

Mario

Thanks for all the feedback. Is the only difference between the mohawk and imperial, detail, or does the imperial have more power as well? Overall, I would agree that the imperial steam engines look better than the mohawk, but I don't care for the design of the imperial NYCs. Is it worth looking at another RR line in order to have an imperial?  

All of the MTH engines will pull about as much as you can throw at them, I wouldnt worry about pulling power with any of the railking or premier engines.

If you like the premier level of detail, then I would go imperial. I dont think its as much detail as the current premier line has, but the imperial engines are leaps and bounds over standard railking, which is a bit toyish in comparison. Everything is cast in, lots is missing, etc....

The separately applied, painted bits really are worth it. 

I have the premier mohawk, and its a handsome brute, but rather large, so the railking one has to be squished down a good bit to make it work. In looking at the railking model above, they've left quite a bit of the detail off in comparison. 

Whether you think its worth it to look for something else so its imperial, is only something you can answer. Some people are dead set on a particular railroad. If you're not, then maybe you can shop around a little bit.

I have the Railking NYC Mohawk. It's a smooth runner and pulls well. But when it's on the track next to my Railking M1A it looks like a smaller engine. Maybe that's comparable to the size these 2 workhorses actually were when the railroads used them. Maybe someone can help with that.  

Once again, thanks for all the feedback. Based on all of these posts, it appears that everyone agrees that you get more for your money with a railking steam, rather than a premier diesel. Does anyone think otherwise? 

MTH steamers work really well.  I have a lot of them and very few have caused any problems.   Railking products are a really good deal - strongly recommended!  If you have the space, go Premier.

J Northern Imperial bought May 2009. Relatively little use. Ran conventional 1st 2 years, now DCS.

 

Coupler on tender does not hold unless it is firmly bumped against whatever you are picking up.

 

Unit was massively lubricated and spread grease on tracks before I caught it.  Not sure if this is a plus or minus. I use CMX cleaning car and alcohol periodically to clean rails. 

 

Two of the bolts holding the linkages on the drive wheels came loose and one was lost forever. Getting a replacement was a nightmare. Blue Loctite seems to be the solution.

 

Threw a traction tire. For me Bullfrog Snot is essential. Even then it does not get enough traction to pull more than 5 madison cars over a sinuous O-31 layout. 

 

Just stopped running. Problem solved by tether surgery.

 

I do like the look, sounds are OK by me, and I have had DCS for 3 months and like it so far.

I have the Mohawk you mention. It is one of my best runners, good sound and great smoke. Detail wise it is a bit light, though I am sure I read somewhere this was one of the first Railking models.

 

Looks wise it can easily be improved by plackening the handrails, changing out the bell etc. I also raised mine up at the back with spacers so it didn't look so squat compared to the tender.

 

For what it cast me (second hand) I am very pleased with it.

 

MIKE

I have 30 MTH steam engines and 5 diesel. For the most part they have been very good runners. I`m starting to have some issues with a couple of PS1 locomotrives so I am going to upgrade to PS3 when the upgrades are available. All my locomotives are premiere.

In case you missed it in everyone's posts, look for RailKing IMPERIAL steam engines.  From what I know (not a lot) these were original Premier engines that were downgraded as MTH upgraded their line.  The Imperial engines have better detail than the regular RailKing engines.

 

I have a RK Imperial 0-6-0 and it's a fine running/sounding steamer:

 

Based on all of these suggestions, I am now leaning towards the MTH Turbine Steam engine (Pennsylvania) #30-1561-1. Because I have very limited knowledge regarding the details of steam engines, would anyone agree that this engine appears (based on the picture, which I know can be misleading) to be an improvement compared to the NYC Mohawk? Thanks for all the input.

http://mthtrains.com/content/30-1561-1

Mike

Bob, sorry to correct you, but the RailKing "Imperial" lineup are not former Premier models, downgraded, but rather they are RailKing models that have been upgraded in terms of their detailing.  Add-on details like firebox glow, safety chains, real coal load, engineer & fireman figures and other details that were not part of the original issues done a few or many years earlier.

 

Not all "Imperial" engine versions are scale size either.  The "Imperial" models come in both steam and diesel, and can be either semi-scale or scale sized engines.

 

These are some of the most popular models MTH makes.

I have four MTH steamers, the only major disappointment was the MTH PARR 6-8-6 Turbine, 30-1149-1.  That thing couldn't pull anything when used on tubular track, I replaced the traction tires and it didn't do anything better.  It could barely navigate on it's own!  It didn't do much better on Fastrack, I was glad to be rid of it.

Other than that, I like the MTH steamers, just avoid that one.

Personally, that's one of the few that I would never consider based on my experience with the previous model!  This one looks like the same running gear, just upgraded electronics.

I think the Imperial S2 Turbine would be a cool choice. I have an early PS1 version with a bit less detail and it is a real monster. Its not scale size bit it is BIG - you will love it has real presence.

 

MIKE

Bob, sorry to correct you, but the RailKing "Imperial" lineup are not former Premier models, downgraded, but rather they are RailKing models that have been upgraded in terms of their detailing

 

Steve, no problem, that's what we're here for...to learn, thanks!

Thanks for the information on the turbine steam, especially because I would be running it on a tubular track. If anyone has any models that they personally think are well made, I am open for suggestions. My only criteria is that the engine operates on O-31, has Freight proto-sound, and is preferably an east coast rail road line. Also, no one has really commented on the New Haven U25B, so I would be interested in any opinions on that as well. 

I do not own those particular engines,but all mth engines are a great bang for your buck.

I do not own those particular engines,but all mth engines are a great bang for your buck.

I do not own those particular engines,but all mth engines are a great bang for your buck.

hello guys and gals.........

I have a railking imperial challenger and its a semi-scale engine. LOVE the engine !!!!!

the woman who loves toy trains

Tiffany

One question, are you running conventional or DCS?

 

I have the CNJ Camelback, it had PS/1 and I converted it to TMCC (I run Legacy).  It runs great, and did before the conversion, I just wanted TMCC.

Im running DCS, with three 3 MTH engines and one Lionel. I would consider lionel, but the majority are out of my price range or require a curve radius larger than O-31. I also have the lionel cab remote, but don't really use it since the lionel is programmed on the DCS. 

Tiffany,

 

Thanks for the suggestion. The imperial challengers look great, but are a little bit out of my price range. I'm trying to stay under $500.  

Don't forgo some of the great values in our For-Sale forum here, some good deals on MTH locomotives have floated by recently.

hello Great Northern 17........

 thats true !!!!!!!! i paid full amount for mine 699.95, i think you can find some used ones (clean and not beat up) on E-bay for like 350 or less.

 

the woman who loves toy trains

Tiffany

I have well over 70 MTH engines (not counting my son's MTH engines), most are steam; I think they are the best value in the hobby. You will not find any difference in the function of the Premier and Railking engines. The Premiers have more detailing and I believe they have larger motors as well. As far as lower cost options I like and own these and they can be found around $300.00 and under if you shop around:

Railking 0-6-0's

Railking Camelbacks

Railking 10 wheelers

Scott Smith

 

I have both Premier and Railking steam.  I like them very much. They run well, pull well and smoke like heck.

.....

Dennis

Over all other brands, I highly recommend Rail King steamers as the best value for the money. Rail King steamers with PS 2 and PS 3 have excellent features, and they are very dependable runners.

 

Putting my comments in context, my roster of more than 20 steamers are all Rail King. I tried some others, but they are all off of my railroad.

I only own one steamer a MTH 2-10-0 and it has been a pleasure. The rest are desiels.. a growing fleet of FA units that I managed to pick up on the cheap. I have one ABA set that only has two motors. That one will require a second A unit with it's own PS2 board (Easily pricey) to finish a full power ABA unit.

 

Having said that, I have no worries about MTH engine performance. Charge batteries once in a while and run em a little several times a week.

Whatever you buy, be prepared to replace the speaker in the older MTH locos, as the OE speakers tend to fail regularly.

Thanks for all the feedback. I decided to go with the New Haven U25B diesel. I have had great experiences with MTH's diesel engines, and did not want to rush and buy the wrong steam. I think I might wait for the October release of the 4-6-4 Hudson Steam #30-1568-1. Once again, thanks for the input, I have learned a lot about railking steam engines and will hopefully add one to the layout in the future.

http://mthtrains.com/content/30-1568-1

I ran MTH locomotives for several years. They kept a smile on my face.

Mike, your thinking on the new S2 would be a great choice.  But I go for the 30-1560-1 since cab number is the prototypical 6200 not the 6201 which never existed.  This is a big engine for a RK only about 4/5-inches short of scale.

 

Back in 1999 before I went scale I had the PS-1 version 30-1149-1.  I had two loops on a 6.5-foot by 8-foot table with inner loop using 54-inch curves.  I had the inner loop filled with cars such that the cabin car was just inches in front of the S2's pilot with NO traction problems on GarGraves track. 

 

Ron