Prototypical Scale Articulated Steam - disconnecting lead drive wheels ??

Right of Way Industries (ROWI) made some 3-rail scale articulated steam locos with a vertical motor above each set of drivers.  On these locos, both driver sets could swivel inside the boiler shell which of course is not prototypical.  Note that every single HO articulated that I've ever seen has this dual-swivel arrangement.

In O-scale 2-rail, I know that some articulated steam has been built with two motors in the firebox.  One powers the rear set of drivers using a short drive shaft and the other (typically stacked above the other motor) powers the front set of drivers using a long drive shaft and universal.

Bob posted:

On these locos, both driver sets could swivel inside the boiler shell which of course is not prototypical.  Note that every single HO articulated that I've ever seen has this dual-swivel arrangement.

Absolutely none of the brass HO articulated steam engines I had ever had a rear engine that swiveled. 

Disconnecting the front engine would decrease pulling capability, but its impact would depend on how long the trains are you want to pull.  No doubt it would give you the out of sync visual effect you want.

My question is does the engine have sound to match the articulated steam type (compound or simple).  I personally would find it distracting if the chuff sound and drivers were not in sync. 

FWIW, the Lionel LionScale and the MTH RailKing articulated steam has independent motor drive for each set of drivers.  If you want slipping, there's your solution.  There are so many things that aren't "prototypical", I don't think this is the top of my list.  For one, how about that 3rd rail...

MTH premier articulated locomotive sound goes in and out of sync. 

I certainly would not do anything to disconnect half the drivers for so marginal an effect. I get it, and I would have been on your side back in the day, but, after operating articulateds for 30 years, I found out long ago that this "synch" problem just does not visually exist for me at scale road speeds (and I don't mean 60 smph+ - I mean typical and accurate road speeds).

I was watching a modern video (the UP excursion Challenger) the other day (with actual sound, of course), and the out-of-synch rods and even sound were fleeting and hard to see above yard speeds - and sometimes weren't even there, of course.

My complaint is out-of-synch model compound articulated (the "Mallets") sound, which never went out of synch in the exhaust because only the 2 low-pressure cylinders exhausted to the atmosphere. 

D500 posted:

I certainly would not do anything to disconnect half the drivers for so marginal an effect. I get it, and I would have been on your side back in the day, but, after operating articulateds for 30 years, I found out long ago that this "synch" problem just does not visually exist for me at scale road speeds (and I don't mean 60 smph+ - I mean typical and accurate road speeds).

I was watching a modern video (the UP excursion Challenger) the other day (with actual sound, of course), and the out-of-synch rods and even sound were fleeting and hard to see above yard speeds - and sometimes weren't even there, of course.

My complaint is out-of-synch model compound articulated (the "Mallets") sound, which never went out of synch in the exhaust because only the 2 low-pressure cylinders exhausted to the atmosphere. 

I have hours of sound recordings of "simple" articulated N&W Class A that are in synch for as long as you can hear it. Also, recordings of when the "compound" Y6 class locos are "simpled". It does not take very long for both of its engines to synch up. 
Watching several of the Big Boy videos, it did the same thing.

D500 posted:

My complaint is out-of-synch model compound articulated (the "Mallets") sound, which never went out of synch in the exhaust because only the 2 low-pressure cylinders exhausted to the atmosphere. 

An excellent point I never considered, they certainly do use the articulated sounds for those.  In the future, I think I'll use one of the standard steam sounds when I do an upgrade.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

D500 posted:

My complaint is out-of-synch model compound articulated (the "Mallets") sound, which never went out of synch in the exhaust because only the 2 low-pressure cylinders exhausted to the atmosphere. 

An excellent point I never considered, they certainly do use the articulated sounds for those.  In the future, I think I'll use one of the standard steam sounds when I do an upgrade.

IIRC Lionel's first Y6's had the sounds reversed so it started out as 2 chuffs and went to 4 chuffs which Lionel steam did not have at the time. I think the new ones were fixed to start out simple and go to compound. 

As mentioned, MTH has had the in and out of sync mastered for a while. Seen them run and no one seems to notice if the varying chuff is in sync accurately or not.

I have never seen an O 2 Rail articulated with both engines able to swivel.    All I have seen the rear engine is rigidly attached to the frame.    This is also my experience with HO articulated on my buddies layouts.  

I have seen 3-rail duplex drive locos that have both engines able to swivel.    And the articulated tank loco that was top of the line for LGB had be both engines that could swivel.