Railking articulated steam locomotive along side scale locomotives

It will look out of place. 

Please know articulated steamers frequently pulled troop trains during WWII.  This is your excuse to now buy one and run it with passenger cars on your O72 loop.   They also used whatever equipment that was available so really, whatever road name you have will work.  Or you can buy some of the new Atlas troop cars to run behind your articulated.

-Greg

I agree in that I would run a scale version on your outer loop. I am in a similar situation where my inner loop contains O60 curves, and wanted to run articulated steam. I bought a Railking Challenger which I am now selling because it just doesn’t look right.  Eventually I’ll pick up a scale Challenger and dedicate it to my outer loop. 

I also have a small layout due to space restrictions. Actually, smaller (9’x7’) than yours. I did manage 3 loops (072, 054, & 036) on the platform (no turnouts) plus an elevated 036 loop. Most of my cars are scale but I do have a collection of traditional also. I keep consists consistent; all scale, or all semi. I can get away with the “forced perspective” illusion effectively by only running semi-scale on the elevated track. In this scenario both scales play well together IMHO. I have an articulated 2-8-8-2 Mallet that (to me) looks fine pulling a traditional consisting the elevated 036 track, overlooking some overhang through the curves . Forced perspective doesn’t work out so well when tracks run side by side, although I’ll do this on occasion and is okay in my mind.

Rich

Here are a couple of Railing articulateds alongside scale equipment....not bad at all IMO!

N&W Allegheny in the middle with scale engines on both sides:

The Allegheny again on the right:

PRR 2-8-8-2 pulling scale freight cars:

If it's the only way to run an articulated, I say go for the Railing versions. They are still impressive IMO. 

Jim

I had the N&W Y6b Railking. It was adequate until my Scale JLC Y6b appeared. Then Railking engine had to go.

FWIW, it pulled, smoked, and sounded great.

Jim Policastro posted:

Here are a couple of Railing articulateds alongside scale equipment....not bad at all IMO!

N&W Allegheny in the middle with scale engines on both sides:

The Allegheny again on the right:

PRR 2-8-8-2 pulling scale freight cars:

If it's the only way to run an articulated, I say go for the Railing versions. They are still impressive IMO. 

Jim

That actually doesn't look bad at all. It almost looks scale, at least in that setting, as there are no scale articulated steam locomotives near it.

In real life a N&W Y6b is actually shorter than a ATSF 2900 class Northern. A Railking version might not look totally out of place. A GS4 + tender is only about 2 feet shorter than a Y6b as well. Man late Northers were big locomotives. Heck a ATSF 3460 class Hudson was only 4 feet shorter than a Y6b, but ATSF used huge tenders. A Railking Y6b is about 100 scale feet long, where as a full scale model would be about 114ish scale feet.

I may consider the Railking model at some point. My other option is a ATSF 2-8-2 but Lionel is the only one who has put out an actual model of an ATSF Mikado in 3 rail. That model is very nice but faaaaar to expensive for my budget. 

Comes down to your own idea of what looks right, like anything with trains. The Railking to me doesn't look like when you compare scale to some of the almost 1/64 O27 level O gauge equipment, it is shorter in length but it isn't ridiculously undersized (to me). Given you will be likely to be running it where it won't be next to the scale engines, it likely will look fine, and allows you a lot more flexibility in running it (and again, this is my opinion, I am not into scale fidelity the way others are, so would depend again on the eye of the beholder). 

"N&W Allegheny"?

D500 posted:

"N&W Allegheny"?

...or was it C&O ????   

Been awhile since I had that engine. In fact, unfortunately, it's been awhile since that entire scene existed! 

Jim

Yeah, I was going to let that Allegheny thing slide. That's a Y6b in your picture.

At least you didn't call it a BIG BOY (It's a BIG BOY, I tell 'ya!!!) like our boy Ben in RC3R.

I ran a Railing for a long time. It was the only non-scale engine I had on the layout and it looked fine pulling scale cars. Don

I think my best bet is to stop by the LHS and put a Railking articulated and a scale Northern next to each other and see if I like how they look together. That's probably the best way to decide what I eventually want to purchase. With the holidays coming up all the purchasing of fun stuff for myself stops for a bit. 

Jim Policastro posted:

Here are a couple of Railing articulateds alongside scale equipment....not bad at all IMO!

N&W Allegheny in the middle with scale engines on both sides:

The Allegheny again on the right:

Jim

Great photos of a very impressive line up. More please!  😊

Mark in Oregon 

The Railking 2-8-8-2 doesn't look bad next to other scale engines. I took a Railking 2-8-8-2 and turned it into a N&W Class X 0-8-8-0.  The Railking 2-8-8-2 is about the same as a scale 0-8-8-0.  So it really isn't going to look out of place.

Scott Smith

I used to run a Rail King Big Boy along side a scale 4-8-4 Northern and you could see the difference. But that is train people. No guest who ever viewed the layout noticed the difference in size, so it really is all relative to what you like. And yes I sold the Rail King and replaced it with a Vision BB. There is another solution tho: Lionel's Mallet 2-6-6-2 is a articulated engine and it runs on o-54 curves. Just a thought.

Bruce Jacobsen posted:

I used to run a Rail King Big Boy along side a scale 4-8-4 Northern and you could see the difference. But that is train people. No guest who ever viewed the layout noticed the difference in size, so it really is all relative to what you like. And yes I sold the Rail King and replaced it with a Vision BB. There is another solution tho: Lionel's Mallet 2-6-6-2 is a articulated engine and it runs on o-54 curves. Just a thought.

I'm mostly worried about me being the one who notices the difference. It won't bug anyone but me most likely. 

I noticed that Lionel's 2-6-6-2 was rated for 054. I'd be worried about the overhang on that curve. My GS4 Northern goes around the 054 line fine. The only issue is the rear cab overhang. If a passenger car is on the 072 line next to it there is maybe 1/16 of an inch between the rear of the cab and the passenger car when both are on the curve. That keeps the GS4 confined to the 072 line. It also nixed my idea to pick up a Lionel Santa Fe 3751 Northern or MTH Premier 2900 class Northern as both those locomotives are larger than the GS4 and would have "interference" issues with passenger cars on the 072 line. 

Next time I stop at my local hobby shop I'm going to ask him to put the Railking 2-8-8-2 he has on display next to the Premier GS4 he has just for a size comparison. That way I can decide how it appears to me, since I'm paying for it that's all that matters. 

If it looks bad to me than I plan on finding a scale 2-8-2 or 2-8-4 that I can turn into a reasonable facsimile of a Santa Fe 2-8-2 or 2-8-4.

Santa Fe had 2-8-4's?  If true, l did not know that....

colorado hirailer posted:

Santa Fe had 2-8-4's?  If true, l did not know that....

Yep. A class the Santa Fe order and a few they bought from the B&M during WWII.

https://www.steamlocomotive.co...-4&railroad=atsf

The B&M purchased locomotive has been made. If I want the version the Santa Fe bought from Baldwin I'd have to basically bash something to create it.

I've always liked NKP Berkshires and have considered picking up a scale one and creating my own "protolicense" Santa Fe 4200 class Berkshire. Not realistic but we have 3 rail track and people run trains from railroads next to each other that geographically never crossed so....

I have a lionmaster nw A but not many scale engines. I have seen one at a show running with scale engine and it was hard to tell it was not scale. 

I run my Rail King Y6B with scale cars all the time. I even show friends videos of it and never did anyone  tell me They clash. I even have a Rail King Decapod that I run with the MTH scale Strasburg cars, I think the coast to coast tender makes it all work.

I do have a friend who is a real rivet counter who sees it right away, but then again John can tell if the engineers part is off center.

Everyone: if you prefer scale, the Railking Challenger is a near perfect match in size to a mallet run by the Vermont Central. Just use a twelve wheel tender.

gg1man posted:

I even show friends videos of it and never did anyone  tell me They clash.

I would hope your friends do not criticize the way you want to run your layout.  I've visited several layouts that have items that are fun to see but I would never do on my layout:  Atlas/Industrial Rail Atlantic pulling scale passenger cars, a SP 4-8-4 with a N&W caboose, RailKing steamers pulling modern 50' plus cars, a scale Big Boy (MTH?) pulling a string of Lionel 98XX refers.  And no matter how "off" it is to me, I would never criticize the owner for what he/she likes to run.  I'm just glad they are enjoying the hobby.

I'm just concerned that the Railking Y6B would just visually look weird. Kinda like when a 6464 size boxcar is coupled behind a scale locomotive. It just looks off. But put it further back in the train and it's fine.

I'm not a stickler for "everything must be perfectly scale and detailed". Close enough and what visually works is usually good for me. I've bought a scale 4-6-4 and 4-8-4 because to me, visually, the Railking/traditional Lionel pieces look way to tiny next to the scale sized traditional Lionel diesels I run (Postwar style F3s and GP9s). Because of my layout size I run traditional 16 inch passenger cars so I can have decent train length. My layout is set to be the Santa Fe in the midwest between Chicago and Kansas City in the 1947-1953 timeframe. But, because I can do whatever I want, on my layout the Rock Island went bankrupt after WWII and the Southern Pacific took over their line from New Mexico to Chicago. That's how I justify Southern Pacific trains on a midwestern Santa Fe layout. If I can rationalize all that and a 3rd rail I can accept a shorter than scale Y6B or a repainted to ATSF scale steam locomotive if it looks good, to me.

Isn't it a continuum? A good tinplate collector is not looking for any realism at all, and a potential MMW or Lee Marsh purchaser of Proto-48 locomotives will not be truly happy until an actual fire is in the firebox.

We get to choose where we are on that continuum. I choose full size locomotives (17/64 scale, to fit the track gauge) and am not 100% happy with smaller models, but you should see some of the dirtbag freight cars I have.  A true fine scale modeler would probably shun me.

Choose what makes you happy.  Sell it if it displeases you later.  I did that with a huge live steamer - enjoyed it for two decades, even though it took up a lot of room, then sold it and couldn't be happier.

All of model railroading is a continuum. We all fit somewhere and, just like in life, no two of us are exactly alike. I'm just trying to enjoy myself in the confines of my layout and budget. There is no real wrong way to model railroad and if someone says you're doing it wrong who cares? 

Late update but I was at my LHS today picking up some smoke fluid. They happened to have a Railking 2-8-8-2 on the shelf above a Vision Line Niagara. The Railking 2-8-8-2 did not look right next to that scale Niagara. Based on that I'm not going to purchase a Railking 2-8-8-2 as it's not going to look right next to my scale steam locomotives, at least to my eyes.

Lou1985 posted:

... at least to my eyes.

And that is all that matters for your layout.