Railking Mohawk Information

You do know that this particular model you’re inquiring about is not scale …..correct?…..these are very good runners,…however, as with all Railking, they’re sparsely decorated, and the smoke box door is all cast one piece,…as are all the walkways,……just out of curiosity, what are you wishing to build?..

Pat

I have 3 of the NYC ones, The First Railking Mohawk, and then PS2 and PS3 versions, they are all the, great runners, will pull stumps, but yeah, basic as basic can get, I kind of like the real sleek minimalist look to them. If there is any specific pictures or anything you want I can take pictures. Very little detailing, they kind of remind me of a Mohawk version of a Lionel 2055.

@harmonyards posted:

You do know that this particular model you’re inquiring about is not scale …..correct?…..these are very good runners,…however, as with all Railking, they’re sparsely decorated, and the smoke box door is all cast one piece,…as are all the walkways,……just out of curiosity, what are you wishing to build?..

Pat

Yes I realize it's not scale. I'm not looking to make a scale model but I am trying to get the essence of the prototype in a non scale loco. Historical reenactors often refer to putting together an "impression" with impressions having varying degrees of accuracy. With this engine I'm looking to craft an impression that's above a toy like state but not to the level of ultra detailed rivet counting. MTH Imperial locomotives are a good example of the balance I'm trying to achieve.

The prototype is an NdeM 4-8-4. My goal is to put together a piece that has the lines and most important details of the prototype but will still negotiate the smaller (O42) curves of my home layout and that won't tower over my other steam locomotives which are mostly post war.

Did not realize that the smokebox door was cast in one piece with the rest of the boiler. That's good to know. Do you have any idea of what direction I might poke in to find an 8 wheel engine shell with level walkways?

My Railking NY Central Mohawk, pre-Protosounds, is a very good, reliable runner and negotiates 031 curves and 022 switches on my layout very well.

Here are photos of it:

Few pics hope this helps. Great engine. I have gotten through o27 turnouts and curves with it.

@Aldovar posted:

Few pics hope this helps. Great engine. I have gotten through o27 turnouts and curves with it.

Thank you both for the photos. I really appreciate the size comparison with the Post War hudson too because I have that exact Hudson with the same number!

If you can't remove the smokebox door on the Mohawk how do you change the lightbulb for the headlight? Also if I were to swap out the trailing truck for a two axle truck do you think it would lead to complications negotiating curves etc?

It's a shame that those side walkways are so permanently attached to the boiler. It might seem like a small detail but I think a really recognizable trait of the prototype I'm looking to model are the level walkways along the boiler. Are the appliances (air compressors and pipes and such) underneath the walkways also permanently cast as one piece with the boiler?

Thanks so much for your help!

@HCF posted:

Yes I realize it's not scale. I'm not looking to make a scale model but I am trying to get the essence of the prototype in a non scale loco. Historical reenactors often refer to putting together an "impression" with impressions having varying degrees of accuracy. With this engine I'm looking to craft an impression that's above a toy like state but not to the level of ultra detailed rivet counting. MTH Imperial locomotives are a good example of the balance I'm trying to achieve.

The prototype is an NdeM 4-8-4. My goal is to put together a piece that has the lines and most important details of the prototype but will still negotiate the smaller (O42) curves of my home layout and that won't tower over my other steam locomotives which are mostly post war.

Did not realize that the smokebox door was cast in one piece with the rest of the boiler. That's good to know. Do you have any idea of what direction I might poke in to find an 8 wheel engine shell with level walkways?

I thought a couple of us had discussed this with you before,….I could be wrong, but I vaguely remember some of us suggesting a Railking FEF would be a better starting point for your project,….remove the smoke lifters, and the lines are similar to the Mexican Niagaras ….

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

I thought a couple of us had discussed this with you before,….I could be wrong, but I vaguely remember some of us suggesting a Railking FEF would be a better starting point for your project,….remove the smoke lifters, and the lines are similar to the Mexican Niagaras ….

Pat

That's a good candidate too. Would it be super difficult to remove the wheels on the tender and replace them with 3 axle trucks? Maybe it would be easier to find a different tender and connect it to the modified FEF engine? The smoke stack and the sand dome are a little thick for the Niagra but probably much much easier to remove than the side walkways.

https://ogrforum.com/...c/156842928312979321

@HCF posted:

That's a good candidate too. Would it be super difficult to remove the wheels on the tender and replace them with 3 axle trucks? Maybe it would be easier to find a different tender and connect it to the modified FEF engine? The smoke stack and the sand dome are a little thick for the Niagra but probably much much easier to remove than the side walkways.

I’d sell off the UP tender, and start with a better suited tender from a Railking Hudson or Mohawk as a starting point,…or even a Lionel traditional sized tender,…singles show up from time to time,…

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

I’d sell off the UP tender, and start with a better suited tender from a Railking Hudson or Mohawk as a starting point,…or even a Lionel traditional sized tender,…singles show up from time to time,…

Pat

Maybe I could even pick up just the locomotive as a single in case someone has one hanging around but no tender. I suppose it's worth looking. Also a traditional sized tender could potentially make the proportions look pretty cool for the loco. I've certainly got plenty of them lying around. Aren't the electronics inside the rail king tenders necessary for the engine to run?

Also etiquette question for the forums for my future posts: I made this post separate from the other thread because I wanted to see if people could give me info on the Mohawk. I figured it was only slightly related to the original thread because it was more about the various runs of Railking Mohawks then modifying them. Would it have been better for me to just make a new post in the other thread?

@HCF posted:

Maybe I could even pick up just the locomotive as a single in case someone has one hanging around but no tender. I suppose it's worth looking.

Also etiquette question for the forums for my future posts: I made this post separate from the other thread because I wanted to see if people could give me info on the Mohawk. I figured it was only slightly related to the original thread because it was more about the various runs of Railking Mohawks then modifying them. Would it have been better for me to just make a new post in the other thread?

Nah, I’d think you should’ve just stuck to your original thread and let the added material pile up on that thread,,…then all of your reference material would be on one thread, instead of strewn all over the forum,….just my .02 cents,….

Pat

Make sure that there is a plastic shim between the motor clamp and the motor or else the motor can slide back and the plastic drive shaft can slip out of place, other than that good loco.