Talk me out of preorder of NYC J3a if you can.

Just a suggestion, but the locomotive itself may be able to negotiate a curve of smaller radius than Lionel stated, but, if so, the real question is whether it will pull cars around that curve without pulling them off of the track because of excessive overhang and the ends of the locomotive.

NS1001  do yourself a favor if a large hobby shop close by see if they are ordering extras wait until they arrive and see if a test oval of track can be setup or bring your own as well as some freight cars if it works on 036 and all else is good then take it home. that way you haven't committed to a purchase and then leave the hobby shop stuck with another one in his stock. just sayin is all

I don't want to talk you out of a preorder because I've been begging Lionel to make these again for years.

However, I'm doubtful it will not have issues on 0-36. Keep in mind,  the Hudson is a larger locomotive than the K4.

My legacy k4 doesn't like 0-36, the plumbing at the rear of the cab hits the drawbar. The hudson is even longer in the cab/firebox area and will swing out even more severely on an 0-36 curve.

The pilot wheels will pose an issue too. I have the legacy ESE hudson and when placed on my inner o-48 loop the pilot wheels just touch the steam chest. No way it could run on o-36. The ESE shares the chassis with the J3a.

 In addition,the tender on the hudson is 1&1/2" longer than the K4 . The tender will probably do it but the longer the tender the tighter things will get at the drawbar.

The only way to know for sure, is to have someone try its as you have asked. Even if it does manage to do it, you may run into issues with rubbing or pulling of the  infra-red drawbar wires over time. I personally hate seeing the center drivers hanging in mid air when the radius is too tight.

I'd just rip out the o-36

I wouldn't recommend the ones with the PT tender. You may get away with it on the others though.

My recommendation... start redesigning your layout for a minimum radii of O54 better yet O72. The J3a Hudson is going to be a spectacular locomotive... and its last release was over 10 years ago... I cannot wait for another 10

I agree with others in that no way this will run on 036.  Another thing to keep in mind if this is important to you.  There appears to be a handful of SKU's in this product offering with different "appearance features" - wheel details and such.  The last time this happened (the NYC ESE Hudsons), the delivered product had different driver details than what was illustrated.  If this is case you may want to see what is actually delivered and purchase from a dealer who ordered extras.

-Greg

If a J3 could do this it would be the TMCC version. These came with an extra long drawbar. I doubt the Legacy one will be as long. That might not be the only restriction though. It will depend how far the pilot truck will move side to side.

A K-Line scale Hudson will do 031 if you install the included extra long drawbar but these were designed to do that.

Pete

Thanks everyone for your reply's. For got about the ESE Hudson - if it can't navigate 042 then not likely the J3A will do 036. Other Legacy engines I have that do 036 are the USRA heavy Mikado and a TMC PRR M1A. But the ESE cast doubt on the J3A. If someone has the TMC J3A and can tell me its min curve I would appreciate it. 

Talk you out, talk me out first. LOL

This is a mandatory preorder!

Super O Bob posted:

This is a mandatory preorder!

Ok....well...if you say so.

ns1001 posted:

Thanks everyone for your reply's. For got about the ESE Hudson - if it can't navigate 042 then not likely the J3A will do 036. Other Legacy engines I have that do 036 are the USRA heavy Mikado and a TMC PRR M1A. But the ESE cast doubt on the J3A. If someone has the TMC J3A and can tell me its min curve I would appreciate it. 

This PRR M1a? 

Yes that M1A - it will go around 036 - not pretty but it does it. The road number Lionel chose was on display at the 1933 World's Fair.

ns1001 posted:

Yes that M1A - it will go around 036 - not pretty but it does it. The road number Lionel chose was on display at the 1933 World's Fair.

At least it does it. Good to know. 

hello

I have a dept 56 Hudson 4 6 4 and it runs fine in 036 curves and pulls car fine also

kevin

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I like the J3 a lot BUT I'm not a fan of how the class lights look sticking out on the front of the boiler.  Anyone else?  I have the 6-38041 and think it looks so much cleaner without the lights coming out of the smokebox front.  For me, that's how I'm being talked out of it at this point.

Ok, I'll try... Based on the catalog photos (and we all know how accurate those are ) it looks like the chassis tooling is the same as what was used on 6-28072 circa 2001.  The give-away is cast driving wheels attached by Phillips screws in place of the wheel "hub."  The first time Lionel took this approach, there were a lot of issues with stripped screws and screw heads, loose wheels, extended break-in times, etc.

IMO, this design approach is grossly inferior to a milled chassis with a separate gearbox and "bottom plate," where the wheels and axles are removable as a unit assembly.  Williams (Samhongsa) got it right with their Crown edition brass in the 1980s.  US Hobbies got it right in the 1960s.  Heck, Lionel got it right in 1946 with their 726, and then cheapened the design the very next year!

Lionels circa 2001 were very MTH-like.  Geared too tall around 16:1, driven by a single-thread, self-locking worm.  If nothing else, I hope the advent of Legacy control and the smaller Canon FN38 motor prompts a change to a numerically-higher gear ratio with back-drivable gears.

I've always liked the STYLING of the J3 over the overpriced Vision J1e.  But from a mechanical and design perspective, I'm not convinced that this is a "better mousetrap."  I'm on the sidelines for now.  You pay your money, you take your chances!

This is simple....go ahead and pre-order....while your waiting for it to show up....go buy bigger radius curves....by the time your done, your engine will arrive.....  problem solved....I’m ordering the pacemaker....curves be ******..................Pat

Ted, The wheels on the TMCC engines are no problem other than having to heat the loctited in screws to swap drivers. I think somewhere on this forum I posted a video of my 28072 so you can better see its capabilities. Its been modified of course. The wheels on all the '90s era scale hudsons are screwed on as well. Again, not an issue.

Pete