Which affordable Scale Hudson?

I purchased the Williams scale Hudson, picked it up on sale for less than half of suggested retail:  very heavy, powerful, runs extremely smoothly, but has the seuthe smoke unit and junky true-blast whistle.  I am not a Hudson authority and cannot compare to the other models.   Just a mention of another economical possibility.

 I paid $400 for my scale K-line Hudson. I just bought it to show, not run as it's so beautiful. It runs great but I'm a Milwaukee guy. The detail is amazing. you'll be more than happy with K-line. Don

Another vote for the K-Line, and I too got mine for $400 lightly used. To this day, it is the most visually accurate model of a J1e Hudson in O-Gauge.

If you're looking for a J3a, that's a different story. Like Norton said, Lionel's J3a's are quite nice and economical. The best on the market though is 3rd Rail's model. Not exactly economical, but a true showstopper:

If you can find a K-line in good condition I think you will be very happy with it. Many people think it is the best and most true looking this side of expensive brass.   The Williams scale Hudson to not a bad loco at all and can be a bargain if you find it at the good prices some internet stores have it for on occasion: certainly don't pay list for it! 

Another vote for the Williams: it doesn't have the detail of the prewar 700E, but if you want something that'll go with your postwar, then go with it. I picked up mine for $200, and other than it's speediness without a load, it's great.

Thanks for the advice!  I was not aware of the current Williams offering (very nice!) as I was only familiar with the earlier #4000 brass Hudson (from the 80's?) that turn up on eBay with some regularity. 

 The K-Line Hudson is extremely attractive. 

For this purchase I really want a J1e as I have spent too many years gazing at old Lionel catalogs and collector books.... I have about $400 to $500 to spend so I will wait and see what becomes available.

Many thanks!

Paul R

The 783/8406 from 1984 is another Hudson to consider.

This was the first modern version of the 773, and although the 783 is sometimes referred to as being similar to the '64 to '66 773, it's detailed tender is anything, but similar to the very plain, 4 wheel truck tender that came with the 60's 773.

The 783 can often be found well under $500.

K-Line the last word in Hudsons, now duck and cover.

Great looking train room.

I have both the K-Line 5344 and the 1990 version. The k-line is better detailed but I love both so either one would be a good choice.

The K-Line Hudson has been mentioned several times on this forum lately and I was happy to see each time there was no Lionel vs. K-Line flame war. That was a fiasco for the record books 

Yeah it was.

The one closest to the "Lionel look" of the prewar catalogs (without actually springing for an original 700E) is the 1990 1-700E, which has a (mostly) enclosed boiler, the charm of a large three pole open frame motor, history, and the cache of having been made in the USA from some of the same tooling. You can watch the very thing being built from the blueprint stage to zinc alloy casting to final test run in TM's "Lionel Legends - The Hudson".

Something to ponder.

Bob

....... but the vl hudson does have" k line tooled drivers".......maybe one day we'll see the rest of the tooling reappear. It seems as though Lionel has aquired most if not all of k lines steamer tooling.....but thats for another thread.

I think you may find the Collector's Gallery column that appeared in the January 2013 issue of O Gauge Railroading a help.  It starts on page 72 and is titled, "Descendents of an Icon: Lionel's Contemporary Hudsons". The article has numerous photos of the 1990 1-700 E and provides insights on the development process that led to Lionel LTI building it.

Ed Boyle

If you are not concerned with the electronics, then the MTH Proto 1 version might be your best option.  It basically looks like an "updated" version of the 700E with more detail.  It is also numbered "5344" like the 700E.  The K-Line Hudson is nice too, but it has been mentioned in other threads that it is a slight bit smaller than full scale size.

Hello RickO.....

Did you get the Sunset 3rd super hudson yet ?

the woman who loves the S.F. 5011

Tiffany

Hello Tiffany, unfortunately my o-60 max radius won't allow me to do that, I'm kinda holding out hoping Lionel will rerelease their j3a with Legacy..........someday.

If your looking for a nicely detailed die cast model go for K Line.. If your looking for nostalgia get the 1990 Lionel issue

I thought it was established that the K-Line model is the correct size, and the Lionel models are actually too large...

I know you want a J1 but in my opinion the Williams Masterpiece J3 Hudson from the mid 90s is tough to top. 

Without going back to the earlier threads to confirm, I seem to recall that the original Lionel, the Lionel remake, and the MTH are spot on scale size while the K-Line is just a bit smaller than full scale size.

This is what I remembered. Forum member Norton took actual measurements, and determined the Lionel models are indeed oversized. That would make the K-Line model's smaller size more accurate.

https://ogrforum.com/d...ent/9173459923758339

No, actually I believe that someone quoted a magazine review of the K-Line "scale" Hudson at the time it was produced indicating that it was slightly smaller than full scale.  However, I am not sure if the Lionel remake of the 700E is actually larger than scale.  I have not read that before...

By the way, I saw that your link referred to the Vision Line Hudson, not the Lionel remake of the 700E made a couple of decades ago.  That first remake of the 700E is the one that I was referring to and I believe that was the version that was being considered in this thread.

I recently fired up my MTH 5344 Hudson after first replacing the battery and it ran just fine.  My next task will be to give it a BCR.

I'm inclined to believe there's no difference between the 1990 and 2010 tooling, but it sounds like we really need Norton to chime in on this.

I thought that the 1990 Lionel version was intended to be a reissue of the pre-war 700E (which itself was intended to be a detailed scale model of the Hudson).

I am lucky enough to have an original pre-war 700E with the 700W tender complete with the original boxes.  They are really a work of art and it amazes me how well they have held up after so many years.  Even the original paint and lettering is in great shape!  I really wonder if today's trains will stand the test of time so well?

I measured my 2010 Vision Hudson. I don't have the 1990 version. Using the link the Nick posted anyone can use the dimensions posted there to check their own engines. I used an O scale rule but any good metal scale should work. 1/4" = 1 ft = 12"

Pete

Decision made!  I have a 1990 Lionel 1-700E on the way.  Don's post recommending the 1-700E as the one to "satisfy the collector emotions" hit home. 

I really enjoyed Ed Boyle's article in OGR comparing the 1-700E to the VL Hudson (his articles are always great), and rewatching the the TM videos on the "Making of the Hudson" and "Hudson the Legend" pushed me over the edge.

I paid just a bit more than the rock bottom prices I had seen on Ebay earlier in the fall (post Christmas surge in value?) but I lacked the patience to wait and decided to buy before the money got allotted to something more practical!

Thanks again for all the advice. 

Paul R.