Large Scale Central

Mike Wolf On MTH G Scale Big Boy

General Discussion
#21

MTH had a display at York many years back when they first released the model. They had the Big boy running on what looked like a ridiculously tight set of curves. I can only imagine it was to show that it could do it? I felt it made the engine look bad. The boiler overhang caught my girl’s eye and she said she liked how it looked. I used that comment to acquire my first Challenger! She stayed quite for years after.

I modified all my Challengers using Ray Manley’s pages and adding springs to make the front drivers pull harder. I didn’t know that MTH had modified their bigboy’s to include that. They also have steel frames and drivers to add to pulling power. I’m excited to get one to compare against the Challengers. The included DCC control will probably never be needed on my RR as I run full DCS. I do like the use of caps and the removal of any polarity issues with the new PS3 system. I have plenty of PS2 models that still work with the new PS3 thankfully.

I may sell off a Challenger down the road if she does her weight on my RR. I still can’t find out how much a MTH Triplex will pull. Seems that I snap or have couplers fail somehow, when I get past 100 cars.

#22

Well for anyone who cares… it seems that the minimum curve for the real Bigboy was limited more for the long tender! The Loco could do 20 degrees if forced, but not that tender. In practice the mainline was 10 degrees or larger I’m reading. Even the Berkshire liked curves bigger than 20!

#23

Never looked at the pictures from the side. Yep, there is a big hole.

To be fair Joe, you show a 3/4 view, which of course “obscures” the hole. A real picture of the actual model from the side at track level is needed. I’m not sure why you say the catalog rendering overstates the gap, but it does look, well, goofy.

But MTH, like LGB, has a corporate mandate to have all locos run on a certain minimum curve. You would think a little imagination might help disquise it a bit more.

On one hand this could be easy. On the other hand, a customer might say “why do I have do do this on an expensive model”.

My take is G scale, nothing is perfect except perhaps Aster and some Accucraft locos. All my locos need tweaks, no matter how expensive they were (even my Accucraft K4’s and USAT Hudson).

In any case, here is a 1:32 big boy that basically everyone can run, has a ton of cool features, and now DCC compatible. Woo hoo!

Greg

#24

Now if we could just get MTH to show their fine locos at the National Garden Railway Convention coming up this July in the San Francisco Bay Area…

Russ Miller

NGRC 2016 Chairman

#ngrc2016

#25

With them being one of the few active companies you would think they would want to get the word out there. MANY still don’t know about the company at all. When they have an ad in GR, it is real small.

#26

If you really need a shelf queen only, I’d watch out for a damaged USAT BB, I think Jerry B bought one at a song, because it had a broken frame.

You might fnid something with a non-cosmetic problem for a good deal.

Greg

#27

I keep looking, will be checking the ECLSTS on Friday!

#28

It’s also work calling USAT once in a while, as they may have some returned for damage, although I would guess this only happens when they are in stock, and I have not checked that.

Regards, Greg

#29

Greg, mine was a damaged MTH Big Boy. I run it a lot, it’s doing fine, but I do have a new one on order. I like it, can carry it easily, can’t do that with the USA Big Boy!

#30

oops, sorry Jerry, mis-remembered… someone got a damaged USAT BB…

And yes, there’s really no comparison between the 1:32 MTH BB and the 1:29 USAT BB, in size, weight, and honestly, detail and appearance.

Greg

#31

Greg Elmassian said: oops, sorry Jerry, mis-remembered… someone got a damaged USAT BB… Greg

benshell He’s, on the : http://www.usatgscalegroup.com/phpbb/index.php?sid=f4dbee02a59dd093d1aecd6552f71596

USAT G Scale Group

Informational Site about USA Trains G Scale Products

#32

Thanks Sean, I remembered someone had done this.

Greg

#33

Joe Paonessa said:

Here’s a pic on the net of how it looks in person. I didn’t know if you had seen it in person?

Well – small world. That’s my brother’s MTH with an Athearn N scale one on top.

Ready and willing to answer questions about the MTH – we’ve never run it on anything larger than LGB R3 curves (despite some electrical gremlins – thank Raymond for fixing all of them) and we’re pretty sure it’s the highest hour/highest mileage MTH out there. It’s a fantastic looking locomotive with performance to match.

Here’s a video (from 6 years ago – wow!) of the MTH on the R3 curves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG_LYzueYfw

#34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBURmvpqcuM

#35