I like the way the MTH K4 smokes and sounds. Would you recommend this as starter engine.
I do not have dcc yet and want to wait until I learn more about it here. Will this engine work on just a mrc tech4 transformer and is it a good runner and puller.
Thankyou for any help in my selection. I am a steam nut so that is mainly what I will buy.
It isn’t cheap but I hear it’s a good engine.
The system it uses (forgot the name now) is made to use in both DC and DCC (wasn’t there one more mode?) the sound will also work in both DC and DCC but in DC mode it’s slightly more limited. I think it would make a great starter engine (as long as it’s not abused i.e. dropped and such)
Most of us feel that smoke is a gimmick with a lot of drawbacks. In the big Springfield, Massachusetts train show last spring, the MTH smoker was an area to be avoided because of the heavy odor. In a confined space like a home layout, it will settle on your track and scenery, leaving an oily residue. This is true of all smoke units, not just the MTH, incidentally.
The MTH proprietary system for engine control is called DCS, not DCC. We’ve had many debates about the relative merits of each, but the fact is that DCS is only available in one HO locomotive - the MTH K4. It is also incompatable with DCC, so you really can choose whether you want to run a single MTH engine or the rest of the world’s locomotives in DCC.
I’m not sure the MTH K4 is even actually shipping yet. No one here (other than a couple of characters who are obviously on the MTH payroll) has tried one for themselves, so it’s unlikely that you’ll get too many opinions one way or the other about running quality and pulling power.
I’ll second Mr. Beasley’s evaluation. MTH’s K-4 (if I’m to believe the first review) is a 24 volt engine designed to run on MTH’s 24 volt system
As such it will take a lot of modification to be used on NMRA’s DCC. MTH, like Sanyo’s VCR system will be odd man out. If I wanted a K-4, I’d buy BLI’s, or wait for the eventual Sanyo - Sony, 24 volt system dump.
The K4 was reviewed in this months Model Railroader. It will run in DC, but just barely. It needs a 24 volt system which, while running the K4, could easily burn out 16 volt devices like lights, etc.
uh woops I retract my statements. Seems like I’ve gotten my manufactures mixed up (thought it said BLI opps) I re-read the MR review yep it’s DCS and DC but with very high voltage requirements for an HO locomotive.
For a beginer steam locomotive I woul suggest IHC Premeir series (you don’t want their normal line trust me) I’ve got 2 and they run great (even can pair them up with no problems) and if you find the right sale you can pick one up for about $60 or so.
Hi guys,
I’m a layout builder in the Seattle area and have a lot of experience with MTH and their DCS system from working on O gauge projects.
The MTH K4 is a bit spendy (I’ve seen adds for $299) but is probably a good value for someone who plans to expand into DCC. With10oz of drawbar pull with the optional axle we know it’ll pull just about any train.
One detail to clear up right away is that MTH says the voltages listed in the MR article are NOT accurate. MTH has posted on their website that they could not reproduce MR’s figures and that all of the locos they tested after reading the article would run a scale 75+/- mph at 16Volts. I hope for MTH this is correct because, as others have pointed out, it wont find a home on very many DC pikes otherwise.
With regards to the sound and smoke, all I can tell you is the O gauge versions are impressive. I grew-up with Lionel and got into HO as a teenager so the smell of the smoke fluid has some nostalgic appeal for me. There are scented smoke fluids that smell more like wood, coal, or oil, as well as "Christmas " and other scents that are less offensive to most ladies. The sychronized chuffing sound and puffing smoke adds a lot of realism, especially coming out of a tunnel. The sound quality is a big question for me. The reality of limited speaker size makes things tough in HO, but Lionel figured out that the tender the speaker is mounted in is at least as important as the speaker itself. The tender is essentially a speaker box, and the better job you do of sealing the body to the frame the better the sound. MTH’s locos have a wide variety of sounds, but they don’t have as much bass in the chuffing sound compared to Lionel. I have not seen or heard the MTH K4 operate yet so I can’t compare it to the various sound systems in HO.
As for DCS, it is a very nice system to operate with a lot of capability beyond even what we have in DCC. The remote is well layed out with logical menus that are easy (
Thanks for all the advice. One question, I thought speed control was outlawed on model train engines due to some lawsuit of some electronics designer. Do all dcc engines now have speed control. I have a friend of mine with a lionel dcc challenger that has speed control and it ran awsome in dcc. He said that speed control is no longer available due to this lawsuit.
Thanks again for the info. think I will stay with dc for now as my tech 4 only has 12 volts and that would not do much for the k4.
Sorta right. It is MTH that threatened the lawsuit against everyone else. It’s a can of worms to say mcuh more, but that is why many here don’t like MTH.