Check out this web link, it’s the Hornby USA web site, on the opening page is a video clip which auto runs. The video shows vintage footage of the real “Mallard” which I think still holds the world steam record, its pretty cool, or maybe because I just love that loco.
The video then morphs into Hornby’s live steam OO/HO model of the loco and shows the train on the track running around a layout, how to run it and some of the inner workings along with a brief description of the technology.
It’s a great system. I’d buy one like a shot but for the fact that it needs the dedicated control gear. I heard a rumour shortly after the loco first came out suggesting that a DCC conversion kit might be on the way, but I’ve not heard anything since - I think if someone figured out a way to make these locos work on DCC they would sell a lot more of them. There’s no technical reason it couldn’t - DCC has enough power to heat the water and the function buttons could be used to control the reverser, whistle, etc.
I do not need a burn source on my steam model locos. X-acto cuts are bad enough. Although I know it sounds like sour grapes, I’m still gonna say the only reason Mallard holds the speed record is because the U. S. Railroads, most notably the Milwaukee Road, Pennsy, and NYC were in too big a hurry to mess with it. The NYC learned better when they set the then world record with 999 way, way back, and it seems the publicity wasn’t all that great. People thought it sounded dangerous.
Who knows, if somebody wants to try theres 1 ready in Pennsylvania as for the 4-8-8-4 you missed the forum on wether there would ever be a restoration of one .