Lionmaster challenger,,,,Anybody run one?

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

I was talking to a guy today and he ask me if I knew anyone who has this Lionmaster challenger and if it was a good engine?
Well I don’t know of anyone who owns one so I thought I’d bring it to the forum and see what kind of feed back I’d get to help this guy.
Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks

2

While I do not have the Challenger, I do have the Lionmaster Big Boy and it is one of my favorite and best runners from Lionel. They did a real nice job shrinking it and with all the TMCC goodies it is a winner. Based on the Big Boy, if I yearned for a Challenger I would think I would buy it.

3

I have a pair of the original black Lionmaster UP Challenger’s. They run superbly and have many, many hours on them with no problems whatsoever. Modified one of them so I can doublehead them. Also doublehead a pair of Lionmaster UP Bigboys - again, great runners.

The Lionmaster Challenger looks much better than the MTH RK Challenger. Lionel did a vastly better job of compressing the loco over MTH’s stubby looking loco and tender.

I can email you photos comparing the two if you don’t believe me.

4

I also have the Lionmaster U.P. Challenger.

I’ve had it for over a year and had only two problems.
The receiver board went out on it early on which Lionel replaced for free,
And the smoke unit element burned up which is easily modified.

Other than that it runs great, has very good slow speed, & can pull at least 25 mixed freight cars with no problem.

PeteNoVA,
Double Heading! That’s Great!

5

I have the Lionmaster Western Maryland Challenger and the Big boy Lionmaster. Both run great and they will even negociate 0-27 curves. I run mine on 0-54and0-42 curves though but did try it on the quarter curve and it worked. They sound great and odyssey works fine. Got them at a real good price too but you got to shop or hunt around.
laz57

6

Pat,
You can see some pictures of them doublehading at:

http://pete_nova.tripod.com/petespracticelayout/

Pictures from my now gone layout which was featured in the May 2004 CTT.

I also modded some Lionel Harriman 2-8-0s and double/triplehead them with a KLine Mikado.

7

Thanks alot guy’s that’s a big help!!!

8

PETE
How do you double head them? Tie them together?
laz57

9

Laz,
I cut slots in the pilots and use a coupler scewed to a cutoff Scout siderod as the coupler assembly. Slip it through the slot and run a screw through the hole in the side rod. Done five engines this way. You can see a closeup pic of a modified 2-8-0 on the site I posted above.

I posted detailed instructions on the OGR Forum over ayear ago. Should be in the arcives under Pete NoVA

10

Pretty neat PETE. going to have to try that. I’ll check out your other post on OGR. Been wanting to do this for awhile looks cool.
laz57

11

Pete,

when I read about your “practice layout” in CTRT I thought the name was just a bit of humor on your part. A truly great layout, must have been tough to see it go. But it serves as an inspiration for anyone who has thought of one of the million excuses for buyilding the layout until things are purfect.

Good luck on your next layout adventure. Look forward to the results.

Tim

12

The Lionmaster Big Boy is a great engine. Super sounds and it’s a great puller. It is one of my favorites and it looks great. Lionel did a super job with them.

Tom

13

Seem’s to me like I saw somewhere else where a metal plate was made to hold a coupler atached to the pony truck of a steamer and that alowed the coupler to move with the leading engine and also lets you doublehead just about anything not damaging the engine.
It just had tabs that looped over the axles like alot of the postwar Lionel trucks and just a flat piece of metal below the cowcatcher so it was very descrete,very cool!