MTH Allegheny HO Scale Under-cab Comparison

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

One thing I find hard to get along with on HO scale steam locomotives is the amount daylight beneath the cab / firebox. I appreciate this helps the function of the trailing truck on tighter curves.

I would like to “loose the freshair” on my MTH and was wondering if anyone had approached this in the past or has advice on how I could approach it. Attached is a comparison between the MTH and a Precision Scale example. Now I understand thet we’re not comparing apples with apples here, and I have no delusions of replicating that detail. I couldn’t, but just some simple fabrication would do.

I don’t need to concern myself with the operation of the truck as the model is shelve based.

Thanks

Under-cab detail comparison

2

A few thoughts and maybe some pictures later.

On a few models of other locos, I was able to add some styrene strips down the middle of the ash pan and paint them black to block the view.

I just moved and I am between layouts so most stuff is packed, I will try to get you a picture.

Now, just my opinion, and first a disclaimer.

I don’t own an MTH Allegheny, I don’t own any MTH locos, I do own the Rivarossi Allegheny.

All the MTH HO locos I have seen in person so far leave me cold regarding detail.

Their LIMA Berkshire is especially disapointing in the way I am about to describe.

Detail is missing, detail is over sized, they all look like O gauge trains that have been “enlarged” with the corresponding “somewhat toy like” appearance which I think comes from attempting to make the locos more “handling friendly”, that is to make sure the little bits are not fragile.

If I was buying a shelf queen, MTH would be even lower on my list if that were possible…

While not perfect, or up to the PSC model you compared the MTH too, the Rivarossi Allegheny is much better in the “under the rear of the cab detail” department when compaired to the MTH model.

And I feel the Rivarossi model is a much better looking model overall than the more expensive MTH model.

If time and access allow, I will post some photos later.

Sheldon

3

I actually find it very disappointing how much detail is missing around the trailing trucks on our HO scale steam locomotive models.

There is a USRA Light Pacific on display in Jacksonville, Florida, and when I inspected it, I was taken aback at how much detail is there that is completely omitted, and then we have the see-through look.

Since I packed away all my stuff for the work on the house, I have not been able to take new example pictures.

I did not realize how often I was taking pictures to share in here.

-Kevin

4

On most models there is a large plate that hangs down from the cab to connect to frame and the drawbar is located there to connect to the tender.

MTH in order to get around ridiculously small curves instead has the trailing truck connect to the tender and not have the frame end plate which is why it looks so bad.

Another reason not to buy MTH.

Rick Jesionowski

5

Outwardly, this is a pretty-much “stock” Athearn Genesis Mikado, but another modeller, no longer active here, suggested adding a representation of the extension of the loco’s frame underneath the cab…

It was pretty easy to construct, and doesn’t interfere with the swing of the trailing truck, although it might if your layout has some tight curves.
There might be more options for a shelf-model, though.

I added this to all four in-service Mikes, and will include it on the other two, yet to be re-detailed, as CNR prototypes.

Wayne

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We’ll need to see when the MTH arrives. I do agree that the drawbar arrangement - that everyone seems to rave about - leaves me cold. By comparrison to the Rivarossi which I owned years ago I like that it’s painted properly. I had one of the very first Rivarossis and I felt the finish was more like a black dyed plastic. Maybe it is? The other thing, which I will expand upon, is that MTH seem to have gotten close to something that’s my next closest irritation after the daylight issue and that is the cab to tender height. That was the main reason the Rivarossi went. It appeared to almost slope up towards the rear leaving the cab roof end amybe a scale foot and a half above the height it ought to be relative to the tender. I have both BLI and Athearn Big Boys and whilst in most every way the BLI beats the socks off the Athearn the lining through of the top of the cab window onto the notch top on the tender is really quite poor, the whole locomotive seeming to be a foot or so higher than the tender. Trouble being once I notice these things I can’t see anything else!

Another comparison is with passenger cars. I had a BLI CA Zeyphr and it got me down because of the variations in paint along the consist. Here’s a link to the consist on YT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMQB0tuUWYs

Conversley I have the MTH 20th Century Limited and I cannot speak highly enough of them (that applies to the Powhattan Arrow), although I am definately happy that I have the BLI Hudson.

On a positive note to end this ramble something that hasn’t disappointed one little bit is the Intermountain AC-12. That is out of this world.

In summary I really need to take these products on a case by case basis.

Thanks for your inputs…

7

Thanks Wayne that is the very thing I was reaching for that looks just so, so much better.

8

I totally agree with you on the MTH TCL passenger cars, FS. My only ding would be that they made the drumhead at the rear of the lounge car clear rather than blue. (Should be simple to remedy with a replacement blue LED.) I also have the BLI Dreyfuss Hudson and think it looks better than the offering by MTH. The MTH Hudson did run a bit better than the BLI though.

Tom

9

First, I did find a few pictures of work in progress on a BLI heavy Mikado to block the “view” under the trailing truck. These pictures were obviously taken before repainting the model.

I have two of these on which I replaced the original hodges style with Delta trailing trucks, which increased the open gap look even more.

As for the rest of this discussion, it is clearly time for me to remove myself as I am not a collector, I am not that fussy, and I only buy models that fit the theme of my layout, which models the B&O, C&O, WESTERN MARYLAND and my freelanced ATLANTIC CENTRAL.

What I am fussy about is all my selectively compressed Athearn, MDC and ConCor passenger cars are close coupled with working diaphragms that stay touching even if the cars themselves are not exact models. A feature most expensive RTR passenger cars fail at.

Sheldon

10

Sheldon,

I agree totally about the diaphragms.

Thank you very much for taking the time to show me the detail of your ash pan. It’s the very thing I need to get going on.

I take your point about pickyness over the last 15 years or so we have been so spoiled by what the manufacturers have brought us compared to what went before. It was either middling quality or you went to the other end of the scale which was, to the bulk of us, completely out of reach.

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Wayne, that looks great. I will certainly need to do something to my models as I paint them.

-Kevin