Hmm, true a diesel can be painted in many colors, but who wants to bet they do some road specific diesel! And let’s pray to god it’s not another F unit…
After the latest F unit from BLI, I would welcome a good F unit like Genesis, but with good sound. Many of us wanted the QSI sound in the new BLI F units, but too many problems exist with the BLI F.
Dave - thank you for the excellent unbiased review. [tup]
There are some things which stand out in your review:
- The smoke - MTH are to be congratualted for developing the chuff synced smoke system - its something which has been missing. I would definitely pay extra for this.
- I think it would be illegal to import the DCS command station to the UK and Europe because of the wireless frequency. So any engines which come this way will have to operate on DC or DCC, both of which seem to be the poor relation functionally to their own system (unsurprisingly).
- The wireless tether between the engine and tender is interesting, but I would worry that if anything went wrong it would be difficult to fix. A wired tether is probably user repairable, a wireless one almost certainly isn’t.
Andre - You appear to have missed the MEC O class Ten-wheelers, S class Mikes (not the USRA ones), B&M Moguls, K7 & K8 Consolidations out of your excellent list - if MTH ever produced one of these (I
Hi Jim,
Thanks for reading the review.
Your comment about European laws prohibiting 900MHz wireless is interesting. What frequencies do they use in the EU for cordless radio devices? I am aware of a gentleman in Sweden who runs DCS for his O gauge trains, but I believe it was sent to him directly from the US. I know in at least one regard MTH did take the foriegn market into account when developing the DCS system. DCS can be set to run on either 60 Hz AC for North America or 50 Hz AC for Europe.
boxcar_jim sez:
[i]Andre - You appear to have missed the MEC O class Ten-wheelers, S class Mikes (not the USRA ones), B&M Moguls, K7 & K8 Consolidations out of your excellent list - if MTH ever produced one of these (I’ve just spotted a pig at 36,000ft) I might forgive them the patent case business. Until then MTH are on probation in my book …
… and I won’t be buying this engine, but that’s mainly because its another Pensy K4!!![/i]
Yeah, and I forgot B&M P-2 and P-3 4-6-2’s, S-1 2-10-2’s (some of which went to MEC).
Not to mention the NYO&W Y-2 4-8-2, a clone of the NYC L-2c. Five of the O&W Y-2’s went to the BAR right after WWII.
Whoops! How’d that happen??
Andre
Dave, I thought I understood the law on this fairly well, but found out that the system of individual licencing of products was phased out in 2003! I then went to try and find out the current situation and found myself ploughing through various European Directives on Radio Equipment - it is a horribly complex area of legislation, but if I’ve got it right it goes something like this:
It is illegal to sell inside the EU any radio or communications equipment which transmits between 9kHz and 3000GHz unless it conforms with the various EU directives on radio transmition (principally the RTTE Directive 2003). This specifically includes companies selling equipment over the internet from countries outside the EU to EU citizens - quite how that works I have no idea! All complying equipment must be stamped with the “CE” mark showing compliance. There several exemptions but none of them seem to cover this type of equipment.
In one document I read it talked about reciprocal agreements over certification with certain other countries including the USA and Canada, but it was a brief reference and I couldn’t get to the bottom of this.
Enforcement seems quite lax; basically if you’re not causing interference the authorities won’t come after you, but the penalties are quite tough if a prosecution ever occurred.
So unless a radio device has a CE mark the chances are it can’t legally be sold inside or into the EU.
Nice review dave, only thing missing was a comparison to what might already run, any of the other k4s available. That way, and i am only talking speed control, we can decide wether 16 volts is acceptable. Doing a remodel of house so everything is packed up or I would do it. Also last but not least you should do reveiws of other products as you seam to be fair and very detailed, way beyond the ussual I like this or that because and unrealstic testing procedures.
Thanks rrebell,
I like your idea of comparing the speed control against other K-4’s. I don’t have any others in my roster, but I’ll ask around to see who in the Seattle area dose. If there are any volunteers out there you can contact me at davehikel@hotmail.com.
A Review of the MTH HO PRR K4 Pacific
Supplement on reverse loops and additional operations
By: Dave Hikel
Sorry for taking so long to add this section, but I wanted to try out as many scenarios as possible. To test how the MTH K4 performs on reverse loops I tested on two different layouts. The first was my own small DC layout, which has a straight reversing track across a figure eight mainline. I also used this layout to test in DCS. The second was the BSME club layout, which has a wye with an MRC automatic reversing unit and runs Digitrax DCC.
On DC there’s not much to talk about because the locomotive only sees the polarity changes when we want. However, there are a couple things worth noting. First, if you forget to change polarity before driving into the next block the locomotive will short and stop when the forward driver axle enters the block. If this happens the stopping action is abrupt. Second, if you inadvertently change polarity in the block you’re already in, rather than the block you want to enter, the K4’s coasting feature is engaged. This prevents a sudden stop that could derail your consist. The locomotive glides to a slow stop, reverses, and slowly accelerates in the reve
The Keystone Modeler which is the official modeling arm publication of the PRR Tech. & Hist. Society gives it a mediocre review. Say’s it is better than the original prototype MTH was showing but a number of flaws. Review is in the August 2006 Keystone Modeler available on the society’s web page for free. One of the greatest publications you will ever read.
That was my first thought too… and not just any F-unit - a Santa Fe silver and red warbonnet. Hopefully they’ll have the foresight to offer other roadnames as well, but I’m not going to hold my breath.
Dave, thanks for the thorough and objective reviews. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the company itself or its practices, it sounds like it’s a solid performing model.
Thanks for the tip ndbprr.
Here’s a link to the viewable/printable PDF for those who want to read this review:
[link]http://www.prrths.com/Keystone%20Modeler/Keystone_Modeler_PDFs/TKM%20No.%2037%2008-06%20PDF.pdf[/link]
I just read the review. It was nice to see some side by side pics with another K4. I do have a couple clarifications to comments the author of the keystone review made. First, MTH has been using 16-bit sound in all recordings since they introduced Protosound 2 in O scale six years ago. I can’t comment on the quality of sound produced by the samples displayed in the NMRA conventions in 2005 and 2006 (I wasn’t there) but the production model I have has excellent sound. Everyone who has seen and heard my locomotive has agreed it has set a new high for HO sound, even compared to QSI quantum and Tsunammi. I am of the opinion that this is attributable to good tender design that makes an effective speaker box.
Second, I think the author captures the feelings of many DCC “power users” who like to have as many user programmable features as possible. I too enjoy tweaking a locomotive to get it to run just the way I want it to, but in my opinion, MTH’s pre-programmed speed map is superior to anything I could program.
You forgot the Southern Railway PS-4
The Keystone Modeler article cetainly has credibility for their review of a very famous Pennsy K4.
It was interesting to read their thoughts on the model and in my opinion, they were not overly impressed with the model of some of its limitations.
Thanks for the information.
I second the motion on getting someone to finally make an N scale K4. At this point, I’d even by an MTH if they made it in N.
Also, I’d LOVE to hear a soundbyte of the F28 “Train wreck” sequence. Since this is a PRR K4, can I assume it’s the Wreck of the Red Arrow on Bennington Curve above Horeshoe? Not the only K4 wreck, but certainly the most infamous…
Also, I’d LOVE to hear a soundbyte of the F28 “Train wreck” sequence. Since this is a PRR K4, can I assume it’s the Wreck of the Red Arrow on Bennington Curve above Horeshoe? Not the only K4 wreck, but certainly the most infamous…
The soundbyte that MTH uses is a canned sound byte for all of their models.
Is the F28 wreck the one a K4 left the rails and completly jumped over the outside rail without touching or doing damage to the other rails? Downhill speed was the major factor in that one.
Yes and no. F28 is the function that accesses the train wreck sound. The Wreck of the Red Arrow is the one you mentioned. Too much speed - the K4 jumped the track and sailed from the inside track across the other 3 (it was four tracks through Bennington Curve).
I am not sure I NEED a locomotive that makes wrecking sounds. I make enough of those if there is an accident all by myself.
The “Train Wreck” sound (F28 in DCC) is not one of my favorite sound sequences. The clip in the K4 is the same generic clip used in all MTH locomotives. When you activate the feature you here some heavy brake squeal and “ut-oh we’re on the ground”, some cluncks and thuds, and the leaking of broken steam pipes followed by moans and groans from the engine crew. The condustor then runs up to the cab and asks “what happened?” and “Are you guys OK?” I’ve seem some kids enjoy the sequence, but it dosen’t do much for most adults.
I agree that this sound clip is kinda ho-hum…but it’s a tiny part of the overall sounds package. Hwever, I tthought that most adults involved in model railroading ARE kids…at least at heart.
Cheers,
Mike