I’ve been wondering about this for a while. Both in CTT, and across the internet, the 773 is referred to as a “scale” or “semi-scale”, and both the 646/2046/2056 Hudsons (the ones that share a boiler casting with the Berkshires) and the 665/685/2055/2065 Hudsons are called “baby” or “small” Hudsons.
This doesn’t make sense to me, other than being some outdated lingo, since the boiler shells and motor frames are different. The smaller 2055 type seems to be O-27 sized, and the 2056 type is closer to “true” O gauge, though their tenders look a bit small. Wouldn’t it be better to refer to the 646/2046/2056 as a “medium” Hudson?
I know this doesn’t matter much in the overall scheme of things, but this thought has been bouncing around the back of my head ever since I first started reading CTT.
I personally own a 2056 medium Hudson and a pair of baby Hudsons, a 2055 and a 2065, all of which run quite well!
I agree, the 2046 is my most efficient hauler. I test a set consist of cars with different locos. Some cant pull it , a few can, and I measure the voltage for identical lap times. The 2046 pulls at the least voltage. What I dont have is the amp draw to know the exact watts.
I’ve a small layout myself, the old traditional 4x8, but my 2056 will pull 16 modern era cars without breaking a sweat, just as well as my 736 Berkshire. The 2055, not quite so many.
The thing is I run on nickle-silver tracks, so MagneTraction doesn’t do me any good, even if it still works.