Price: $429.99 (no. 81295)
Features: O-31 operation, can-style motor, LionChief Plus command system and remote handheld controller, Electro coupler on tender, RailSounds RC sound system, conventional running option
Current production run: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Chessie System; Great Northern; Pennsylvania RR
The 2-8-2 Mikado was an improvement of the 2-8-0 Consolidation design. The trailing truck allowed for a larger firebox, and the locomotives generally had larger boilers to increase the pulling power. As the design evolved, they came in varying sizes and were capable of greater speeds – although none would have been called a speed demon.
The railroad with the largest fleet of 2-8-2s was the New York Central (1,387 units). The last Mikados in regular domestic common-carrier service were those on the Rio Grande’s narrow gauge lines. According to www.steamlocomotive.com, there are 121 surviving conventional 2-8-2s in the U.S., with 31 being operational. Not bad!
The O gauge 2-8-2 we’re examining is the Lionel Junior model introduced to the traditional line several years ago.
First some terms
Let me start by differentiating between two similar and relevant terms: LionChief and LionChief Plus.
LionChief is a system that allows you to operate a LionChief locomotive with its included LionChief handheld controller in command mode only, utilizing 18 volts of track power. It’s easy to set up and use. You can’t operate this locomotive conventionally. Neither can you operate it using Lionel’s TrainMaster or Legacy systems or MTH’s Digital Command System.
LionChief Plus is a more versatile system. It allows you to operate a LionChief Plus locomotive in either command mode with its included handheld controller (utilizing 18 volts of track power) or, with the flip of a switch, operate the engine in conventional mode using a conventional transformer throttle. As with LionChief, however, you cannot use TrainMaster or Legacy or DCS to operate the locomotive.
Since each engine is command-controlled through its dedicated controller, both LionChief and LionChief Plus allow you to operate locomotives independently with other command systems (TMCC/Legacy/DCS) so long as 18 volts is applied for track power.
The Mikado under review is a LionChief Plus product. Now let’s take a good look at it.
Opening the box
This traditionally sized O gauge locomotive possesses a well-balanced appearance. Thumbing through Model Railroader’s Cyclopedia – Vol. 1: Steam Locomotive, I realized it has elements of design from any number of prototypes. I fancied the design came from the Santa Fe’s 3160-class or the general USRA Light Mikado design. In reality this model is numbered for the Santa Fe’s 3129-class, of which 30 were built in 1916.
According to www.steamlocomotive.com, one Santa Fe Mikado escaped the scrapper – no. 3160 – only to be lost in a flood. It currently resides in the Kaw River, near Topeka, Kan.
The pilot of the Lionel model is simple, but authentic with brakeman steps having cast-in rivets on the front deck. There’s a basic representation of a coupler and a flat, smooth platform with grab irons going up the steps on both sides of the smokebox. The surfaces on the running boards are all smooth.
The smokebox face is well done, with easy-to-see bolt, rivet, nut, and seam detailing. A large headlight is placed in the center of the door. It has the engine number below and on both sides. Classification lights are placed at about the 11 and 2 o’clock positions.
The boiler is smooth, but with cast-in rivet, pipe, and boiler band detailing along the body. Top of the boiler add-on details include a brass-colored bell, whistle, and three pop-off valves. In front of the cab you’ll find a turbine and some cast-in conduit that looks so good I held the engine up close to my eyes to confirm it had not been added on. A separate handrail runs from the base of the smokebox to the cab.
Below the roofwalk you’ll find piping, tanks, and air compressors. The bottom of the firebox matches the silver of the smokebox. The gentle paint application accentuates the nice rivet and pipe detailing.
The side windows of the cab have “glass” window inserts, and the command positions are occupied by two crew figures. The conventional/remote switch is located flat on the floor of the cab. The rigid tether is located just below the cab.
Chuff on/off and smoke on/off switches are on either side of the firebox door.
The tender is a die-cast metal model with four-wheel trucks. There is a fair amount of rivet detail on the sides. On the top of the water tank you see some rivets, but no seam detail. There are three cast-in water hatches with nice hinge and handle detailing.
The corners have four steps and four add-on grab irons. The rear of the car features a cast-in ladder. The engine number is found on three sides, and coal and water capacity are on the rear.
The nicely replicated coal load is cast in. The many flat surfaces reflect light for a pleasing visual affect.
The paint and finish were excellent, and the lettering was clean and crisp.
On the test track
Wow, the depth of sound from the Mikado was amazing. The sound package alone suggested there must be a high-end locomotive on the track. And just doing the “getting to know you” stuff of running through the speed range and taking on a few cars showed the whistle, bell, and locomotive sounds were key parts of the fun.
While the clearly visible turning drivers and the movement of the running gear make any steam locomotive a star attraction, the high-quality chuffing let this model stand out.
The LionChief Plus remote is as easy to use as can be. The throttle (speed) control looks like a steam locomotive wheel. To go forward, turn it to the right. To stop, rotate the wheel to the 12 o’clock position, next to red light-emitting diode (LED). For reverse, turn the wheel to the left.
The remote has clearly marked buttons for bell/front coupler, whistle/rear coupler, and sound announcements. By the way, this steamer has only one coupler, mounted on the tender. Diesels have remote couplers on both the front and rear.
Triggering the whistle, bell, and assorted sounds resulted in a prompt response. The whistle was great, but the bell really evoked images of the 7:05 slowing at the Traintown stop to unload its cargo of weary passengers, empty milk cans, and bags of mail!
Smoke output was very good!
On the test track performance was great, with the added benefit of watching the side-rod syncopation at slow speeds. Those low speeds were in the super-creep range, and the locomotive was swift in reacting to changes in the throttle.
Our conventional-mode low-speed average was 3.12 scale miles per hour, while the command-mode low-speed was 1.83 scale miles per hour. The high-speed average was 80.8 scale miles per hour, and I’m pretty sure there was a little more potential on the high end. Drawbar pull was 2 pounds, 5 ounces.
This is a traditionally sized locomotive that offers a nice menu of features as well as truly great performance. Go ahead and pick out your favorite road name from the list available and then take the steam plunge!
