O gauge Legacy 4-6-6T locomotive by Lionel
Price: $1,099.99 Stock no.: 2031020 Features: O-31 operation, Lionel Legacy command system, Legacy and TrainMaster control, conventional or Bluetooth operation with the Lionel Universal Remote Controller or the LionChief App, can-style motor, directional lighting, rear remote-control coupler, three-speaker sound system, crew talk Low speed (Cmd): 2.11 smph Low speed (Conv): 7.4 smph High speed: 65.7 smph Drawbar pull: 1 lb. 8 oz. Road names: Boston & Albany, Canadian National, Illinois Central, Lackawanna, New Jersey Central, New Haven, New York Central, and US Army Transportation Corps Website: Lionel.com
When editor Hal Miller told me the next locomotive up in the review lineup was Lionel’s 4-6-6T suburban tank locomotive, I was genuinely excited. When K-Line offered a version years ago, it never made it to Classic Toy Trains for evaluation. The design of the model is perhaps the most exotic seen in American service, except perhaps for the Erie Triplex.
The New York Central experimented with locomotive designs for its commuter lines in the first quarter of the 20th century. The engines needed to be powerful enough to handle passenger trains from the city to the suburb. They didn’t need massive tenders as their coal and water requirements were relatively minimal.
The designs also sought good performance in either direction. This eliminated the need to turn the locomotive around at the end of a run. It could just uncouple, run around the train, recouple and go the other way. European railways had long shown the practicality of this concept.
The NYC jumped in with 2-6-6Ts for its Boston & Albany subsidiary in 1906 and 4-6-6Ts in 1928. These unheralded locomotives may have had a niche job, but they delivered excellent performance until they were replaced through dieselization or electrification.
Opening the box
My grandfather had an expression he used when he saw a car – usually a 1930s or ’40s roadster. He would call it a “whiz-bang.” That term certainly applies here.
Though the front of the locomotive bears a resemblance to the NYC’s famed Hudsons, the actual size is surprising. It measures 14½” long, just a bit shorter than a Williams scale heavyweight coach. It’s solid with a die-cast metal shell. The heft reminds me of Lionel’s New York Central S2 electric locomotive.
The pilot has see-through spokes and textured brakeman’s steps. The walkways are smooth and both sides have steps leading up to them. There’s a compressor shield on the fireman’s side. Handrails run up and along the length of the boiler.
There’s some seriously crisp rivet and hinge detailing on the smokebox. Its door sports the headlight with the engine number (400) on the sides and below the lamp. The classification lights are found on top of the smokebox, and the bell is mounted on the fireman’s side with a tether running to the cab. There’s also a sand dome, steam dome, and a whistle.
Along the boiler you’ll find an impressive number of bolts, latches, and piping. There’s an add-on turbogenerator halfway down the fireman’s side. Below the walkways, the running gear is a subdued metal color and a nice mix of cast parts.
The cab has fireman and engineer figures. Cast-in steps and handrails lead to the cab doors. There are also grab irons on the cab roof and on the coal bunker. Water hatches and the backup light (that became the headlight when the locomotive ran backward) complete the details.
On the test track
No matter the brand, I’m always excited by that first power-up! This Lionel model didn’t disappoint me. Hissing steam sounds, turbine whine, and that lovable creaking metal sound as it begins to move. Today’s models always come with smoke fluid inside; within a few seconds it was a vapor gusher coming out of the stack.
Triggering the whistle induced smiles. The clanging bell was warning everybody there was a big hunk of steel moving, so clear the way! The crew chatter added a nice element to the “journey.”
The class lights and headlight were gleaming, and the effect was no less inspiring when running rear first. That, by the way, was pretty interesting with a train towed “behind” it.
I ran it with some scale-sized NYC heavyweight passenger cars, and the locomotive looked right at home – not like an undersized Lionel no. 8632 Atlantic.
I also ran the 4-6-6T with Lionel traditional-sized heavyweights. The cars seemed a bit small, but the train pulled it off. Don’t worry about having to buy a set of scale cars to make it look good.
I was also a bad boy and ran this passenger engine with some freight cars. It pulled a 20-car train of mixed make and vintage gear with no trouble at all.
Performance was commendable. Our command low speed was 2.11 scale miles per hour, while the conventional low speed was 7.4 smph. The high speed hit 65.7 smph on an 8-foot tangent.
Drawbar pull was 1 pound, 8 ounces.
This O gauge 4-6-6T steam engine has a unique appearance and solid looks. The variety of road names running from the East Coast to Chicago should not limit you at all. It’s definitely worth taking for a spin at your Lionel retailer.
Model courtesy of Sommerfeld’s Trains & Hobbies, Butler Wis.
