Mike1083 Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Hey all I just got home from the local toy shop with what I am told is a new Hudson that has only been run just to make sure everything was working. I was skeptical but when I arrived there she was in the case looking mighty clean. Still not sure if she is actually new. Upon further inspection i did notice what looked to be either residue or rust on the front wheels, but even the track gliders did not appear to be worn much at all. It came with the box, the wrapping, all the paperwork, and even the shipper box. I do, however, have no idea if she actually works, as i do not have a DCS remote. The gentleman did say if something was wrong with her he would refund me what i paid. I got it for 599 which seemed like a good deal.. i had not actually seen a 1 gauge steam engine in person before this and man i gotta say this thing is a monster and holds some serious weight. I did happen to find a little tiny piece of plastic in the Styrofoam which i took a photo of. I could not locate where it may have come from. I also noticed on the tender around the axles on the plastic there is what appears to be a weird marking in the same spot on the black plastic. i tried to get a closeup of it. Its by every wheel on the tender. Now i just need that remote system...Now having one in my hands I think I understand why they are very hard to find. It definitely feels good to have my first real engine and hopefully I can contribute a little more useful info from this point forward. I am gonna post some photos and if anyone notices anything that should raise some flags i would greatly appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitouguy Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 very exciting for you !! i too have a hudson, and it was my first 1 gauge engine too my purchase, although 4 (or 6?!) years ago was similar ... i hit a buy it now on ebay and had mine shipped from florida to vancouver bc ... guy claimed it had never been run - Raymond here gave me some good advice then and i am sure he will chime in here too as may some others i think once you get the control system it can tell you how many 'scale miles' that engine was run also, i think you will likely need to charge the train (battery?) too i still haven't had mine running but hope to soon - but now think i will wait for the mth phone app and use that as my control look forward to hearing more on yours from others and yourself cheers, Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman4449 Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Hi there Mike, Looks like you made a great find there! The engine does look mint which is really good. If you can take some up close photos of the plastic part(s) that you're talking about I'm sure we can identify what it is and where it belongs. And also same about the mark that you're talking about. Congrats again and look forward to seeing more of the engine Raymond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike1083 Posted September 18, 2014 Author Share Posted September 18, 2014 Hi there Mike, Looks like you made a great find there! The engine does look mint which is really good. If you can take some up close photos of the plastic part(s) that you're talking about I'm sure we can identify what it is and where it belongs. And also same about the mark that you're talking about. Congrats again and look forward to seeing more of the engine Raymond Hey Ray, Indeed it does look great, i am still nervous having not run it yet but there isnt much i can do till i get that remote. The photo above of the underneath of the tender by the axles. Do you see the scuffing? is that a manufacturer thing or is that something that i should be concerned with? Here is a photo of the little piece that i myself may have actually broken off. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman4449 Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 The photo of the small plastic piece is too small and too dark I can't see enough detail to ID it. On the tender what I think you're talking about is a rough portion of the plastic. Most likely that is where the excess plastic was snapped off from the original molding/mfg process. That should be normal and definitely nothing to be concerned about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike1083 Posted September 18, 2014 Author Share Posted September 18, 2014 I decided to take a even closer look at the locomotive and noticed that my smokestack is indeed cracked. I am guessing this loco is too old for MTH to do any sort of fix on that. Any info on this cracking issue? Will it get worse. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman4449 Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 The crack only means that the stack is too tight a fit in the top of the boiler. (It's not from shipping or anything else) From what I have seen the cracks in these locations don't tend to get worse past what you already see. If you want to have full peace of mind the thing to do is to pull the stack out and relieve the stress as described here: http://www.rayman4449.com/MTH_Hudson_mods.htm#Smoke_stack_stress_relief For any Hudson I own I would always do this stress relief modification. I found mine had a crack as well (barely visible) but the crack closed once I opened up the hole the stack fit into. Given that it sounds like these are your first purchases of G scale stuff I will share this thought... one thing that was a hard learned lesson long ago was to understand that with any model (regardless of the manufacturer) you may likely encounter something that you feel should or want to be addressed. (ie something you feel isnt right) What I found over time was that if my criteria was too strict I would end up with not owning much of anything because that is basically the choice you end up with. (To have the engine with a given issue or nothing at all.) As a review of my website can attest I have found a number of issues with many G scale engines that I have come across. Overtime I've got to the point where I am now where if there is an issue, (as long as it's not too bad) that I just commit to working through it to get it resolved because once fixed, it ceases to be a problem and you then have the desired engine on your layout to enjoy for years to come. But each person has to decide for themselves what they are comfortable with and not, so feelings that I have now that apply to me I know won't necessarily apply to everyone. That said I do think the engine is definitely worth the $600 you paid and would keep it and not return it. (If it was me) If you're not comfortable doing the work I could do it for you if you really wanted to. Do you have a strip of track that you can test run the engine? One thing that is always good to do is test run to make sure it runs nice and smooth. (Hudson's from what I've seen do always run perfectly smooth, but you want to do your due diligence) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry B44 Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 I have a Hudson an like it also. On the remote you need the hand held unit and the TIU, and a transformer(I ended up with a Bridgewerks, after my Aristo died) so make sure you are getting both when you buy. I think Ray sells them, might check with him. It will run with a regular DC transformer, you get sound and smoke, but that is about it. I'd suggest code 250 track, it is smaller rail and looks better with the 1/32nd MTH engines. Sunset Vally sells it in different materials, including the stainless that Ray recommends. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike1083 Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 Thanks Jerry for weighing in with the helpful info. After a lot of talking with Ray I also discovered a broken front middle post. I was able to run the engine and everything else checked out. This first purchase of just an engine sort of being used was a great learning process as it appears I will still have a usable engine. I may have been a little too excited about actually finding one of these that I just ignored any red flags that we're waving, saying hey this may be too good to be true. may check out the sunset valley track and just keep the Piko track for my euro stuff. I'm going to have two layouts in separate areas of the yard. One euro and one North America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I too was thinking about getting a MTH Hudson over the more expensive USA trains Hudson, but I want the chuff, whistle and bells sounds. I currently only have a bridgewerks dc transformer and that will only give me the chuff. What would I need, besides having to get the MTH dcc or dcs system. How does the MTH stack up to the more expensive USA trains Hudson? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman4449 Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Ted, I replied to your other post asking about the two: http://www.gscaletrainforum.com/index.php?/topic/423-mth-hudson/#entry3398 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Does anyone know where I can find a 3inch speaker for a protosound 2 system in a mth Hudson. Also looking for a mth dcs system. Any ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman4449 Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Hi Ted, I have 3" upgraded speakers available (the kind I use in all my engines and personal install work) for $22.00. I am currently out of stock on the DCS sets but my understanding is they should be in within the next couple of weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I finally got my hands on a Hudson and she was beat up pretty bad. I had to replace the board set. The front cow catcher is snapped off and Ray said MTH was out of them. I just got my hands on a cow catcher by Lionel I believe for $4.85! from Trainz. It maybe too small or not correct for the Hudson. For the price, I figure I'll hack it up and see if it will fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry B44 Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 I've found MTH products to be pretty tough. Wonder what the previous owner did to the one you got to get it in such bad shape? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I can only imagine it was dropped ot in a serious crash???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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