Some other guy's steam locomotive product

[CJCrescent]

Woody;
I have a friend who, as a kid, was given a Tenshodo Challenger.  By today's standards, this engine is a f'real bow-wow!  I wouldn't run it on my railroad if it were given me free.  I have a couple of Challengers that have since been done, and they-far and away-eclipse the old 4-6-6-4! ...


Rich

Rich;

Don't know if you are aware or not, but the wooden boxed Challenger from Tenshodo was a very early version of this model from them. Having painted aprox. 35 Tenshodo Challengers for others, (yes they mostly came painted, but not everyone wanted the engine in UP or with the number supplied), I can say from personal experience that the later production units that came in a "regular" brass engine box, (cardboard), were surperb runners. The Crown versions are superior to any other model since released by any other manufacturer, IMHO. Most of these locos could be tuned to the point where you literally could NOT here them running at all. If you did hear them, it was just motor noise and very subdued at that.

Nowadays any that I do paint that are Tenshodos, get a can motor placed in them for even quieter operations, or DCC installations.