# MTH 4-6-6-4 Challenger



## rochester rails (Nov 30, 2010)

Hello I am considering adding a MTH Challenger to my collection. I know it is 1:32 but does anyone know if the differential in size is all that noticeable when lashed to anything in 1/29 ? Would any of us serious collectors notice the difference quickly standing out at first glance? It likely would be a shelf queen on display with a few cars behind it when not running it as often as other trains. Thanks!


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## H-man (Jan 4, 2008)

Very obvious, A non serious collector wouldn't probably notice. If you like it buy it. 

howard


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

The 1:29 cars will be 10% too large behind a 1/32 loco. Some will notice some won't. As Howard said, it's up to you and what you like. Perhaps you could get a 40' box car in both scales and find a display model of the challenger to "test fit" them behind. That might make it easier to make up your mind.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

There is some lee-way, Boxcars evolved and old ran with new. A more obvious (to me) are the variations in human appliances. Stirrups, ladder spacing, brake wheels, doors in passenger cars and cabooses.
Below are pics on freight car height variations. Cars grew as track improved.


























Do what you want, they're your toys!

John


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## jmill24 (Jan 11, 2008)

I mix MTH with 1:29 freight. Looks good to me. My favorite are the Aristo 2-bay hoppers, sure look good behind a Triplex or Big Boy. The Challenger is a nice model and it maybe never for someone to make a 1:29 scale................Jim


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By rochester rails on 02 May 2011 08:27 PM 
Hello I am considering adding a MTH Challenger to my collection. I know it is 1:32 but does anyone know if the differential in size is all that noticeable when lashed to anything in 1/29 ? Would any of us serious collectors notice the difference quickly standing out at first glance? It likely would be a shelf queen on display with a few cars behind it when not running it as often as other trains. Thanks!



IMO the darn thing is so big anyhow that the small discrepancy in scales is a 'hardly matters' to most folks, especially as the era in which it operated as a freight hauler was filled with cars of different heights, as those pics clearly show.

Buy it and run it in good health!

tac
http://www.ovgrs.org/


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## derPeter (Dec 26, 2010)

Hallo together,
as mentioned before, the height of cars may/can be different, but should not be higher then the challenger-loco.
For me also important is the width of cars, here the difference can be seen more and so i am cutting/resizing some Aristo-cars.
for example some measures:

Width of 1:32 items: Width of 1:29 items:
MTH-Challenger: 110 mm USA big tankcar: 120 mm
MTH-boxcar: 100 mm Aristo 3-dome tank: 107 mm
gondola resized: 100 mm gondola original: 115 mm 
stockcar resized: 103 mm stockcar original: 113 mm

Now i will try to put some pics
Greetings from derPeter


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## derPeter (Dec 26, 2010)

MTH-Challenger + MTH boxcar


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## derPeter (Dec 26, 2010)

MTH-challenger + Aristo stockcar 1:29


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## derPeter (Dec 26, 2010)

left: gondola resized + original behind
right: MTH-boxcar + original Aristo-stockcar+Aristo stockcar resized behind


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## derPeter (Dec 26, 2010)

USA-big tankcar is too high (the girder above)


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## Tom Leaton (Apr 26, 2008)

You can use hoppers as a train consist or as transition cars; they will give you a better silhouette.

chesrs


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## rochester rails (Nov 30, 2010)

I would like to thank all you guys for your thoughts, input and ideas and taking time to even post pictures. I remember seeing the MTH Locos' on display at RRS. I will miss the store (as I live in Rochester) and only wished at the time I paid a little more attention to looking them over first hand. I am sure I will add one to the collection soon. Thanks again!


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Don't believe the USAT tank can be a good comparison as it is to new of a car. Later RJD


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By aceinspp on 04 May 2011 05:58 PM 
Don't believe the USAT tank can be a good comparison as it is to new of a car. Later RJD Yup. you said it. Tank cars of this capacity are total anachronisms when running a Challenger. In the days when they ran on their primary schedules, tank cars were generally less than 3/4 the size of these newer monsters.

tac
http://www.ovgrs.org/
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund


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## Westcott (Feb 17, 2009)

The USAT 10000 gallon tank cars are quite small, and from the 'right' era.
Yes, they are 1:29, but look small in a regular 1:29 consist.

I generally run my Challenger with a mixture of USAT and Aristo/Delton 'Classic' cars.
These are supposedly 1:24, but are very similar in size to Lionel 1:32.

See the video


It's your railway!


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Hi there: 
I wanted to ask derPeter how he converts Aristo craft gondolas and stock cars to 1/32 scale. I am considering doing the same thing myself. Are they molded from styrene or ABS and can be welded or glued back together and so on? I am am modeling strictly to 1/32 scale and since I started modeling US prototypes only three years ago, I don't have any 1/29th stuff. But kitbashing some would greatly enhance my freight car roster. Gary Raymond already pointed the way with flats and tank cars, I am tempted to do so with other badly needed cars (stock cars, gondolas, and covered hoppers). Very interesting photos in any case, thanks. 
du-bousquetaire


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