PRODUCT REVIEW: ST. CHARLES STATION 1:32 SCALE BRASS DIESEL
Manufacturer: St. Charles Station for J.M.G. Hobbies, P.O. Box 960, Port Ewen, NY 12466. Price: Ready-to-run GE 44 ton diesel switcher $575.00.
THE 44 TON center cab diesel switcher was General Electric's attempt to circumvent a 1938 agreement to protect the jobs of steam locomotive firemen. According to the compromise, any diesel under 90,000 pounds qualified as a one-man locomotive and thus needed only an engineer. GE's 44 tonner actually weighed 89,200 pounds.
A pair of Caterpillar V-8 engines, one under each hood, powered the locomotive. They generated a total of 380 horsepower. The wheel diameter was only 33 inches. The wheel diameter of a typical EMD switcher was 40 inches. The Southern Pacific's first units arrived in the spring of 1942, a year or two later than the first units of some other railroads. It was a popular locomotive; most railroads bought a few and some are still at work on shortlines and industrial railroads.
J.M.G. Hobbies' GE 44 tonner represents later production units with large air intake grills on both ends and a small vent on either side of each hood. Our sample came in the striking black and orange Southern Pacific "tiger stripe" scheme and its road number is correct for the unit it represents. (SP 1903 was originally Visalia Electric 501. It arrived new in 1944.) Unfortunately, the model's small designations, "DS 201" and "BLT 49", should read "DES 201" and "BLT 44". The "DES 201" marking also should appear to the left of its current position, on the bottom center of the curved triangular stair guard.
Construction is primarily brass with urethane plastic castings for the end grills, window frames, truck sideframes, and coupler pockets. The metal work is good but the deck exhibits marks from sanding. The builder neatly soldered all raised panels to the superstructure. The handrails are brass rod and show some excess solder; the ladders and footboards are brass strip. The footboards even have a tread pattern. Our sample appears to have every hinge and door handle of the original and, yes, we did compare it to a photo. The model is strong and will withstand handling. It comes with Kadee® 821 Number One Scale couplers.
The urethane castings on our sample were inferior to the brass work. Little pits resulting from air bubbles were unfilled, edges were a little rough and, in the case of the windows and sideframes, file marks were evident. The cab windows seem to be clear styrene. Some of the cement securing them to the cab is visible.
The model scales 32 feet 3 inches long over the footboards, 9 feet 10 inches wide, and 13 feet high at the cab roof. Those dimensions are identical to those on our plans; only the footboards are a little too deep.
The model uses a pair of Delton power trucks. Their wheels and wheelbase are correct and the locomotive performs well indoors. Our sample lacks a jumper between the power trucks to enable all eight wheels to share current pick up so the model hesitates or stalls at plastic turnout frogs and runs a little roughly outdoors if the track is even slightly dirty. J.M.G. says since mid-November 1993, all models have had jumpers.
Our 44 tonner started running at 3.75 volts, then throttled down to 2.3 volts. In other words, it had a slight jackrabbit start. Minimum speed appeared to be about 5 scale miles per hour, slightly faster than the prototype. It reached its maximum speed, careening around the 2 1/2 foot radius curves on our test track, at 12 volts and .5 amp. It ran smoothly at all speed ranges but its gearing yields too high a top and minimum speed to qualify as excellent performance for switching. We were unable accurately to test pulling power. The wheels have no traction tire but the model did handle more than half a dozen cars outdoors up a 2 1/2-percent grade, about the maximum a real 44 tonner normally would pull on straight, level track.
The paint and lettering on our sample were good. J.M.G. says the basic color coat is chip resistant epoxy. The paint seems very durable. Under close examination indoors we did notice a few very minor blemishes; outside they were almost invisible. The lettering and striping are decals. The stripes on our sample are too thin and the road number should sit lower on the cab. Some silvering is evident, the result of tiny bubbles under the decals. Actually, whoever applied the decals did a good job; they cover such a large area, some silvering is almost inevitable.
Gary Raymond and I have gone over this sample very carefully, partly because it is an American made brass locomotive and partly because it is an affordable model of a very popular prototype. It should be very attractive to anyone interested in a small, 1:32 scale (45mm) standard gauge switching locomotive.
We were unable to avoid comparing the 44 tonner to brass imports from, for example, Samhongsa. As its price suggests, J.M.G.'s model provides a little less performance, finish, and elegance. On the other hand, producing any brass model is very difficult and time consuming so, considering its overall caliber, the 44 tonner's price seems reasonable. J.M.G.'s diesel switcher is a good quality, good performing, handmade model with accurate proportions and detailing. As an overall package, it merits the attention of anyone with an interest in a typical small industrial or low tonnage mainline switcher from the early 1940s to the present.-Gary Raymond, Russ Reinberg
