The booklet claims that the S2 was the first direct drive steam turbine locomotive built in the US. The project was collaboration between Baldwin, Westinghouse, and PRR. The S2 had two turbines; the forward drive was mounted on the right hand side of the locomotive and was rated at 6,900 shaft horsepower. The left-hand side had the reverse turbine capable of backing the locomotive at speeds up to 22 MPH. Continuous jets of steam from the boiler spin the turbine blades and power was transmitted to the drives through speed reducing gears. Those gears connected to the two inside drivers, and power was then transmitted to the outside drives through the connecting rods.
As impressive as the locomotive was, it had problems with fuel economy, and after five years in revenue service it was scrapped in 1949.
The Model S2 (Protosounds version)
At 25 inches long the Railking S2 captures the look of the prototype very well, from the boiler front, to the spacing of the drive wheels, to the detailed cab and the large 16 wheel tender. It's a good compromise between the postwar Lionel version and the full scale monsters produced in the last few years by Lionel and 3rd rail. The locomotive casting is very well detailed and has many added parts. The illuminated marker lights are green, but can only be seen from the side. Paint is good. It's equipped with only one smoke unit, but it's placed so that smoke pours out of all four stacks. The die-cast tender is 11 inches long and includes a good looking coal load, tuscan red deck, and Protocoupler. It does not have a water scoop.
As impressive as the S2 is sitting still, it's a sight in motion, smoke pouring out of the stacks, 36 wheels clacking across tinplate track. The tender sports a deep whistle and a good bell, the turbine engine sound is a swoosh combined with a high pitched sound. Kind of strange. Some say that it should sound more like a jet, but I tend to think the S2 had more in common with a battleship engine than an airplane. The sound is probably close to the real thing. If you get tired of it you can turn the turbine sound down or off without effecting the volume of the whistle or bell. The freight yard sounds are the same ones found on other Protosounds equipped steamers.
The locomotive comes with the braking feature turned on: raising the voltage above 14V and then down below 8V activates the braking sound. With a little practice you can time the sound in conjunction with stopping the locomotive, a neat effect. You can also set the braking feature so that it activates along with the Freight yard sounds, or you can turn braking off completely.
No discussion of the S2 would be complete without mentioning other, recent releases of the Pennsy giant.
Son, back in my day we had to travel ten miles, uphill both ways for a tender load of coal....
Chip Miller sent me this great photo, from top to bottom is the MTH Railking S2, the MTH Railking 'baby" turbine, and the Lionel Century Club's version of the postwar era 671.
The Railking S2 with Protosounds has a list price of $429, $329 for whistle only. The "baby" turbine shown here is the Dealer Appreciation version with a die cast tender for $199. A plastic tender version is scheduled for fall release at $149, and as part of a freight set for $199. Both versions are to be equipped with Loco-sound. The Lionel Century Club turbine was $795 for the locomotive and 8 wheel plastic tender. The tender shown was an additional $299, bringing the total for the Lionel S2 as shown at $1090. The Lionel locomotive is equipped with Railsounds and is command equipped.
It's hard not to comment on the cost of the Lionel S2 compared to the MTH versions. For the price of the Lionel S2 as shown above you could buy 2 Railking locomotives, or 7 "baby" S2s. Operators using the Trainmaster command control system could pick up an MTH S2, add a Train America or Digital Dynamics command board, and save a fortune.
The MTH S2 is a terrific locomotive that runs as good as it looks. If there was one item I could change it would be to add backup lights to the tender - the detail is already molded in.
Compairing the MTH locomotive with a 1946 Lionel 2020.
