Rivarossi Challenger??

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V

V&AL

Fred's Loco Shop Foreman
I'm looking at a Rivarossi (last issue) Challenger # 3985. Is anyone familiar with these? I know some of their older stuff aint very good. What is considered "Late Run" and is this worth $100-$200?

Thanks!
 
V&AL said:
I'm looking at a Rivarossi (last issue) Challenger # 3985. Is anyone familiar with these? I know some of their older stuff aint very good. What is considered "Late Run" and is this worth $100-$200?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
"Late Run" is considered to be one that has a can motor and flywheels within the boiler. The earlier runs had a 3 pole motor in the cab.
 
I've got a Clinchfield Rivarossi "late run". I call them "red boxes".

I also have a 2-8-8-2 Mallet that has pulled 237 coal cars at a couple of shows. You make the call. They are horses. Highly detailed and somewhat fragile when handled.

Retail, new, was around $299, I believe.

Bob
 


When the "late run" came out, I was working at the local hobby shop in San Francisco and I had a chance to look one of the units over carefully. The improvements over the original ones were astounding. RP-25 wheels and not the old eruopean style overkill flanges, can motor in the body instead of the cab, weight in the body to be able to pull. If you had a choice between the late run models and some of the newer models of the units that are now out of some of the similar pieces from the various manufactures. It would be a real toss up between them.
 
The majority of my steam engines are Rivarossi Red Box models. I have three of the AHM/Rivarossi variety, also. No comparison. The Red box engines out pull the others almost 4-1. As I noted earlier, not many engines can tug 237 coal cars around a layout. And it would have pulled more but that was all they had at the show.

The big difference, I think, is in the drive mechanism. Having the motor inside the boiler versus the motor in the cab made a huge performance upgrade. And it quieted the unit down a bit.

Now, don't confuse the Red Box with the AHM/Rivarossi counterpart. They are different critters, though some parts are interchangeable.

Bob
 
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