Which one do you like better, the MTH or the Spectrum? I can't believe BLI makes one too, thats 3 different companies making a K4 at the same time and no one can produce a C&O Hudson? :cry: Thats discrimination. lol
They go after the most popular engines...especially ones which have run in preservation...so...
NKP Berks...2 of which have run...and a third is being restored (763)...made by Life Like, Bachmann, and Rivarossi
N&W J...Bachmann (and BLI?)...since 611 ran quite a bit
UP FEF...since 844 is been all over the place
UP 4-6-6-4s...same reason as FEF...plus it has common parts to the...
UP 4-8-8-4s...neither the biggest nor the most powerful by any measure...but had a lot of wheels, was a promotional tool, and 8 survive...How many manufacturers have made them? Athearn, Rivarossi, Trix, Bowser, etc...?
SP GS-4s...because of the 4449.
Reading T-1s are only available because of their use in tourist service...far from popular at the end of steam
As well as the K-4s (also produced by Bowser as well) and the NYC hudsons.
Then locomotives which fit a variety of prototypes also have a huge market...anything USRA, Baldwin catalog 4-4-0s, 2-6-0s, and 2-8-0s, Russian Decapods, Van Swerigan berks (NKP berks), shays.
I think one of the biggest factors hindering C&O passenger power is that: #1 they always had multiple classes that were confined to geographic areas so that a Cincinnati area modeler has no use for the power used through the New River Gorge.
#2 they are more famous for freight power
#3 which class of hudsons? Which class of 4-8-4s? Which class of 4-6-2s? They were each quite unique in appearance. At least someone FINALLY decided to offer a beautiful C&O T-1...the finest looking 2-10-4s of all (imho).
Further, since so many modelers model the transition era, the C&O didn't have their steam engines on the point of passenger power at the bitter end (The NKP regularly used 4-6-4s into 1958...but they've only been offered in brass 1.5 times...as most prefer to use the PA-1s which were the primary motive power in the popular setting of the 1950's).
I feel really sorry for modelers of the southern railways, north eastern railways, and the northern transcontinental railways as they don't have much of any equipment to run...aside from USRA stuff. At least the Pocahontas roads, midwestern roads, and western roads are popular so that we can get characteristic power. I actually feel quite bad for NYC fans...because while they have many choices for 4-6-4s and Bachmann's Niagra...they don't have any of the NYC's characteristic freight power...so it isn't really easy to model...and railroads had 10x more freight power than passenger power. The easiest roads to model with 100% steam rosters are the Pennsy, the Santa Fe, and the Harriman Roads (SP & UP...the IC not as much)....oh, and the narrow gauge D&RGW of the 1950s & 60's. (every single engine is available...including multiple versions for certain road numbers and engine specific rivet patterns...as well as all of the freight cars, cabooses, passenger cars, and some of the MoW equipment).
Precision Scale is coming out with all three classes of C&O hudsons...the L-2's, L-2a's, and L-1's...in o-scale and they've previously offered them in HO...a few times I think...but they're commonly more expensive. United's older brass import C&O L-2s can probably be had for less $$$ than some of the newer RTR plastic/diecast stuff.
As for the K-4's...I can't say which how they compare...but I recall that the MR review of the MTH one had a drawbar pull of 10lbs with its traction tire and was designed, oddly, for 18v instead of the usual 12v. That drawbar pull of 10lbs probably gives it the ability to haul a train 10x longer than a real K-4 could. I do know that there sound people are phenomenal about trying to get accurate, high quality whistles for their models...I don't know, though, how effective they are at utilizing that with their models.