# Review: Lionel Lionchief Plus Baldwin Camelback ten-wheeler



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

I received the recently-released Lionel LC+ Camelback loco yesterday but did not get a chance to open the box and run it until this morning. As usual I bought it from Patrick's trains, at a decent discount, and it arrived in only two business days. 

Camelback locos were designed to run on low-grade anthracite and used by many eastern railroads that hauled a lot of coal because they could burn the lowest quality of the product those railroads carried, allowing them to use the better portions of their product as product. 
They were not big locos, but larger than switchers and meant for mainline service. While I am not a fan of their esthetics - they look downright strange, I admire their design and capabilities: The Baldwin L models (this loco) were made prior to and during WWI, yet they proved very useful generally, not just for their original purpose, and many were often used in loco freight and even passenger (commuter) service well into the 1950s. 

I really like the LC+ product line. I have eight including this one. What I like is:
-they are well-build, heavy, and very good pullers, 
- they have good sound and lights, etc., and operating couplers.
- they operate well conventionally and with the remote, run _very_ slowly and consistently (their cruise maintains the set speed) yet pulling up to 25 scale cars easily.
-Operation with the remote is simple and robust, and in my experience, less prone to operating hassles or equipment issues than Legacy and DCS.
- None of the prior steamers were scale, but I bashed all five of my previous ones into scale models of small steamers from the 1902 -1923 period. This Camelback _is _scale - more on that in a moment. 

when I operate mine I do not carry the remote, but keep them all in this one place, each remote re-labled in bigger numbers as to its loco. I run as many as six a once. 







-------------------------------------------

*This loco arrived in perfect shape* as ran as it should right out of the box, in conventional or with the remote. 

*Good features.* It's features are just like all the other LC+ steamers: fairly good sound - not quite Legacy but frankly about equal to PS2, nice operating lights, excellent smoke, nice level of detail, and an operating coupler on the tender. 








*It is 1:48 scale.* I had read that the Lionel Camelback was a 1:48 scale model and mine measures out exactly that. It is a Baldwin Camelback L6a, L7a, or L8a --- all three were very similar and I'm not enough of an expert to know which, but its wheelbase, drivers, dimensions in general, etc., exactly match the Baldwin L6a - L8a. 








*This loco has a fair amount of detail* including a number of pipes and such added on, although much is cast in. The front roof hatch slides back and forth. It has window glas and figures in the cab, and a nicely detailed front coupler, etc. 








*Summary:* While Camelbacks aren't my favorite type of loco because they are a bit strange looking, I admit this one is growing on me, since I have been operating it this morning. It is nicely detailed and a good runner and rather cute in person. It has all the usual LC+ features and I think it is better than average for that product line. And it a _scale _LC+ steamer, and noteworthy to me for that reason alone: I hope Lionel makes other scale LC+ locos. It is not a big model loco - the real Camelbacks were rather small, so it barely pulls off the "I'm a scale loco and belong here" look when on the layout next to Legacy and Premier locos. But it does, and it has the pulling power and sound to operate alongside them. Altogether I am very pleased with this.


----------



## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

Yup, down right unusual looking steamers. We are so used to seeing the big steamers we forget that most of the world ran regional freights and switchers. I can see how it grows on you because it is cute and looks like a worker. 

I used to run TMCC which my grandkids could easily learn hoe to use the remote. Now I've switched to Legacy and it is not so easy. So... I think I might get one of the Lionchiefs so they can learn how to use a much similar remote and enjoy the trains.


----------



## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

They were called widow makers back then.
Copy and paste,
The first camelback, a 4-6-0, was built in early 1877 by the P&R's Reading, Pennsylvania shops.
The camelback was not a very safe design for its crew. The engineer was perched above the whirling siderods, vulnerable to swinging and flying metal if anything below should break. The fireman, meanwhile, was alone and exposed to the elements at the rear. The Interstate Commerce Commission banned further construction of camelbacks, but gave exceptions to allow some to be completed. In 1927, further orders were completely prohibited on grounds of safety.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelback_locomotive

Jersey Central had a bunch of them, along with a lot of other RR's. I have a bunch of old genuine black and white pictures of CNJ's camelbacks, around 8" x 7"? I forget, along with some of their other locomotives. 
I have to hang them up one of these days. 
Many of the railroads operating in the anthracite regions used this work horse to haul coal out of the hills.

I like the HO brass camelbacks, there is a lot more detail built into them.
I have the Lionel camelback, CNJ of course. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

They were strange locos, and more dangerous to run I suppose. I certainly would not want to be wedging in between two halves of the working firebox and boiler, etc., and above all that machinery . . .


----------



## Guest (Jul 22, 2015)

Very good review, Lee. Your photos are excellent. I think this will be a very popular engine and we will see a lot of them on O-Gauge layouts.


----------



## josef (Jun 20, 2015)

Thanks for review. Its one I was contemplating. Was is the lenght and height Lee?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm looking very closely at these. I'd like either Reading model, but they only offered the Philadelphia & Reading, that may have to be close enough.  I don't have any LC or LC+ stuff, and I'd like one just to get some experience with them. They should have pretty good smoke, I've used a couple of the LC+ smoke units in conversions, they did well.

The fact that it's a scale piece may tip me over the edge and push me to get one.


----------



## josef (Jun 20, 2015)

Lee, Only reason I'm asking about height and lenght. It would need to pass an area I have only a small switcher in. If the height is okay, I can use it there also. Otherwise may have to raise a tunnel and a breezeway between 2 plant sites.


----------



## TomW2034 (Jun 2, 2015)

*Me too*



Passenger Train Collector said:


> Very good review, Lee. Your photos are excellent...


I enjoyed your write-up immensely. Thanks for your effort.

Tom


----------



## TomW2034 (Jun 2, 2015)

On a different note, do you have any reviews on a Shay locomotive? I always thought they were cool workhorses. I am curious if the models were geared like the originals.

Tom


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

josef said:


> Thanks for review. Its one I was contemplating. Was is the lenght and height Lee?


It is exactly 18 inches from the very tip of its front coupler to he very tip of its rear coupler.

The highest point on the loco is the rear hatch on the cab. I is 3 7/8 high. The loco will pass under a four-inch overpass.


----------



## josef (Jun 20, 2015)

Thanks, I can run it in my industrial area now. Thought maybe, at least it looked, higher.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

TomW2034 said:


> On a different note, do you have any reviews on a Shay locomotive? I always thought they were cool workhorses. I am curious if the models were geared like the originals.
> 
> Tom


Tom, I have a couple of the Shay models, the Legacy 2-truck and the TMCC 3-truck. They do actually have the driveshaft and operating gears. They also have the pretty realistic looking cylinders that are pumping away when you run. It's a lot of fun to see the Shay running, there's a lot of action going on!


----------



## highvoltage (Apr 6, 2014)

Lee, what happened here? Accident on the highway?:


----------



## PatKn (Jul 14, 2015)

Good review Lee. Thanks for posting.


----------



## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

Nice review and history, Lee.


Patrick


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

First, the _accident on the highway_ is a simple memory lapse: I was gathering up all the parking meters (52 of them!), gooseneck streetlights, and traffic lights, etc., that don't fit the 1922 time period, as a first step in the conversion of my layout's downtown from the '50s to the '20s. I just left the whole pile there when I went to get a box for them, and forgot . . . 

I neolubed the drivers and rods on my Camelback this morning, and as usual it does so much to improve the realistic look of a loco. I was going to weather it, but decided not to just yet. I think I am going to repaint the body and tender flatter black first. The loco is a bit shiny overall and i will look more real and "weatherable" when flat - I will of course relabel it to my western US railroad. So for now I left it unweathered. This little guy is growing on me. I like it alot now.


----------



## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

neolubed.................? I had to google that.
I got one single site listed when I did. 

http://www.crtraincrew.com/weathering-a-steam-engine

neolubed, in my memory banks now. :smokin:


----------



## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

For comparison.
Lee.
I like the white walls and the shiny parts on the new locomotive.
But I also like the "neolubeing", but I think that the rest of the locomotive should be a little dirty/weathered now too?
No?


----------



## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

*What a truly delightful little locomotive*

I'm running this on the uppermost level this afternoon, with eight short ore cars and a bobber caboose - what seems a very appropriate train for it. 

It is just a wonderful toy: it's not something to put on the shelf and admire, but rather, its a delight to run and operate. Everything else I'm running today is MTH Premier - and really top-tier Premier at that - recent PS3 steamers, but despite costing right around a third of their price, this little loco blends right in with them, in size, detail, sound and smoke, too.


----------



## Guest (Aug 30, 2015)

The farm scene and terrain are delightful, not to mention a very nice train.


----------



## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

Lee, did this come with "white walls" or did you paint them on?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm pretty sure the whitewalls come stock from the factory.


----------



## Guest (Sep 1, 2015)

John is correct.


----------

