I'll add some comments to Rich's about these locos. The Sunset S4: Great
model, comes with parts to do as delivered or final versions or oil burner
for that matter. Runs fine right out of the box with beautiful detail. My
favorite of all the Burlington brass HO engines and possibly my favorite
brass steamer period. Quite possibly the ONE best brass Q engine if one had
to make a choice of detail, running quality, and price. This engine has
become somewhat pricey but there have some folks on this list with good
prices on this model in the past year. I have three of these models and paid
$475, $550, and $750 for them. I know I way overpaid on the last one but
with a lot of brass dealers this is the going rate for them. This was also
my very first brass Q steamer and I really didn't know what a fair price on
this engine should be.
The Custom Brass 4-8-4s have nice detail but the drives leave a lot to be
desired. The big problem with the coal burner is the lack of ashpan detail
which is fine for the oil burner. I have two of the coal burners and paid
$350 for one and $425 for the other. Normal prices for these can be as high
as $550. If you have the choice and resources I'd get an Oriental Limited /
Samhongsa version. Unfortunately these engines are hard to find and
expensive. Anywhere from $650 up to a Grand or so. The look good and run
great. My personal opinion is that the factory painted versions have a lousy
paint job. Because of this, possibly, unpainted versions are very rarely
available (in three years I've never had the opportunity to buy an u/p OL O5
- and I follow the brass market pretty closely). I have no idea how much
money an unpainted version of the O5 might cost.
Hope this helps you in your decision. You can't go wrong with a Samhongsa
model in my opinion.
Mike Martin / Peoria Heights, IL
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