Thoughts on the "tender powered" engines.

Of course, one set of the unpowered driving wheels would have to be fitted with an appropriate gear and/or traction tyres to work as expected. Surely the motor could be removed from the powered tender's DU and moved to the loco instead of having to be from another source.

The TrackMaster RC Molly is loco drive despite being derived from a tender drive engine, though her proportions are (naturally) very different. Maybe the powered axle from it would be able to fit in a regular Molly somehow.

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@LaG
Molly has an R/C version??? I didn't know that.

@Ffar

Yes, the Custom Trackmaster complete custom is his best in my opinion. I love seeing the big wheel being powered. I wonder if because its powered and the circumference being so much bigger if it rolls off the edge of the rails easily.

Molly has an R/C version???  I didn't know that.

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Thanks Dr Chris, I really didn't know.

LaG is correct then in the observation. Molly looks to be nearly, if not exactly, like the normal one. It would be nice to see a side by side comparison. I am guessing that all the R/C components and the batteries are in the Tender. If so then it wouldn't be too hard to customize and modify a non-working R/C version into a regular Molly that is engine powered. Maybe with a smaller Tender. Is the R/C version harder to find or am I just imagining it because I don't recall seeing her before?

I was not entirely correct. Until seeing Chris' photo, I forgot the driving wheels were normal sized and not the medium (?) diameter used on regular Molly (which would need some drilling to fit powered wheels unless they're TrackMaster 2). Not only does she have a bigger cab, wider firebox and shorter boiler to fit the components, but all of her wheelsets had to be aligned further ahead. The only time I recall seeing both together was in this video, and that's where the RC one (kinda) falls apart:

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Thanks for that video LaG. Its easy to see the differences there even though they aren't too different.

If I were into the Thomas trains (which I am not) I would really like a modification project where I took that R/C Molly and made her into a normal, engine driven, model. I don't think it would take much, just a little rewiring and the removal some of the components from inside the engine and tender. The R/C version looks a bit taller...will she fit under a riser?

Another thing I would do to her is...collect a few junkers to remover the yellow and white wheels and swap them with those black ones on the Tender. Maybe in the show the Tender has black wheels but I think she would look so much better if all (tender & engine) were those same unique wheels.

Speaking of wheels...are there any other trains where they have made wheels like these where the body is one color and the rim is another??? I think they look cool and would love to use this style on customs.

Another wheel question...Is Molly supposed to have large wheels like Emily in the show?

Big surprise to me...a little wooden engine costs $20...wow, I had no idea.

Another thing I would do to her is...collect a few junkers to remove the yellow and white wheels and swap them with those black ones on the tender. Maybe in the show the tender has black wheels but I think she would look so much better if all (tender and engine) were those same unique wheels.

Speaking of wheels...are there any other trains where they have made wheels like these where the body is one color and the rim is another??? I think they look cool and would love to use this style on customs.

Another wheel question...Is Molly supposed to have large wheels like Emily in the show?

They are meant to be black, though it's a tad difficult to see due to the red steps, axleboxes and additional railing. Same with Murdoch and Spencer, which seems to have been ignored in most other merchandise. I do think her own colour would've looked better in her case compared to the other two.

Strangely enough, she was the only official item with wheels in two colours each (at least in the Thomas ranges). Numerous other characters should've had them as well (Rosie, Belle, Ashima, Yong Bao and Lorenzo to name a few), but that's beside the point. I do agree they look better and there should've been more instances.

In a way, yes. Emily's drivers are 8'1", while Molly's are 7'.

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Thanks LaG

7 footers would have been neat but to use 2 sets would have made her real long. I wonder if Youtuber Custom Trackmasters idea with powering Emily would work with Murdoch and Molly?

Rough Example but I believe it is possible to motorize Molly herself, and Murdoch aswell, albeit a bit clunky and VERY unconventional.

Similar Tactic with Loco Drive Emily


Murdoch's a bit more complicated but it's probably possible.


It's also possible to use a Chassis Based Unit to power Murdoch albeit only resulting in 6 wheels total, (2 static, 2 working, and 2 operating.)

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I had forgot about Murdoch having the 10 smaller wheels which I always liked the look of. Makes me think of the Big Boy steamer.