DORA is a freelance live-steam locomotive in 1:20.3 scale. It has been designed to be simple to operate and reliable in service. With proper care, DORA should give you years of satisfaction.

Operating a live-steam locomotive is much different from running an electric engine. It is a more hands-on, interactive experience. The engine must be periodically fueled, oiled, and watered. As supplied, DORA is manually controlled; you must actually drive the locomotive using the controls in the cab, just as you would a full-size engine.

The performance of the engine is also unlike electric locomotives. DORA should pull up to half a dozen standard-size freight cars on good, level track, which is about the same capacity as a full-size locomotive of this configuration. Grades and sharp curves will diminish its capability. A good engineer will learn the engine’s characteristics and idiosyncrasies over time to get the best performance and longest duration from it.