Need Help ID'ing A Locomotive *56Kers beware*

[Nicolai3985]

Before I left for school this fall, my grandma brought me a box full of HO items. She's a flea-marketer, and had been buying things every now and then for me.

Digging into the box, I found a steam locomotive in decent condition:

http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/nicolai3985/x_006.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/nicolai3985/x_007.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/nicolai3985/x_008.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/nicolai3985/x_009.jpg

I apologize for the quality of some of the shots, I'm not much of a photographer, and my HP318 has been through a lot.

I believe the boiler is metal, cab and tender are plastic. There are no identifying marks on it anywhere...I tore it apart, to no avail. (Getting the four rods back into the cylinders simultaneously was a chore - and my Polish ancestry didn't help! :D )

So can anybody here give me some clues as to this locomotive's heritage - manufacturer and rough date? Thanks in advance...

-Nick

[dewain50]

Nick,
The engine you have was made by Mantua, probably in the 70's or 80's. They are now out of business, but Model Power bought the tooling and rights and is now manufacturing them under the Mantua Classics name if I remember right.
Dean
The Train Doctor

[MCHAPMON]

The wheel arrangement of that locomotive makes it a Pacific, and they were primarily used for passenger service, hence the larger diameter drivers for higher speed service.

MKTMIKE

[slimjim]

Welcome aboard Nick and Mike.
Mike, where is Lonview, TX at???