I have come across a local for sale President's choice set. Sealed new in the box. Seams pretty reasonable at 55 bucks It's the Big 10 express. I understand they are made by IHC. 2-10-2 "Big 10", T-2-a Santa-Fe, Steam Engine & Vanderbilt Tender CN 4100 is what the info on the loco is. Anyone have any info on these units? Also are you able to fit a DCC unit into them? Thanks
One of the guys at the local modular club (www.hotrak.ca) has a good number of the PC locos, all converted to DCC by the club DCC guru. While they lack some detail and prototypical fidelity (especially to CNR), they are good runners, and the owner seems very pleased. Andrew
I picked up the president's choice set. Unpacked the rolling stock and gave the loco a run. it actually runs nicely. Smooth and quite. Only one issue. It's big. Bigger then I though. One of the tunnel openings need to be enlarged. It's a big loco for my small space. I would say it twice the length of the UP diesel on the next track I also picked up this Walthers Trainline combo. Not sure why it's not a road name I was planing to run. It is new and has not been run. I just decided to take it out of the box and sit it on the rails for a photo.
I like they way it looks but I think it's better suited to long straights and gentle curves. My tracks are better suited to shorter locos.
"Big Six" This is a decade, or more old set, as Rivarossi has not sold this steamer by itself for around 15-20 years. For a ready built engine from the 1960s when this was first put into production, it is a great looking model. It was no watch charm, when it came to operation, but there is considerable information on remotoring it and redetailing it so it can com- pare to brass imports. It is a B&O 'S' class loco known in the B&O vernacular as the "Big Sixes". They were used mostly from the western slopes of the mountains to points further west. Most of the tortuous Appalachian grades had articulated locos on the point of mineral drags and as helpers in the 1940s and 50s. The B&Os had a few 'U' class 0-10-0s made out of the frames of some 'S' locos. Their boilers had been appropriated for experimental locos made under the direction of the CMO, Emerson. So some new boilers were made and drivers were changed and other necessary changes undertaken to prodduce the transfer/hump 'U' class locos. Stauffer has the definitive book on B&O power, which you should be able to get via interlibrary loan, or buy from used on line book dealers (e.g. AddAll; ABE; Alibris, etc.). Regardless, these are fine looking models, albeit unlike anything that ran on CP or CN. Good-Luck, Peter Boylan
I don't know how accurate the Model in the set is but this is from The Alberta railway Museum. " This from Ray Matthews, railway historian:CN had four different classes of 2-10-2's. 1. 4000 to 4044 - Class T-1-a/b/c. All coal burners. Assigned about equally between eastern and western Canada. Many could be found around New Brunswick & Nova Scotia in 1940s, and Winnipeg or Thunder Bay areas in the 1940/50s. Never operated west of Edmonton. 2. 4100 to 4104 - Class T-2-a. Powerful, low drivered, used mainly in helper and yard transfer service around Toronto. I think these are the ones you are referring to. 3. 4200 to 4209 - Class T-3-a. Came from the Boston & Albany RR in 1928. Used mainly in Quebec, but one or two did get into Ontario. 4. 4300 to 4332 - Class T-4-a/b. Their assignment locations are covered below. Engines 4319 to 4328 are not mentioned below as they were built as oil burners, but their assignments would have been the same as the other 4300s after they were converted to oil. I hope this helps you." So it would seam that at least CN used a 2-10-2 T-2-a numbered 4100. Again I don't know hao accurate the model is.
