Happy Holidays My online time has been very limited lately and I'm not up on many of the latest releases. Has Model Power released the vandy tender by itself yet?
One of those east coast e-tailers seems to indicate that the Vandy tender is in stock... but, you can't be too sure either. It's listed with the Light Mikados (2-8-2) which are still not released. It would be nice to try to call this vendor, or even e-mail to find out... but..... that's a bit difficult with this outfit. Hopefully, You'll get other replies from vendors that are on this board to confirm if those tenders have actually been released.
Bob, I seem to have acquired a brass kit for a Vandy tender that I can build up for you It will require a bit more detailing to get it to look as good as the Model Power one I have seen photos of in the magazines.
If they've been released then there's gonna be several mad distributors on the east coast who havn't received them yet.
If the 'vandy' tender is out (or isn't), any word on the 2-8-2 release? It would seem there release should about the same time.
I have not seen them as separate releases yet. They do look funny next to the pacific. The pacific has its cast-on clunky details and the tender has some separately applied details (such as handrails). The paint is not thick on the tender either, as it is in some places on the locomotive. The MP Vanderbilt screams 'HARRIMAN', even if you use the coal bunker. It appears that you can modify it to look like other roads' tenders, but the one thing that will be difficult to hide is the 'sausage end' of the water tank that was so characteristic of Harriman Vanderbilts (not to be confused with SP 'sausage tenders', mind you). When it does finally emerge, it will be welcome. One thing that the MP could do with it would be to make all eight wheels pick up electric. B-mann can, what is holding back the MP?
My plan is to mate the vandy tender to a Bachmann 2-8-0. This should look very similar to the 2-8-0's SP used
The MP Vanderbilt looks to be just the proer size for a consolidated, ten-wheeler, eight-wheeler or mogul. It looks too small for a pacific. Some of the SP P-classes did have four axle Vanderbilts, but they appeared to be larger than this one. Most of the SP P classes had six axle Vanderbilts. Most of the SP pacifics were of the heavier variety, but even the lighter ones were large for a 'light' pacific. There were a few SP pacifics that had box oil tenders. Some may have acquired sausage tenders in later years, but I have never seen a photograph of an SP pacific with a sausage tender. I have seen numerous ten-wheelers, twelve wheelers and consolidateds with sausage tenders.
Brakemoto, Are the "sausage tenders" you are referring to the "whaleback tenders"? In regards to the MP Vandy Tender, my complaint is similar to yours, in that it is simply too small. I have need for several Vandy's, but they are all the larger ones with 3 axle trucks, not the 2 axle trucks. The CNR used the Vandy tenders extensively (all their Hudsons and many of their Northerns, Mountains, Mikados and Santa Fe's had Vandy Tenders with 3 axle trucks). All their smaller locomotives such as Ten Wheelers, Consols and Moguls all had slab-side tenders; there were no small Vandy Tenders such as the MP version on the CNR. Perhaps MP can be persuaded to come out with a larger version Vandy Tender (and with full power pickup would be good as well!)
Red Bird- I did not know that the CN had a Redbird. On this side of the Lakes a 'Redbird' is a N&W passenger GP-9. But I stray from your question. As far as I know, sausage tenders were unique to the SP. There appeared to have been two basic types. One was a long half-cylinder, round side up, with the oil bunker in the top part of the half-cylinder. There was a variation on this where another partially cylindrical oil tank was put on top of the half-cylinder. There was another kind with a full cylindrical tank. The oil bunker consisted of either a very small box put onto the end of the cylinder closest to the locomotive or it was just a sectioned off part of the cylinder. What differentiated the sausage tenders from the Vanderbilts was that they did not have that characteristic angled-off fuel bunker. The whaleback was a semi cylindrical water tank with the flat side up. The oil bunker was a very noticeable box on the end closest to the locomotive. On the SP sausage tenders were usually on moguls, ten-wheelers, twelve wheelers, consolidateds and switchers. A few seem to have found their way to the backs of mikados near the end of steam, but most of those appear to have been SSW, T&NO and El Paso and Southwestern engines that were moved to California as those other parts of the SP were dieselised. Whalebacks were found mostly on mountains, Santa Fes (F class on the SP, 2-10-2. On the SP, the crews called them 'decs', even though a decapod is really a 2-10-0. The only 2-10-0s that the SP had they either bought used or they were acquired with a swallowed road, but I forget which now), some cab forwards and a few GS class (4-8-4) locomotives. Most sausage tenders were four axle. Most whalebacks were either six or eight axle. Sausage tenders, small Vanderbilts and small box tenders were found on small to average sized locomotives. Six axle Vanderbilts and four or six axle box tenders were found on the larger average sized locomotives. Whalebacks, six or eight axle box tenders and six axle vanderbilts were found on the larger locomotives. The exception is the MT classes, 4-8-2, which had many whalebacks. While the 4-8-2 is a larger average sized locomotive, the SPs were large as 4-8-2s went. If you want to see some sausage tenders, any book on SP steam should help. They were widely used in the SF Bay area, so if you find Harre Demoro's book on SP Bay Area Steam, it will show a few photographs. The first ones appeared in the 1890s, they lasted until the end of steam, 1957 for standard gauge on the SP. Narrow gauge was 1959, 60 or 61, I now forget. Some of those SP narrow gauge ten-wheelers might have had sausage tenders, but I forget.
Broke, you are quite right. The tender looks to be in the "100" class of tenders where the Pacifics (and the Mikes!) used C-120s at the very least. Russell's comment in another post is right on the money. This will look more appropriate behind a Consol or ten-wheeler. Maybe kitbashing two of them is possible? (although a little expensive).
