True, to me anyway. I don't think bridges/clearances allowed any of these monsters up around Punxsutawney Pa., or I might update to B&O to use one. Be a lot easier, but at least B'mann finally gave us a 2-6-6-2 to "play" with...
B&O ran these things on their line from Pittsburgh to Wheeling. Lots of grades, tunnels and curves. Lots of coal traffic too. I recall standing with my dad at Bruceton station when one of these came through. Scared the heebie- jeepies out of me. So I had to preorder one. Now, in keeping with the road specific steam concept, we need some PRR steam. A K4 would look real nice with those heavyweights from MicroTrains.
Well, I'm not a B&O fan, but its a neat loco. Will I buy one ? I suppose there's a good possibility, but I'd really rather see them do something like a USRA lt. Mike. Now if they offer it in C&O trim with the Vanderbult tender I'd jump all over it. Yea I know, its not prototypical , but hey I'd even get do a WM version with the Fireball. Are you listening Bachmann???...LOL...Mike
Much earlier in my modeling, when I was actively doing NP I would have jumped at one for the wheel arrangement for a Z-5. But years later I don't model NP except for the steam locos that were sold to the SP&S and a few of the caboose designs that found their way there. Big NP steam never set foot on the Oregon Trunk but a lot of big GN steam did. The more I think about it the more likely I will pass on this loco in favor of a few more BN U boats that I need. For what the cost of this loco will be I can buy about three or four of what I need and will fit better to my modeling eras.
I'm in Group D, although since I have a B&O Interchange on my NKP layout at Lorain, OH (where these engines ran through to Huron), I could plausibly be in a Category E: "It's not my road, but an interchange road, and it's X type of loco, I want it." Mostly, though, it's just that I'm a sucker for big steam (Group D). Ergo, I ordered two. And if they do a C&O Allegheny, I'd order two of those, too (though I managed to stick to just one Big Boy and one Challenger; ended up with 2 Y-3's, though). Sigh . . . John C.
I too am a B-C-D type of model railroader... I've got a many steamers and many diesels which are not my home road. However, it really helps that their are many interchange roads with the D&RGW... so that helps justify some of them. Still don't have a reason to have purchased any Pennsy stuff... but I've got GG1/Broadway Ltd. Northern Pacific doesn't interchange with D&RGW... but I'm really pulling for a North Coast Limited. I'll probably get one somewhere along the line... but... I'm not rushing out to do so just yet... give me a few minutes to think about it... LOL
This loco will be my third BIG steamer; I just finished the DCC/sound install in a 1st gen LL 2-8-8-2, and my NP Challenger is ready for decals and wiring! SO; time to get another Mallet! Those Z-5 Yellowstones were beasts. I can get away with this one if I modify the headlight, add air pumps to the boiler front, and straighten up those tender side/top areas!
Oddly enpough, the EM-1 was an engine the B&O did not want but was forced to accept by the wartime powers. The B&O actually wanted diesels. The EM-1 like the NP Z-5 were not true Mallets as they did not have compound expansion but only simple expansion cylinders. The EM-1's were the lightest of all the 2-8-8-4 designs and had the lowest traction effort, a total of 115,000 lbs. On some of the iron ore runs from Lake Erie there would be two EM-1's pulling and one pushing.
Huh! I had read that somewhere, about USRA dictating motive power needs to railroads looking to modernize. Perhaps palms were greased by certain ALCO and Baldwin guys.... makes ya wonder!
During the war years almost every bit of diesel production was directed into submarines, and various types of landing craft. Even the steam loco production was affected because the high grade steel was directed into that effort and some lessor grades of steel went into some of the steam boiler production resulting in later issues with failures and in some cases locos a lot heavier than wanted causing other issues. Alco, Baldwin, Fairbanks Morse and even GE did well in the war years. Baldwin supplied a lot of steam to Europe along with Alco. Fairbanks Morse with their opposed piston high horsepower design cleaned up with their submarine diesels. GE with their traction motors now being used in subs and other diesel powered vessels. And a lot of the assembly areas of all the manufacturers went into tank, truck, and aircraft production. Thus all new designs in railroad motive power came to a screeching halt. Almost all of the wartime steam production was of a tried and true design, some having been built as early as 1928-30 like the 2-8-8-4. So about the only thing they received was newer appliances and roller bearings and the only modifications were basically because of tunnel clearances and bridge loadings of the various railroads. And there was no need to spend research money and time on an untried design. Pull out the plans for a model, and use the same erecting floor to assemble the locomotive without spending resources on a newer structure, or an expansion of the old, plus using the materials already at hand. Sad to say but these locos were just a temporary stop gap when a four unit set of diesels would have been far better. But then diesel fuel was also being heavily diverted to the war effort and coal was a plentiful local resource not affected by the U boat.
This has been very quiet, no one purchased one yet, is it a perfect model so no condemnations or has it turned out to be a bad choice for Bachmann, I'd be interested to hear some comments as being across the big water, it's hard to find out information other than forums such as this. Spookshow where are you?
.... or maybe people haven't quite gotten them in their hands yet. I know Chessiefan is eagerly awaiting one.
Here is the best part... "...Near the end of steam they were all sent out to Fairmont and Wheeling, West Virginia, and Lorain, Ohio, with lake-bound coal trains as well as runs between Willard, OH and Garrett, IN until the B&O started to retire them in 1957. As good as they were, they could not compete with the diesels. None were saved from the scrapper's torch." Put down the pitchforks..geeeeeezzzzzzzzzz !! LOL ! Diesels...MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm !!!
