MILW Little Joe survivor

I understand that there is one Little Joe left, and that it is on static display in Deer Lodge, Montana. Does anyone have any information on its current condition, or whether there are actually more Little Joes about?

I just picked up the Milwaukee Road combo DVD by Pentrex yesterday and I am HOOKED!:thumbs_up::thumbs_up::thumbs_up:

 

Steam D

The pictures I have in the below thread "Paying respects to E70" were taken in June of 2008. The paint is faded on the "sun" side a little, the north side still looks great. It appears from the outside to be in very good condition, but I believe the inside was completely gutted when it was donated. (can you confirm this Ken?)

Your officially in trouble, the Milwaukee Road bug has bitten, before you know it, you will find yourself driving down a dusty (or muddy) Montana road (or ROW) looking for ghosts, and some empty space inside wondering why its all gone, and wishing you would have enjoyed it when it was still around. (at least that has been my experience). :tb-wink:

Also one person took a summer and drove the Pacific Extension in a car, from Mobridge to the Cascades, taking pictures of everything MILW he could find. Check it out.

http://www.themilwaukeeroadtrail.org/Current/RoadTrips/King_LT/LonniesTrip_June.html#St.%20Louis

There actually was another Joe that is preserved but wasn't MILW heritage. It was purchased by the Chicago and South Shore. Pictures of it are here;

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/electric1.html

 

There is a little joe at the Lake shore railway historical society. Used to live in North East Pa and grew up about a mile from the station where it is located. Played on all those trains growing up.



Here is the website.. http://www.velocity.net/~lsrhs/museum.html

 

I'd love to see more video, Boxcab!

Pentrex seems pretty careful in what they say in the narration. I mostly just want to see locomotives and rail cars and so on in action.

It seems that nobody has made a Little Joe in N scale yet except for one brass model. This may be a fun kitbash IF I can figure out how to go about getting similar trucks. I suppose I could try to make them. I think the best path might be to find a donor loco of some type that has similar trucks, and then start hacking up the frame until I get the right wheelbase. This may prove much more difficult than that.

I see that someone else started a kitbash thread a little while back.

 

This has been discussed when the N Scale GG1 was released :tb-wink: (hint hint)
Incorrect wheel arrangement but.......

 

Well... I may have to just keep that in the back of my head, and some day a few years down the road when I find a swap-meet fresh GG1 sitting there on sale because the shell is all messed up I can grab one and take it to the workbench.

What about that shell? I was thinking that a couple F cabs could be modified. I'd probably need to sculpt some of that front bit under each headlight. The sides and tops would have to be heavily modified. I would probably want to modify the headlight, too.

You know, someone is bound to come out with one of these for the "mere Earthling" contingent of N scalers in the next couple of years. Of course, I could be well on my way to a custom kitbash by then.

Adam

 

I did a poll not long ago on this forum,"if an quality (Genesis, Spectrum) N and/or HO scale plastic model was produced for under $300.00, would you buy one?"

The responses surprised me, most were no, or maybe, for various reasons. They were not presently modeling the area of the Little Joes, (Harlowton MT to Avery Idaho). Bottom line, it's too obscure for anyone to release, we're stuck with brass. :thumbs_down:

I would model Harlow to Three Forks, Sixteen, Sixteen Mile Canyon, Eagles Nest Tunnel, Lombard......and if room was available, the Northern Montana Division to Great Falls.

I did happen on an HO Brass Little Joe (sold by Alco) on Ebay not long ago, it was priced low and I picked it up. I suspected the running qualities were not going to be the best, and I was correct. Still, if I want to use it, it can be re-motored/re-geared. Presently I'm still addicted to sidewinders, gears, sawdust, logs and mines. :tb-wink:

 

This is the Overland Models Inc. (OMI) n-scale Little Joe that was released May 2008. I own two.



These are great performing machines. Dual motored (one for each D truck) wired in paralell. Togther they could just about pull down the walls. As is typical of all brass loco's they generate a LOT of gear noise, but are smooth runners. Low speed is incredible having been timed as slow as 3 smph!! They are NOT overhead capable and were not designed with DCC in mind.

 

My Little Joe

In 1991 I caught this beauty in Cleveland on a siding near the airport. It was gone the next morning??? I am glad I got pictures the previous afternoon.