HO 4-4-2 Atlantic

[jcampb1513]

Dear Bachmann friends:

Any plans for an HO scale 4-4-2 Atlantic in the future?  This was a fairly common steam locomotive on many roads and is not well-represented in HO these days.  Mantua made one years ago that was adequate but lacked a lot of detail and the cab wasn't correct.  MDC made a kit as well in the past that was also OK.  I have both of these for my Ann Arbor RR, and converted both to DCC.  However, I think Bachmann would be the right folks to come up with a new model that had the same excellent level of detail as your 4-4-0, 2-6-0. 2-8-0, or others.  I know Bachmann would have a very popular model and sell a bunch of them!

John Campbell, MD
Jonesboro AR

[Bucksco]

No plans at this time.

[Trainman203]

Atlantics were mostly a pretty useless engine.  They were supplanted very quickly by Pacifics which had more pulling power suited to heavyweight consists.  The MP found a use for them late in life with very fast, very short dedicated express manifest runs.  But mostly, Atlantics just didn't have the muscle for 20th century trains.

The gigantic and atypical PRR Atlantics were an exception to the norm.

A Harriman pacific would be a lot better and more useful model.

[on30gn15]

2000 or so Atlantics were built from 1900 to 1906 according to text on page 121 of Kalmbach's Steam Locomotive Cyclopedia.

Page 127 of Alvin Staufer's 1962 book Pennsy Power mentions someone named Bud Rothar who interviewed an Engineer who said that the E6s version of PRR's Atlantic family were the "nicest hand fired engines ever built" and never had powered stokers. And were nicknamed "Speed Queens". Says they had a good ride but for some reason at around 75mph started a tipsy side to side rocking which could get scary at times with the engine having a top-heavy feel. Best way to solve the problem was to hit 80mph and up. Must have been some kind of harmonic action somewhere. Also says they were economical with coal and water, and were "the pace-setters for timetable operations"

From that and other things I've seen, I have the impression they never did reach the top end of how fast they could go.

But, yeah, the increasing loads led to the K class Pacifics.

Though the Atlantics could haul on level stretches. Page 126 in book gives mention of a fellow who in 1917 recorded E6s number 1321 going through Torresdale, Philadelphia, at 55mph with 21 car mail and express train.
Of course shorter trains could be moved a lot faster.
On tests between Fort Wayne and Valparaiso the E6 non-superheated prototype averaged over 75 mph start to stop with a nine car train.

Give PRR's various flavors of 4-4-2 a 9 to 12 car train, reasonably level ground, and they absolutely would get you where you were going post haste.

I forget who they were, but there were a couple RRs who had some uuuuugly Atlantics. Santa Fe's 1480 class weren't the ugliest but they were a long way from the prettiest.

[electrical whiz kid]

A lot has been written about Atlantics in the model railroading mags; as well as there having been a number of models available, brass RTR, and other types.  I ran across the Bowser 'fire sale'; and there is a frame and driver assemble for sale with the 'look and feel' of an Atlantic.  now if I am accurate here, this would make a great start  to build this locomotive. 
In terms of rosters, I would say, off-hand, that the New Haven, along with the Boston & Maine, used them on their short runs, like commuters; mostly because of their ability to produce speed.  This was mostly in the day of wooden coaches.

Rich C.

[Trainman203]

It was PRR 4-4-2 7002 that did 127 mph in 1905 wasn't it?

[rogertra]

It was PRR 4-4-2 7002 that did 127 mph in 1905 wasn't it?

Perhaps and allegedly but not an "official" speed record as IIRC, it was based on the operators' OSing passing times as the train was OSed by the operator as the train passed each operator's train order station.  These times could be noted minutes after the train passed if the operator was busy.  Thus, not considered accurate enough.

One of the fastest railway runs in the history of American railways was made in 1905 by the express service of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. For many years this service was booked to make the run of 55½ miles from Camden to Atlantic City in 55 minutes - at that time the fastest booked run in the world. In order to recover late starts - caused by the late arrival of the ferry from Philadelphia at Camden - runs in less than schedule time were common. The fastest of these ever known was in May, 1905, when the journey was completed in 42 minutes 33 seconds, at an average start-to-stop speed of 78.3 miles an hour.

The official world speed record for steam was when L.N.E.R. class A4, "Mallard" attained a speed of 126 miles an hour, on the descent from Stoke Summit in 1938, a world record for a steam locomotive, which is held to this day.



Cheers

Roger T.

[electrical whiz kid]

Roger;
So effective was your post that I had to run upstairs for my Dramamine. 

Rich C.

[rogertra]

Roger;
So effective was your post that I had to run upstairs for my Dramamine. 

Rich C.

When I was in hospital with the fractured hip, Dramamine and Morphine were the drugs of choice. 

Cheers

Roger T.

[electrical whiz kid]

Roger;
Yeah; that pump is great, isn't it?  What are you using for sub roadbed on your layout? 
Rich C.

[rogertra]

Roger;
Yeah; that pump is great, isn't it?  What are you using for sub roadbed on your layout? 
Rich C.

I use the Canadian version of Donnacona Board for my sub roadbed laid on top of 3/4 reject cabinet grade plywood.   The plywood is reject cabinet grade as it has slight flaws so it doesn't make the grade.   I use it because unlike other plywoods, it lays flat.

Cheers

Roger T.