B&O Heavyweights

fire2053 · January 24, 2008, 01:50:19 PM

I just started a new passenger line with the heavyweights and was wondering what loco would be pulling these monsters?? These babies give me the best reason to put a tunnel through that wall in the basement. My wife is thrilled, ha...!!???

RAM · January 24, 2008, 02:35:18 PM

In steam 4-6-0s for short train. 4-6-2s and 4-8-2s and even 2-8-2s. f units and I think B&O had PAs also
gPs 7 & 9s

Atlantic Central · January 24, 2008, 02:45:11 PM

Well,

This may be a bigger question than you realize, and I will give you abbreviated version. First the B&O was a big railroad, covering lots of differnent kinds of terain, and providing lots of different levels of service. The other thing that effects this is time period, and on the B&O heavy weight passenger cars had even longer careers than on most lines.

Passenger Motive Power - B&O - Steam:

In the earlest days of steel heavyweights, short trains would have been handled by a moderate fleet of 4-6-0's.

Most passenger service in the heyday of steam handled by a large fleet of 4-6-2's of various designs, mostly USRA light, and USRA heavy clones.

When more power was needed they relied on a moderate fleet of home built 4-8-2's and few aquired from other roads.

2-8-2's and 2-10-2's also used as passenger helpers on both the major grades going west. And there are photos/reports of 2-8-2's filling in for 4-6-2's on local runs in the mountain districts.

Passenger Motive Power - B&O - Diesel:

The B&O imbraced diesels very early and was GM's first customer to buy the EA, first of the E unit series. They had a large fleet of E6's, E7's and E8's.

Early purchases of F3's where also steam heat equiped for passenger service and pulled quite a few passenger trains in the first part of their careers.

Latter GP7's where purchased with steam boilers and used to replace Pacifics on local/rural runs.

Merger with the C&O brought more E8's (as the C&O had more than they could ever hope to need) and few FP7's.

This by no means complete or detailed but should give you some idea of what would have been typical on the B&O.

Sheldon

Atlantic Central · January 24, 2008, 02:49:40 PM

RAM,

The B&O never owned a PA. Alco painted one AB set in B&O colors and loaned it to the B&O for testing. B&O rejected the PA and returned them. They where repainted and sold to someone else.

Sheldon

fire2053 · January 24, 2008, 03:00:06 PM

Thanks Sheldon. I think that I will stay more torwards the steam era. Yea... i knew that it was a broad topic but just wanted some extra input. Thanks a bunch!!!

Johnson Bar Jeff · January 24, 2008, 03:41:03 PM

One of the famous B&O "Presidential"-series Pacifics would look nice with these cars, I believe.

SteamGene · January 24, 2008, 06:07:32 PM

If BLI ever builds them. OTOH, the Mantua Pacific is based on the B&O P7.
Gene

BaltoOhioRRfan · January 24, 2008, 06:14:40 PM

I've got a mix of stuff pulling my passenger trains

4-6-2's(IHC and a Manuta P7)
2-8-2's(Athearn Genisis and IHC)
4-8-2's(Spectrum and IHC)
4-4-0's(Spectrum)

RAM · January 24, 2008, 07:28:33 PM

Well Sheldon i knew there was something wrong with the B&O. Now I know what it was. They did not have any PAs

Atlantic Central · January 25, 2008, 07:24:56 AM

RAM,

I like PA's too, in fact my freelanced Atlantic Central has 4 of them and I have a Nickel Plate set as well. The B&O had a fair number of other ALCO products, and why they did not buy any PA's is a good question. It may have just been their already well established relationship with GM for passenger power - remember they owned the VERY first E unit, and as it turned out, some of the very last ones built!

Sheldon

BaltoOhioRRfan · January 25, 2008, 07:51:18 AM

while B&O did not own PA's they did owned FA's. (I wish someone would do Pwd A & B units of the E series(that are affordable! not BLI!) and of the FA's.

Atlantic Central · January 25, 2008, 08:14:32 AM

fan,

Proto has done the E8's and while I know where you work, last I checked Train World had them in stock at a good price. I have a B&O set of them and they are very nice.

Proto has also done the FA's, but a rerelease would be nice. I both runs of these in B&O but would probably buy more if they reran the blue/grey scheme.

I much prefer Proto diesels to BLI/PCM. BLI/PCM seems to skimp on details to fund their sound systems, then still ask much higher prices. And since I don't do DCC or sound, I don't want to pay for any of that stuff.

My diesel fleet is mostly Proto (FA's, PA's, GP7's, E8's, etc, etc) followed by Genesis F units, Athearn (old reworked stuff and new RS3's), Intermountain and some Bachmann- Atlas and Bachmann have nice stuff, but little of it is in my era. It's still 1954 here on the Atlantic Central.

And the Atlantic Central is still in the market for one more PA/PB set at the right price.

Sheldon

BaltoOhioRRfan · January 25, 2008, 11:29:25 AM

While i know proto made them. Thier B unit was a dummy. I'd like both to be powered along with the FA's, an a & b powered. WE still have the Life Like B&O E6 A&B or E8 A&B sets but dont fit what i need.

Atlantic Central · January 25, 2008, 04:38:52 PM

fan,

The DC versions of the later runs are both powered, the DCC/sound versions have dummy B units.

Sheldon

jsmvmd · January 25, 2008, 07:18:33 PM

Dear Sheldon,

I have a Proto E8 in Erie Lackawanna and it is a beautiful runner. I know where there is an A-B set at a good price. I was pondering a purchase to run an ABA. Now it looks like you have prompted me to reconsider, dang nab it! There is just too much moolah going into trains these days!

It sure beats havingagirlfriend!

Best Wishes,

Jack

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B&O Heavyweights